We’ve heard about peak oil. Ilana asks about “peak Jerusalem stone” – and if it will ever be under threat. My earliest memory of arriving in Jerusalem in 1993 is permeated with a sense of bewilderment. Coming from Queens, New York, everything was strange to me as I stared out the window of a car […]
A “beautiful nuisance” infiltrates Jerusalem’s German colony. On a recent walk through the German Colony, I was treated to a stunning sight. Filling a tree with their flapping green wings was a flock of eight parakeets, calling raucously to each other and pecking at fat red berries with gusto. Residents of the German Colony (in […]
Rabbi Ian Pear believes that public institutions should take the lead in generating environmental awareness. The relationship between ecology and worldwide religions has taken center stage recently. Islamic leaders are speaking out and two traveling Americans found all manner of environmentally aware Muslims in their country. Also, if it ever lifts off, the famous “Ground […]
With a $23 million investment, SolarEdge takes PV systems to the next level of efficiency. GE just invested in them. Now, Guy Sella, founder and CEO of Israeli company SolarEdge, is planning a revolution. Don’t be alarmed though, this one isn’t dangerous. His goal is to transform the way photovoltaic systems are now operated, in […]
While rockets fly overhead, Bat-Zion Benjaminson tends her garden. The religious mother of four hopes to establish an eco-village in the moshav (cooperative community) of Shokeda, which is located just six kilometers away from the border of Gaza. According to Bat-Zion, the war being fought in the area is not just with rockets. “This is […]
Miya president and CEO Baruch Oren and B. Gaon Holdings Ltd. Chairman Moshe Gaon have presented a new forum: The U.S.-Israel Binational Cleantech Forum, which they announced at the Israel America Chamber of Commerce Conference in Washington. The goal of the forum is to create a cohesive network that connects environmental organizations to businesses and […]
Before the economic crisis made the question of investments something of a joke, venture capital investments in green technology worldwide saw a huge increase in 2008. Compared to the same investment period in 2007, venture capital investments increased by 82%, totaling $4.6 billion. While America still leads the pack in investments in green technology, there […]
Following the ongoing saga of Project Better Place‘s steady process of world domination, we can now add a new country to the list: Japan. The news just in is that the Japanese Environment Ministry is inviting Better Place to take part in their feasibility project for building a network of charging stations in Japan. Better […]
Ilana Meallem of Arava Institute has helped initiate a project to install a bio-gas facility in the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev, to provide the villages with electricity and to help them dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly manner. A donation party will be taking place on Friday December 19th at 10:00pm in […]
We’ve hit the one-year anniversary of Green Prophet, and what a year it’s been! And just in time for the event, Green Prophet’s Karin was interviewed by Jerusalemite about green spaces in Jerusalem. (Karin was also interviewed in the November issue of Time Out Israel–may the media blitz continue!) Just to whet your appetite, here’s […]
This week, Israel’s biggest solar power station was inaugurated in Katsrin, a place otherwise known for its archaeological sites. Generating 85,000 KWH per year, the power station represents a milestone in Israel’s adoption of alternative energy, which until now had hardly been a soaring success. But it also represents something else: A partnership between Israel […]
Though Green Prophet is skeptical about Shai Agassi‘s Project Better Place, we are watching the developments of the project with interest. This week, the prototype of the electric car recharging station was unveiled in Israel. The prototype was designed in San Francisco and developed in Israel with the cooperation of Nekuda DM. The station features […]
The Kingdom of Jordan may be about to finalize a mega-deal with Shell Oil for the extraction of oil shale on 22,000 square meters of land–almost one quarter of the country. Some 40 billion tons of shale oil are believed to exist in the central and southern regions. Natural Resources Authority (NRA) Director Maher Hijazin […]
The lush marine habitat by Aqaba Beach in Jordan is among the richest in the world, attracting thousands of visitors per year. But the popularity of the beach is also its downfall: In just 20 minutes, divers recovered more than 150 kilos of garbage from the waters of the reef, including plastic cups, cans, and […]
Israel may soon have its first green airport. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has ordered the management of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to draw up a plan transforming Ben Gurion into “a leader in environmental protection.” The plan must provide solutions for the reduction of air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution. Use […]
Air pollution from transportation is costing Arab countries $5 billion in damages, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Environment and Water recently announced. The cost is calculated based on the number of deaths, medical care for health problems and chronic diseases that are attributed to air pollution. The minister, Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, […]
The Jerusalem-based solar company 3GSolar (formerly known as OrionSolar) is preparing go public in Canada. This would make 3GSolar the first Israeli company to ever go public in Canada. Founded by Dr. Jonathan Goldstein, a former Luz scientist, 3GSolar technology is based on a wine-colored dye that serves as a low-cost alternative to silicon. Cost […]
With its lavish six-star hotels and glitterati reputation, Dubai has quickly risen to fame as a tourist paradise. But now that fame might be heading towards infamy, as sewage including excrement and the contents of septic tanks has been pouring onto Dubai’s tourist-filled beaches. Doctors are warning bathers that they run the risk of contracting […]
The leader of the Atid Yarok (“green future”) environmental group in the Merkaz Hamagshimim community center in Jerusalem is leaving. Now Atid Yarok must have a new leader, or the group will fade away. The initiatives of Atid Yarok have included the Jerusalem of Green project, which James reported on last February; and perhaps the […]
We’ve seen that environmentally conscious tourism is becoming more than a buzz word, what with government initiatives stepping in, and the various alternatives in eco-tourism that Israel now offers–including Kazakh yurts! Australian-born tour guide Zel Lederman customizes personal tours for groups and families with Israel Travel Company: Israel Off the Beaten Track, including tours with […]
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a bee virus leading to the widespread deaths of worker bees, has long signified a threat to agricultural industries. It’s not the honey that’s important in agriculture–it’s pollination, and therefore the effects of CCD on this process can be devastating. But now Israeli company Beeologics has discovered a cure for CCD, […]
There are few environmental topics in the Middle East more controversial than the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal to revive the Dead Sea, which has the potential to cause lasting damage to the composition of the sea’s ecosystem. The multinational organization Friends of the Earth Middle East (FEME), who are working to build a peace […]
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) announced yesterday that they would boycott the 60th anniversary gala evening held by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The reason? The Ministry supports the building of a new settlement, Mirsham, in the Lachish region. The SPNI and other environmentalists have strongly objected to the project, […]
As the population of Amman, capital of Jordan increases, so does the amount of trash produced per day. The most recent estimate is that over the summer, the amount of garbage produced daily in Amman will increase to 750 tons. In an effort to stem the tide, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) in cooperation with […]
It’s a drawback to being popular: Litter has become a big problem on the coast of the freshwater Kinneret lake (the Sea of Galilee). To take charge of the problem, Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Israel Police force and the Kinneret Authority inaugurated a new environmental policing unit to clean up the coast.