Karen Chernick

Green Tu B’Shvat Tour of Tel Aviv Celebrates the City’s Planted Areas

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Religion »

"green boulevard tel aviv"An English-language ‘green’ tour of Tel Aviv will take place this weekend in honor of Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year for trees.

The city of Tel Aviv is no stranger to green tours, in fact it has seen all kinds of them.  Tel Aviv’s eco-tourists can enjoy a running tour of the city, a biking tour, or an annual tour of the city’s green architecture.  This Saturday, in honor of the Jewish Tu B’Shvat holiday, a special green tour will guide people along the belt of Tel Aviv’s green, tree-lined boulevards.

Tu B’shvat, also known as the “Jewish New Year for trees”, marks the time that determines a tree’s age.  It also commemorates the beginning of spring, and trees are often planted in celebration.

Continue reading: “Green Tu B’Shvat Tour of Tel Aviv Celebrates the City’s Planted Areas” »

Miriam Kresh

Weekly Vegewarian Recipe: Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

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Food & Health »

image-vegan-risottoThis creamy vegan rice dish, dotted with little chunks of aromatic asparagus, satisfies the taste for something substantial and savory.

Asparagus has been in the markets for some time in the Middle East. It’s worth buying it for this low-fat, creamy risotto. And don’t forget another great vegan recipe – Chickpea and Artichoke Salad. Two great dishes for a vegan buffet.

Continue reading: “Weekly Vegewarian Recipe: Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto” »

Karin Kloosterman

Mekhala’s Slow Boat Gives Us a Soft Landing into Bangkok

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Cars & Transportation »

mekhala-cruise-bangkok-boat-chao-praya-1
The winter months in the Middle East are the perfect time to travel to Thailand, especially with this year’s cold snap. Warm tropical temperatures hovering around 30, paired with a pineapple strip and a beach anywhere south of Bangkok can cure anyone’s winter blues. While Bangkok is fast, furious and very polluted, like the slow food movement, instead of lingering in Bangkok we decided to take a slow boat up the Chao Phraya River to the Ayutthaya province to see marvelous 4,000 year-old ruins and the spirit of ancient Siam. And on this slow boat, The Mekhala Cruise  (with an overnight luxury cabin) you can learn about good environmental stewardship by being among Thai people, and people of the river.

Continue reading: “Mekhala’s Slow Boat Gives Us a Soft Landing into Bangkok” »

Susan Kraemer

Israel’s Bedouin Get Solar from Arava (+ Obama)

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Business & Politics »

Arava-Power-Tarabin-Bedouin

Arava Power Company pioneers first ever solar contract for Israel’s Bedouin minority

The first-ever license for a solar project has been awarded this week to Israel’s bedouin community by Israel’s Public Utility Authority. Yosef Abramowitz of Arava Power Company promoted and led the solar project, to make a solar energy dream come true for Bedouin living in the Israel’s Negev desert.

The Obama Administration is supplying 80 percent of the $30 million of financing it will take to build the small photovoltaic solar farm, using the little-known Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the US government: OPIC.

Continue reading: “Israel’s Bedouin Get Solar from Arava (+ Obama)” »

Tafline Laylin

Gulf Municipality Pampers Villa Owners Who Don’t Get Green Building

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Architecture & Urban »

green building, sustainable building, energy, water, carbon footprint, Estidama, United Arab Emirates, villas, Abu Dhabi, pearl ratingGoing green doesn’t come naturally to wealthy villa owners in the Gulf.

An online real estate  company listed a seven bedroom villa in Dubai’s neighboring Emirate Abu Dhabi for $95,300 a year, which amounts to nearly $8,000 a month. Anyone who can afford to spend that much money on rent probably has little incentive to turn off the lights in order to conserve energy or shorten their showers, which may explain why the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council sometimes has to meet with villa owners six times before they grasp the minimum requirements of the country’s mandatory Estidama green building code.

Continue reading: “Gulf Municipality Pampers Villa Owners Who Don’t Get Green Building” »

Tafline Laylin

Egypt’s Hottest Mountain Climber Goes Carbon-Neutral

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Travel & Nature »

eco-tourism, Omar Samra, Mt. Everest, carbon neutral, carbon credits, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Wild Guanabana, green travel, sustainable tourismOmar Samra is an adventurer whose incredible pursuits highlight the importance of environmental awareness.

When Omar Samra isn’t running one of the few genuinely eco-friendly and socially responsible tourism outfits in Egypt called Wild Guanabana, he climbs mountains. Big ones. He was the first Egyptian to summit Mt. Everest in 2007 and by the end of 2012, if he secures the necessary sponsorships, he will also be the first from his country to reach the top of the world’s seven highest peaks – including the formidable Mt. McKinley in Alaska. If you’re aren’t already impressed by the man who graduated from the London School of Business but eschewed a life of high finance life for something more soulful, maybe this will help: all of Samra’s journeys are carbon neutral.

Continue reading: “Egypt’s Hottest Mountain Climber Goes Carbon-Neutral” »

Egypt Launches Anti-Bird Flu Campaign

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Food & Health »

aswan bird
H5N1 has infected 159 and killed 55 people in Egypt since 2006.

A nationwide campaign to stop the spread of H5N1 avian influenza in Egypt is to be launched by the government in a few weeks, say officials, but details are still sketchy. The new plan, which will involve coordination between the Health Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry and poultry producers, requires close monitoring and various bio-safety measures.

Continue reading: “Egypt Launches Anti-Bird Flu Campaign” »

Joshua Basofin

Tel Aviv Water Wells Polluted from Contamination

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Travel & Nature »

israel water no walking, sea of galileeTwo-thirds of Tel Aviv’s water wells are too polluted to use.

A recent study discovered that many Tel Aviv wells are polluted beyond suitability as drinking water sources.  Data collected by the Health Ministry and Water Authority showed that 96 of a total 166 wells in the Tel Aviv area were closed due to contamination. Nearly two-thirds of the wells have been shuttered since 1980, when all 166 were in full operation.  The pollution has been caused by two types of activities.  First, contaminants from armament manufacturing, agricultural runoff and sewage systems seep into the groundwater table.

Continue reading: “Tel Aviv Water Wells Polluted from Contamination” »

Maurice Picow

New Natural Gas Field in Israel on Lebanese Border Stokes Conflict Flames

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Business & Politics »

israel natural gas lebanonTanin 1 gas field, in large yellow area north of the Tamar field, is too close for comfort to Lebanese shores. Lebanon is going to the UN to complain.

Israel’s got natural gas. A lot of it. Cleaner burning than coal or bitumen, natural gas has a reputation for being more environmentally friendly. Countries like Qatar have a lot of natural gas and now Israel – with help from the American company Noble Energy – has found enough gas to make it energy independent for decades.

Following previous natural gas finds by Yitzhak Tshuva’s Yam Tethys Energy Exploration Company, as well as those by Texas-based Noble Energy Company in the Tamar gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, the fortunes of Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva now appear to be increasing with the discovery of yet another large undersea gas reservoir.

Continue reading: “New Natural Gas Field in Israel on Lebanese Border Stokes Conflict Flames” »

Brian Nitz

Will Ancient Mega Lake Bring Peace to Sudan?

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Travel & Nature »

darfur mega lake sudan

Can mega well bring peace to Sudan?

At least 300,000 people died and almost three million were displaced by the Darfur conflict in Sudan. Egyptian-American geologist Farouk El-Baz believes that limited access to water is one of the root causes of this conflict. Doctor El-Baz is director of Boston University’s center for remote sensing. He is known for his use of satellite images to search for water in the Mideast and North Africa. His work led to the discovery of a large underground water source in Egypt’s East Uweinat region near the borders with Libya, Chad and Sudan. This Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) contains over five million cubic feet of groundwater and is already bringing life and prosperity to a desolate part of the Eastern Sahara.

Continue reading: “Will Ancient Mega Lake Bring Peace to Sudan?” »

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