Israelis from both the technology and ecology communities gathered for the first ever conference on sustainability and going green, TentTech.

The purpose of the sustainability conference was to discover unique and positive ways to promote sustainability in the areas of energy, water, shelter and communication.

The conference, which was arranged by technology entrepreneurs, Ilan Graicer and Gilli Cegla, was well attended by experts in the fields of technology, science, agriculture and art. These professionals looked to combine their knowledge of their respective fields to find collaborative ways to better the environment.

Discussions at the conference included addressing the challenges of developing countries regarding pure water and sanitation, as well as shelter, communication and energy.

One individual who brought the reality of issues of sustainability to light was Muhammad Almaki of Mali, who currently resides in Israel. Almaki spoke to the attendees of Mali's scarce water resources. In Mali, 5,000 people share one water well, he said.

Almaki's speech shed light on the extreme need for Mali, and other underprivileged countries, to have better access to water. He urged the group at TentTech to make this a priority and search to find solutions, as access to water is critical to life.

Not only were these issues addressed, but the conference participants sought out ways to find viable solutions. The event brought together individuals unique in their fields who may not have thought to collaborate or brainstorm together otherwise.

Many innovators also presented their developments in technology with the purpose to bring attention to their products to raise revenue and support.

Moti Cohen's aquaphonics prototype was one of them. The prototype is a sustainable food production system, one which combines traditional methods with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment.

Cegla and Graicer hope to organize many more of these conferences in the future, bringing together Israelis from all industries.

Danielle Chazen is a regular contributor to Jspace's technology division. Danielle is a freelance reporter and technology event coordinator with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.