During this month’s ‘Critical Mass’ in Jerusalem, cyclists will check out the city’s new bike paths. Maybe it’s because Israel is becoming a nation of pedalers, or because biking is a hot form of eco-tourism, but for whatever reason a group of Jerusalem cyclists has been getting together for a monthly Critical Mass. (And no, […]
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 […]
When this mannequin free falls, low-carbon-footprint chairs with “human” form are made. Israeli designer Ezri Tarazi, the head of the Industrial Design Department at Israel’s Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, is no stranger to sustainable design. Some of his previous projects include eye glass frames made from wood, and home furnishings created from upcycled […]
Instead of occupying Wall Street, solar power activists occupied rooftops yesterday. The Occupy Wall Street protest may be dwindling down, but it has inspired other movements around the United States and the world. One such offshoot, which took place yesterday, is Occupy Rooftops. Led by Solar Mosaic, an organization that tries to promote the spread […]
Israeli designer Adital Ela Asks for help with her WindyLight sustainable lighting project on Kickstarter. Kickstarting a new sustainable lighting project that employs wind in generating energy to create light is sustainable Israeli designer Adital Ela. Her project, WindyLight, is a “family of self-sufficient outdoor lights that perform on free, clean energy and create a […]
Colorful plastic bags are both the canvas and the paints in Aviva Sawicki’s artworks. Plastic bags are a ubiquitous and un-eco-friendly material that many sustainable and upcycling designers have tried to reuse. One designer has turned plastic bags into shoes, another has made plastic bag wallets, and plastic bags can even be used as crocheting […]
Is the eco-friendly food movement getting even more complicated, or are ecotarians simplifying matters? The green movement is riddled with a lot of food ideologies. When it comes to food, there are a lot of environmental issues to consider: locavores protest the pollution stemming from the transport of food from far away, vegetarians (and vegawarians) […]
Could a bike sharing system work in Beirut? Bicycle sharing has become all the rage in certain cities in the past few years, ever since the Parisians got the trend going with the Vélib’ shared bike rental system approximately three years ago. In the Middle East, Nicosia implemented a bike sharing system a few weeks […]
Origami and some creativity saved these Earl Grey tea bag wrappers from the recycling bin and made them functional again. We are constantly surrounded by paper. It is in our mailboxes, surrounding our dry food items, and pretty much everywhere. It is all too easy to toss unwanted or used papers into a wastepaper basket […]
Greenpeace Israel calls on Jerusalem and other municipalities to stop recycling their promises and start recycling trash. Recycling has improved over the past decade in Israel. Hiria, a large garbage dump in Tel Aviv, has transformed into a recycling center, metals are starting to be recycled, and some urban recycling bins have become targets for […]
Used copper bullets found at a firing range transform into sculptural objects incorporated into rings. Bullets are, objectively, ugly things. They have an ugly purpose, and are not much to look at, either. But what would happen if you removed a bullet from its violent context? Could it be beautiful? Israeli designer Adi Zaffran Weisler […]
Israeli volunteers joined others worldwide on November 1st, in an international movement to “clean up” our environmental act. The 11th annual International Cleanup Day activities in Israel, which took place on November 1st, were attended by 204 regional Israeli councils, 260,000 volunteers, environmental VIPs, and one solar powered taxi (driven by Swiss inventor Louis Palmer […]
An eco caravan is bringing green education directly to the people of Lebanon this month. A solar powered taxi is traveling the globe at the moment, and now an eco-education caravan has taken to the roads of Lebanon (which, unfortunately, have seen a 538% increase in car use over the past 24 years). The caravan […]
What is a friendlier urban environment – dense constructed areas dotted with large, open public areas, or a slightly less dense urban environment infused with nature? Living in a city is better for the environment than living in the suburbs. Denser living allows for a lower carbon footprint since people can walk (or bike commute) […]
Bike sharing sounds like progress, but not if the plan only supports leisurely (and not commuting) cycling and without proper biking lanes. It was only a couple weeks ago that a Cypriot law proposal threatened to fine cyclists for riding on sidewalks (among other things out of the cyclists’ control due to lack of proper […]
Made mostly from used and vintage scraps of fabric, Timo Handmade’s new creations have a warm, old-world feel. Fabric scraps can be used for lots of things, and we’ve seen designers refashion them in all kinds of ways – like use them to make repurposed fabric shoes, purses made from upholstery fabric samples, and even […]
A new law in the works in Cyprus may deter cycling (and therefore promote more carbon-emitting forms of transportation). We’ve heard some pretty crazy stories coming out of Cyprus lately (such as some Cypriots’ appetite for pickled migrating songbirds), but this may be just as shocking: a new Cypriot law proposal wishes to fine and […]
Beep beep! This solar powered taxi intends to tour the globe on zero gas and a full tank of sunshine. Swiss inventor Louis Palmer‘s solar powered taxi will be rolling into Israel next week, after having traveled to over 40 countries and through 60,000 kilometers already. Without a single drop of standard fuel. Powered by […]
Upcycled, easily recycled and sturdy cardboard is the base material for Nokka’s furniture. Cardboard is one of those miracle materials that has recently been rediscovered and used widely by sustainable designers. It is easy to come by, easy to upcycle, and easy to recycle – and no less importantly, it is surprisingly strong and durable. […]
Religious leaders will gather in Assisi, Italy (home of St. Francis of Assisi) to launch the Green Pilgrimage Network next week. Religious pilgrimage is an important component of many world religions. Here in the Middle East, the annual Hajj to Mecca draws millions of Muslims from all over the world who want to fulfill one […]
Lightexture’s lamps are beautiful and energy efficient. Sustainable designers interested in the field of light fixtures often focus on making the lamp base out of recycled or repurposed materials, and don’t necessarily think about energy efficient light. We’ve seen lamps made out of industrial pipes and chandeliers made out of ice cream spoons, but when […]
Regional Etsy shops unite to form old-fashioned collaborative studios, online. Etsy, the online handmade and vintage shopping platform, has done amazing things to help people buy handmade, eco-friendly and local products. Artisans who are marketing their own products can easily set up online shops on the site, and on the buying end, Etsy has made […]
Jogging is great exercise for you, and for the batteries that it can power. A friend of mine in college once had a crazy idea to solve the American obesity crisis and alleviate global warming: encourage the obese to exercise and harness the energy created by their treadmills, ellipticals, cycling machines, etc. as an alternative […]
Hipcycle, a new online marketplace for upcycled products, shows mainstreamers that upcycling can be hip. Shopping local and sustainable is always best, but when you can’t find locally made, sustainably made, or upcycled products around – sometimes the internet is the best way to go. Online marketplaces such as Etsy, Mideast ecostore Ekotribe, or the […]
A sustainable T.R.E.E. grows in Aspen, where children learn about real food. As a child, Israeli-born Eden Vardy wanted to know where his food came from. And since he grew up in Aspen, Colorado, his food generally came from a supermarket and was probably transported from far away. As he grew older and learned more […]