Israelis are notorious for their love of gadgets. Well, at least Israeli men are. And Israeli kids. It’s a pretty true stereotype that Israeli elementary schoolers had their own cell phones way before cellphones were widespread in the US. Hand an Israeli kid pretty much any electronic gadget and they’ll figure it out in less […]
Any place that has wastewater treatment plants, must deal with the issue of sludge – all of the solids left over after the sewage is treated. Sewage treatment consists of a number of stages. Stage I, where the solids are flocculated (encouraged to glom together) and settled out of the stream. Stage II, where the […]
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a bee virus leading to the widespread deaths of worker bees, has long signified a threat to agricultural industries. It’s not the honey that’s important in agriculture–it’s pollination, and therefore the effects of CCD on this process can be devastating. But now Israeli company Beeologics has discovered a cure for CCD, […]
From September 20-27, a delegation of European environmental journalists, policy makers (ie World Bank and EU parliament), energy and climate change specialists, and activism leaders are coming to the Middle East to explore Israel’s environmental issues, policies, and clean technology. The whirlwind tour will take these leaders to Hiria (Tel Aviv’s rehabilitating garbage dump); they […]
An Israeli Real Estate mogul partners with Ormat and gene company Evogene to investigate castor oil crops in Africa. L.L Biofuel Namibia of the Leviev Group and Evogene (announced yesterday) that together with Orfuel, a subsidiary of geothermal power giant Ormat, they will establish a new company focused on the growth of specialized castor plants […]
Today Green Prophet speaks with Eyal Hadas, managing director and head of renewable energy at Cukierman & Co. Investment House Ltd. (CIH) in Tel Aviv. We met Eyal at a renewable energy conference at Tel Aviv University several months ago (when Al Gore was in town), and were impressed by his experience in the international […]
With the aura of an evangelist, Israel’s Shai Agassi is moving full steam ahead to revolutionize the electric car market, with Project Better Place. Essentially borrowing the model from the cellular market, Agassi plans to create a new electric car paradigm, where you switch batteries and pay for the lease of the battery (like minutes […]
When you were kids, did you have that cool attachment on your bike – a dynamo – that powered your bike lamp with no battery? All the kids who had them would go whirring by in the dark, the dynamo spinning against the side of the wheel, and their lights glowing brighter and brighter, the […]
Israel has the highest per capita cell phone use in the world at 2.2 cell phones per person. Israeli children, teens and young adults are among the most active users. This presents a huge, urgent health crisis in the making as more research proves the health risks of cell phone radiation. SafeCell Ltd., is an […]
(Illustration of how the drill would look: SPNI) You’d think with all the oil in the Middle East region, Israel would have at least a few million barrels of its own. An Evangelical Christian John Brown following clues in the Old Testament has been hunting for it for years. Taking John McCain’s lead: now YNet […]
(Image credit: Corbis) It’s bad for the environment, but you know you want it. You want those strawberries in the dead of winter. You know you should be eating local produce year round to avoid all of the carbon emissions associated with flying in food from distant places or using energy guzzling greenhouses to grow […]
(image credit: NYTimes blogs) Man, alternative energy solutions can’t come fast enough. The world is teetering on the verge of runaway climate change (some predictors say there’s less than 100 months), and gas prices are killing us not only at the gas station, but are affecting everything we buy from food to clothes to you […]
For most people, solar energy conjures up images of rectangular panels on roofs or lined up in rows somewhere in the middle of the desert. And indeed, this is what we can expect to see over the next few years, as Israel begins to develop its most significant natural (and renewable) resource – the sun. […]
Image credit Keetsa Tons of soot is being released into the air annually as forest fires rage from California to the Amazon to Siberia and Indonesia. Climate scientists have generally assumed that the main effect of smoke on climate is cooling, as the floating particles can reflect some solar energy back to space as well […]
Well, that depends on how you look at it… Scientists are predicting that climate change will cause upheavals in the patterns of rainfall, drought, floods, and desertification. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that temperatures in the Middle East have increased between 2-3 degrees Celsius in the last century, […]
It’s kind of ironic, but good news: As the world suffers from rising fuel costs and weighs the consequences of global warming, investors and oil barons in Dubai may play a pivotal role in a swift move towards green technology and alternative energy, reports Zawya.com. Swati Taneja, a director from the Private Equity Forum which […]
Introducing Chava Shaked, who shares her adventures in Israel’s blossoming cleantech scene. What started off for me as a business, became a vibrant hobby and fascinating exploration into the world we live in. This is the case with many of the people I’ve met at the Cleantech Israel meetup. Founded by Gene Dolgin and […]
A new solution addresses the problem of water loss and promises farmers “more crop per drop” A part of the global food crisis is the inefficiency of current irrigation methods. More irrigated water evaporates than reaches the roots of crops, amounting to an enormous waste of water and energy. Tel Aviv University researchers, however, are […]
Chascham, the water saving device that can reduce flow by as much as 42%. In April, Green Prophet had a chance to go from door to door with Vered Hatab, a water savings advisor hired by the Milgam Municipal Services company to sell Israelis on using less water. Hatab, 23, was lugging a case full […]
Israel’s fastest-growing supermarket chain is the upscale Tiv Taam, where customers can browse shelves of international beers, pick through extensive cheese selections and even purchase pancetta to include in their gourmet dishes at home. At Hinnawi, a Yafo-based butcher with a branch inside the shopping mall in Ramat Aviv, customers can choose between 17 kinds […]
In the Middle East, water is never far from our minds. As Israel’s water shortage takes effect, the quality of our water is in brisk decline. Hot on the heels of this crisis, a team of researchers in Bar-Ilan University has developed an effective method for locating and measuring water contamination. The new method, developed […]
We’ve explored the heady possibilities of wave energy…But what about wind? Wind turbines, those modern day versions of Don Quixote’s windmills, may have some environmental drawbacks, according to research being carried out by the Israel Ornithological Center, a branch of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. The study appears to center around […]
So you’ve finally done it. You’ve built your own rocket ship and you’re about to make your virgin launch. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… LIFTOFF! The pressure builds as your ship picks up speed. You’re traveling at an astounding 8,000 meters per second. You’re closing in on the stratosphere… You’re through! and BAM! A micro […]
All of us are aware of the high cost of energy these days, as well as the adverse ecological effects of using fossil fuels like petroleum and coal to run the coastal power plants that supply our electricity in Israel. Since our power plants are located on or near our 200 km coastline, it would […]
(Illustration of how the solar-powered air-con might look) Solar energy has long been considered as a source of power. And more recently, a number of projects have been created in Israel to do more than simply heat water as the conventional sun boilers have been doing for years. Solar energy is now being developed to […]