Walking Towards Sustainability:

Join Chana & Yannai’s Walk to Support Derech Hateva

Shalom family, friends and those who soon may be,

We hope this letter finds you well and looking forward to the spring.

Our feet leading the way, we are moving our home from apartment to backpack – embarking on a journey to learn, explore, relax and begin a new project. As we enjoy Nature’s presence as well as each other’s, we will be collecting sponsors, raising money to support environmental and Jewish education and sustainable living in Israel.

We will be walking for five months beginning in April. We plan to trek our way through Ireland and Scotland in the spring, and spend the summer on the Pacific Crest Trail of America’s West Coast. We feel incredibly lucky to be doing this!

Born in America, we have made our home in Israel. Yannai has just completed his degree in communications and political science, and is working for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel's Derech Hateva program. Chana is nearing the end of a BA in biology and environmental studies, and has been doing research in a university lab. In combining our love of nature with our professional aspirations, we wish to weave together our interests in communications and ecology to share our journey with you, inviting you to join us in discussion and participate in the building of the foundation for global sustainability in Israel.

For us, one of the gifts of backpacking is learning to utilize our available possessions to their max, having to internalize a balance between living comfortably- eating, sleeping, enjoying the moment- and not carrying so much that we can’t continue walking the next day. Such is the essence of sustainability.

The Need

We have all heard about the frightening consequences of overusing finite resources. The same scientists that we entrust with our health are alerting us that as a society, our current way of life is not sustainable in the long run. We are all being challenged to channel ourselves and our collective energy towards maximizing the efficiency of the world we’ve been given.

In Israel, we can no longer allow the ongoing security situation to draw all of our attention from the vital matter of how we will live on this precious land. Concentrating all resources on defense and ignoring environmental concerns is akin to hiring a private security force to watch over a home that's made of asbestos and painted with lead paint.

Israel is a spirited and conscientious country; what it lacks in size, it makes up with an infinite passion for life and an astounding abundance of scientific and technological expertise and creativity. Beyond the well-being of its citizens, when Israel focuses on addressing ecological realities, it will provide the world with a tremendous resource of talents to be utilized in the world's path to sustainability.

Our Goal

Focusing on the present and investing in next generation's leaders is the most assured way of promising the future. For this reason, we will donate 100% of all contributions to Derech Hateva, a program of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) that brings young people from both Israel and around the world into the woods, mountains and deserts of Israel, and teaches them social responsibility and teamwork, environmental ethics and leadership via the prisms of Jewish tradition, nature, backpacking and other intensive outdoor activities.

Yannai has spent the past year helping to create and market Derech Hateva's message. He has seen firsthand the good that it is doing, and the potential for more good, should it be enabled to expand.

Correspondence

We will be updating you on our progress, chronicling our journey with photos and sharing some thoughts in a bi-monthly email. In addition, we happily invite you to join us. If you are in Ireland, or more likely, on America's West Coast, let us know! And if you can think of anyone else who might be interested in our walk- let them know!

In addition, we will be sharing our experiences and thoughts with you as we go (in photos, a blog/online journal and more) via Derech Hateva's website, www.derechhateva.org . We want you to stay connected with us while we are on our journey.

Our goal is to collect $18,000 for Derech Hateva. Sponsorship begins with a commitment of $18, and includes a per-mile donation, from a penny to a dollar to more. We plan on covering between 1200 and 1500 miles in total. A set donation, minimum $18 is also acceptable. We very much appreciate your filling out and emailing the following pledge card (click to download) to walking@derechhateva.org in order to commit your sponsorship, or sending it with check/credit card information to the provided address/fax number for set donations. Please note that all donations are tax deductible in Israel, the UK and North America.

We thank you in advance for working with us. With your participation, our journey will be so much more than private recreation. It will be an expedition for all of us, an adventure towards sustainability, responsibility, mutual sensitivity and healthy living. Your support will quicken our steps, lighten our load, and add true excitement to that which we are embarking on together.

We hope to be seeing and hearing from you on the trail,

With love

Chana (Zecher) and Yannai Kranzler