Team:BGU-Israel/human
Integrated Human Practices
As part of our Integrated Human Practices, and because that issue is more sensitive and complex among the Ultra-Orthodox population in Israel and was even more crucial during the Covid-19-crisis, we have been in communication with some water organizations (private and public) from the Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel.
Mei-Barak of the Ultra-Orthodox City Bnei Brak
A major and dominant public organization was Mei-Barak – the Water Corporation of the city of Bnei Brak.
Bnei Brak is a city in the Tel Aviv district, the ninth-largest in Israel. The city was founded in 1924 by a group of Hasidim from Warsaw, Poland, on land purchased from the nearby Arab village of Al-Khiriya
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel, Bnei-Brak has:
- A municipal residential area of 7,100 hectars.
- A population of 190,000 people.
- Population Density: ca. 26,000 people/Km2 in comparison with Macao of China (21,000 people/Km2) which is the highest populated region in the world, it is 5,000 people/Km2 more populated.
- About 92,000 young children (5+ children on average within each family) which are ca. 48% of its population.
This data taken together may also imply the high use of wet-wipes in a very small and densely populated area.
Together with the city’s water corporation, we have thought of a plan which includes the following phases:
- Theoretical-Strategic phase: Ends in the coming weeks.
- Laboratory phase: In their opinion, the results in the laboratory are required to show the success of decomposition. Also, thinking about the distribution system is required. Completion in the coming months.
- Familiarity with the system in the field: Defining a closed system in which the blockage data is known and an attempt to define a practical success index (for example, choosing a site with 8 trenches, which had 50 blockages in the last month).
As part of the communication with Mei Barak, we were in contact with Ultra-Orthodox Radio Stations (Kol Chai and Kol Barama) regarding the possibility to increase and broadcast information on the subject of wet-wipes by gathering relatively updated data that will substantiate our main point, such as the cost of treating sewage blockage damage, wipe consumption percentages (perhaps a comparison between before and after the COVID-19), and more. In order to raise awareness of the topic.
We also were in contact with the Ultra-Orthodox "HaModi'a" newspaper desk regarding the promotion of a public campaign about the subject.
Charedim Lasviva
As part of our inclusivity efforts among unique populations, we were in touch with “Charedim Lasviva”.
“Charedim Lasviva” was established in 2005 as a non-profit organization after an exhausting three-year struggle against an environmental hazard regarding transportation in an Ultra-Orthodox residential neighborhood. In the course of its activities, it appeared that there was a need for an organization that could approach the Ultra-Orthodox and understands their world, their language, and their typical problems. “Charedim Lasviva” was established to respond to these needs.
“Charedim Lasviva” has succeeded so far in being not only a platform for discussion to put environmental issues on the agenda within the Haredi sector and introducing them in the educational system but also as a catalyst for community-environment action and creating an essential difference in the quality of life in Haredi neighborhoods throughout Israel.
* Unfortunately, as a result of limited access to the lab, we haven't succeeded to make a real impact by the organizations above, but we definitely got the feeling that there are great partners in their community and a huge potential for future cooperation.
Besides, we consulted environmental experts and sewage corporations' directors regarding the safety of the project and the future idea of releasing engineered E. coli into the sewage system.
As part of that, we consulted Dr. Efrat Miller, an expert in sewage safety with a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in “Palgey Maim” (a water company) company, who advised us about the safe and efficient location of our product inside the sewage system.
We discussed several ideas regarding our product, for future planning, and learned from Efrat about the pros and cons of designing a consumer product such as a toilet rim block that contains our bacteria or installing a "slow-release system" enclosed device in sewage manholes.
Also, we wanted to raise awareness of the wet wipes problem and understood that the education of the public is very much needed. One of our first steps was a survey that we published in Israel – regarding the wet wipes' problem. Since we know it is a global issue, we wanted to expand the survey to other countries. The full global survey and its results are available below.
Full global survey
As part of an article that was written by the Spokesperson's Office at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, we have recorded a podcast that can be heard by scanning a barcode, or just by clicking "play" where the article is in its digital version. This podcast is supposing to give a short and clear brief on Synthetic Biology, by explaining the wet-wipes clogging problem in humoristic layperson terms, so that many people can have the accessibility and time to be educated on a new topic… The full article (inc. the podcast) are available in the following links:
Podcast