Simon Awad explains bird monitoring to Yasmin Khamis, 14, as students from local schools listen in the botanical gar- den of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala, Palestine. Awad directs the center, located on the campus of Talitha Kumi Lutheran School.
a crowded urban environment of cement, asphalt, roadside pollution and checkpoints. As they watch, Abu Saadah places a ring around one of the bird’s delicate legs.
“On this ring there is a number and code for Palestine. It’s like a pass- port,” he said, explaining how this helps track migratory patterns. “If we catch a bird, ring it and set it free, we can follow where it goes.” A bird netted here and released was caught, one month later, at a bird cen- ter in Poland, he added.
Some of the children burst with excitement, eager to hold the finch in their hand when he asks for a volun- teer to set it free. Others cringe, unac- customed to being near a wild bird. “I like it so much,” said Marcella Abu Koua, 12. “It’s so soft and small, like a baby.”
Koua sees the value in this and other lessons at the center. “This is important for our future,” she said. “We learn how to preserve our envi- ronment. If you remove all the trees and animals you will die—you need oxygen and food.”
Learning about nature helps them know more about their origins, said Mohannad Abu Nasser, 14. He has begun to take strolls through a wooded lot near his home in Ramallah. He inspired his parents to become inter- ested in the environment as well.
Connecting to nature Launched in 1986 under a differ- ent name (Education for Awareness and Involvement), the center began
as a joint effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and Birzeit University to include care for creation in the Lutheran school curriculum. The environmental center moved to the campus of Talitha Kumi Lutheran School in 1998, and three years ago it became an independent nonprofit. It is funded by individual donors and inter- national organizations, including the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden. Although 50 years ago environ- mental conservation was an integral part of traditions, a whole generation of Palestinian children has grown up disconnected from nature, said Simon Awad, the center’s director. He cites widespread pollution, a loss of biodiversity and a loss of habitat for indigenous animals. Concern for the environment has taken a back seat to complex political realities and people’s struggles simply to move through checkpoints from one destina- tion to another, Awad said. The center’s efforts include work- ing with 14 other Palestinian environ- mental groups to advocate for stron- ger environmental protection laws, promoting environmental awareness among children and adults, and encouraging hiking and other outdoor recreation. Leaders also offer programs on solid waste management, sustainable development, youth empowerment, conservation, environmental research and ecotourism. The center supports environmental clubs in private and public schools and summer camp activities. It organizes volunteers to help farmers with their olive harvests and carries out community cleanup campaigns through local schools. And the center looks for simple ways to change people’s mindsets. Awad recalls arguing with his wife over not purchasing disposable plates and cups for a birthday party. It can be a challenge, he admitted with a
grin. “People need for their lives to be easy,” he said.
So the center tries to make becom- ing environmentally friendly, more ... well, friendly.
It has published a field guide to encourage local bird-watching and a card game that helps players learn about the region’s wildflow- ers. Center leaders teach people how to avoid chemical cleaners and use natural products in their homes. And while they hand them out, the group is trying to overcome women’s embarrassment over being seen with canvas shopping bags in stores. Their recent campaign to improve garbage disposal was more successful. Com- munity meetings, television spots and a film screening with some 250 educational leaders led to a marked improvement in community garbage management, Awad said.
‘They need this’ Most agree it’s imperative for Pales- tinians and Israelis to care about the environment. “When you understand the soil, the air, the sky ... you start to love your country in a different way,” said Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jor- dan and the Holy Land. “It is part of beginning to understand how to live a normal life. People are frustrated, but [we] are implanting hope.” On the center’s grounds, Abu Saa- dah takes the children on a short hike. As he points out the importance of the native trees and shrubs, some children lag behind, complaining. “Not all these things are impor- tant,” grumbled Amira Ishaq, 14. “Like this tree. It’s not important for me. I like to study only at school. I’d rather be home.”
Abeer Barakat, a teacher at the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramal- lah, encouraged Ishaq and the others to keep up with the group. Children need to learn about the environment
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