Community The Power to Change

Introduction 01 Ramat Hanadiv is situated at the tip of the Carmel Mountain in northern Israel, between Zikhron Ya’akov and Binyamina. As part of its role as a memorial site for Baron de Rothschild, Ramat Hanadiv is a meeting place for man, nature and the environment. At the core of its value system is a commitment to protect the sustainable relationships between man and nature, while at the same time adopting an approach of openness and innovation. This approach is integrated into all aspects of the activity, from the proper management of the Nature Park, based on ongoing research activity, to the development of educational programs, imparting knowledge related to the field of environment and to strengthening the relationship with the community. The Ramat Hanadiv community is comprised of residents of the localities that surround the site – both the localities that actually border the site, and others that are located in the area that surrounds Bikat Hanadiv (Hanadiv Valley). Here, as in most areas of the country, extensive development is taking place, which requires long term planning and proper management of the localities and their surroundings.

Recognition of the importance of the relationship with the neighbors led to the establishment of the Community Department at Ramat Hanadiv in the year 2012. Three years later, with the understanding that striving for a significant change requires both adoption of a long term regional philosophy and the establishment of collaboration between decision makers, Ramat Hanadiv initiated the establishment of The Partnership for Regional Sustainability. In 2015, five local and regional authorities joined Ramat Hanadiv in order to think together, plan and take action on behalf of a sustainable future for the residents of the authorities in ‘The Partnership,’ as well as for the entire region. In recent years, as part of the activity of The Partnership for Regional Sustainability, diverse methodologies have been developed to motivate the communities to act to promote sustainability in the region. The purpose of this booklet is to highlight the processes that have led to the creation of these methodologies, to overcome challenges and offer insights in the hopes of attracting others to act similarly.

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