Midwest Environmental Advocates: Will host visitors from Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies 9/8/2008 Contact: Karen Schapiro, MEA Executive Director, 414-507-7049 Milwaukee, WI -- Midwest Environmental Advocates is delighted to sponsor two graduates of the Arava Institute as guest interns for a week long visit to Wisconsin. Hadas Weintraub, from Israel, and Amer Swierty, from Jordan, will experience the many natural environments of Wisconsin, with visits to the Lac de Flambeau reservation and an organic dairy farm in central Wisconsin. They will also meet with in-state environmental leaders, as well as environmental advocates from the Mississippi River region. Karen Schapiro, Executive Director for Midwest Environmental Advocates, is looking forward to hosting these graduates and hopes that the visit will spark ongoing discussions between the Arava Institute, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and the larger environmental community about environmental issues across the globe. “Whether in Milwaukee, Jerusalem, or Amman, you are affected by air quality, water quality and availability, and extreme weather patterns due to climate change. The impact that humans have on their natural environment is a given fact, no matter where you live or what your culture. We look forward to what we will learn from the experiences these students have had and the perspectives they will provide us.” The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is the premier environmental teaching and research program in the Middle East, preparing future Arab, Palestinian and Jewish leaders to cooperatively solve the region's environmental challenges. Located in the heart of Israel's Arava desert, the Arava Institute is a unique oasis of environmental education, research, and international cooperation. At the Arava Institute, the idea that nature knows no political borders is more than a belief. It is a fact, a curriculum, and a way of life. Midwest Environmental Advocates is Wisconsin’s first and only nonprofit environmental law center. MEA’s mission is to provide high quality legal services that support a diverse, grassroots social movement; build local leadership; and implement innovative solutions to environmental problems. MEA and the Arava Institute share a commitment to social justice, environmental education, conservation and grassroots leadership. This visit hopes to be the first of many partnerships that will allow the next generation of environmental leaders to exchange ideas, inspire innovation and promote understanding across cultures and across the globe.

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