World Environment day, June 2, is approaching. And we have readers every day emailing us about what they can do to do their part. The best guide we can offer is to look to the larger and established sustainability and environment organizations to follow the key issues they believe are worth supporting. We are listing American […]
If you could move to Mars, what would your house look like? Would you eat from your local hydroponic Martian farm, drink wine from the Martian vineyard and eat meat cultured by vegetarian butchers? Mars architect Very Mulyani is building the first Mars City, on Earth, and is pretty sure your future home on Mars, […]
Israel touted for its national policy of reusing waste water and creating desalinated water for human consumption is now facing a health crisis, according to a new report: The first national iodine survey conducted in Israel has revealed a high burden of iodine deficiency among Israelis, posing a high risk of maternal and fetal hypothyroidism […]
You see a bear, moose or a turtle on the side of the road and hope that the car behind you doesn’t veer right and hit it. Car crashes caused by wild animals can be fatal, not only for the animals. But in a bid to save the animals from death by auto, a leading NGO […]
We say in our times, that we all live in a global village. It sounds true when we see our shared Facebook friends around the globe, but it’s how our economies are run too: Trading exchanges went electronic back in 2011. Before then, traders used to stand on the trading floor, shouting at each other, […]
It’s so easy to be tempted to get that take-away cup when you are on the run. But every time you feel terrible about the plastics in our waterways, rivers, seas and bodies, this about this infographic below. Because the cost of styrofoam cups adds up! Our advice. Take a cup sitting down or […]
My house has loads of space, so finding a place to grow my indoor hydroponic garden would be no big deal. But when I saw an image of the Garden Igloo, a geodesic dome plastic tent, my heart jumped. This is it: the perfect modern conservatory for my roof. I’ve been working on building a […]
As urban sprawl continues, we are seeing less and less green space. Farmland is sprouting with subdivisions, city parks are being crowded out, and ever-smaller residential lots feature more residence and less lot. People are becoming less and less familiar with the wonders of nature, and they are craving access to it. Of course, from […]
The number of food insecure people in Yemen has risen by 3 million in seven months, with an estimated 17.1 million people now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three UN agencies. Of the 17.1 million food insecure people, about 7.3 million are considered to be in need of emergency food […]
Because of restrictions on the number of birds he could fly with, a Saudi prince boarded 80 of his own birds onto a commercial flight, each in its own seat. The few spaces not taken by a bird were occupied by humans, one of whom snapped the scene and posted it on social media. It’s not […]
We did this when I was a kid at high-school: raise hotdog money or donations to buy rainforest in the Amazon. Researchers from Israel are now crowdsourcing the idea and turning Peruvian jungle into a nature reserve. Great ideas like this may save our planet. We reported on this initiative it in 2015, and now […]
Imagine a beautifully designed tree that you can place outside your house or look at in public spaces and that, when blown by the wind, produces enough energy to light your place up. That’s right; wind turbines can now have a different size and be harmonically integrated within the landscape. So instead of the huge […]
No matter where you roam, by choice or for political reasons, food brings us all back home. It’s like a time machine that transports us backwards to memories of our mothers and fathers. Or forwards when we share food traditions: A new project in a troubled neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, Neve Sha’anan, is attempting to […]
Saltwater greenhouses can save the Middle East and humanity from drought and climate change. Three cheers to Sundrop Farms in Australia for pioneering saltwater greenhouses in Australia: they are now harvesting tomatoes for a leading grocery store called Coles. And Sundrop is producing what they say is a “better product, better for the people, better for […]
I live in the Middle East. Whenever my mom comes to visit she freaks out over the new flavors. Middle East cuisine has its own distinct curries and flavors for vegetables, fish and meat. There aren’t thousands of varieties, but like Indian cuisine the flavor of a good spice blend depends on its source, blend […]
Michelle Obama has made America’s gardening great and she’s now laying down roots so the gardening tradition will continue even after her family leaves the White House this January. Obama created the garden in 2009, and made sure to expand it twice so it will be hard to plow under by the next family. She’s […]
Local, real food (#realfood) is more than a rage. It’s the new everything in food. After decades of eating shipped-in waxy veggies, greens and fruits, consumers and chefs are demanding a new kind of food. Vegetables and fruits that are local, and full of flavor. We want food with high oil and vitamin content that […]
Amid news of France’s overturned ban of the full-body “burkini” swimsuit, Playboy and Women’s Running magazines featuring women in hijab for the first time the hijab is turning heads and making headlines. The hijab or face-covering for Muslim women needs to be comfortable and sport-relevant says Qatar-based founders of Oola Sportswear. They just launched an Indiegogo campaign that […]
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have been living in a concrete jungle for decades. Unlike the tents and temporary conditions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have put down roots. More than 400,000 refugees live in a labyrinth of concrete structures, built one on top of the other. It’s a mess, but volunteers now plan […]
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have revealed how microalgae produce hydrogen, a clean fuel of the future, and suggest a possible mechanism to jumpstart mass production of this environmentally-friendly energy source. Their results have been published in back-to-back studies in Plant Physiology and Biotechnology for Biofuels. The research was led by Dr. Iftach Yacoby, head […]
We all need better food in our lives. Now Denmark is putting its stake in the ground and ploughing ahead with new ideas. It’s working with leading architects and is making investments in a making huge investments in a balanced whole-systems and ecological approach to growing our food. William McDonough + Partners, GXN, 3XN Architects, […]
Urban farming. High-tech farming. Modern farming, or maybe it’s traditional farming? However you call it, farming in the US is shifting against the tide of large-scale monoculture, chemical company-controlled mega farming, where farmers measure success by operating at smaller loss than the year before. The farming industry is on the verge of collapse. Oil prices are […]
This is an issue of global concern. Climate change, urbanization, and resource depletion (more mouths to feed, burn wood in stoves for, graze more cattle for) is still happening at a fast an alarming clip, influencing our planet’s ability to store CO2 emissions, and protect diversity. We hate scare tactics, but put it into scale […]
Technology is a driving force of innovation. Everything we build, adapt and refine, generally has the express purpose of making our lives on this planet easier. Whether it’s transportation, growing food, or the sending and receiving of information, technology exists to solve a problem or streamline a process. Nevertheless, the environmental cost of this technology […]
If you’ve ever visited a Middle Eastern country, one noticeable difference to Europe is restriction on alcohol. Muslims are not allowed to drink according to scripture (read why Muslims don’t drink here) so depending on the ruling government, access to alcohol may be restricted to your local hotel or nearby speakeasies (big in Iran) or it […]
