In the last few months, Heschel Center’s Local Sustainability Director Ran Raviv conducted the directors’ training in the city of Rishon Le’Zion. We are proud and grateful for the wonderful partners at the municipality who have taken a huge step towards sustainability as a strategy to deal with the 21st-century challenges.
Ran says: “As part of a training session, we received a challenge from the municipality’s deputy director, Mr. Moshiko Erez: to draft the vision for the sustainability of the city and its adaptation for climate change. Of course, we were excited to jump on the wagon … To meet this challenge, we taught the principles of Donella Meadows’ writings on the subject, and the group has dreamed the desired result. Now, they are formulating a detailed vision. ”
The Heschel Center’s training of directors in the authorities brings together directors from all municipal departments and encourages them to lead a joint, cross-departmental action. The end goal is to implement significant changes in the municipality’s work plan and prepare it for the challenges of the 21’s century. In Rishon Le’Zion, the goal is to integrate a new action plan in 2022.
The training is a part of the “Alliance of Cities Program” of the Forum 15 (the Israeli Forum of Self-Government Cities), with the purpose to establish a team between municipal departments that will study the challenges and formulate a shared plan for sustainability. During the training, directors meet with leading professionals in a variety of subjects as well as with directors from other local authorities and government ministries who share their experience in the field.
Ran shares: “In the field of Local Sustainability at the Heschel Center, the senior management in municipalities is perceived as ambassadors for change and innovation. I believe that one of the most effective ways to drive this innovation is a joint training that allows for learning and dreaming – together.”