Tafline Laylin

Free, Easy-to-Use Field Guide Lists 60 + Proven Clean Energy Technologies

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Cleantech, Science & Technology »

green design, sustainable design, eco-design, clean energy, land art generator initiative, Field Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies, LAGI, 2012, Freshkills, design, urban planning, clean techThis handy guide contains listings of more than 60 proven renewable energy technologies. And it’s free.

There are more than 60 proven ways to harvest nature’s power and convert it into clean, renewable energy, but knowing where to find information about these various applications isn’t always so easy. Enter Robert Ferry and Elizabeth Monoian from the Land Art Generator Initiative.

The Dubai-based design duo have listed dozens of established technologies that harvest solar, wind, water, and bio energy, in one easy-to-read guide. With one accessible but thorough listing per page, the LAGI field guide is bound to become the clean tech bible for all architects, designers, journalists, students, and urban planners, as well as anyone else interested in sustainable technology.  

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Joshua Basofin

Israelis Celebrate Tu B’Shvat – A Time for Planting, A time for Renewal.

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Lifestyle & Culture »

carob tree Israel
Jews around the world celebrated Tu B’Shvat last week. The holiday began as a “new year” for trees – a time when the tithing of fruits was determined. But for the past 100 years it has become known as an ecological holiday.

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Arwa Aburawa

Something Green – Muslim Couples Required to Plant Trees Before Marriage

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Religion »

Muslim couples in Indonesia are now required to plant two trees before receiving their marriage permit 

Here at Green Prophet, we are eager to promote all things green in love and marriage. As well as a green guide to Valentine’s Day (not long now!), we have published our top tips for a green Muslim wedding. The authorities in Muslim Indonesia, however, have taken green love one step further with new couples being required to plant a tree before they are granted their marriage permit.

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Tafline Laylin

Thirsty Gulf Country Quits Exports of Precious Groundwater

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Business & Politics »

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emriates, water issues, desert, drought, desalination, water conservation, water saving tips, Dubai

Abu Dhabi will no longer be sharing their precious groundwater.

Dubai’s water scarce neighbor Abu Dhabi recently announced that it has banned all groundwater exports, Gulf News reports. Established yesterday at a Ministerial Service Council meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ban will keep the Emirate’s dwindling groundwater supply within its own borders. 

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Miriam Kresh

Almond Torte With Pomegranate Molasses – Weekly Vegewarian Recipe

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Food & Health »

image-almond-pomegranate-torteThis elegant cake has a rich note of the Middle East in its very local ingredients.

Vegewarian means choosing more non-meat options in your overall diet. I propose to add: let’s round this philosophy out out to include healthier options all around. For example, we don’t want to give sweet things up altogether, but let’s make desserts with reduced sugars and fats. Searching for a cake to satisfy that craving for something sweet that yet fits that description, this almond torte caught my eye (via the lovely Dinners & Dreams blog).

I fell for this cake because it’s rich in pomegranate molasses, a staple in the Middle Eastern kitchen. Pomegranate molasses is easy to make at home - see our post on making pomegranate molasses. But if you don’t want to wait until the fruit is back in season, you can find pomegranate molasses in any Middle Eastern store.  Here it’s paired with a little honey to balance its sweet/sour tartness. Almond meal is the base for this fragrant, subtle creation.And one of the great things about this torte is that it’s a snap to make.

Continue reading: “Almond Torte With Pomegranate Molasses – Weekly Vegewarian Recipe” »

Karen Chernick

Chic Reusable Cotton Bags Make Eco-Friendly Shopping Cool

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Fashion & Design »

"eco-friendly cloth bags"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.

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Arwa Aburawa

Israel and Palestine: The Place of Politics In The Mideast’s Environment

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Business & Politics »

Do you feel that the politics behind environmental issues in Israel-Palestine are being sidelined? 

A couple of weeks ago, Green Prophet reported on the news that Israelis and Palestinians were working together to build a restorative eco-park. It was a relatively feel-good piece showing that despite the political conflict, joint projects could be useful in building bridges between the two nations. One commentator, however, felt that our coverage was politically naïve.

H.Shaka remarked: “I appreciate that GP is trying to report on ‘green’ in the whole Middle East, including both Israel and the Arab world, and I have come to see this as a step in the right direction. However, given the strong political drivers in the region, I think GP should aim to be much more politically informed and balanced if it wishes to gain the respect of its readers, at least in the Arab world.”

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Tafline Laylin

Pollution From North Africa Shuts Down Israeli Airports

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Travel & Nature »

pollution, north africa, dust storm, air pollution, tel aviv, eilat, israel, co2 emissions, climate changeHazy conditions stemming from dust particles that traveled from North Africa to Israel shut down two Israeli airports last week.

Last week two airports in Israel had to shut down because the sky was so hazy and visibility was so limited, Haaretz reports. Both the Sde Dor Airport in Tel Aviv and Eilat’s airport shut down on 7th of February as a result of air pollution concentrations more than twelve times higher than usual. These conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday.

Israel’s Environmental Ministry explained that a low pressure weather system over Southern Greece moved into Israel and trapped particulates that traveled from a dust storm in North Africa. This is not the first time that Israeli researchers have discovered pollution stemming from outside the borders – sometimes laced with heavy metals.

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Julia Harte

Silicosis Kills 50th Worker At Turkish Denim Sandblasting Factory

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Fashion & Design »

sandblasting silica dust turkey jeans killerYour sandblasted Armani jeans could be killing people.

“Distressed” jeans are commonly made by blasting the denim with silica (pictured above) after it has been pressurized into miniscule dust particles. But this fashion trend has been lethal for workers in denim sandblasting factories around the world. In Turkey, İdris Oral has become the 50th factory worker to die from inhaling too much silica dust, according to Bianet Independent Media. The 28-year-old spent the last two months of his life at the hospital in his home district of Bingöl, in southeastern Turkey: a province where there are 320 other known cases of silicosis.

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Arwa Aburawa

Communities in Oman Face Growing Risk of Floods

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Climate »

oman-floodsDue to the threat of flooding, communities in low-lying valleys in Oman are being encouraged to relocate

It may be a hot and dry country most of the year but Oman, like Saudi Arabia, is prone to flash flooding. In November 2011, around 14 people were reported to have been killed and more than 200 more injured after flash floods hit Oman. The year before, a tropical storm killed 50 people in Oman. Now, Omanis living in places such as Wadi Dayqah are being asked by the government to leave their homes and farmlands behind and relocate to safer areas.

Continue reading: “Communities in Oman Face Growing Risk of Floods” »

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