Israelis like walking through nature and feeling the earth beneath their feet. Millions of citizens visit the country's forests and nature sights under the care of the Jewish National Fund. They enjoy the walkways, pools and reservoirs, bike trails, picnic sites, the flora and fauna, the views and much more. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Israelis who spend their vacations touring forests and open fields, either independently, or as part of guided walking or driving tours. This upcoming High Holy Day season should be no exception, with many Israelis expected to enjoy all that the country's nature spots have to offer. And nature, as we all know, is much more charming and beautiful when it is kept clean. It is not merely a matter of aesthetics. Trash, in nature and in the city, has many negative effects: Animals rummaging for food can swallow plastic bags, and are often wounded and can even die from shards of glass or from the sharp edges of a can; organic waste acts as a breeding ground for pests and diseases; trash itself is a sign of social disregard; and I will even venture to say that a society that emphasizes mutual responsibility and cleanliness also has lower crime rates. Often, it seems that the public forgets it too has a key role in protecting the environment. The Jewish National Fund, Israel's largest environmental organization, has now decided to rise to the challenge by attempting to revolutionize the way Israelis behave toward nature. At the base of this campaign is a call to assume personal responsibility. The first step toward a cleaner Israel may sound odd, but it has to be done: removing trash cans from nature sites. You may ask what people walking around the sites are expected to do with the waste they create. Yet when you think about it, removing trash bins from non-urban environments is absolutely the right thing to do. The receptacles stationed in remote parts of forests and fields quickly fill up, particularly over holidays and weekends, resulting in an overabundance of garbage. Furthermore, the very existence of a trash container in nature is in and of itself a form of pollution. So what are we asking of the Israeli public? That it be environmentally conscious. I cannot fathom how a candy bar wrapper could become such a nuisance that it must be immediately discarded of, or how an orange peel or remnant of a meal becomes such an incredible burden on anyone. Wouldn't it be more pleasant for everyone if every hiker would place his or her personal waste in a trash bag and dispose of it at the end of the trail, by throwing it into one of the many large bins the Jewish National Fund has placed at entrances and parking lots around the country? I hope other environmental organizations will also implement this method of conservation. Not only will it help protect nature, but it would send a clear message to the public and benefit us. The opening move of this "trash can revolution" and call to take on personal responsibility will take place on International Clean Up Day this Thursday, Sept. 13. Last year, the Jewish National Fund led more than 250 authorities, and 280,000 volunteers from every part of Israeli society Arabs and Druze, soldiers and students, the religious and secular and even convicts in a joint cleaning effort. We plan on repeating this feat, as we collect the trash that has accumulated in nature. We believe those who help in this effort will not litter again, but rather will act as emissaries for this important social message. There simply is no other way. The writer is the chairman of the Board of Directors at the Jewish National Fund.
