Cities

Plant trees in cities, for your heart

It seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes you need to give evidence to city councillors: A new multi-institutional study led by UC Davis Health suggests that not all green space is created equal. Living in urban neighborhoods with more visible trees is associated with a 4% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, while areas dominated by grass or low shrubs may be linked to higher cardiovascular risk.

Quintin Tarantino walks on a bike lane in Tel Aviv

Quentin Tarantino lives in Israel now, quietly blending into Tel Aviv life (which is pretty loud and late night!) — until Tel Aviv, of course, notices him.

Where to Find Reliable Concrete Barriers for Modern Infrastructure Projects

As new designs and materials shape the future of public and private construction, knowing which systems deliver consistent results becomes more important. This article explores leading concrete barrier options on the market today and explains how each type supports modern infrastructure goals.

Luxury tower in Jerusalem ruins its sacred heritage and eco-architects are worried

Critics of a new set of luxury towers including Israeli-Greek architect Elias Mesinas, warn that the scale of the towers, loss of public green space, and creeping luxury-led gentrification risk undermining Jerusalem’s historic skyline, community fabric, and long-standing planning principles — raising a fundamental question: not whether Jerusalem should densify, but how it can do so responsibly while preserving what makes the city unique.

Oil pollution in Basrah’s soil is 1,200% higher than it should be

Soil pollution levels in parts of Basra are 1,200% to 3,300% higher than those typically measured in cities like Toronto or New York, according to new comparative soil data. It's getting into water.

Explore Balat in Istanbul for a perfect day of coffee, cats, and second-hand clothing shops

Balat is not a neighborhood you would visit in the standard tour to Istanbul. If you want a real taste of Istanbul and the people who live there, wander around a smaller craftsman, artisan, coffee shops and second hand clothing shops on cobblestone streets in the neighborhood of Balat.

Rent a living Christmas tree in California

You can go to a site or go online, order the tree and pick it up or if if possible have it delivered. A live tree doesn't shed needles after a few weeks and it's obviously the ecological choice to cutting down millions of 7 to 15 year old trees every year.

5 Eco-Friendly Upgrades That Let You Charge More Rent

 When you “go green,” you’re actually building pricing power. By offering tenants amenities and appliances that save money while providing comfort, you’re delivering the kind of value tenants won’t hesitate to pay more for. That means shorter vacancies, faster lease signings, and higher profits.

The little known nuclear testing sites used by France in Algeria’s Sahara Desert

More than sixty years after France’s nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, radiation still lingers in the sand. At Reggane and In Ekker, plutonium traces remain where underground detonations vented into the open air. The sites were never fully decontaminated after France’s withdrawal in 1966. Algeria now monitors them with help from the International Atomic Energy Agency, but vast areas remain off-limits to herders and researchers.

Top-Quality Building Supplies in Nashville at Decks & Docks

Decks & Docks in Nashville, Tennessee, is a trusted source for premium marine construction materials, offering a wide range of products for homeowners, contractors,...

Why New York Climate Week Isn’t Boring — and 5 Fun Things You Can Do to Make It Yours

Climate Week isn’t just for CEOs and policymakers. It’s a chance for anyone to plug in, whether you’re attending an official showcase or just biking to work with a few friends. Fun and climate action aren’t opposites — they feed each other. And when you connect with community, food, music, or nature, you realize: this is what the future can look like.

Fine-particle pollution is now directly tied to Lewy body dementia

A new peer-reviewed study in Science connects long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with higher risk of Lewy body dementia (LBD) in a dataset of 56.5 million US Medicare records, and backs it up with animal experiments that show PM2.5 triggers toxic α-synuclein clumps — the protein aggregates that define LBD. 

Ancient mud buildings in the Muslim world are spectacular and sustainable

Other notable mud structures in the wider Muslim world include the Bob Dioulasso Grand Mosque in Burkina Faso, and the Khiva Wall in Uzbekistan, which is built around a collection of Islamic schools and mosques. The Siwa Oasis in Egypt (which we visited and posted about here) and the Eastern Castle in Syria have also employed mud bricks in their construction, and research shows that the famous walls of Jericho were built using sun-dried mud bricks.

Saudi Arabia digitizes 100,000 trees in new online tree library

Starting with the first 10,000 trees along Al Khobar’s southern and northern corniches, waterfront zones, and main thoroughfares, the project will expand city‑wide. It sets a foundation for integrating green infrastructure, citizen engagement, and sustainable tourism—an urban ecosystem that’s both cultivated and tracked through smart tech.

Rewilding the Suburb: Lagoon Valley’s Profound Plan for Conservation Community in California–– An Interview with Developer Curt Johansen

Lagoon Valley developers have set aside a remarkable 85% of its total land for open space, trails, and protected habitats—a rare move in an era of unchecked development. This isn’t just a nod to green space; it’s a full embrace of a conservation community model, where nature isn’t a backdrop but a partner.

Hot this week

Astro uses AI to help procure land for renewable energy

For oil-rich, environmentally vigilant Gulf states, Astro isn’t just another startup story. It is a blueprint for accelerating an energy transition that is now existential, not optional.

The Science Behind How Elite Marathon Runners Train

Discover the science behind elite marathon training. Explore techniques, nutrition, and mental strategies that propel top runners to success.

Earth building with Dead Sea salt bricks

Researchers develop a brick made largely from recycled Dead Sea salt—offering a potential alternative to carbon-intensive cement.

The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine

Christ’s thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) also known as the sidr tree is a real, identifiable tree native to the Middle East, and it appears—directly or indirectly—in Islam, Judaism, and later Christian tradition. The connections between the three faiths are not theological agreements but overlapping uses, names, and symbolic associations rooted in the same landscape.

Farm To Table Israel Connects People To The Land

Farm To Table Israel is transforming the traditional dining experience into a hands-on journey.

Topics

Astro uses AI to help procure land for renewable energy

For oil-rich, environmentally vigilant Gulf states, Astro isn’t just another startup story. It is a blueprint for accelerating an energy transition that is now existential, not optional.

The Science Behind How Elite Marathon Runners Train

Discover the science behind elite marathon training. Explore techniques, nutrition, and mental strategies that propel top runners to success.

Earth building with Dead Sea salt bricks

Researchers develop a brick made largely from recycled Dead Sea salt—offering a potential alternative to carbon-intensive cement.

The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine

Christ’s thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) also known as the sidr tree is a real, identifiable tree native to the Middle East, and it appears—directly or indirectly—in Islam, Judaism, and later Christian tradition. The connections between the three faiths are not theological agreements but overlapping uses, names, and symbolic associations rooted in the same landscape.

Farm To Table Israel Connects People To The Land

Farm To Table Israel is transforming the traditional dining experience into a hands-on journey.

The Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, explained

Knowing about the concept of the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary helps explain a core idea in Islam.

The Air Tea Kettle creates a new way to meet plants and herbalism

Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.

Why Health Systems Are Reaching a Turning Point

Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
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