Kibbutz Lotan is a Progressive Jewish Kibbutz located in the Arava (the southern desert of Israel). They are committed to environmental awareness, including making houses out of mud bricks, composting toilets, organic farming, and passive cooling.
The question that arises – Is it possible to live sustainably in the Desert? I don’t think so, even with massive underground aquifers, as the demand far outstrips supply. I applaud the efforts of the members of Lotan, and think that some of their techniques should be adopted around the world, but not in the place where the solar radiation is the second highest in the world, and where they average <100 mm of water per year.
Rabbi Brian Immerman 