Prof. Ofira Ayalon is among Israel’s foremost sustainability experts and an internationally renowned leader in waste management.
Her pioneering environmental research over the past two decades has served as a basis for environmental management strategies and policy making in Israel.
In recognition for her far-reaching contributions to climate change, sustainable energy, waste and natural resources management, Prof. Ayalon was awarded the 2018 Mifal Hapais ‘Michael Landau Prize’ for the Sciences and Research in the field of sustainability.
On receiving the award, Ayalon confides she was both honored and surprised, “I am extremely outspoken on environmental issues and have a reputation for being a ‘rebel’, so I wasn’t expecting this.” She has written extensively on sustainability issues related to biofuel potential in Israel and energy policy, agriculture and its impact on the environment, business opportunities in environmental technologies (clean-tech), transportation-related air pollution, household waste management, and adaptation to climate change.
“The application of research to decision-making is like turning an ocean liner,” explains Ayalon. “A time lag exists between scientific assessment of environmental problems and their legal regulation and enforcement. My goal is to try to close this gap.” She believes a key component to reaching a solution is through behavioral change.
“Susta
inability is about education,” notes Ayalon. “There are two major players that determine the development of environmental policy – the government and the public. I believe that academia must play a leading role in providing evidence and guidance for a better informed citizenry.”
University of Haifa became Israel's first
university to achieve "Green Campus" status.
Ayalon is no stranger to environmental stewardship and advocacy. Her research on alternative fuels led to the Israeli government reforms in the fuel sector, such as its recent decision to offer incentive grants totaling over $8 million to local authorities to install charging stations to electric vehicles and $28.5 million to companies willing to integrate compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling infrastructure within public gas stations. At the University, she has been a driving force behind the administration’s environmental agenda, which has developed into an integral part of its organizational culture on campus.
A great part of her research also focuses on the development of renewable technologies, for which she has received the prestigious Iraj Zandi Award from the Widener University School of Engineering for her contributions to the field of solid waste technology management. She is currently collaborating with the Innovation and Technology for Development Center at the Technical University of Madrid on transdisciplinary sustainability projects.
Prof. Ofira Ayalon
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Former Director, Natural Resource and Environmental Reserach Center (NRERC)
Head, Environmental Projects at the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research