An unlikely partnership between the high-tech and ecology communities in Israel formed the first ever sustainable technology conference – TentTech. The camps' participants, who represent various disciplines such as science, technology, art and agriculture combined their talent and resources in order to build projects and develop innovative blueprints for environment friendly living. The group's aim is to rethink sustainability in four different domains – water, energy, shelter and communication. The conference, called by many a non-conference, was established by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs headed by Ilan Graicer and Gilli Cegla. Among the Israeli activists taking part in the project was Muhammad Almaki, a student from Mali who came to Israel in order to learn Hebrew so he could translate the bible into the local Mali language. Almaki presented the camps' participants with one of the major issues the Mali people face – one water well shared by 5,000 residents. The eco conference (Photo: Ayelt Yagil) Almaki asked some of the high-tech experts to search for the technology which could improve access to drinking water in Mali. He further asked for them to find affordable solutions for well building, rain harvesting and pumping and water purification. One of the camp's participants, Oranit Avidar, who works for WaterWays, a local Israeli startup seeking to find fitting solutions for rural locations lacking access to water sources, approached Almaki soon after he spoke, in effort to help him with the life threatening challenge his country faces. The conference further held discussions concerning challenges of developing countries in the fields of water and sanitation, shelter, communications and energy. Moreover, several discussions concerning existing global innovation challenges took place followed by possible projects and solutions addressing these needs. Among the technological developments presented during the conference was Moti Cohen's aquaponics prototype, which is a sustainable food production system that combines the traditional aquaculture with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter