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July 2008

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Crisis - Running Out of Time and Energy - The Israel Energy Forum Fights Back

  • World oil will end in 41 years according to currently known reserves.
  • Within 15 years, about 85% of those oil reserves will be in the Middle East, which presents a strategic problem for Israel.
  • The price of petrol is rising globally.
  • Israel is in the middle of an electricity energy crisis. Blackouts will increase over time.

Yaelparan2_3 "On the one hand, Israel has almost no natural resources of its own but on the other hand Israel has no clear sustainable energy policy to deal with either climate change nor the global and domestic energy crisis," says Yael Cohen-Paran, founding director of the Israel Energy Forum – a new initiative to achieve and implement sustainable energy policy in Israel.

Yael is one of IVN's 2008-10 Social Entrepreneur (SE) Fellows. Initiated in 2004 in partnership with the New Israel Fund, IVN's SE Fellowship Program supports and incubates entrepreneurial individuals, such as Yael, dedicated to developing and implementing innovative and sustainable social/economic solutions in Israel and beyond and empowering people and communities to create positive, sustained change. However, they often lack the resources and support mechanisms to achieve their goals. The Fellowships enable SEs to dedicate 100% of their time to their projects during the 2-year period of the Fellowship, growing and expanding the projects.

Over the past two years, the global political agenda has dramatically shifted to focus on the issue of global warming and the climate crisis. As the severe environmental, health and economic consequences of the intensive use of fossil fuels are revealed, the urgent need to significantly reduce carbon emissions has become clear. Of no less importance is the question of the imminent peak in world oil production and the ensuing energy crisis. Oil prices have recently increased to an all-times record and are expected to increase even more.

Yet very little is being done in Israel with regard to climate change and the rapidly approaching energy crisis.  In fact, following the blackouts of the summer of 2007, which are expected to significantly increase in 2008, it can be stated that Israel is already in the midst of an energy crisis and its ability to provide it's citizens with steady supply of electricity is now cast in doubt.

"It is hard to underestimate the importance and urgency for Israeli society of the conversion from lavish fossil fuels to a low intensity, alternative energy economy - securing Israel's energy independence is becoming an existential question," says Yael. "Some of the world's most advanced research on solar energy is conducted in Israeli academic institutions, and Israeli companies have become world leaders in renewable energy production, yet almost none of this knowledge is implemented internally."

Although many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Israel deal with different aspects of energy management, these bodies have differing agendas and rarely interact with each other thus no clear policy is in fact set. The lack of a coordinating body to bring these institutions together and set forward a clear, achievable policy is the gap the Forum,  supported by a group of Israel's leading scientists and energy experts, as well executives from the industry, aims to fill.

Yaelparan_2For more information on how you can get involved, write to Yael at yael@energia.org.il or visit her web site at www.energia.org.il

IVN's Active Citizenship in Tuba Zangariya

IVN believes that only in a democracy can the individual be an active partner in shaping the public space, thereby making full use of his/her talents as well as making a contribution to strengthening the society. Launched in 2004, the Education for Active Citizenship program, a strategic partnership of the Israel Venture Network and the New Israel Fund, was designed to address these issues.  The program is unique in that it provides students in Israeli schools grounding for a rich and life-long engagement with and commitment to the issues of civil society, democracy and community activism
The program was launched in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangariya, located in the Galilee, in 2006.

Tuba1small Within the framework of the Active Citizenship program and with the cooperation between IVN and the Department of Education at the Nachum Guttman Museum of Art, the museum's team was hosted in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangryia.  Over a period of 4 days, an arts event for 3rd and 4th graders, themed "Your Environment", took place. The children were exposed to the varied works of the artist and to the values he represented – love of the place and of man. Under the guidance of the museum's team and the inspiration derived from Nachum Guttman's art, the children created paintings, illustrations and sculptures, which examined their identity, both as individuals and as part of something larger. The highlight of the 4 day event was the huge wall drawings on the school walls, the result of joint work between the professional illustrators from the museum team and the students. The wall drawings are based on the event theme "Your Environment" both in the past and future, depicting regional imagery and  as well as images reflecting their Middle Eastern way of life and their personal, social and national yearnings for a better world in the future.

We welcome our members to come and visit our projects onsite. If you are planning a trip to Israel, we would be happy to coordinate a short visit to one of IVN's projects.

For more information, please contact Anat Samet at anats@ivn.org.il

Continue reading "IVN's Active Citizenship in Tuba Zangariya" »

Spotlight On IVN Members

Rony Zarom

Founder and Chairman

Decima Ventures Capital Investment

Rony_zarom_small IVN member Rony Zarom is a visionary who has leveraged his business success to promote his passion - helping Israeli youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Rony Zarom, embodies a dynamic combination of business acumen and civic responsibility. He is one of those who make a lasting impact on the industry and the community, thanks to his capacity for self- direction, determination, creativity, leadership, and integrity. He has also set an example in the business community by sharing the rewards of his professional success by “giving back” and by participating in community, charity, and civic leadership. Rony Zarom has contributed greatly to the community in Israel, and is heavily involved in the Unistream organizations as its founder and chairman.

Ofir Shalvi
Co-Founder and the VP Technologies
Libit Signal Processing

Ofir_shalvi_3 Ofir Shalvi was a Co-Founder and the VP Technologies of Libit Signal Processing, acquired by Texas Instruments (TI) in 1999. He was awarded Fellow of TI for his leadership role in bringing Libit’s cable modem technology to market acceptance.

Ofir is a Co-Founder and the CTO of Anobit Technologies, founded in 2006. He was an advisor and investors in several hi-tech companies including Passave, Transchip and Jungo.

Ofir is a graduate of the IDF’s Talpiot Program. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University. He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an Adjunct Professor at Tel-Aviv University. 
Ofir is a father of two girls, and resides in Raanana, Israel.

Continue reading "Spotlight On IVN Members" »

Networking Needs

Fulfilling Corporate Social Responsibility in a Meaningful Way

Fulfilling corporate responsibility should never just be going through the motions. Linda Mosek is one of IVN's 2008-10 Social Entrepreneur (SE) Fellows. Through her organization "Click", Linda strives to improve the quality of life for the elderly in Israel. This innovative initiative aims to create valued occupational opportunities for the elderly by establishing a vocational center in Hod Hasharon that provides work-related prospects, based on the motto - "by the elderly for the elderly". The project embraces a wide range of elements such as the offering of craft kits & gifts, hand made by the elderly, community involvement, business development, volunteering, inter-generational interaction & workshops and Diaspora partnerships.

Meet your corporate social responsibility and community relations needs by enhancing social values within your corporate community and developing strong team interaction.

For more information contact:

Dr Linda Mosek, Executive Director

09-7414974 click2@017.co.il

www.click-savi.org.il

IVN SE Fellow Asher Elias, Founder and CEO of Tech Careers seeking:

To make contact with someone in the Israel Lands Authority in order to explore the possibility of existing solutions that can serve as a site for the formal Tech Careers College he is looking to establish. 

Tech-Career provides computer training and job placement in the high tech industry for young Ethiopian Israeli adults, contributing substantially to their social and economic integration into mainstream Israeli society. 

If you are connected with the Israel Lands Authority or know anyone who is, please contact Asher Elias at:

asher@tech-career.org

08-9278613.

Funding Opportunities

IVN is in the process of planning its educational activities for the next academic year of 2008/9.

The Power of Data - IVN is focusing on helping educators realize the power of data to improve the learning process. IVN is working within the public education system in the periphery in order to raise student achievements using data driven decision-making and other management tools. We are seeking funding towards expanding this program.

Education for Active Citizenship - The program provides students in Israeli schools grounding for a rich and life-long engagement with and commitment to the issues of civil society, democracy and community activism. IVN will be expanding to additional schools in the next academic year, and you can be part of the program. It takes $5000 per school per year for the implementation of this important program.

Sponsorship of a Social Entrepreneur Fellowship - Social Entrepreneurs are society's change agents dedicated to developing and implementing innovative solutions to Israel's most pressing social problems. IVN's program provides SE Fellows with a monthly stipend, oversight and mentoring from members of the IVN network, and educational opportunities to bolster skills.  We are seeking funding towards expanding this program.

Click here to make a donation.

For further information on how to support IVN, please contact:

US Office

Joni Block, Director

joni@israelventurenetwork.org

540 Cowper St.,Suite 200

Palo Alto, CA 94301

Tel. (650) 325-4200

Fax (650) 649-1974

Israel Office

Atara Dzikowski, Director of Development & Marketing

atara@ivn.org.il

PO Box 5064

Kadima 60920

Cel. 052-534-5343

Tel. 09-891-2117

Fax 09-891-2118

Continue reading "Funding Opportunities" »

Get Involved

IVN is inviting hi-tech and finance executives to share their wealth of experience in various IVN programs:

Mentor Business Consultants as part of IVN's Economic Reconstruction Initiative - IERI

Mentor Social Entrepreneurs as part of the Social Entrepreneur Fellowship Program

For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact:

Anat Samet at anats@ivn.org.il.