Desalination plant in Israel Earlier this week, Michael Green wrote about Shimon Peres’ “Peace Valley” project, which will create a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, as well as a huge tourist complex in the Arava dubbed the “Las Vegas of the Middle East.” Although the Peace Valley is relatively new, plans […]
There are lots of green businesses out there – cleantech businesses, organic farmers, environmentally conscious designers, and plenty more. But what about businesses with no clear environmental agenda? What’s a software company or a furniture manufacturer that wants to go green supposed to do? Hire a greener. A business greener, that is. Erez Steinberg, an […]
From creating the world’s most popular puzzle website (and a Time Magazine top 50), Israeli-British entrepreneur and hightech whiz Gideon Greenspan decided to change gears and put a focus on the environment. A couple of years ago, Gideon (who is based in Tel Aviv) was looking for a way to offset his travel and was […]
Summer is here, the pools are open and the sea is beckoning. Let’s pack our bags get our swimsuits and go for a swim. Going to the pool or beach with your little ones can be great fun, a fabulous way to cool down and relax with the kids and helps build their confidence in […]
The Israel cleantech world is buzzing over BrightSource and its subsidiary Luz II. The companies recently invited the press to visit the world’s first operating solar thermal field in the Negev Desert, for creating clean and efficient solar energy. The 12,000 square meter test site will generate 1.5 MW of electricity. Cheaper heliostats, no need […]
Last week, I visited the town of Umm El Fahem with staff members from Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME). FoEME is a trilateral Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian environmental organization that brings environmentalists together to work on issues of shared regional concern. As the Summer 2008 FoEME intern, I am assisting with the Pro-Aquifer […]
While Israel has some of the world’s most promising clean technology companies in producing renewable energy — consider the geothermal power company Ormat [ORA (TLV)]and its geothermal power station in Nevada or Solel’s solar energy plant in the Mohave Desert – proving viability on Israeli turf has been a sore spot for inventors and would-be international […]
(Prof. Avi Kribus) Center will explore clean energy production through transformational technologies and unique multidisciplinary approach Natural resources everywhere are rapidly being depleted. Traditional energy sources, like oil, have become hostages to a weakening world economy. The future, it seems, may depend on renewable energy ― new technology that bridges scientific disciplines and commercial opportunities. […]
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the organic baby in the baby carriage. Today we would like to welcome, the guest post of Avi Yacove who has just helped give life to Baby Organic, a new online baby’s clothing store based in Israel. Writes Avi: Baby Organic came to mind as an idea […]
It’s one thing when designers take brand new ready-made materials and transform them into something else. It’s another thing entirely when designers take old ready-mades and reincarnate them in order to avoid waste. Reincarnation is what Israeli designer Doron Sar-Shalom is all about. His designs, which consist mainly of lamps, are constructed out of unlikely […]
As part of our mission to foresee a green, environmentally-sound future for Israel, its neighbors and the world, we’ll be occasionally featuring blogs from the regional blogosphere that also care about all things green, especially those in Arab countries where green issues are relatively undeveloped. Last week we featured environmental blogs from Lebanon and Jordan, […]
Last month, hundreds of Tel Aviv residents spent their Friday afternoon marching up Rothschild Boulevard in support of the Clean Air Act, stuck in the Knesset for the past three years. Knesset lawmakers must have been paying attention – last week the act passed its first reading. Video by Daniel Cherrin and Jesse Fox.
Yesterday was much like any other summer day in Israel: sunny, hot and dry. But for Alon Tamari, CEO of SolarPower Israel, it is not one that will be forgotten in a hurry: “It’s a historical day, there’s no other way to put it.” Along with the summer heat came the long-awaited announcement that the […]
It’s one thing to be a polluter and another to have the chutzpah to not pay your fine. According to Haaretz, Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is having such a hard time collecting fines that they are now issuing a tender to help collect and handle debts totaling NIS 60m. It’s a sad story, really, […]
Green Prophet recently highlighted the dilemma of buying organic eggs from a Jewish farm in the West Bank. A little investigation by yours-truly revealed that the picturesque Givaot Olam organic farm is a settlement outpost established with no authorisation from the Israeli government, meaning that the farm is (theoretically) slated for evacuation. (Could even be […]
First of all, to those of you who have followed us since our humble beginnings (which were initiated, as so many things are, over cappuccinos late at night)–thank you. Without your readership we would not be able to continue to update you on the latest news, cleantech innovation, and cutting edge eco-fashions. Where else can […]
Can peace in the Middle East begin with the environment? A plan is being outlined for the collaboration of Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Palestinian Authority, detailing mutual responsibilities for environmental issues that affect the country–regardless of what the country is called and whose land it is.
On June 2nd in Herzliya, Beit Hayal Ha’avir is hosting an Environment & Health Conference, titled ‘Environmental pollution and Disease Trends in Israel – what we know, what we don’t know and what we should know.’ We may all know someone who suffers from a pollution-caused disease, or perhaps we are all just getting ‘sick […]
To be perfectly honest, I received the news about Al Gore coming to Israel to collect a $1 million prize for his achievements in raising environmental awareness with a dose of skepticism. Does Al Gore really need more money or recognition, especially when there are so many committed, homegrown environmentalists in Israel, many of whom […]
Those of you who watched Al Gore receive the Dan David Prize last night, either on television or online from Tel Aviv, probably missed one very important thing. He was wearing cowboy boots. (We have proof – check out the footware we pictured above). This, of course, officially makes him my new favorite environmental hero. […]
We’ve been a little overwhelmed by American visitors in this tiny country lately. Earlier this month we were visited by President George Bush and now, for a completely different reason, Al Gore will be visiting Tel Aviv. And what a reason. In a gesture of respect and admiration, the Dan David Foundation (which is headquartered […]
What is microfinance? How does it work? What kind of potential is there in Israel for microfinance projects to succeed? The Microfinance Club, a project created by third-year Interdisciplinary Center students Misha Nataf, Gilli Cherrin and Simon Seroussi, in collaboration with international NGO PlaNet Finance, will answer these questions and discuss opportunities for new microfinance […]
We at Green Prophet have been charting the rising popularity of organic food in Israel for some time now. One of the biggest suppliers of free-range organic eggs in Israel is Givot Olam, a Jewish farm located in the West Bank. While you’d think that politics and food don’t mix, there are some who disagree.
(Image credit: Micah Vaadia, winemaker at Galil Mountain) After reading and enjoying Green Prophet’s post on biking the Israeli wine scene, Green Prophet was kind enough to invite me to guest blog a short series of posts about the re-emerging Israeli wine phenomenon and about what’s new with organic winemaking in Israel. I blog about […]
This Green Prophet is a little skeptical about Shai Agassi’s electric car and bold claims, but she is impressed by the range of companies in the portfolio of Israel Cleantech Ventures (ICV). Consider companies such as Aqwise for cleaning municipal sewage using bacteria, plastic beads and a special aeration system; or Metrolight, a company that […]