Bedazzled fruits twist your perception of decay
New York-based artist Kathleen Ryan creates small glittering sculptures that conjure up conflicting emotional responses. Stay with me on this.
Faisal O'Keefe
Banana leaves replace plastic packaging in Asian markets
A Thai supermarket in Chiangmai has devised a brilliant alternative to plastic produce packaging, turning to natural banana leaves and raffia to bundle vegetables. Shoppers immediately responded, posting pictures of the aesthetically pleasing and sustainable wrappers on social media.
Lebanese monkey escapes across border, drives Israelis bananas!
A frisky little monkey has been spotted in northern Israel after apparently crossing the heavily militarized Lebanese /Israeli border.
Costa Coffee UAE rewards eco-customers with free coffee!
Next Wednesday, baristas at Costa Coffee will be pouring free coffee for all United Arab Emirates (UAE) customers who belly up to the coffee bar bearing personal reusable cups.The giveaway celebrates World Environment Day 2019, which falls on June 5th. Earlier this year, the company reduced the price of all its coffee drinks by AED2 […]
New UAE Food Bank aims for full bellies and zero waste
Green Prophet recently posted about 2017 being the Chinese year of the monkey, but the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has instead declared it the ‘Year of Giving’. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and UAE VP, has launched the non-profit UAE Food Bank, which will distribute unused […]
UAE bans private ownership of wild and exotic animals
Starting January 28, it will be the year of the monkey as per the Chinese calendar, but in the United Arab Emirates it will be time for cheetahs, leopards and many other exotic animals to celebrate. A newly passed law renders possession of “all types of wild and domesticated but dangerous animals” as a pet […]
8 alternative Christmas trees green up your holiday!
Celebrate Christmas without a tree? Absolutely! Skip the chopped-down conifer, pass on the plastic fakes, and leave the live sapling planted out in the wild. Start a new tradition. You’ll save a tree, save the planet, and save money too.
Ready-washed bags of salad? Best used as compost!
Those convenient bags of prepared salads are breeding grounds for bacteria, so say scientists from Britain’s University of Leicester. The best defense against inadvertent food poisoning is a hearty and immediate appetite: researchers advise consumers to eat bagged salad as soon as possible after opening the package. The study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found that […]
Energy-generating roads to be built on four continents in 2017
In 2014, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde created a bike path that glows at night thanks to absorbed solar energy. Now manufacturers are tackling larger roads, building energy-producing highways that can generate solar energy and send it directly to existing power grids. French infrastructure company Colas, a subsidiary of Bouygues SA, has developed “Wattway”, a photovoltaic (PV) road […]
Gift a stranger a coat, and change the world
Many Green Prophet readers already turn to alternatives when gifting, choosing to give for a loved one to causes with resonant meaning, or buying items that have impact far beyond the artefact itself. This Hanukkah and Christmas, consider a practical present that ticks all eco-humanitarian boxes, especially as you give it away to a stranger.
Florida beermaker’s edible packaging is saving lives
A small Florida microbrewery has developed a biodegradable and edible six-pack ring, a new approach to sustainable packaging aimed at protecting marine species vulnerable to plastic pollution. The decision to go green was an easy one for Saltwater Brewery. The company was founded in 2013 by fisherman, surfers and people who love the sea. Americans […]
Awesome LEGO-like-hair bike helmet makes safety child’s play!
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that fewer than half of bicycle riders between the ages of 5 and 14 wear a protective helmet, despite common sense, and well-publicized studies that show helmets cut risks of serious head injury by nearly 70%. This disconnect spurred people at international advertising giant DBB to […]
Gazan farmer is a role model for urban agriculture
Palestinian Said Salim Abu Nasser is on a mission to make urban farming more sustainable. He transformed a derelict lot in Gaza City into a 200 square meter micro-farm that produces safe and affordable food in a maximally sustainable way.
25 eco-athletes swim to save the Dead Sea
This week, 25 open water swimmers endured seven hours paddling throught the hypersaline waters of the Dead Sea to draw world attention to the environmental degradation of that three million year old lake. Equipped with facemasks and snorkels specifically designed to protect them from the mineral-rich water, they dove in on the Jordan shoreline, and emerged in […]
“Before the Flood” now streaming, and you thought Halloween was scary!
Let’s get meta. A “force of nature” is defined as a natural phenomenon that is beyond human control. When three Academy Award®-winning celebrities come together on a film, their combined energies could colloquially be called “a force of nature”. Now imagine that their film is about…the forces of nature. This week an astonishing film premiered – […]
6 simple, pain-free ways to ditch plastics
I just met a pair of young Swedes, newcomers to Amman who were quickly appalled by the piles of plastics lining our city streets. They stitched up simple bags from mesh netting that they take to local markets, insisting on using their lightweight, reusable alternative in place of plastic produce sacks. Until the rest of […]
Swimmers risk death to save the Dead Sea
In two weeks, a team of international athletes will attempt a world first by swimming across the Dead Sea, one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth, at the planet’s lowest point. The sea, which is technically a lake, resonates with deep historical and spiritual significance that partners perfectly with environmental activism. This risky swim […]
Refugee architecture earns an exhibit in a NYC museum
New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is hosting an exhibition on refugee shelters to kickstart dialogue on the design challenges caused by humanitarian crises. Entitled “Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter”, the show looks at emergency housing in contemporary crisis zones. It is the first time a major museum has explored the plight of the […]
40 infectious photos of wildlife comedians!
(Photo by Artyom Krivosheev/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2016) Anyone with a Facebook account knows people love pictures of adorable animals. Photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam are tapping into that animal magnetism to boost support of wildlife conservation. Their second annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is inciting “conservation through competition”, helped by heaps of […]
Surf rising sea levels in a WaterNest home?
Remember that quirky Yael Mer inflatable dress that could save your life when disaster strikes? These floating homes go to the next level: Hurricane Matthew is bearing down on the Caribbean. Would the damage be less devastating if you lived in a floating home? Perhaps, but you’ll have to serve up more than pretty renderings […]
Is this staple salad Moroccan or Turkish or Sephardic? Any way you chop it, it’s divine.
Tomatoes are full of lycopene, the cancer-busting carotenoid responsible for the reddish colorations in vegetables and fruits. Red peppers are packed with phytochemicals and beta-carotene, which flood your system with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Meet a delicious concoction that combines both in an ancient Middle Eastern recipe with decidedly modern health benefits. Science says the sense […]
France’s new ban on plastic throwaways should be extended globally
France has passed a new law that bans cups, cutlery, plates, and takeaway containers made from plastic. It’s The part of the nation’s Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, which will also carry out a ban on plastic bags in grocery shops and markets beginning in July. The law comes into effect in 2020. French President […]
Human activity causes a new geological epoch. Rock on!
Say hello to the “Anthropocene”, a new geological epoch brought about by humanity’s impact on planet Earth. A team of geologists say that ash from fossil fuels, plastic waste, rising seas (which are triggering a dramatic increase in upland erosion), and radioactive particles littered by nuclear bomb tests are all contributing to permanent changes in Earth’s rocks. […]
Amman Design Week spotlights Jordanian creativity
Three public spaces in downtown Amman have been temporarily re-purposed as platforms to promote contemporary design from Jordan and the wider region. This is Amman Design Week, a first-time consolidation of the kingdom’s artistic capabilities, established and emerging, and the excellent choreography of its exhibits rivals that in any world-class city. Supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al […]
Climate change could make coffee extinct by 2080
The sun may be setting on a popular morning brew. According to a new report issued by the Climate Institute, global warming will underpin an estimated 50 percent drop in coffee production by 2050. Bad news for coffee lovers, but catastrophic for the 120 million people in dozens of mostly developing nations who depend on […]
