Shoresh, a maker of beloved local sandals that are de rigueur for post-army trekkers, has become the first manufacturing company in the country, and one of the first in the world, to go off grid and become totally dependent on its own solar energy.
Energy Minister Karine Elharrar described the move to sustainability as “pioneering in the full sense of the word,” when she visited Shoresh’s 8,000-square-meter (86,000-square-foot) factory in northern Israel in September.
Company director Yoram Gill, who goes by Yoki, told a climate solutions conference Wednesday that the microgrid model developed at the factory set an example for small to medium companies to transition to zero emissions in just three years.
Founded by Gill and his wife Daniella when they were young trekkers in 1989, the distinctive sandals-in-a-bag firm, known internationally as Source, now has annual…