April 15, 2012, Updated June 4, 2012

Back in the day when the Jewish forefather Abraham came from Babylon to the Land of Israel, biblical stories talk of him teaching about faith — and the premise of one God — around the country to locals in his tent. For three days in April, local upstarts are going to take on the tent tradition of Abraham in TentTech, an invite-only clean technology brain-storming seminar: a sustainable technology camp.

The aim is to have four types of earth-compatible technologies and projects emerge from four areas: energy, shelter, communications and water.

Artists, scientists, designers, programmers, dreamers and green thumbs are all invited to apply to the event starting this weekend.

Taking place in tents and mud huts in the eco-khan of Beerotayim in the desert of Mitze Ramon, the location is appropriate, reminding the modern Israelites of their humble past and of their current energy and water challenges, and advantages of living in a country with so much sun and brain power.

Based on the hackathon concept common in high-tech, where young brainiacs get together to conceive, and prototype a new tech within 24 hours or a few days, the same idea has shifted to clean tech, and TentTech organizers are hoping to collect interdisciplinary talents for new solutions that can translate to the real world.

TentTech participants will work, eat and sleep in a common space, either in the mud huts or tents which will be provided, and frugal electricity use will be encourage as the eco residence is only powered up from 8 in the morning to 8 at night. Same with water which is gathered from a local watering hole, as in the days of yore.

But this way of coming together makes sense for the environment: TentTech organizers say that “environmental DIY is not just an economical choice, it is a lifestyle.”

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