Goals:

• The participants will learn about the meaning of “green lungs”.
• The participants will experience city planning and learn about the importance and complexity of having green lungs in the city.
• The participants will make a wall drawing of Jerusalem with green lungs.

activity order:

1. Game – building a city.
2. Discussion – why is it so important to have green lungs in a city?
3. The struggle for the Deer Valley – green lung.
4. Learning – Honi, the circle-drawer and the carobs.
5. Summary and a wall drawing of Jerusalem.

We will divide the participants into 4 groups.

Each group will represent a different period in the development of Jerusalem.

Each group will be given same period and a brief background on what happened at that time in order for them to understand what resources they need to deal with, when they plan the city. 

Their task is to develop the city according to the needs that arise at that time and express those needs in their urban building plan.

At the end, each group will show the other participants the period they were given, how they chose to develop the city, what difficulties they faced along the way, and what they chose not to include in their plan.

After their experience in planning and building a city, teachers and participants will try to understand the importance of green lungs in the city.

What is the most important thing we need when we build a city? Why even put a garden or park into the city? Why is this important for us?

Do you think that having “green spaces” in a city is as important as having houses, shops or schools?

The teacher will introduce the concept of “green lung”.

We will tell them the story of the struggle over the Deer Valley. We will then ask for two volunteers and start a “debate”. One of the participants will be an activist who wants to build a new neighborhood in the valley and the other will be a resident of the neighborhood who wants to preserve the park and the nature in it. Each of them will be given a note with a background for his arguments. They will then speak for a few minutes and try to convince their friends. At the end of the confrontation all the participants will have to choose the one who convinced them. He will be the winner of this debate.

We will explain the importance of this green lung in the center of the capital, and the difficulty of maintaining it in the face of the economic potential of the area. Jerusalem is in a period of development and not in a period of survival. It is obvious that Jerusalem is international and well-established and therefore it affects the attitude of the residents towards the city. They feel they can see beyond existential problems – such as climate. Green Lungs are part of the general and not just the private well-being.

Together we will learn the Carobs Midrash –

Two options are attached as separate files.

We will ask the participants: 

– Why do you think a relation exists between this story and the issue of green lung sustainability?

***

We will conclude that green thinking is not just thinking about ourselves and what is happening here and now, but it means thinking ahead about future generations. Our actions affect generations. If we choose to plan a green environment, it may not affect our lives today, but it will change the quality of life of future generations for many years to come.

Creation of a wall painting of a “green” Jerusalem with a stencil.