IN THE SPOTLIGHT
WRAP to Exhibit at J Street Conference
By: Water Resources Action Project
September 2013
The Water Resources Action Project (WRAP) will join dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals for the fourth National J Street Conference that runs from September 28 — October 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. The conference brings together pro–peace advocates providing participants with the opportunity to hear from world class experts about developments in the region, strategize with innovators and activists working to solve the conflict, and connect with other committed supporters. This year the conference is titled, “Our Time to Lead” and features an incredible array of speakers.
WRAP will be exhibiting at the conference to share its story and vision for the future. WRAP has successfully installed rainwater–harvesting systems at two schools in East Jerusalem and one in the West Bank. The harvesting systems collect and store precious rainwater during the six–month rainy season. The collected water is used primarily for toilet flushing and can provide up to 70% of a school’s total water needs. Each project includes a parallel educational component and routine maintenance. Thus far, in a very short time completed, the projects have already conserved over 180,000 liters of rainwater benefiting over 1,200 students.
WRAP’s next effort, for which it is currently raising awareness and funding, is particularly focused on peace building. The project installations would consist of two rain barrel collection systems at partnering schools in Israel’s Dan Region, a coed school serving 1,288 Jewish students and a coed school serving 800 Arab students. WRAP has established a partnership with the Arava Institute’s Youth Environmental Education Peace Initiative to administer the environmental curriculum. The curriculum would include opportunities for the students from both schools to engage with one another over shared efforts to protect the environment and conserve water. Through the sharing of knowledge, goals, and experience, the project would help to increase trust between Jewish and Arab youth.
WRAP is excited to share its vision for this project and connect with many organizations and individuals at the J Street conference at the end of this month.
To learn more about WRAP and become involved, visit www.wrapdc.org.
To learn more about the J Street Conference, visit conference.jstreet.org