Green Prophet » Karen Chernick

Design School Partners with Wineries to Give Wooden Barrels a Second Life

Karen Chernick — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 11:45:48 +0000

I used to be a wine barrel… and now I’m a chess board.

Wine companies worldwide may be trying to ‘go green’ by producing organic wines (the wineries of the Middle East being no exception), but even so there is non eco-friendly waste associated with making vino. A winery in the Israeli Negev desert has being using solar power to meet its energy needs for the past few years, but what about all of the materials that go into producing wine?

In order to address this issue, the wineries of the Golan region in Israel recently teamed up with the Industrial Design Department at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) to challenge young designers to find ways to upcycle used oak wine barrels. Assisted by Ori Ben Zvi of Tel Aviv’s upcycling Studio Ubico, the designers came up with a bunch of creative ways to use the wooden barrels, prototypes of which will be exhibited this week in Tel Aviv.

The exhibition will open tonight, and tomorrow Ori Ben Zvi will be speaking about new trends in global recycled design. On the 11th the students will present their work and explain their designs to the audience.

“The project offered the students an opportunity to examine how you approach a recycling project while assessing the relevant processes for developing a recycled object, on the one hand,” Ben Zvi said, “and on the other hand it allowed them to explore the world of cultural contexts of the wine world.”

The events will be accompanied by good wine, to remind the viewers where the design pieces originated from. “Since the project was undertaken with the cooperation of a very specific winery that is significant in and sells mostly in the Israeli market,” Ben Zvi continued, “great emphasis was placed on the Israeliness of the products and the Israeli wine realm.”

The I Used to be a Wine Barrel exhibit will take place at the Tel Aviv Port between the 8th – 12th of July.

Images (in order of appearance): Chess board by Einav Ben Asher, Chaise lounge chair by Sagi Benshalom, Floating serving platter by Geut Gonen

Handmade Fabric Designs “To Go” From Deda Designs

Karen Chernick — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:23:30 +0000

Handmade and packaged in recycled boxes generally used for fast food or take-away, Deda Design’s kitchen products look delicious.

Fast food usually gets a bad rep: it’s fatty, bad for you, and wastes a lot of packaging and resources. But what if fast food style packaging was put to more sustainable use? Packaging has been used in eco-friendly ways by designers before, either by upcycling plastic packaging or making a product’s outer packaging multi-functional. Now Deda Designs, a boutique design label based in Israel, is finding ways to use recycled fast food packaging to house its limited edition, handmade fabric products. Thereby making it easier for the fish-themed kitchen towel (pictured above) to masquerade as a tuna fish sandwich.

All of Deda Design’s products are handmade with great attention to detail. “We believe that the work that we put into a product is perceived by whoever looks at it, and so we enjoy investing great attention towards every line and seam,” the designers write.

Deda Design’s line of kitchen products are characterized by colorful and original graphic illustrations. The inspiration for these images comes from old world illustrations, such as embroidered napkins.

A bamboo cutting board is also part of the kitchen collection, and that material was selected for its sustainability. In addition to being a quickly renewable resource, bamboo is also antibacterial – making it a great choice for a cutting board.

:: Deda Designs

Jerusalem Mayor to Join “Bike to Work Day” Next Week

Karen Chernick — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:53:37 +0000

Jerusalem’s light rail may have been up and running for months already, but some residents believe that cycling is still the best way to get around.

In the fall of 2011, Jerusalem finally got its much anticipated light rail (after years of construction). The light rail was intended to offer a comfortable and eco-friendly means of transportation to Jerusalem’s residents, but some of them – especially those who ride bikes – think cycling is better (and protest the fact that bikes are banned aboard the light rail). In order to remind Jerusalem that cycling is still a great way to get around, Cycle Jerusalem has organized a Bike to Work Day to take place next week.

Participants can join Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, companies, and institutions that will be biking to work on Sunday, March 25th.

Bike to Work Day will be held just a few days before Festigalgal – a Jerusalem Bicycle Festival also organized by Cycle Jerusalem.

Festigalgal will include a bike ride that begins in the morning, a bike circus, musical performances, and activities for the whole family. (Bike rentals will be available on location.)

Bike to Work Day and Festigalgal are only two of the cycling events organized recently by Cycle Jerusalem. The organization has also put together a Critical Mass ride and a cycling protest of the bike ban aboard the Jerusalem light rail in recent months.

To read more about these events visit the Cycle Jerusalem website (in Hebrew).

Public Transportation on Tel Aviv’s Sabbath: Ecologically Smart or Defiling Religious Law?

Karen Chernick — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:32:08 +0000

Public transportation shuts down completely on the Jewish Sabbath across Israel, but now Tel Aviv (Israel’s secular capital) wants to allow buses within the city on Saturdays.

It’s a bit of a paradox: Saturday is the one day that Israelis universally have off from work, but it is also the only day that public transportation doesn’t operate. And so if you are a secular Israeli without a car (for either financial or ecological reasons), there is no way for you to get around and enjoy your day off. (In Tel Aviv you can still take advantage of the city-wide bike sharing system, but that’s not always practical.)

The reason for this weekly public transportation hiatus is religious. The Jewish Sabbath is designated as a day of rest, and Orthodox Jews observe it by abstaining from driving or riding in motorized vehicles, using electricity, and conducting monetary transactions, among other things. Which is fine for Orthodox Jews, but Tel Aviv is largely secular and its residents would like an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to get around on the weekends.

The issue recently came to the forefront when the Tel Aviv Municipality voted 13-7 in favor of adding buses on the Sabbath on February 20th. It is not entirely up to the municipality, however, and the Israeli Transportation Ministry must now approve or reject the decision.

The Transportation Ministry has already told local media that the Tel Aviv Municipality’s decision violates the “status quo” of the balance of power between the religious and the secular regarding public domain issues.

Tamar Zandberg, a member of the Tel Aviv City Council, said that “it should have happened years ago, but because of political arrangements it was taboo and no one would discuss it, which is absurd.”

Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, feels differently and wrote to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai that “this decision taints the history of Tel Aviv, which was founded 103 years ago as the first Hebrew city. [The vote is] a severe blow to the sanctity of Shabbat – a day of spiritual uplifting and rest for all workers.”

The decision has neither been approved nor rejected yet, and it remains to be seen whether buses will grace Tel Aviv’s Saturday streets.

:: Forward

Image via: zeevveez

Communal Breast Milk Bank a Resource for Eco Friendly Baby Food

Karen Chernick — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:42:18 +0000

When mothers want to give their little ones the best (and most environmentally friendly) nutrition there is – breast milk – but can’t, they can turn to the breast milk bank.

The health benefits of breastfeeding have been praised by health care professionals for years, and breastfeeding is obviously a healthier choice than formula. What is lesser known, though, is that breastfeeding is also much healthier for the environment. It comes down to being a local food issue. Breast milk does not need to be imported, transported, or wrapped with packaging before it reaches its destination.

Not all mothers are able to breastfeed, however, and for health and/or environmental reasons they may want to supplement their baby’s formula with some mom-made milk. A newly founded communal breast milk bank in Israel helps mothers obtain the precious material.

Founded by two social work students, the idea for Mom Milk was born when they could not find breast milk donations for their son (who was having a negative reaction to formula).

The breast milk bank claims to be the first such online bank in Israel, and perhaps in the Middle East.

Mom Milk provides a forum for new mothers to donate and request breast milk, all based on the mothers’ good will. No money is exchanged.

Women from all over the country have already registered on the site, and the idea is receiving publicity in the local press.

:: MomMilk

Cardboard Interior Design Upgrades Community Lobby

Karen Chernick — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:47:57 +0000

With some creativity and design aesthetic, cardboard box forts are taken to a whole new level.

Cardboard is becoming an eco-friendly material of choice for furniture design, and sustainable designers have put it to many uses. It is used both for chic contemporary cardboard thrones as well as cardboard cribs and doll cradles. Bringing cardboard interior design outside of the individual home and into the broader community, however, is Israeli designer Tali Buchler who designed an upcycled and cardboard-based lobby for Zichron Yaakov’s community center.

Cleverly titled “Outside the Box”, Buchler’s design consists of a modular furniture system made of recycled materials. The community center needed a waiting area for parents and kids in between activities, and Buchler designed an arrangement that is low-budget, functional, and stimulates everyone’s creative side.

“Outside the Box” includes a few different elements: a stage area with oversized cardboard box “building blocks”, a perforated wall where upcycled wine corks (a nod to Zichron Yaakov’s wine making tradition) can be used to create a pixelated image, and a living room where fabric-colored cardboard boxes can be assembled to make sofas and couches.

“Being an educational center,” Buchler writes, “it was important for me to inspire the community for green living, by using primarily recycled materials, showing a simple way to construct furniture as an alternative for buying.”

Almost all the materials in “Outside the Box” are upcycled. The cardboard boxes used in the building blocks and the living room furniture were all previously used, and the stage area was constructed with reused wooden shipping pallets. The wine corks for the pixel image wall were upcycled as well.

“Outside the box is a space that encourages people to explore and express their creativity instead of just passively sitting and waiting. It is a platform to express one’s imagination,” Buchler continues.

“It was created as an open ended dynamic system with the pieces and elements designed to prompt people using it to re-create the space each time they inhabit it. It is an ever-changing landscape determined by the moods and imagination of its users.”

:: Tali Buchler

Dense Israeli City to Get a Breath of Fresh Air with New Park

Karen Chernick — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:08:23 +0000

Bnei Barak, one of Israel’s most dense cities, is about to get its first large municipal park.

With 165,000 people living within a 7000 dunam area, Bnei Barak is one of Israel’s densest cities. And its residents don’t have a green zone to call their own. Ruth Mozes, an architect in charge of Bnei Barak’s urban planning department, said that “Bnei Barak does not have a single park, and its largest garden spans 20 dunams.”

In order to rectify the situation, a regional planning committee will officially confirm plans within the coming weeks to expand Tel Aviv’s large Yarkon Park into Bnei Barak. This will grant the city a much needed green lung.

The plan is to develop a 350 dunam park that will extend from the Yarkon Park into Bnei Barak. The area to be converted into a park is largely zoned as farmland, although it has been partially treated as an illegal garbage dump.

Landscape architect Shlomik Zeevi will design the new park and it will include three strips: one adjacent to the Yarkon River and which preserves the natural landscape, another area with playgrounds and activities, and a third strip will include a combination of office space and recreational park areas.

Mozes is also considering how the park will be made accessible to Bnei Barak residents. “To improve acessibility, we’ve designed a passage of green tracts through the employment zone to the park,” she says. “There will also be access by bus and in the future we will operate shuttles from the city to the park, mainly in the afternoon.”

:: Haaretz

Image via: RonAlmog

Hanging Balcony Gardens a Beautiful Solution for the Urban Farmer

Karen Chernick — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:16:35 +0000

Urban gardens don’t have to be restricted to rooftops alone – they can flourish on balconies, where everyone can see them.

There’s a bit of a paradox within the guidelines for environmentally friendly living. It is widely agreed upon that dense urban living is better for the environment, but it is also true that it is eco-friendlier to live closer to your food sources (to reduce the polluting transportation that brings your food to you). And therein lies the grub: it’s tough to be close to your food sources when you live in a dense, urban environment.

Which is why urban environmentalists have been trying to find ways to bring their food sources closer to home. Most of these solutions have come in the form of rooftop gardens, which are an excellent choice and even help insulate buildings. But balconies are also a good way to make cities a little greener, especially in the Middle East where balconies can be used for much of the year.

German designer Manuel Dreesmann has come up with Skyfarm, a hanging garden design intended for balconies that places plants high enough so that you can still make use of your outdoor space in other ways. To access the plants, simply pull on the handle attached to each pot (as shown above).

In Dreesmann’s own words,

“With the growth of cities the height of the buildings is rising. And so there are less gardening spaces but more balconies. So my idea is to use this minimal space on the balcony to grow your own food.

But most of the balconies offer small space for gardening. The space on the floor is mostly needed for placing your chair and tables. But they offer a lot of unused space above your head. This is the space for the skyfarm!”

Skyfarm is currently still in its conceptual stage, and Dreesmann is hoping to find partners to make this idea a green reality.

:: Manuel Dreesmann

Recycled Tea Strainer Lamp Creates Soothing Glow

Karen Chernick — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:38:37 +0000

As an alternative light fixture, Israeli designer Marina Rudinsky lights up a string of loose tea strainers.

Items found in the kitchen are often endowed with unusual shapes and holes, and many a designer have found ways to convert kitchen tools into light fixtures. Pasta strainers are an obvious choice, but small, delicate loose tea strainers pose a good option too and Israeli designer Marina Rudinsky has assembled them in a luminous fashion. (Tea paraphernalia has been upcycled in other ways as well, with tea wrappers being masterfully crafted into origami pieces.)

Filled with small white Christmas lights and strung together in a cluster, the tea strainers are then hung from a small free-standing stand.

The lamp almost looks like a dangly pearl earring, or as though all the tea strainers are seeping in one glowing, communal mug.

If the lights used to fill the strainers were energy efficient LED lights, Rudinsky’s tea strainer lamp would make an even eco-friendlier gift.

Marina Rudinsky is a designer and art director, who describes herself as loving strong colors, happy people and big animals.

: Marina Rudinsky

Marrakech’s Organic Vegan/Vegetarian Earth Cafe a Delicious Alternative to Lamb Testicles

Karen Chernick — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:24:54 +0000

Vegetarian cuisine doesn’t have to be boring – Moroccan flavor can spice it up.

When people think of Moroccan cuisine, they may think of some pretty exotic dishes – such as, say, deep fried lamb testicles. As someone with Moroccan roots I can testify that there are some out-of-the-ordinary Moroccan foods, such as pastilla filled with pigeon meat and lamb tongue, but the Moroccan kitchen is also filled with plenty of vegetable-based and vegetarian-friendly foods as well.

On a recent trip to Morocco (during which I had mentally prepared myself that I’d settle for eating vegetable tagines and vegetarian couscous the whole time), I was pleasantly surprised to discover a farm-to-table organic vegetarian/vegan cafe with two locations in Marrakech and one in Essaouira. And after visiting two of the three locations, I was even happier to discover that they were delicious.

Earth Cafe Marrakech has been open since 2007 and claims to be the first vegan, vegetarian and organic cafe in all of Morocco.

The cafe is strongly committed to environmentally friendly foods, and most of the restaurant’s ingredients are delivered fresh daily from Earth Cafe’s farm. The farm is located in the Marrakech region, just outside the city. When certain items are not available from the farm, local suppliers are chosen.

At the Marrakech Earth Cafe, located a very short distance from the popular Place Jmaa el Fnaa (where escargot, lamb’s brains, and other carnivorous delicacies can be easily found) I ordered the vegetarian pastilla (pictured at the top of this post). My pastilla, which is traditionally stuffed with meat, was filled with seasonal vegetables and goat cheese.

Other traditional delicacies included amlou – a yummy paste made from ground roasted almonds, honey and argan oil.

Earth Cafe is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also offers vegetarian cooking classes.

:: Earth Cafe

Architectural Symposium to Discuss Green Habitable Environments in the Negev Desert

Karen Chernick — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:02:21 +0000

“Active Matters” symposium will discuss how desert living can become more eco-friendly.

Environmentalists agree that dense urban living is more eco-friendly (just ask Tel Aviv city architect Yoav David), but desert life is a little if-ier. Living in a sprawling desert, far from water and other resources, could be taxing on the environment since it may require the transportation of food and utilities. But it doesn’t have to be. With some creativity – such as that found at the Israeli Shenkar College of Engineering, Design & Art – desert life can be greener.

After hosting a ten day interdisciplinary workshop exploring environmental studies, manufacturing technologies and parametric design, Shenkar will be holding a symposium about new green habitable environments in the desert (and specifically in the Negev desert).

The organizers of the symposium, Active Matter, “perceive our environment as an ‘ActiveMatter’, immersed in a dense field of visible and invisible forces, connected in a complex system of geological, hydrological and atmospheric relations as well as cultural and social bonds.”

The organizers believe that architects and designers can work more closely with existing natural habitats and “widen their scope of exploration in order to accommodate fully the transformative tendencies of the landscape as well as its performance potentials.”

“Bringing together architects, engineers, product designers, environmentalists and industrial manufacturers,” the symposium aims to “‘stir-up’ an interdisciplinary laboratory, speculating and cultivating the emergence of new infrastructural and recreational systems within the vast ‘Negev Desert’.”

Active Matter will take place on February 26th between 1pm-8pm at the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Chic Reusable Cotton Bags Make Eco-Friendly Shopping Cool

Karen Chernick — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:32:22 +0000

These designed cotton bags are way cooler than plastic.

Plastic bags are undoubtedly bad for the environment, but sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to carry reusable bags with you for those spur-of-the-moment trips to the store. Serious and devoted DIYers and plastic bag avoiders may make their own reusable cloth shopping bags out of materials found at home (such as t-shirts), but for others, reusable bags need to be made convenient or they won’t get used at all.

In order to make reusable bags an easy (and chic) solution for shoppers who want to avoid plastic, Kiosk (a design studio based in Tel Aviv) has created an “I Love Earth” collection of reusable cotton bags with unique printed designs.

The bags come in three sizes – extra small bags, little bags, and shoulder bags – and are made out of 100% unprocessed, natural cotton.

The various sizes make them suitable for different things, whether you want to pick up some onions from the market, pack your sandwich for work, or use one of the bags as an alternative to wrapping paper for an eco-gift.

The beautiful hand-printed images on the bags come from atlases, botanical books, children’s books, and games. Specific designs can also be custom ordered.

:: I Love Earth

New Israeli Railway Line Approved Between Tel Aviv and Eilat

Karen Chernick — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:11 +0000

Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv.

Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity. Though not equipped with an international airport, it does receive domestic flights since the only alternatives are to drive yourself (which takes about six hours from Tel Aviv) or take a public bus (which takes even longer).

The Israeli Cabinet is hoping to improve public transportation to this popular destination and approved the construction of a new railway line from Tel Aviv to Eilat this week. The train would shorten the travel time to a speedy two hours.

The 350 kilometer railway line would be used by both passengers and freight cargo, and the project will hopefully begin operations five years from the start of construction.

Alternatives for financing the project are being considered by a team chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Harel Locker.

Of the project, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Tel Aviv-Eilat railway line, which will shorten travel time to two hours, will change the face of the country.”

“For 63 years,” he continued, “there has been talk about linking up the periphery to the center, but nothing has been done. The railway line and Israel’s natural gas resources can forge strong links in the economic, energy and industrial fields.”

Image via: Britrob

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

Karen Chernick — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:14:50 +0000

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.

Tel Aviv’s first Tu B’shvat celebration, in 1910, was celebrated by school students who threw flowers at each other in a singing parade. This green historical anecdote about the city, along with others, will be part of the Tu B’Shvat tour’s reference to local ecological traditions.

Since Tel Aviv was planned by a botanist (Scottish Sir Patrick Geddes), it is blessed with a “belt” of green avenues that includes popular Rothschild Boulevard (pictured above). The tour will travel along these green stretches and touch upon the city’s original plan as a “garden city”.

The English-language tour is being organized by Discover Tel Aviv and will be held on Saturday, February 11th.

:: Ynet

Image via: Or Hiltch

Solar Powered Vending Machines Along Cyprus’ Bus Routes

Karen Chernick — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:41:09 +0000

People waiting for the bus on a hot day in Cyprus will soon be able to purchase cold water from a solar powered vending machine.

A few weeks ago Cyprus received the distinction of being the world leader of solar water heater users per capita. Now it is making strides in cold water as well. A Spanish-based entrepreneur is in the process of distributing solar powered vending machines that sell cold bottles of water along bus routes in Cyprus, thus quenching the thirst of eco-friendly Cypriot transportation users in a more environmentally sustainable way.

(It could also, of course, quench the thirst of anyone who just finished eating a local pickled songbird dish.)

The vending machines work on a coaxial cooling system, which requires no cooling plate and can be recycled. This form of cooling is more energy efficient since the products are cooled directly, instead of the air around them.

The solar powered component of the machines means that they are efficient coolers in even the hottest countries.

An agreement has already been reached with the national bus company in Cyprus, stating that the solar powered vending machines will be installed on select routes that have large passenger volume.

The entrepreneur leasing the machines hopes that this idea will spread all over the Middle East and be adopted outside of Cyprus.

Image via: Dwayne Madden

Israeli “Green Man” Show Suspended Due to Greenwashing

Karen Chernick — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:49:09 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

After being on the air for just a few weeks, “The Green Man” TV show has been temporarily shut down due to allegations of bribery and greenwashing. It is funded by an Israeli chemical company.

A new environmental television show called “The Green Man” debuted just a few weeks ago, hosted by well known Israeli news anchor Gadi Sukenik. The promotional video for the TV show, shown above, shows Sukenik walking through all kinds of environmentally polluted areas and finally asking the viewers how long they can remain detached from the environment. The real question may be, however, how detached from altruistic environmental goals “The Green Man” is.

Following numerous complaints, the show was temporarily suspended last week until further investigations can be conducted into whether the show received compensation for featuring certain companies, and the extent to which it is a conflict of interest that Israel Chemicals is one of the program sponsors.

The production company is currently being investigated under allegations that companies paid to be on the show, with prices dependent upon the amount of time that the company wished to be featured. Documents were found suggesting that companies could purchase small amounts of time (such as five minutes) or even an entire episode.

The broadcasting company issued a statement saying that “The Green Man will not be broadcast until the investigation of the production company has been completed. The results of the investigation will be send to us, and we will respond to the actions of the production company with great severity.”

The show may have been laden with problems since the very beginning, though, since Israel Chemicals is one of the main sponsors. Sukenik, the host of the show, sees no problem with the sponsor, however, and said that “if you ask me, it’s good that a polluting company takes steps to partly rectify its actions… I believe eventually they’ll repair… I hope it won’t be too late.”

:: Haaretz
:: NRG online

Cyclists Protest Ban on Bikes Aboard Jerusalem’s Light Rail

Karen Chernick — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:59:06 +0000

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.

Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of each month in over 300 cities around the world, and is often intended as a way for bikes to “take back the streets” from personal vehicles.

Before organizing today’s protest, Cycle Jerusalem approached the Minister of Transportation, the mayor of Jerusalem and the company managing the light rail. All three parties refused to take responsibility or to provide a reason why bikes could not be allowed on the trains.

It looks like whoever is responsible is missing a golden opportunity to promote sustainable urban transportation within Jerusalem. There are no bike paths leading to the light rail, no secure bike parking devices at the light rail stations, and no bikes allowed on board.

For more information about today’s Critical Mass and Cycle Jerusalem visit the group’s Facebook page.

Image via: Cycle Jerusalem

Recycled Furniture to Be Sold at Israeli Auction Next Week

Karen Chernick — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:45:39 +0000

Select pieces of recycled, eco friendly furniture will be sold at an auction house in central Israel next week alongside paintings and other fine art.

Sustainable furniture design has been creeping into the Israeli art world over the past few years, with eco friendly furniture being exhibited at Jerusalem’s Design Week recently and other recycled works being displayed at international shows of Israeli design such as the Bezalel Academy student show at Milan Design Week. Entering the local auction market for perhaps the first time though, recycled furniture pieces made by Israeli designers are participating in a sale that will take place at Tiroche Auction House in Herzlia on January 28th. The auction will include pieces created by Junktion Studio, Tal Gur, Adi Zaffran Weisler, Godspeed, Amir Raveh and Pini Leibovich.

The cabinet pictured at the top of this post is a one-of-a-kind piece made by Amir Raveh of Nagarya Studio and is titled Grid. It is fashioned out of a metal grid door and collected parts of old furniture.

Junktion Studio is represented by the Sonol Barrel chair seen above, made out of a discarded metal barrel that was considered industrial waste. This handmade, limited edition piece was fashioned out of the barrel, plywood, sponge and upholstery materials.

RAWtation by Adi Zaffran Weisler (who makes not only recycled furniture but upcycled bullet jewelry) will also be offered at auction (pictured above). The furniture set includes a coffee table and stool made out of raw citrus branches and polyethylene. Both items are limited edition and one-of-a-kind.

Tiroche Auction No. 144 of Israeli and International Art will take place on January 28, 2012. For more information about the auction visit the Tiroche website.

Recycled Furniture from Middle East Rugs and Doors

Karen Chernick — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:13:50 +0000

Recycled furniture by Israeli designer Naama Futerman. She gives disposed objects a second life.

If all the products that we ever used or came into contact with only had a “Chapter One”, our landfills would be overflowing. Thankfully there are people out there, such as Tel Aviv-based designer Naama Futerman, who help give discarded objects what she calls a “Chapter Two” – a second chance to be useful. Scouring the streets of Tel Aviv for other people’s “junk”, Futerman uses objects such as old carpets and unwanted wooden doors to create interesting pieces of furniture.

Her seemingly antique throne chair, pictured above, is made out of the remains of a carpet that someone tossed out in favor of a more modern look.

Of her work process, Futerman writes that “initially I decided to explore my surroundings and search for disposed objects as the base materials for my work. I was wandering around the city, visiting construction sites and peeking into containers.”

“In my expedition,” she continues, “I discovered that people throw away objects not only because they are broken or damaged but also because of the desire to renew their environment. These, I thought, were wonderful working materials.”

In Futerman’s creative hands, the white door in perfectly good condition above (or, white door “Chapter One”) became the great little white coffee table seen here.

Maybe “Chapter Two” is even better than “Chapter One”?

:: DesignBreak

Hanging Laundry Photographs Help You Toss Your Dryer

Karen Chernick — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:45:38 +0000

Can Sivan Askayo’s photographs convince us hang dry our laundry?

What if art had the power to change our habits for the (environmentally) better? Could a photograph change governmental policy, or at the very least, some of our daily behaviors? Artistic photographers have tried, and acclaimed photographer Spencer Tunick’s naked Dead Sea shoot this year to raise awareness about its sinking water levels is one of the most famous examples.

Sometimes the beauty of a photograph (or other work of art) is what it takes to force us to make a change. The stunning hanging laundry photograph series by Israeli photographer Sivan Askayo is no exception, and may cause many of us to regret that we ever used an electronic dryer.

Titled ‘Intimacy Under the Wires’, Askayo says that her “laundry project [began] in the vibrant alleyways of Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood and has become an ongoing project, taking me to Madrid, Barcelona, London, Florence, Venice and Buenos Aires to snap the anonymously displayed drying clothing.”

“The project, that was named ‘Intimacy under the Wires’,” she continues, “reveals images of laundry both intimate and unconfined while their snoopy character makes laundry, a seemingly prosaic subject, all the more intriguing.”

The series has already been featured in Phaidon, The SIP and Design Sponge, and we wonder what kind of effect it has had on peoples’ laundry.

:: Sivan Askayo