Winners of the 2010 Green Globe

The Committee to Save Palmahim Beach - Protecting Open Public Space

Beginning with a small handful of young people protesting an initiative for the building of a holiday village on the Palmachim coastline, the Committee to Save Palmahim Beach mushroomed into an organization boasting thousands of volunteers. The Committee organized thousands of visits to this open natural beach, including ministers, Knesset members and mayors, initiated legal proceedings with the aid of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, and spearheaded a wide media campaign against the project. As a result of its multiple activities, a planning freeze has been placed on the project until a final ruling by the Attorney-General.

Volunteer Activist: Amit Mendelsohn - One Man for the Protection of Open Space in Central Israel

With a combination of dedication, professionalism and love of nature and the environment, Amit Mendelson has taken a key role in protecting the open spaces in the heart of Israel. Together with the Society for the Protection of Nature and other local activists, he initiated a series of nature and heritage surveys and helped advance master plans to protect natural assets and urban nature sites in the central part of Israel.

Business Sector: PowerSines - Made in Israel Energy Efficiency

PowerSines, an Or Yehuda-based company, has patented a unique technology for energy savings and conservation - RIGHTVoltage. The technology enables control of voltage and energy to lighting systems and electric motors, cutting energy consumption by a third while making the entire electricity network more efficient. The company has installed energy controllers in some 80 local authorities in Israel and in most of the country's large companies.

Local Organization: The Public Committee to Protect the Environment in Kafr Kanna, Mashhad and Mitzpe Hoshaya - Regional Cooperation for Public Health

This Jewish-Arab action group, based in the Galilee, stopped the construction and operation of a potentially polluting aluminum casting factory in the Tziporit industrial area. Their four year struggle included the participation of hundreds of residents who submitted objections to the regional planning committee, staged demonstrations and took part in a special tour for the environmental-social lobby of the Knesset.

Environmental Education: Good Water Neighbors - Everything Starts with Education

This initiative, created by Friends of the Earth Middle East, connects youth and adults in 25 Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian communities by making water into a focus for dialogue and cooperation rather than tension. The nine-year old project has seen the training of thousands of water trustees, who learn about their environment and help implement joint ecological projects and campaigns.

Civil Servant: Sharon Nissim, Director of the Kishon River Authority

As director of the Kishon River Authority, Sharon Nissim has spearheaded the effort to rehabilitate the Kishon River and keep its banks open to the general public in Haifa Bay. In cooperation with environmental organizations, she is leading the struggle against pressures by strong economic interests to designate the river banks for infrastructure development and port storage areas.

Urban Sustainability: Community Gardens ? Urban Communities Return to Their Roots

Beginning in Jerusalem, some 200 community gardens have been established over the past decade in dozens of cities throughout Israel. With the support of numerous organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, the project is being transformed into a national model of community involvement and environmental responsibility. Residents, representing every sector, take responsibility for an open space in their neighborhood, organizing community life around it and tending and planting the soil. Community gardens help instill sustainable principles in city dwellers as they deal with garbage recycling and composting, wise use of water, growing of fruits and vegetables, etc.