Green Prophet

Dubai Set to Grow World’s Largest Vertical Garden

Dubai may not seem like the most likely place for a “miracle garden” but the first phase of the 721,000 square foot flowerfest was unveiled at Dubailand earlier this year.

Green Investment Bank and Masdar Ink Agreement to Link Mideast to Britain

The UK Green Investment Bank and the United Arab Emirates Masdar have inked a new agreement that will see the UAE-based company work toward new investment opportunities in the United Kingdom, taking their expertise in renewable energy to Britain.

Jordan Women’s Guild in Safi has Sustainable Art in the Bag

A tiny collective of rural women at the southern tip of the Dead Sea in Safi is creating art that’s omni-sustainable. Since 1999, with catalytic infusions from a remarkable Canadian painter, this Jordanian sisterhood has been crafting unusual “eco” fabric items bespoke to their salty seaside village.

Fake Organic Olive Oil is Latest Food Scam in Israel

The food industry is anything but shaky around the world these days, from meat glue to horse meat in “beef” burgers. Who are we to trust? The latest scandal is fake olive found in Israel, including organic varieties. Watch out for it anywhere. We sum up where to buy, and what to avoid. Some are […]

Bahrain Radically Overhauls Energy Delivery and Billing Systems

Bahrain is looking to overhaul its energy management system and announced this week that it was to implement a new “radical” IT system that would help boost energy efficiency in the Gulf Kingdom.

Desert Soccer Pitches Reveal Arab Obsession with Football

Ask yourself: if you lived in the deep desert, where the sand burns your soles at midday, would you run outside and play soccer? No sane person should. But Dick Sweeney has sent us thought-provoking images of soccer posts in extreme environments that reveal just how much Arabs love their football.

“Biggest Loser” Coach Builds a Recycled Materials Green Gym in Israel

When “Biggest Loser” coach Orly Hoffman Bar approached Toledo-Lifschitz Architecture & Design with an idea to convert a vacant space north of Tel Aviv into a sweet new gym, she offered two major constraints: time and money.

Common Sex Book for Orthodox Jews: Is it Kosher?

A quiet little how-to book has been translated into Hebrew offering basic sex education to Israel’s Orthodox Jews.

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Green-Wrapped Offices to Transform Turkish Working Class Neighborhood

Whether or not a 100,000 square meter office complex could possibly come with even a net environmental benefit is debatable, but the fact that a design wrapped in green won an international competition for such a complex signals a potential shift in Turkey’s urban planning.

Iran Ice Houses Showcase Sustainable Refrigeration of the Ancients

Refrigeration is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of modern man, but it has come at a price. Not only do they require a great deal of energy to stay cool, but they also rely on ozone-depleting chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs), or freon, though some countries have phased these out. As an increasing number of people walk […]

Toxic Teabag Tech Gets “Silken” Plastic Tea Bags in Hot Water

Health experts have long advocated drinking tea instead of coffee, and the Middle East is awash in both, but modern food technology is heating up health concerns over this ancient brew.

Early Summer Tomato Jam RECIPE

Summer’s arrival brings out all kinds of fruit to simmer up into jam – including tomatoes. Tomatoes as jam? Yes, indeed, and delicious it is, too. I love to make up small batches of tomato jam when lots of different tomato varieties appear in the markets. In the full swing of summer’s harvest, when prices […]