On October 8, 2009, our building’s water tower burst, flooding our ninth-floor space with over 8,000 gallons of water in ten minutes. It was a trying time. We were forced to relocate, rebuild and, most importantly, reflect on the past, present, and future of The Moderns.
The Moderns were thrilled to host Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) during a recent Imagine the Next™ Friday. FoEME is a unique organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israelis to solve their shared water scarcity issues.
Since its founding in 1994, FoEME has expanded tremendously from a cooperative organization operated by handful of Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli village mayors to an international coalition spearheading ambitious projects such their tri-national Jordan River Peace Park. Their founding principal is that in order to maintain their common water resources, the communities surrounding the Jordan River and Dead Sea must work cooperatively. This, in turn, inspires greater cooperation and understanding between communities.
Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Co-Chair of FoEME’s American chapter and former Director of Port and Intermodal Planning of New York, spoke at great length about the issues surrounding the present future of the Jordan River and Dead Sea.