Communities as a whole and the individuals that comprise them suffer
from the effects of the environmental crisis. The principles of Agenda 21,
defined in the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, emphasize the need
for local level processes, which involve inter-disciplinary thinking about
issues that concern the environment, society and economy. Promoting
change on the local level complements the effort to change policies on
the national and global levels, and instigates awareness and personal
responsibility toward a sustainable world. The Heschel Center's Rikma
program was established to develop and train local environmental
leadership, in order to promote sustainability activities on the community
level. In effect, it provides the infrastructure within which the principals
of Agenda 21 can be applied.

The Rikma program was launched this fall and winter in Migdal Haemek,
Pardes Hanna, Ramla, Sderot and Petach Tikva, and trains community
activists from the fields of social change, education, public health, religion,
industry and business, who are interested in committing to meaningful
environmental action in their communities, in their respective fields.

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