Mathis Wackernagel, Phd, co-creator of the term ‘Ecological Footprint’, will be in Israel on Thursday, speaking at a Tel Aviv University Porter Environmental School presentation. Wackernagel completed his doctorate in Community & Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and his thesis research led to his development of the concept of […]
Yes folks, to celebrate the coming of spring, we here at Green Prophet have a great green giveaway! Thanks to the kind people over at Sourcebooks Publishers (sourcebooks.com), we have 2 copies of ‘Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style‘ by Christie Matheson to give away. See the recent Green Prophet review of ‘Green Chic’ […]
Jewish blog, Jewneric made the claim the other day that “Going Green” May Be Hazardous to Your Health. Their argument in a nutshell is such: Florescent lights contain mercury. Even though they save energy the mercury causes more damage to the environment, due to careless disposal, than the extra energy an incandescent gives off. Therefore they are […]
Green Course , the only nation-wide student environmental organization in Israel is organizing a demonstration this coming thursday. They are protesting the unreliability of the current public transportation.
Municipal elections will be held across Israel in November, and here in Jerusalem the current incumbent, Uri Lupolianski, will be challenged by Nir Barkat and Arcadi Gaydamek. While Jerusalem is always hotly contested for many reasons, this year a coalition of green groups has launched an initiative to get the environmental agenda high on each […]
“At a time when steadily increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, coupled with the acidification of the ocean’s waters, precipitate the ongoing process of global warming, the importance of following long-term changes and trends in aquatic photosynthesis increases dramatically,” say Dr. Ilana Berman-Frank and Prof. Zvy Dubinsky, of Bar-Ilan University. This is important since about 50% of […]
It seems that we’ve been too spend-thrifty with our water and it’s all running out. By the end of this year, if we do not do something drastic the water levels will become so low that our natural water sources will become polluted. What is our government doing towards a solution? “By the end of […]
We all know the saying: one’s mans trash is another man’s treasure. Embarrassing as it was in my younger years, my father was a collector and seller of other people’s trash and today makes a living from it. He calls it curbside shopping. It might be in the genes, because I too have a penchant […]
When looking for the next candidate for whatever office we look at whether the candidate is good for us. What are his/her ideal? Is s/he a good manager? Does s/he understand micro and macro finances? … oh yeah, and is s/he good for the environment? Environmental organizations launched a campaign yesterday to evaluate candidates according […]
At the beginning of my teenage years in Canada, I remember my mother talking in hushed tones about Aunt Hana, who suddenly and mysteriously starting feeling strange aches and pains in her body. Doctors couldn’t find a systemic cause for her ailments, until she traced back dates to when she was last in Poland visiting […]
Check it out: A solution to all that trash. Do the words “business” and “green” sound antithetical to you? Read on. Now you can wear your favorite banner advertisement on your purse. Forever. Claudia waxes rhapsodic about a new organic restaurant in Tel Aviv. It’s all about the buckwheat dumplings! Here’s what we bet is […]
There has been much talk about water shortage, eco-energy, peace and the drying up of the Dead Sea. Here’s a solution, long talked about and now may solve all of these (and it might even cover up that embarrassing bald spot on the top or your head! – well no.) “Together with President Shimon Peres […]
World Water Day is every year on March 22. Here at Green Prophet, we love writing about water, probably because water issues are such a big deal in the region. Now at Tel Aviv University, water and politics has become an international course of action. The following is a news item about a new undergrad […]
The week began with a battle for high ground in Florentine. But that’s a skirmish compared to the bitter battle for the beach. Because nothing says “bitter” like a cause-centric Facebook group. Winding up the wind power. But what about the birds? Mega-supermarket chain Supersol gets a clue and goes green. It’s kind of like […]
We’ve had several rainstorms this year but it seems that they are not enough. This winter’s meager rainfall has done nothing to replenish shrinking Golan Heights streams or the mountain and coastal aquifers, and concern is growing again for the country’s water supply. “Cute little trickles like this will not save Lake Kinneret,” Yeruham Kantman, […]
In the 3rd of this series of water-related posts, following on from our recent post (which you can read here) on the sad death of a whale off the coast of Ashkelon, we look at the pioneering activism of the sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who exist under the directorship of Captain Paul […]
It’s only February and the beach is already a hot topic in Israel, but alas, for all the wrong reasons. Work has got underway in the last few weeks to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on a virtually untouched part of Palmachim Beach, which lies midway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod. It […]
Fifteen of the largest cities and towns in Israel have signed an international environmental resolution to cut down on greenhouse gases emissions, joining 800 local governments worldwide. The pledge is to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020. It will be interesting to see how this resolution is enforced. While there’s a lot of talk about […]
Israel has lured climate Change evangelist Al Gore to the Holy Land. Come May, Gore is expected to drop in at Tel Aviv University to collect a $1 million in prize booty awarded by the Dan David Foundation. It is reported that Gore will donate all the prize money to a good environmental cause. ::ISRAEL21c
For years it has seemed that Israel and Thailand were enjoying a trade agreement that should keep both sides happy: we send Thailand our pushy and notoriously litterbug tourists, and they send us their illegal workers to scrub floors for half price. But it seems that Israel has something else to offer Thailand in addition […]
Jerusalem, the Holy City for three religions, is often known as Jerusalem of Gold due to the yellowy-pink stones from which the buildings are cut. Until the winter that is. We’ve had heavy snowfall in the city this past 24 hours covering it in white and leaving schools, businesses and buses at a standstill (check […]
Kids in Beit Shemesh schools–religious and secular alike–will soon be learning about environmental issues. A new initiative on the part of Sviva Israel, a religious environmental NGO, is bringing discussion of ecological topics into the classroom. In particular, kids will learn how to recognize their “ecological footprint” and be encouraged to tread lightly with some […]
Israel was ranked #1 in the Middle East on Yale and Columbia’s 2008 Environmental Performance Index, a system which consists of variables that relate to environmental health and ecosystem vitality. But in comparison to the rest of the world, we’re #49.
Here is a video recap of Israel’s recent WATEC (water technologies), conference. We were there this past November, and collected tons of notes and brochures on clean technology and innovation you’ll be hearing about in the near future.See also the story on Israel21c.::WATEC
The beginning of this year opened up a new hunting season, hunting smokers! According to Haaretz smokers beware! They’re out to get you! “It seems that no law has ever been enforced in Israel with such speed and efficiency. An army of municipal inspectors invaded cafes and bars, as did dozens of activists and volunteers […]