A do-gooder designer in Beirut launches poster campaign to give respect to street cleaners. I aspire to see the day when we no longer need street cleaners. Citizens in the Middle East will have a moment of enlightenment and from that day forward stuff candy bar wrappers in their pocket, or place in appropriate waste […]
According to recent research, an increase in wintertime droughts in the Mediterranean is partly down to human-caused climate change Over the last 20 years, 10 of the driest winters have taken place in the Mediterranean region that stretches from Gibraltar to the Middle East. As the region accumulates most of its precipitation during the wintertime, […]
If you live in a crazy polluted Middle East city, carbon monoxide pollution is the opiate of the masses, according to new study. I dream about living in a car-less city like Vauban. But my love affair with the Middle East keeps me dreaming. Rampant with air pollution, every fall cities like Cairo get covered […]
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel commissioned a very green addition to the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, and let’s just say the birds and the bees are making themselves at home! Many buildings tend to create hazardous environments for fauna and flora, or else wipe them out altogether, but the Gutman Visitor Center […]
We speak to Greenpeace campaigner Raefah Makki about nuclear power, the Arab Spring and what she would do if she were president for the day Greenpeace is one of the most recognizable green organisations in the world and the fact that it has branches scattered across the globe is part of the reason why. Greenpeace […]
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) […]
Get your weekly dose of green news snippets from the region It’s been another great week of green news coming from the Middle East. We hope you managed to catch our interview with Green Hajj expert Dr Husna Ahmed, our coverage of the quake-proof straw houses as well as Tafline’s time at the Desertec conference […]
By choosing more quake-proof, sustainable, and cost-effective materials, developers could avoid future scenes like this one in Van, Turkey. In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that rocked its southeast region in October and rendered 14,000 buildings uninhabitable, Turkey is about to embark on its biggest ever urban renewal and construction campaign. Prime Minister Recep […]
The Alliance of Religions and Conservation has launched a special water conservation guide aimed at Muslim women and families Every year at Hajj, Muslims commemorate the struggle of Hajjar; an Egyptian hand-maid and second wife of the Prophet Ibrahim [pbuh] who was stranded in the desert without water for her child. The hajj pilgrims walk, […]
Gulf States have been drilling oil for decades now. Can we really get them to co-operate at the upcoming climate summit in Durban and re-think oil? Climate negotiations to get world leaders to agree to a fair and binding agreement that will keep climate change in check have been ticking away in the background for […]
Karim Rashid’s incredible Komb House exhibited in Cairo last year features the most cutting-edge eco-technologies without compromising its colorful “wow” factor! We think Egypt needs a little brightening up, and it seems that Karim Rashid agrees. The New-York based Egyptian design master presented the incredible Komb House at last year’s Le Marche exhibition in Cairo […]
Environmentally-friendly designed straw bale houses are energy efficient and earthquake resistant. Pakistan's poorest groups rebuild lives through Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building (PAKSBAB) micro-financed project.
The world population hits seven billion and the Middle East is playing its role with one of the fastest growing cities on earth According to UN estimates the world population will reach seven billion today. It’s a pretty big feat considering that we hit six billion a little over a decade ago and the world […]
Leave the white paint in the bucket. It won’t help climate change. Add solar panels instead to “green” your home. Stop the contractors! If you were thinking about painting the roof of your house white this winter, before winter rains start, leave the paint in the bucket: Environmentalists were advocating white, just like they offer […]
A carbon calculator in Arabic will help Dubai residents track everything from food, travel to energy consumption The carbon emissions of Gulf nations in the Middle East are notoriously high. The UAE has one of the largest carbon footprints per capita in the world and the average citizen in the Gulf produces between two to […]