Ein Harod is a kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

 situated in the Jezreel Valley

Jezreel Valley

-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...

 near Mount Gilboa

Gilboa (ridge)

Mount Gilboa is a ridge above the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. The formation extends from southeast to northwest, bordering the highlands of the West Bank and the Beit She'an valley. The Green Line between Israel and the West Bank runs south and west of the ridge...

 in northern Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. It is under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council

Gilboa Regional Council

Gilboa Regional Council is a regional council in northern Israel, located on the slopes of the Gilboa mountain range. There are more than 22,000 residents in 38 settlements as of 2007...

.

The kibbutz is close to the site of the crucial battle of Ain Jalut, the first major Mongol

Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...

 defeat in the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

.

History

It was formed in 1952 by an ideological split in kibbutz Ein Harod

Ein Harod

Ein Harod was a kibbutz in Israel. It was located in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. It is notable for being built near the battlefield of Ayn Jalut , a battle of huge macro-historical importance where the Mongols were defeated for the first time, in 1260.-History:The kibbutz was founded by...

 (founded 1921), with Mapam

Mapam

Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...

-supporting members forming Ein Harod (Meuhad) and Mapai

Mapai

Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...

-supporting members breaking away to create Ein Harod (Ihud), which joined the Mapai

Mapai

Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...

-affiliated Ihud HaKvutzot veHaKibbutzim. Today both kibbutzim belong to the same movement, the United Kibbutz Movement. The kibbutzim take its name from the spring, which is mentioned in the Bible as a place of judge Gideon (Judges 7:1).

Environmentalism

Ein Harod Ihud is Israel's first "green" kibbutz. The kibbutz has introduced a whole series of environmental projects. Recycling bins have been installed for sorting waste and an ecological garden is being planted based on a model developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Technion. The kibbutz is switching to environmentally friendly detergents and has distributed a list of products not tested on animals. An energy survey has been conducted to identify alternative energy sources in the kitchen, laundry and ironing room. Energy consumption is being cut by using energy-saving bulbs and air conditioners, and installing electricity meters in homes and public buildings. The Ministry of Agriculture has approved funding for research on energy efficiency in milk cooling.