How to avoid food waste on Passover
Jews in Israel and around the world prepare at least a couple weeks in advance for the week-long Passover holiday More than any other Jewish holiday, Passover is all about the food.
Hannah Katsman
Hannah learned environmentalism from her mother, a conservationist before it was in style. Once a burglar tried to enter their home in Cincinnati after noticing the darkened windows (covered with blankets for insulation) and the snow-covered car in the driveway. Mom always set the thermostat for 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) — 3 degrees lower than recommended by President Nixon — because “the thermostat is in the dining room, but the stove’s pilot light keeps the kitchen warmer.”
Her mother would still have preferred today’s gas-saving pilotless stoves.
Hannah studied English in college and education in graduate school, and arrived in Petach Tikva in 1990 with her husband and oldest child. Her mother died suddenly six weeks after Hannah arrived and six weeks before the first Gulf War, and Hannah stayed anyway. She has taught English but her passion is parental education and support, especially breastfeeding.
She recently began a new blog about energy- and time-efficient meal preparation called CookingManager.Com. You can find her thoughts on parenting, breastfeeding, Israeli living and women in Judaism at A Mother in Israel.
Hannah can be reached at hannahk (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Should You Breastfeed Your Baby After Exposure to Nuclear Radiation?
When caring for infants after any kind disaster breastfeeding is usually safest because of fears about water supplies. Whenever there is an earthquake, flood or other large-scale disaster, the first concern is for the infants in the area. Rescue organizations rush to send infant formula to the area, but because access to clean water is […]
How Green and Lean Is the New USDA Food Pyramid?
Potatoes are bad for heart health, according to recent research. The United States Department of Agriculture released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, a little bit late–on January 31, 2011. And according to the Harvard School of Public Health, the recommendations are behind the times as well. The new USDA guidelines emphasize a diet rich […]
Could You Get AIDS from the Breastmilk in Baby Gaga Ice Cream?
Lady Gaga inspired an ice-cream made from human milk. Could the treat carry health risks? A London ice cream parlor made headlines recently for producing ice cream made out of human milk. Responding to concerns about safety, the Westminster Council confiscated the ice cream for quality control testing. When it got confirmation that the mothers […]
Make Your Own Green Purim Costume
Design your own environmentally-friendly Purim costume this year. For kids, the most important part of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim is the costume. There’s no shortage of stores trying to sell the latest superhero trend to your child. But why buy something that’s likely to end up in a landfill? Fortunately, young kids usually […]
Who’s Watching Baby’s Food? Plea Bargain in Infant Formula Scandal
The death of helpless newborns makes us wonder about the quality of all manufactured foods. Haaretz reports that the Israeli court accepted a plea bargain for Israeli Health Ministry officials who failed to inspect infant formula. The faulty soy powder ultimately caused the death of three babies. In 2003, Remedia Israel imported soy formula, manufactured […]
Celebrate the Jewish Holiday of Purim the Old-Fashioned Way
Cooking and baking are one way that Jews celebrate the Purim holiday of salvation. Jews celebrate the holiday of Purim on the 14th day of Adar II, which falls this year on the evening of Saturday, March 19 until sunset on March 20. In Jerusalem and other ancient walled cities, the one-day celebration begins Sunday […]
Shark Attacks Up 25% Worldwide
Environmental changes may have led to Middle East shark attacks and a worldwide increase. Shark attacks increased a whopping 25% worldwide, including recent attacks in Egypt. In the 2010 report released by the University of Florida International Shark File, file director and shark expert George Burgess said that “the most unusual shark incident of my […]
Proposed Israeli Law to Reduce Organic Micro-Pollutants
The Israeli government wakes up to concerns about hormones and antibiotics in drinking water. Last week at Green Prophet, we wrote about how an increase in breast size may be connected to hormones in the water supply. Estrogens in the environment or in our food are implicated in lower sperm counts and higher rate of […]
Are Hormones in the Environment Making Women’s Breasts Larger?
From an average B to a C cup in 50 years: Is our modern lives making our breasts bigger? Britain’s Daily Mail reports that women in England have larger breasts than even a generation ago. Women (and men) are getting fatter, but obesity alone does not account for most of the increase: Women are exhibiting […]
Do Creases Make You Cross? 10 Tips for Wrinkle-Free Clothes without Ironing
With planning and proper care you can cut back on your ironing for greener clothes. My friend finds ironing relaxing. I find it a chore, especially in the hot climate of the Middle East. And according to the Consumer Energy Center, operating an electric iron uses one kilowatt hour an hour, almost twice as much […]
“Desert Cube” Greens Urinals by Eliminating Flushing
New technology breaks down minerals in urine to keep urinals dry and clean. Eliminating the use of clean water for flushing toilets is important everywhere, but especially in the water-parched Middle East. Ever wonder why urine needs so much water to flush it down? It’s liquid, after all. But ammonia and residue is smelly and […]
Celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees
Myths and facts about the “Jewish Earth Day” This Wednesday evening and Thursday, Jews around the world will celebrate the holiday of Tu B’Shevat (15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat). Tu B’shevat traditions include planting new trees, and eating dried fruit. Tu B’Shevat has also become the Jewish Earth Day, to celebrate the environment […]
Brown Rice and Bisli: Why Don’t Consumers Make Healthy Food Choices?
Bad food choices lead to obesity and poor health. Why do we do it? Israeli business magazine The Marker reports that sales of healthy foods have increased in the last two years. However, sales of snack foods and soft drinks have remained stable or increased slightly. People are simply buying more food, and obesity rates […]
Are cloth diapers green in water-scarce communities?
For me, cloth diapers meant two or three extra loads of laundry a week. When I read that Karin decided to “walk the walk” and switch to reusable diapers with her young baby, I could see that she and her husband, along with readers, have the same questions that people asked back when I used […]
8 Exquisite & Endangered Animals of the Middle East
From snow leopards to the Pakistani sand cat: The vast deserts, rough mountains and scarce waterways of the Middle East are home to many unique animals. Enjoy these 8 unique exquisite Middle Eastern mammals, birds and reptiles threatened with extinction because of hunting, loss of habitat, lack of prey, or poisoning. Share them with your […]
Acetaminophen, Passive Smoking, Low Vitamin D in Pregnancy Lead to Epigenetic Changes
Environmental factors can change the genes of a fetus, leading to illness later in childhood. When a pregnant woman takes Acetomeniphen (Tylenol) or is exposed to tobacco smoke, spray cleaners or pesticides, her fetus has a greater chance of devloping atopic asthma within a few years.Nonatopic asthma, wheezing, and shortness of breath is often diagnosed […]
Lebanon NGO Plants Ancient Species to Reclaim Arid Land
This Lebanese oak tree has survived for 1500 years, but many others were destroyed in recent forest fires. Sawdust from Lebanese cedars has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and the Bible recounts how the trees were brought to Jerusalem for the building of Solomon’s Temple. The cedar even appears on the Lebanese flag. But […]
Plans Underway to Save or Replant Trees Damaged in Carmel Fire
Raptors and deer were among species saved from the Carmel Forest Wildfire 50,000 dunams of the Carmel Forest, or nearly half, have been destroyed in the massive wildfire raging in northern Israel since Thursday. The fire is under control but officials said Saturday that it could take dozens of years to rehabilitate the area.
Saudi Blogger Gets Death Threats for Quitting a Vegan Diet
A Saudi food activist and former vegan questions whether veganism is for your health, and for the planet. Vegans reading this post might want to think twice about forgoing a slice of turkey this Thanksgiving. Saudi Arabia-based blogger, Tasha of Voracious Eats, runs a well-known vegan cooking site featuring no animal products. This week she […]
University in the UAE First to Offer “Bachelor’s” Degree in Motherhood
Will society value motherhood more, when offered by universities as a degree subject? A new university program in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates is claiming to be the first in the world to offer a bachelor’s degree in the “mothering profession.” Claiming that how to mother is no longer passed down from mother to […]
American Wasteland’s Jonathan Bloom Shows Creative Ways to Reduce Food Waste
Jonathan Bloom, author of “American Wasteland,” explains why the environmental impact of food waste is rarely acknowledged. Because most food decomposes into the ground (even McDonald’s), people assume that leftover food makes a small impact. But by the time food reaches our table, it has already used enormous amounts of natural resources for growing, harvesting, […]
Formula Companies Harm Saudi Babies by Promoting “Safe” Formula
Pfizer’s Saudi Arabia campaign to teach doctors safe baby milk practices is like cigarette companies promoting cancer prevention. In the book Understanding Breastfeeding in the Middle East, author Modia Batterjee laments the decline of breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia. At first glance, the 26 Club Forum for Child Health and Nutrition founded to “raise awareness on […]
How Oily is That Dress? 10 Tips for Reducing Petroleum Use in the Middle East
Plastic bags, however you use them, is one reason for an increase in petroleum production in Middle Eastern countries. How greasy is that outfit you’re wearing? People don’t always realize that today’s modern fabrics may contain petroleum. And petroleum is used in a surprising number of consumer items. Petroleum production and consumption increases greenhouse gases […]
10 Hyper-Miling Techniques for Greener Driving
Your mileage can vary —with driving techniques that save fuel. Here at Green Prophet, we’re in favor of increasing “green” mass transportation and reducing dependence on private vehicles. But people who need to drive fuel-based vehicles, whether for work or emergencies, can use “hypermiling” techniques to save gas. There have even been contests to get […]