Tafline Laylin

First Pictures of the New Siemens Headquarters at Masdar City

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Architecture & Urban »

green design, sustainable design, eco-design, Siemens, Masdar City, sustainable development, energy efficiency,

The new Siemens Headquarters in Masdar City will be 65, 617 square feet when completed by the end of this year.

We recently reported that Siemens has teamed up with Masdar to develop a new generation of sand-resistant solar panels that will make more sense for desert environments, and that building the firm’s Middle Eastern headquarters in Masdar City is part of their commitment to see that project through to completion. Now we’re happy to bring you the first round of pictures recently released by designers Sheppard Robson and spotted over on World Architecture News. Construction of the 65, 617 square foot building is well under way and should be complete by the end of 2012.

Continue reading: “First Pictures of the New Siemens Headquarters at Masdar City” »

Karen Chernick

Cyclists Protest Ban on Bikes Aboard Jerusalem’s Light Rail

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Cars & Transportation »

"bike protest jerusalem"Jerusalem’s light rail may be a great way to encourage the use of public transportation, but why doesn’t it allow bikes on board?

Four months ago the much anticipated Jerusalem light rail was launched after years of construction.  (The future of the Tel Aviv light rail has yet to be seen.)  The new light rail provides another convenient, comfortable means of public transportation within the city and further eliminates the need for gas-guzzling and carbon emitting personal vehicles.  It is not proving convenient for one environmentally significant group of Jerusalem residents, however: the cyclists.  Despite the fact that the light rail cars have a device specifically for storing bikes, bicycles are forbidden aboard the Jerusalem light rail.

Cycle Jerusalem, a group of local cyclists, is protesting the issue with a Critical Mass today starting at Safra Square.

Continue reading: “Cyclists Protest Ban on Bikes Aboard Jerusalem’s Light Rail” »

Tafline Laylin

4 Desertec Deals That Make Our Energy Future More Secure

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Cleantech, Science & Technology »

solar energy, MedGrid, Desertec, Dii, Algeria, Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea, energy, alternative energy, energy futureIn just six hours, the deserts receive more energy from the sun than humankind produces in a year, and Desertec is harnessing it.

Right now hundreds of people are gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland making the same kind of noises about the security of our future as the suits at COP 17 – mostly aimless. In the meantime, real people are doing real work to confront the day-to-day challenges of climate change and energy poverty, including the folks at Desertec. One of the most progressive organizations of our time founded in 2009, the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) is slowly turning the Middle East and North African region into a serious solar powerhouse. Here is a roundup of the first four deals that make our energy future seem significantly more secure.

Continue reading: “4 Desertec Deals That Make Our Energy Future More Secure” »

Tafline Laylin

Thousands of Endangered Fruit Bats Were Gunned Down in Lebanon

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Travel & Nature »

fruit bats, endangered species, Lebanon, cave, wildlife, animal cruelty, animal conservationThousands of fruit bats in Lebanon were sprayed with shotgun and AK-47 bullets over the weekend.

Thousands of fruit bats could have used Batman’s help last weekend when one or more unidentified assailants unleashed a spray of shotgun and AK-47 shells inside a cave in northern Lebanon. This senseless massacre wiped out at least 5,000 of these highly endangered flying mammals who populated the largest colony in the Middle East. Animal Encounter founder Dr. Mounir Abi-Said told The Daily Star that the bats didn’t die right away and that they probably crawled to shelter.

Continue reading: “Thousands of Endangered Fruit Bats Were Gunned Down in Lebanon” »

Eco-Friendly Flyerzone Makes Paper Printing Less Guilty

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Business & Politics »

flyerzone green printingFor those times when you can’t use electronic delivery methods and just need those paper products, eco-friendly suppliers like Flyerzone come in handy.

As much as we may try to avoid the need for paper products (or find creative ways to reuse paper), sometimes you just need to get something printed on good old-fashioned paper.  Business cards are a classic example (and not everyone can stamp their business cards on the back of used railway tickets in the style of Israeli green business guru Erez Steinberg).  So when you do need to create a paper product – such as leaflets, business cards, flyers, stationary, invitations, posters or postcards – it is best to go through an eco-friendly supplier.  UK-based printing company Flyerzone fits the (paper) bill. Better news, they deliver around the world.

Continue reading: “Eco-Friendly Flyerzone Makes Paper Printing Less Guilty” »

Going Green the Hizbullah Way

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Business & Politics »

nasrallah tree planting lebanonHizbollah is going green with an eco-jihad as a tactic of war against Israel.

On October 9, 2010, Hizbullah‘s Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, briefly came out of hiding to mark the end of Hizbullah’s campaign to plant million trees in Lebanon to restore the country’s forests. This campaign was organized by Jihad al-Binaa, Hizbullah’s reconstruction arm, and sponsored by the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Hajj Hassan.

With a shovel on his hand, Hassan Nasrallah was shown on Hizbullah’s al-Manar television station digging a hole, planting and watering a small tree outside his home, which was destroyed by air raids during the July 2006 War. Hassan Nasrallah, who had been last seen in public in July 2008, was accompanied by the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture for the ceremony.

Continue reading: “Going Green the Hizbullah Way” »

Laurie Balbo

Ethihad Jet Uses Biofuels for Inaugural Home Run

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Cars & Transportation »

etihad biofeul sky energy
Etihad Airways operates first biofuel powered delivery flight with Boeing and Sky Energy

Etihad Airways from the United Arab Emirates scores a double play in the Green World Series:  Becoming both the first airline to fly on biofuel directly from the factory and the first biofuel-flying Gulf carrier. Not yet on its fuel-efficient Dreamliners, Etihad’s  new Boeing 777-300ER traveled from its Seattle birthplace to its home base at Abu Dhabi International Airport this past Wednesday.

Continue reading: “Ethihad Jet Uses Biofuels for Inaugural Home Run” »

Susan Kraemer

Abu Dhabi’s Torresol $5 Billion Solar Plans Include US

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Business & Politics »

torresol tunisia solar energy CSPTorresol – a joint venture between Spain’s SENER and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, plans to invest up to $5 billion building 6 Giga Watts of concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) projects over the next three years in the deserts of the Middle East North Africa region, Spain, and the US. Although the sites are not yet named, at least one of the plants will be in Abu Dhabi.

Initially developed for Middle East desert conditions by the Israeli engineer Luz, and resurrected (Luz Rises Again as BrightSource) as BrightSource, which has huge projects in the US now, this kind of solar is now comparatively more expensive than photovoltaic solar, for the first time.

Continue reading: “Abu Dhabi’s Torresol $5 Billion Solar Plans Include US” »

Susan Kraemer

Tunisia Announces 4th Desertec Deal and 2 GW of Solar!

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Business & Politics »

desertec tunisia to italy solar power electricitySolar power deal in Tunisia will power 700,000 European homes by 2016.

Wow, the Desertec vision is barreling into realization! A clean energy future where the world’s deserts supply huge amounts of solar energy to the whole of humankind is truly becoming reality. Now the fourth Desertec project, by far the largest-ever solar plant in the world – for  2,000 MW of solar power – is to be built in Tunisia. The plant will produce twice the amount of power of an average nuclear power plant.

(Previous stories: Desertec Begins: 500 MW Moroccan Solar in 2012, then MedGrid joined up, providing the transmission needed, with the plan to export up to 5GW of renewable power by cable under the Mediterranean between North Africa and Europe as early as 2020, and then most recently, the 3rd Desertec Deal Signed – Algerian Solar.)

How huge will this solar project be? 2, 000 MW is six times the size of the largest solar CSP project ever built

Continue reading: “Tunisia Announces 4th Desertec Deal and 2 GW of Solar!” »

Tinamarie Bernard

7 Ways to Green Your Wedding Day

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Lifestyle & Culture »

70s church wedding, family green weddingGreening your wedding is simple, chic and easy to do if you follow just a few of these suggestions.

Eco-romantics about to tie the knot pay attention: Green Prophet has the scoop on making your day of love as green as possible without compromising on romance and style. From mass weddings in the Middle East to intimate ceremonies in your own backyard, here are 7 ways to leave a smaller carbon footprint when you walk down the aisle together. 

Continue reading: “7 Ways to Green Your Wedding Day” »

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