Masdar’s PRT pod cars. The playground of the rich, Abu Dhabi, is not just a place for playing kick-the-golden-can. Instead of simply finding ways to spend oil-money on futuristic gadgets and grandiose monuments, there is a lot of interest providing proving grounds for sustainable solutions and new urban paradigms. Personal Rapid Transit: Our very own […]
California-based electric car company Tesla Motors is reportedly (according to the National) in talks which could lead to their vehicles being sold in the United Arab Emirates. Ventures in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar are looking at everything from bringing the vehicles in as rental cars to starting championship electric car racing. News of the […]
Bicycles have long been recognized as one of the most efficient means of transportation within a city, definitely more efficient than a car. Not only can you move faster within a city on a bike, but it is also much better for the environment since it does not rely on fossil fuels. That’s why big […]
The S400 was unveiled to the region at last week’s 2008 Abu Dhabi International Motor Show, and is expected to go on sale next August. Mercedes is touting its car as the first luxury hybrid in the Middle East, though Lexus has been selling its luxury RX400h SUV in Israel since 2007. But no one […]
India’s REVA cars (which Green Prophet previously reported may soon be available for sale in Israel) are the first all-electric cars on the Persian Gulf. United Arab Emirate’s ruler Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s dream to turn Dubai into an environmentally friendly city is taking shape not only through participation in Earth Hour and the […]
Following the ongoing saga of Project Better Place‘s steady process of world domination, we can now add a new country to the list: Japan. The news just in is that the Japanese Environment Ministry is inviting Better Place to take part in their feasibility project for building a network of charging stations in Japan. Better […]
As far as air pollution and carbon emissions go, transportation is usually a pretty major offender. Ranging from airplane transportation (which is the worst) to your run-of-the-mill daily transport via automobiles, transportation has a big negative impact on the environment and is, unfortunately, one of the most difficult habits to change since it’s so integral to people’s […]
BDO-I2I is looking to bring Indian-made electric cars onto the Israeli market. REVA Electric Car Company and consulting firm BDO-I2I are still finalizing the details, but there are reports imports could start before the end of January. The news comes as Shai Agassi’s Project Better Place unveiled a protoype of its battery charging station […]
I am not against public transportation. In fact, I am very much in favor. As a person who lives in Tel Aviv and does not own a car, I am completely dependent on my bike and the bus and train systems. What’s more, it often seems like the half a million vehicles that enter the […]
The financial crisis is hurting Americans, but months before the hit fuel costs were already gouging into people’s pockets. Some were forced to carpool to work, others took the bus or train. While creative forms of public transportation help deal with times of fiscal uncertainty (we personally love bikes!), the long-term plan for preserving the […]
Israel may soon have its first green airport. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has ordered the management of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to draw up a plan transforming Ben Gurion into “a leader in environmental protection.” The plan must provide solutions for the reduction of air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution. Use […]
A couple of months ago we wrote about how the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is investing millions of shekels towards developing clean, green, eco-friendly cycling tourism. That’s great, but how can we make green transportation part of our everyday lives – and not just something we enjoy on the weekends or on vacation? How can […]
Air pollution from transportation is costing Arab countries $5 billion in damages, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Environment and Water recently announced. The cost is calculated based on the number of deaths, medical care for health problems and chronic diseases that are attributed to air pollution. The minister, Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, […]
You first heard it here on Green Prophet a few months ago – the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is spearheading initiatives to promote eco-friendly, green bicycle tourism. You may also remember that it announced in August that it would be allocating 100 million shekels towards developing the field (which, ahem, is not the number that […]
World Usability Day was founded in 2005 as an initiative of the Usability Professionals’ Association to ensure that services and products important to human life are easier to access and simpler to use. Each year, on the second Thursday of November, over 225 events are organized in over 40 countries around the world to raise […]
Kids on bikes cruise past Azrieli towers. A couple of years ago I read a book called Carfree Cities, which put forward a very convincing case for reducing the use of private cars in the city, and set out a whole series of design alternatives which, according to author J.H. Crawford, would obviate the need […]
Although there are Israelis who hop between Eilat and Tel Aviv on a plane rather than brave the four-and-a-half hour Egged bus ride, for the most part Israel’s postage stamp size makes the country easy to tackle without taking to the skies. Not so for the USA. I decided last week that I will visit […]
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 […]
Tuesday, September 23 was Public Transportation Day in Israel, the local answer to European Mobility Week and World Carfree Day, an attempt to “remind the world that we don’t have to accept our car-dominated society.” In Europe, they managed to keep the cars off the streets for a few hours. In Israel, we will have […]
It was bound to happen, sooner or later. After the kibbutz – the classic Israeli collective community where members shared everything – urban car sharing services were only a hop, skip, and a car engine purr away. Thanks to new Israeli company, Car2go, the concept of car sharing (which has already enjoyed great success all over […]
If you choose to live in the heart of the Negev desert – or any desert for that matter – chances are, you’re pretty in touch with nature. Because you’re surrounded by it. There just aren’t any of the modern distractions that many of us know and love, like movies, frozen yogurt stands, etc. But […]
Israel’s tourism industry has made some serious changes recently. The Ministry of Tourism announced a few months ago that it was going ‘green’ for 2009, stating that it had a plan that included “environment-sensitive planning and development; preservation of the cultural and social heritage; developing tourism and new jobs in agricultural areas and the periphery […]
The Gaza Strip seems like the last place in the world where we would hear good news on the environmental – or any – front. Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip last summer, Israel has imposed a nearly total blockade, resulting in shortages of everything from fuel to water to food and medical […]
My parents are not your typical candidates for owning a hybrid car. They’ve been loyal owners of gas-guzzling Volvos for at least 20 years, replacing one trusty, sensible Volvo with another about once a decade. So it was quite a pleasant surprise when they announced 8 months ago that they were going to turn in […]
Israel. Another week, another delegation of foreign politicians. This time it’s the French President Nicolas Sarkozy gracing our shores and as I write this he is dining with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, at his official residence ten minutes from my flat. Apart from the usual topics that concern foreign dignitaries in the Holy Land […]