<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Dear Alex</div>Can you clarify your position on Palestine?<div>I was asked to speak at a conference of the International Communal Studies Association at Findhorn, </div><div>however it emerged that ICSA, which is based in Israel, could not provide satisfactory answers to our questions about kibbutz that have been built on occupied palestinian land</div><div>What I saw of the building stuff on your webs sites looks great but I couldn't find much about involving Palestinians (though it was mentioned on one site and I got the impression that Palestinians were involved) .</div><div>thanks</div><div><br></div><div>Tom</div><div>PS I can send you the discussion document that was issued by ARC-PEACE on the issue of ICSA which led to a decision to boycott the ICSA conference if you are interested. </div><div>I am not sure myself that boycotts are always the right thing to do as it can be important to support progressive people in israel</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On 14 Nov 2012, at 12:22, Alex Cicelsky (Kibbutz Lotan) wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Dear Balefolk,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; ">Two weeks ago we had a convergence of the core group of Israeli straw bale builders and designers, earth and lime plasterers and educators. While it’s a challenge to share knowledge in a limited marketplace, there is a process of development from competition to cooperation and quality control. We spoke a lot about connecting with colleagues who are experts - in particular in the area of lime plastering which is being reborn in this country where 2000+ years ago everyone had a lime slaking pit in their backyard. About 60 folk attended with an equal proportion of men and women. I assume you met Michal Vital at the ISBC. She presented an overview of your event and the tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; ">I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Michal Vital [website<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.vital-baron.com/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://www.vital-baron.com/</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> email<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:mvital63@gmail.com" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">mvital63@gmail.com</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>] to the GSBN. We first met working together on the Medwed-Bustan-Wadi El Naam Bedouin Clinic project<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/391" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/391</a>. Since then she’s become a prominent and highly regarded Green Architect in the country specializing in natural building, strawbale houses and energy efficiency design. She works wonderfully with clients, engineers and builders.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; "><br>One more item: four of our students have started their own natural building construction company specializing in strawbales. The name of the company is Bottz <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.bottz.co.il" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">www.bottz.co.il</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> which is Mud in Hebrew. The website is in Hebrew (y’all know how to use the Chrome translate option) - the images speak for themselves. Together with Bottz we have completed an earth plastered<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=412523248808887&set=pb.121279601266588.-2207520000.1352894815&type=3&theater" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">‘light straw’ fire test wall</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(photo<a href="http://on.fb.me/T30Fyi" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://on.fb.me/T30Fyi</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> before plastering. For technical reasons they made blocks instead of the normative form-in-place method) and we're waiting for the Standards Institute of Israel to give us a date for the fire test, hopefully within two weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; ">B’shalom, Alex</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; ">Alex Cicelsky | Director of Research and Development<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><a href="http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/creativeEcology" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">Center for Creative Ecology</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>|<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><a href="http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; 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white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>Tom Woolley</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div>Rachel Bevan Architects</div><div>80 Church Road</div><div>Crossgar</div><div>Downpatrick</div><div>BT30 9HR</div><div><a href="mailto:tom.woolley@btconnect.com">tom.woolley@btconnect.com</a></div><div>028 44 831164</div><div>028 44 830988</div><div><a href="http://www.bevanarchitects.com">www.bevanarchitects.com</a></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span></div></span></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></div></div></body></html>