Coffee has a secret life beyond your kitchen filter. Give new life to the mountains of used grinds we toss out every week. I built a fertilizer-maker in my garden with the help of foodie friends, then we tucked into some coffee for their lecture on Composting 101. I’m a clueless composter, but I make such [...]
As an avid tea drinker, I was intrigued when I stumbled upon a variety of sources that promoted the eco-friendly use of tea bags, outside the teacup. Arthur W. Pinero, an Englishman, of course, said, “Where there’s tea, there’s hope.” That’s definitely true. Brewed tea bags can provide a pick-me-up in ways you’d least expect. [...]
It’s nearly 2013 and I am grateful. After three years of traveling with a backpack through 14 countries in Africa and the Middle East, I am finally back home with my family in the United States. The time I spent abroad stretched my mind and broadened my heart, transformed long held stereotypes into a long [...]
A few months ago together with three enthusiastic family kids I started a gardening experiment: growing fruits out of the seeds we collected from fruits we ate, just planting it in the backyard. We used tomato, watermelon and melon seeds, the kids even made signs for each. Though all seeds sprouted, the watermelon seedling was first [...]
Following a trip to the stunning gardens of Andalucia, Arwa delves in the world of Islamic gardens About two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take a tour around the south of Spain and see the spectacular gardens of Granada, Seville, Malaga and Cordoba. I was completely spellbound. Built during the Islamic-era, these gardens [...]
Just when thousands of expatriates were fleeing their Gulf homes during the global economic collapse four years ago, Nick Leech was moving in. He was one of the lucky ones, but that has more to do with his diverse talents than good luck. Originally from the UK, Nick first trained as an architectural and design [...]
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 [...]
In addition to paper and plastic, now Israelis will be able to recycle their garden and windowsill plants too. When redesigning one’s garden, sometimes perfectly healthy plants get tossed out in the shuffle. The plants are not sick or anything, but simply do not match the new landscaping theme of the garden. These carbon dioxide [...]
In over-crowded Gaza, the locals have taken to growing crops on their flat roofs As the most densely populated area in the entire world, the Gaza Strip is understandably short of space. People live in overcrowded concrete homes separated by narrow alleyways and agricultural land is in short supply considering there is a need for [...]
Sun tea is nature’s equivalent of the crockpot… minus the electricity. We each have our own way of dealing with the Middle East’s harsh sun and humidity during the summer, especially in August. For some it’s sun dresses, for others it’s catching the breeze by the beach, and for some it’s a popsicle. If none [...]
The temperature’s rising! Part of your perfect summer meal must be fresh and fruity! Naomi gathers 7 excellent recipes for your feast. Image via vintagedept Did you ever feel like you were running out of options for summer meals? When it comes to meal time in the summer, it is always a challenge to balance [...]
Originating in ancient Egypt, carrots didn’t start out so orange. Can you imagine how Bugs Bunny would look chomping down on one of these? Image via SummerTomato When you think of carrots what is the first thing that comes to mind? One thing is for sure, you don’t think “Gee, you mean that long purple [...]
Tel Aviv highlights green buildings, spaces, construction techniques, and gardens during its annual “Houses from Within” weekend. [image via: Ykravitz] One spring weekend every year, for the past few years, Tel Aviv celebrates its architecture and invites the public to learn about the special structures that get to call the city their home. These structures [...]
Caught yourself a summer cold? Make this organic tea to control the cough. The Middle East is experiencing a strange transition from winter to summer. One day it’s hot, with a dry chamsin wind that sweeps in with a cloud of fine red dust. Bad news for asthmatics. The next day is cool, with a [...]
Earlier this year Green Prophet interviewed Asiila Rasool, an Eco-Muslim from SE San Diego, about the community garden she grew from scratch. Check out why Asiila was inspired to go organic and why home-grown produce is worth all that effort.
When most of us think about retirement homes, we think about sad, isolated places with TVs turned to the highest possible volume, very few visitors, and a faint smell of old soup. Not so in Neveh Amit in the Jerusalem area, where the residents are energetic and environmentally conscious. The residents/gardeners (aged 75 to 100) [...]
Wael looks into the horizon (on Mount Nebo, Jordan) and sees a new “green” economy that could radically improve life for Palestinians. The Marda Permaculture Farm is a working farm and a demonstration site for permaculture principles, techniques and strategies in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority. Based in the community of Marda, the project promotes [...]
If you are planning to be in Beer Sheva next week, make it Thursday and drop by the Earth’s Promise community garden for a festival of Ethiopian culture. Earth’s Promise founder Isaac Hametz started the garden about a year ago as a way to help newly arrived immigrants adapt to life in Beer Sheva. The [...]
Green Prophet readers know that saving money and composting veggie waste are both very green things to do. UPDATE: the video link is no longer active so we took it down. How about saving money and composting together? Our reader Cecilia Dahari sends us this tip to a Rachel Ray video which shows us how [...]
The Porter School of Environmental Studies (PSES) at Tel Aviv University supports a new garden initiative: How do you stop peacocks from the neighboring garden, that just love the vegetables in your own little hard-won patch of green? Or the mole rat that happily digs its tunnels under the roots? (Especially when you firmly believe that every [...]
Each week Orthodox Jews read one segment of the Five Books of Moses so that they can complete the entire Five Books within the course of a year. In last week’s Eco-Rabbi post we discussed water and life. In this week I will discuss man, trees and the receiving of the Bible (Torah) on Mount [...]
I went to see Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s documentary film, “The Garden,” at Tribeca Cinemas in Manhattan, part of docs on the shortlist for the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. I went with a group of farmers living in New York, some of whom work on urban farming projects in and around the City. The film tells [...]
A little out of place, a yurt in the Israeli desert offers a neat eco-treat. Feeling jaded from all the holidays in this country, we decided to retreat to the desert for Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest). And this was no ordinary retreat: arriving into Moshav Dekel, in the Eshkol region of the Negev [...]
It’s always exciting to get farm-fresh organic produce delivered to your door through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme, which have proliferated wildly around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But when I tagged along with a friend to her Brooklyn CSA last weekend, I saw how nice it can be when farmers deliver their vegetables and [...]
Last week in our Green Prophets in Focus Series, we interviewed our resident Eco-Mum Sophie Ohana. This week, our focus is on Hamutal Dotan, our expert on all things culinary and delicious. Hamutal is currently working as a web editor in Toronto and aspires to be a full time writer. Read about Hamutal’s thoughts on [...]
One of the best ways to reduce your waste is to reuse it. If you want to get rid of something, perhaps there is someone else out there that would treasure your rejects. When reading the news keep your eyes open for community events which give such opportunities. None in your neighborhood? Organize one! It [...]
It’s not every day that you can party with a group of farmers in the middle of a city. Even rarer, it’s not every day that you can party with urban Israeli farmers on the rooftop of a historic building in the center of Tel Aviv and learn about some green goodness to boot. Which [...]
Plants around your home or office not only brighten up the place, but they are natural air conditoners and have been shown to remove up to 87% of indoor pollution in 24 hours! Skip the air fresheners and buy some plants instead. If you buy spices you can eat them as well! Interested in seeing [...]
Watch your plants go on a caffeine high! Instead of trashing or washing those coffee grinds down the drain, throw them in your garden. They make great fertilizer.
Now the weather is warming up, it’s time to hit the road and escape the urban jungle. But instead of taking the bus to beach or driving to the hills for a hike, you might be pleasantly surprised to find a green oasis closer than you think. Last week I was lucky enough to stumble [...]
Here is a great book for all gardeners and garden lovers who want to go that wee bit further and work with the earth and plants in a truly green way. Joe Lamp’l has filled his new book, ‘The Green Gardener’s Guide’ with tips and actions that every gardener or green-conscious citizen can take immediately [...]
This post is devoted to the sheer joy of growing something, in this case, an organic gooseberry bush (Hebrew: Hazrazar) (Latin: Ribes Grossularia). Growing something – anything really, from a geranium stem, roughly transplanted and shoved in soil, to vegetables for your plate; can be a mystical experience. It mesmerizes, absorbs, transfixes … and continues [...]
You’ve already read about mulch, rot and the need to invigorate when composting, now that the snow has cleared, it’s time to give the garden and plants and trees some energy and care again. My compost bin is made from two old wooden pallets, found abandoned on the streets. There are three fixed sides, screwed [...]
I love composting. It is pure satisfaction for anyone remotely interested in growing things, and watching how things can grow, sprout, shoot up, and also decay, die and rot. When you turn the soil, and see the half-eaten tomato, or ear of corn, or artichoke leaves from a recent dinner, and know that they are [...]