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 […]
For two days this week, at Jerusalem’s Conference Centre, the first Jerusalem Environment and Nature Conference took place. You can read a preview post here. For this Green Prophet correspondent and greenie, it wasn’t the dull political speeches and pontificating that mattered (all of the politicians who showed up, spoke and left immediately, kindly donated […]
Previously famous for harboring a fledgling prophet in her guest bedroom for a weekend (and for cooking amazing, veggie-licious meals), our friend Debby is putting the pedal where her mouth is, and will be biking 300 miles from Jerusalem to Eilat to raise money for worthy green causes–the Arava Environmental Institute in southern Israel and […]
Things are really hotting up this week in the great debate about air transport being the big nasty in terms of pollution and climate change, as well as the social impact of airport expansion. Firstly, Virgin Airways, of the entrepreneurial Richard Branson type, unleashed its first test flight of a plane using bio-fuel from Heathrow. […]
Issa Zananiri (left) and his supervisor from the Technion. It might be a bit of a head-scratcher for those who see nothing but the violent clashes on TV, but a Palestinian is now part of a Tel Aviv design and planning team, working on the city’s new light rail train project, to be completed by […]
In a bid to cut down on pollution (and greenhouse gases we hope), the Tel Aviv Municipality is conducting a feasibility study on the use of hybrid taxi cabs in the overly congested and polluted city. We say go one step further – turn Tel Aviv into a car-free zone. The approval is expected to […]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmOW0z__AMI&rel=1[/youtube]We’ve been a little skeptical about the electric car project proposed by Shai Agassi. Israel relies still on heavily-polluting coal power plants; and a great deal of infrastructure will need to be put in place for this scheme to work. Not to mention the fact that Israelis barely recycle. That’s quite a jump from throwing […]
Hot on the heels (or should that be, ‘wheels’) of the news that bicycle use is on the rise in Tel Aviv, the municipality in Israel’s second city has just announced that it is launching a ‘pay and ride’ bike rental system.Last week, Green Prophet reported that bike use in the city shot up by […]
Traveling anywhere in Israel from the Holy City isn’t going to be easy on the day President Bush arrives, but it is a perfect day for experiencing the low carbon pleasure of train travel. For a start, Malcha station at 9 a.m is empty – it seems many commuters, tourists or day-trippers have left earlier, […]
Being such a small place, you’d think Israel would be a simple place to get around on less than four wheels. But, alas, this is not the case since it’s cities and roads continuously choked with traffic. So it’s reassuring to hear that more Israelis are swapping their polluting automobiles for the most eco-friendly, not […]
Afraid that this planet is doomed? Before global warming sets in, how about shooting a sample of your DNA into outer space? For a mere $87 you have the chance of being immortalized. Maybe your genes will drift back down to earth in a couple of billion years when the earth has calmed down. Or […]
There is a lot of talk these days about carbon footprints. And there is much debate over how people can reduce theirs. A carbon footprint is essentially the amount of CO2 a person leaves behind as a result of personal transportation (cars and plane), heating their homes and even putting food on their tables. That’s […]
We can’t help linking to this most recent story on Amirim, a vegetarian village founded in the 50s by Moroccan immigrants, at the top of the Sea of Galilee. The village offers guesthouses and lodging for out-of-towners and extols the virtues of vegetarianism and veganism. The village (moshav in Hebrew) is belonging to the Merom […]