Jerusalem breaks ground on $8M eco center

The Council for a Beautiful Israel broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art environmental studies center last week, Ynet has learned. According to the CBI's press release, construction of the Robert Price Center for Environmental Studies was made possible thanks to an $8 million contribution (some NIS 30 million) by Price, who served as the deputy mayor of New York City, under John Lindsay, in the late 1960s. The breaking ground ceremony was held on August 28, with Price, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Council for Beautiful Israel Director Eshel Segal, as well as hundreds of other dignitaries present. The facility, located in the National Quarter of the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus, will stretch some 21,500-square-feet across two floors, and will include classrooms, conference rooms, an auditorium, a visitors' center and a rooftop observation deck. The CBI aspires to see the center become an academic home for environmental research, especially in the fields of environmental conservation and green building. The new building was design according to green building standards. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter