Tel Aviv is home to all types of trendsetters – including the green ones.
This past week the Miami Herald reported on what we’ve known for years: that Tel Aviv, while hot in general, is also one of the hottest green destinations of late. Their article reported on Tel Aviv’s urban farming, vegan/organic/local food options, green drinks, farmer’s markets, eco-friendly forms of transportation, sustainable design, and more. And so in light of the Miami Herald stepping up and noticing, we decided to put together our own mini-green guide to Tel Aviv.
Food
Whether your food cause of choice is vegan, organic, or local (or all three), Tel Aviv has options for you. If you’re shopping for yourself, organic and local farmer’s markets can currently be found in two spots in Tel Aviv. Orbanic (an urban/organic farmer’s market) takes place every Friday at Hatachana, the newly renovated Turkish train station between Neve Tsedek and Jaffa. And if you’re in the northern part of the city? Tel Aviv’s Port hosts another organic farmer’s market every Tuesday and Friday.
Vegan and/or vegetarian diets more your thing? You can check out a Meatless Monday at Tel Aviv University, in the northern part of the city. In the southern part of the city, at the corner of Yehuda Halevi and Herzl (or at their alternate branch on Ibn Gvirol) you can bite into a juicy vegan burger or shwarma at Buddha Burger, a completely vegan restaurant with an extensive menu.
Architecture
Tel Aviv is known for its Bauhaus architecture, which is kind of green in and of itself since one of its characteristics includes cross ventilation (reducing the need for energy-guzzling air conditioning). But beyond that, Tel Aviv has been developing greener architecture. The Azouri Brothers are currently building Tel Aviv’s first eco-high rise (which will be 20 stories tall, check out the image on the right). There are many other green spaces in the White City, however, which are celebrated in Tel Aviv’s annual architectural weekend (usually takes place in May).
Transportation
Sure, walking is eco-friendly, but in a city as hot and humid as Tel Aviv you might want to get where you’re going a little faster. Which is why cycling is a great option. If you’d like more of a leisurely, sightseeing ride then EcoBike offers Bike & Beer tours (a 3 hour bike ride through many of Tel Aviv’s sites followed by a cold beer on the beach). Or wanna pick up some extra cash while in Tel Aviv? Become a Greenie Bicycle Courier for a day or so.
Fashion
The residents of Tel Aviv have, historically, always been fashion conscious but now they are becoming more eco-conscious as well. Some local designers are integrating more sustainable materials into their lines, such as organic cotton. Cotton boutique, on the northern part of Dizengoff, offers a completely organic cotton fashion line (check out one of their dresses above). PopLove Designs, a team of two Tel Aviv-based designers, brings a different approach to sustainable fashion with their upcycled fabric clothing. Zendegi, in Neve Tsedek, offers organic and fair trade clothes from a range of designers.
Adults aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from Tel Aviv’s sustainable clothing trend, though. Katanchic, in Dizengoff Center, offers organic clothes for oh-so-trendy green babies.
Shopping
If shopping for green clothes isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other green products. There are plenty of sustainable designers working out of Tel Aviv, finding creative ways to reuse our junk. One of these is Hasadna (or, the “workshop”), appropriately located in the Jaffa flea market, and among their products is a chandelier made out of plastic ice cream spoons (check out the photo on the left).
Other Tel Aviv-based upcycling design studios include Studio Mesila, Studio Ubico, and Junktion.
[image at top of post: Meir Jacob]
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
I enjoy reading about the great opportunities that Tel Aviv has to offer.
Tel Aviv is really a city that never sleeps and has become a wonderful city to visit and take advantage of. The fact that Tel Aviv is also becoming greener makes it more attractive.