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The Council for a Beautiful Israel was set up by the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) with the object of educating the public to guard and preserve those special values represented by the country's rich heritage and to watch over current construction, settlement and development projects. The Council has three principal aims: To eradicate the spread of ugliness; to combat neglect and dirt; to get the public to care about the appearance of their surroundings.
To create a positive attitude towards the countryside and its preservation; to protect the country's natural beauty and preserve its historical sites.
To endeavour to direct planning, design, building and construction along aesthetic paths and to make people beauty-conscious again.
To achieve these aims the Council undertakes a wide variety of activities ranging from education and propaganda to the preservation of the countryside and environmental planning. In this work it is assisted by a corps of volunteers from such professions as the law, architecture, design, botany industry and education, all of whom contribute their special knowledge, as well as by hundreds of children and "caring" adults. These volunteers are members of the "Guardians of a Beautiful Israel" and each year the outstanding members are honoured by the President of Israel with the title of "Creators of a Beautiful Israel".
The Council organizes a full programme of lectures, symposiums and other activities aimed at getting the public involved in doing something about the environment. Particular attention is paid to the younger generation, beginning with infants in the kindergarten who are encouraged to use a paint brush and children of school age who are encouraged not only to beautify their own immediate surroundings but also to take part in projects aimed at cleaning up their home communities. Encouragement is given to all those wishing to beautify their own homes and gardens and the Council provides advice and guidance on such subjects as the cultivation of house-plants, gardens, house painting, etc.
The Council is very active in everything affecting the quality of the environment. On the legal side, it initiates laws and acts as a watchdog in so far as seeing that the law is adequately enforced. The Council has an important role to play in town-planning and has been granted the status of an interested party who can enter objections to any building plans that, in its opinion, are contrary to the public interest. On the active side, it encourages local authorities to improve the appearance of their communities through aesthetic planning of their housing projects and roads; the provision of open spaces; attractive signposting; the provision of attractive street furniture, etc.
Special efforts are devoted to improving the beaches, and preserving historic sites and public institutions, while much has been done to clean up filling stations, schools and community centres. The Council's latest project is the beautification of industrial sites. As part of this campaign, the Council instituted an annual competition, under the patronage of the President of Israel, for the most attractively kept industrial site. At the same time, a similar campaign is being conducted to beautify army camps.
Through all these activities, the Council for a Beautiful Israel aims at making each and every person in Israel aware of the importance of improving his environment and willing to do something about it. In this way, Israel can once again become "a land flowing with milk and honey and beauty.
