Main Projects / Activities

The Israeli Climate Forum
In partnership with the President of the State of Israel, in January 2022, L&E launched a first-of-its-kind forum that focuses on climate change, intended to lead the way for cross-sectoral discourse and action regarding the climate crisis, as well as Israel’s role in responding to it. The establishment of the forum marks the State’s commitment to situate itself at the forefront of the global debate on the climate crisis.
Led by President Isaac Herzog and Dov Khenin of L&E, the Forum expands, deepens, and strengthens the knowledge of the climate crisis and its entailed challenges, and strives to find viable solutions; Encourage initiatives and implementation of cross-sectoral projects in the field; And create influence and awareness of the issue among decision-makers and citizens of the State of Israel.
The Forum not only serves as an advising body to the President, who advocates for changes in government policy, but also positions climate change as a burning issue in the Israeli public discourse. It also provides a platform for establishing relationships with unaffiliated Jewish communities worldwide, based on a common call-to-action in the field of climate change.
The Forum includes representatives from the President’s House, Government Ministries, the Knesset, local government, academia, and civil society organizations operating in the field (approximately 180 members all together).
"Aclima" Climate Champions Hub
With 92% of Israel's population living in cities and urban development rapidly expanding, the need for energy-efficient, effective, and environmentally friendly solutions is more urgent than ever. Despite global examples of successful urban climate initiatives, Israel still has significant progress to make. Enhancing the implementation of climate initiatives at the municipal level is crucial for achieving substantial environmental impact, as urban centers are major consumers of electricity and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Aclima, a transformative initiative by Life & Environment (L&E), aims to elevate the scope and effectiveness of environmental interventions through municipalities and local authorities. The hub focuses on three key areas:
1.Knowledge Repository: Aclima will gather and adapt best practices from Israel and abroad, providing local authorities with practical tools and resources to address climate challenges.
2.Support and Guidance: The hub will assist municipalities in assessing and implementing emission reduction and climate adaptation programs. By building capacity and facilitating project development, Aclima ensures the sustainable execution of environmental initiatives.
3.Motivation and Engagement: Aclima will increase the motivation of mayors and municipal leaders to drive climate action by raising awareness and helping them access government funds for climate projects.
In June 2024, President Herzog launched Aclima’s “Ambitious Local Authorities Climate Plan” at the Muni-Expo conference, bringing together leaders from 10 diverse municipalities to strengthen their climate resilience and achieve ambitious environmental goals in areas such as community resilience, energy, mobility, and open spaces.
Tzamarot Accelerator
Tzamarot (In Hebrew: "treetops") is a distinct accelerator, established to identify promising initiatives in largely overlooked areas, reconcile the challenges that surface during the growth of new ventures, and equip them for sustainable long- term economic development. The mentoring that Tzamarot provides focuses on three main dimensions: strategic, financial, and organizational development. In addition, participants have the opportunity to receive a grant to expedite their establishment.
The Tzamarot Accelerator has recently accepted several innovative environmental-social initiatives into its 3rd cycle, each targeting unique environmental challenges in Israel. These include Citizens for Clean Air, which aims to increase enforcement against waste incineration (a pervasive problem in Israel) and improve our air quality; The Front of the House, which renovated 1,000 houses of displaced Israelis since October 7 with second-hand furniture and now aims to transform the home design culture to a sustainable and reducing furniture waste; Israeli Compost, which seeks to enhance composting and reduce organic waste in landfills (the biggest part of waste); Travelers in Israel, popular YouTube travel influencers focusing on environmental awareness and ecological issues; Saving the Mountains of Jerusalem, which proposes the creation of a national park to preserve open spaces; and The Community for Regenerative Agriculture, dedicated to promoting regenerative agricultural practices to heal the soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each initiative is supported through financial aid, professional guidance, and a collaborative platform for fostering effective solutions.
Professional Development Programming
L&E focuses on developing multi-sectoral capabilities to cope with the climate crisis and build a green economy in Israel. The rationale is that a concerted effort combining multidisciplinary professionals, strategic partners, and strong centers of influence will empower the Environmental Movement to impact the fast-changing reality. Member organizations benefit from professional development programs and learning opportunities in various fields such as resource development, management skills, measurement and evaluation, and many more.
Furthermore, L&E provides strategizing consultations for member organizations who seek to develop their professionality and impact. Many organizations turn to L&E to deepen their work strategy, and L&E provides a response in the form of several meetings and consultations on tools for social change (legal, public, educational, professional, lobbying and statutorical). For many organizations, learning a new way to make an impactful connection between different tools provides a breakthrough that would have not been made possible otherwise.
Arab Society
Outreach and Empowerment of the Arab Society
L&E is currently working to develop collaboration with, outreach to, and empowerment of, environmental work in Arab society. Following several processes to map the current needs for this sort of work, we are now investing our time and resources in the following initiatives
- Connecting Core Environmental Organizations with Arab Society: L&E is working to draw up an extensive work plan for collaborative work of the Environmental Movement with Arab Society. The program is focused on two tracks: How to develop and nurture more grassroots initiatives in Arab society by identifying local forces that could potentially translate into environmental activism; and how to develop professional know-how within the Environmental Movement to work with the Arab society.
- Establishment of environmental committees in Arab localities: In 2021, L&E has initiated an avenue of action in collaboration with Lawyers for Good Governance (LGG) and Citizens for the Environment (CFE), who located and trained representatives to join the local environmental committees. L&E begun collaborated with Lawyers for Good Governance and Citizens for the Environment and carried out a two-year intervention plan to ensure that Arab local municipalities convene their Environmental Planning Committees (EPCs) regularly, enable meaningful participation of public representatives, and maintain adequate standards of transparency regarding their work. Collaborating closely with Arab environmental NGOs our initiative began with four out of 84 local Arab authorities. By the end of the project, an impressive 98% of committees had been established, with 94% of representatives duly appointed. While we have succeeded greatly with this initiative, it is a continuous effort as the EPCs need to be reestablished with each new term.
Diversity and Inclusion
- Arab Society Forum: L&E established a forum, particularly for the Arab society employees within the environmental movement. This forum aims to empower current Arab employees through tailored training, peer learning, and networking opportunities. Currently, the forum boasts 19 members, and we are committed to increasing this number in the future.
"Migvan" Program: In May 2024, L&E launched the "Migvan" Program to address the underrepresentation of Arab citizens in the environmental movement by fostering a more diverse and inclusive civil society. The program offers workshops and mentorship for organizations employing Arab workers, including mentorship for senior managers and teams, customized diversity and inclusion workshops and shared day workshop. The program is managed by Ms. Nidaa Abu Aleijia, Arab Community Coordinator at Life and Environment, and mentorship and organizational guidance is provided by Aisha Mughrabi, an experienced organizational consultant with expertise in diversity and inclusion.
Representation Mechanism
L&E operates a fully developed representation mechanism for environmental causes and organizations in national, regional and local decision-making bodies, based on a legal appointment that the organization has obtained.
This mechanism includes the appointment of official representatives in planning and building committees, environmental committees in local authorities, and other governmental bodies that influence the environment. The representatives bring professional environmentally-minded know-how to planning processes, thus representing the public’s best interests. L&E makes these processes accessible to the public and environmental organizations through a dedicated website established for this cause, thus promoting public involvement in planning processes that impact the environment and communities.