More Jews in Britain are finding spiritual and culinary inspiration by growing their own food. Jews are known for their love of food, but less so for their love of farms. Most Jews in Britain live in big cities where, like many urban-dwellers, they are detached from the people and places producing their nosh. But […]
Grassroots campaigners claim final victory in fight to preserve open space for the Israeli public. Photo by Michael Green It was over two years ago that Green Prophet first reported on the grassroots campaign to stop developers from paving over one of the last remaining ‘wild’ spaces on central Israel’s coastline: ‘fisherman’s beach’ at Palmachim. […]
Agrochemicals might be big business, but they are a bad deal for the environment and human health. Israeli firm, Makhteshim-Agan Industries, believes that there is a bright future for chemical pesticides. It has just bet $1 billion dollars on this hope, buying out the Albough chemical manufacturer in a move which, according to Ha’aretz, will […]
Green Prophet looks to ancient Iran for some current alternative ideas to electricity-powered air con. Catch the wind with the bagdir wind tower! The concept of “green building” has taken off in the Middle East over the last few years. The need for ecologically efficient housing and offices is becoming more urgent as the cost […]
The first green, affordable home designed by an Israeli company has just come off the production line in the Negev town of Yeruham. Following years of planning and design by REAL Housing, the 190 m2 house was inaugurated by Mayor of Yeruham and former Labour Party leader, Amram Mitzna. The three-room, NIS 785,000 house (about […]
Recent laboratory tests have discovered that consumers in Israel are eating Genetically Modified Organisms – whether they like it or not. Tests by Milouda Quality Control Laboratories, which analyses food destined for sale in the European Union, discovered GM soya in popular foods sold in stores across Israel, reports Haaretz. Food contaminated with GM included baked goods, […]
The Egyptian government has apparently performed an astonishing U-turn on banning controversial Genetically Modified crops from the country. According to reports in the press earlier this month (hat tip: Treehugger and Reuters), authorities declared that Egypt had officially become the Middle East’s first GM-free nation. On 12 August, Egyptian Agriculture Minister, Amin Abaza, told the […]
Organic food. It may cost more at the shopping till, but it delivers priceless benefits for biodiversity, animal welfare and rural economies, as well as reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Many people also believe, and there is some evidence to back this up, that food fertilised with compost instead of chemicals will be nutritionally superior. […]
A new scheme has just got underway for Palestinians to treat their sewage waste and purifying it for agricultural use by using wetlands. Forsaking electricity, the system instead relies on a system of man-made pools which utilise plants to assist in the organic breakdown of the sewage. The West Bank village of Um a-Rihan, not […]
The massive swine flu cull in Egypt has impacted the city’s garbage collectors, the Zabaleen. Normally they fed organic waste to the pigs. Now what? Not long ago Green Prophet reported the Egyptian government’s plan to cull the country’s 300,000 pigs as panic of the swine influenza spread across the world. Now the effects of […]
What is the best way to visit Israel? By plane, by bus, or maybe by car? Derech Hateva believes the best way to see this small but fascinating country is by foot. Registration is now open for Derech Hateva’s annual Israel Trail Teen Adventure (ITTA), a month-long outdoor program for Jewish teens from North America […]
Should I stay or should I go? It’s a common question vexing many people living in Jerusalem, a city suffering from negative population migration, particularly young, secular Jews who leave to seek opportunities in Tel Aviv and central Israel. Siah HaSade is a new permaculture centre in the heart of west Jerusalem which seeks to […]
Somewhere between juggling appointments with potential Prime Ministers in-waiting, Israeli President Shimon Peres (pictured with shovel) found time to get his hands dirty in Kfar Saba recently, which has been awarded the title of Israel’s first “green city.” During the visit to the town 15km north east of Tel Aviv, Peres received a gift himself, […]
I have to admit I thought they were fighting a losing battle. Despite the justice of their cause, it seemed that the odds were stacked well against the rightfully outraged Israelis who set up camp at the unspoiled Palmachim Beach just over a year ago. Equidistant from the coastal cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod […]
The Israeli town of Tsfat (or Safed) is typically associated with the colour blue, owing to the tint that many of its buildings are painted with. But modern Tsfat, famous for being a centre of Jewish mysticism, its graves of tsadikim and art galleries, could just as easily be associated with brown. Since 1956, Israel’s […]
Our friends at the Jew & The Carrot – an award-winning blog dedicated to food, sustainability and Judaism – looking for volunteers to bring their talents to a blog that is at the heart of the new Jewish food movement. The Jew & The Carrot, which is run by eco-NGO, Hazon, is looking for creative […]
As Green Prophet nears its first birthday, we’re are pleased to have brought you hundreds of stories about environmental issues and activism in Israel and the Middle East over the last 12 months. We’re glad to be playing our part in the mushrooming of environmental awareness in the region. According to data from Yifat Media […]
The battle for the Jerusalem Municipality may be over (secular candidate Nir Barkat victorious over haredi rival Meir Porush or, in my view at least, a choice between dumb and dumber), but the struggle for the city’s environment is just beginning. Last week Green Prophet told you that Naomi Tsur, former head of Society of […]
When a small group of Jews arrived on the shores of Ottoman-ruled Palestine in 1882, they named the sand dunes they purchased to build their new homes Rishon LeZiyyon – the First to Zion. Never mind the poor soil fertility, lack of water (or the fact that Petach Tikva, aka “Opening of Hope”, was the […]
Last week, Green Prophet Daniella Cheslow got her teeth into The End of Food, a book which critiques, and predicts the decline of, the modern global food system. This prompted the question: what could be next to face a sticky end? According to a documentary by the same name, The End of Suburbia is also […]
Who ever said that there’s no nightlife in Jerusalem? When it comes to pubs and clubs, Tel Aviv surely has the edge by a long way. Israel’s Sin City is also more bike-friendly with its tree-lined cycle paths and flat topography, but anyone bold enough to take to Jerusalem’s streets at night on two wheels […]
How can you recycle your paper and plastic when there’s nowhere to put it in your neighbourhood? It’s not just recycling facilities that are in short supply in East Jerusalem, but also environmental consciousness in general, as I found out recently whilst researching environmentalism among the 200,000+ Palestinian residents of the Holy City. My lack […]
It’s not just Morrissey and Paul McCartney who are on tour in Israel this summer, but Greenpeace’s legendary Rainbow Warrior ship is also paying the country a visit this weekend. As part of its latest tour of the Mediterranean Sea, the well-travelled vessel (the original was sunk in 1985 protesting against nuclear weapons testing in […]
It’s September already and officially the end of the summer (not that you would notice by the still-scorching Middle Eastern climate). As the temperature begins to cool down (slightly), the next couple of months offer the ideal time to hit one of the many hiking trails, forests, or natural springs in Israel. But sometimes enjoying […]
If you’re going to shell out the extra shekels for organic food, you’re want to be confident that you’re getting the real deal. Personally, I think the price of organic food is worth paying, whether you’re buying it for selfish reasons (taste, avoiding nasty chemicals and GMOs) or altruistic ones (treading lightly our small country) […]