This week marks International Composting Awareness Week, a week meant to be celebrated in Canada and the US, but which as far as I’m concerned should be truly global in scope. Though I’ve been in transit on the West Coast, I’ve commemorated the week by throwing my food scraps in the city issued scrap […]
This article is not first one on Green Prophet dealing with water and other beverages sold in polyethylene and polystyrene bottles; and it probably won’t be the last either. But the increasing environmental damage, as well as health hazards being caused by this method on containerizing beverages, especially H2O, is something that should be dealt […]
(Afghan farmers get “burned out” as government there tows to US pressure. But for poppy farmers, it’s poppies or starvation. Wheat crops, or biofuel crops cannot compare in value.) Molar (not his real name) is an Afghan farmer living in the central Hazzrajat Province of Afghanistan. His 60 hectare farm along the Helmand River has […]
Breastfeeding involves no processing and no waste, and helps protect the environment, as we’ve been exploring here on Green Prophet’s breastfeeding series. Even though breastfeeding is a natural continuation of pregnancy and birth, mothers still worry about producing enough milk. An understanding of how milk production works can help mothers avoid problems and know when […]
At Green Prophet, we often post on organic vegetables and dairy products being grown in Israel; this November two Jewish environmental organizations are offering a heavily subsidized chance to see the farms and produce yourself. Hazon (which runs an annual Food Conference in the USA) and the Heschel Center will lead an Israel Sustainable Food […]
(Israel raises non-Kosher pigs? Yup. And it has a pretty healthy wild population of wild boars, as well). They are calling to cull all the “swine” in Egypt, as an apparent “pandemic” of swine flu appears to be on the verge of being something out of a nightmarish version of a Stephen King novel. Following […]
At the time of writing this post, there are 6 confirmed cases of swine flu now in Israel. Out of fear that the virus might spread to Epypt, authorities there have ordered the slaughter of the country’s 300,000 pigs, reports the Associated Press. “It has been decided to immediately start slaughtering all the pigs in Egypt using […]
The Inner Circle blog in Lebanon is reporting what it calls “an absurd” idea proposed by the Lebanese Heath Minister Mohammad Khalifeh as a means to prevent the Swine Flu from spreading. Israel, the country bordering Lebanon to the south, has already confirmed one case of the virus. “If you visit someone, don’t exchange kisses… […]
Happy Earth Day! (Though technically yesterday, most of Israel is celebrating today.) Celebrations require desserts, we’re quite convinced, and since the citrus season is winding down we thought we’d talk about our absolute favourite thing to do with a lemon. Not lemonade (though we’re fans of that too) but lemon curd: smooth, custardy, tangy, riding […]
Are you an organic food addict? Or do you insist on eating food that grown locally, but pesticide-ridden, to spare food miles (or to serve an ideology?) As food production is a major source of greenhouse gas pollution (Read: Global Warming), eating locally, and consuming less meat is one way we can do our part. Following […]
While in Israel, I often read about the hip food scene in Brooklyn, New York. From home picklers to small-scale cheese artisans and onto creative butchers, the borough seems to be bursting with local and environmentally friendly food innovators. So on a visit home in mid-March, I sampled the scene by paying $40 for a […]
(Abu Ibrahim, 53, in a field of fava beans. Photo: Daniella Cheslow) One of the most compelling parts of the West Bank is its Biblical landscape, shaped by the small villages and terraced farm plots that dot the rolling hillsides. Yesterday, I saw that landscape up close on a visit to Wadi Fuqin (Valley […]
Israel has already done it. Now the governments of China and Vietnam are conducting their own safety tests on some baby bath products, such as Johnson and Johnson (J&J) No More Tears, found to be contaminated with formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in a report issued March 12 by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Some major Chinese, […]
This is about the time of year where we are all just about fed up. The weather is by turns glum, stormy, angry, and generally ill-tempered, there’s little of the new season‘s growth to enjoy yet, and reserves of patience are at their annual low. A freshly baked batch of muffins may not dispel all […]
Sometimes the urban environment is an ideal place for wild animals. Here’s an example: In 2006, Petach Tikva’s two hospitals merged to form the Rabin Medical Center. Since then, several new buildings have appeared at the Beilinson campus while the Hasharon campus, a few kilometers away, lies stagnating. The health ministry originally planned to shut […]
Last year’s Eco-Israel group on a trip to the North. Photo courtesy Naomi Katz. Although winter has come to Israel belatedly in the season’s heaviest rainfalls this weekend, the ecological farm Hava Ve’Adam outside of Modi’in is now accepting applications for the fall term of its Eco-Israel program. For the uninitiated, Eco-Israel is a chance to get […]
Most of us (I hope) recycle all the plastic bottles we use. But do you also recycle the many other small plastic containers you use daily, or do you just throw them away? Cheese and other dairy containers, small salads, yogurts and the occasional hummus container used to make up a large part of my […]
It seems like every day there is yet another toy recall in the news, the odd one was scary, but at this rate it’s downright terrifying. Do not let yourself be discouraged: there are plenty of safer options around and a big freebie too –– our imagination. Unfortunately, toy makers are so aggresive in their […]
Kibbeh is one of the stalwarts of Levantine cooking, and comes in as many versions as there are towns or people who make it. Loosely, kibbeh refers to a mix of burghul (bulgur), ground lamb, and spices. It can be served raw (kibbeh nayye), spread flat and baked (kibbeh bis-sayniyyeh), or formed into small ovals […]
A common misconception about breastfeeding and babies in general is that they require special equipment. But we already know on Green Prophet that a mom who buys less is by default acting in an environmentally-friendly way. So what are the essentials, and what aren’t? This is your guide to making breastfeeding truly green. Products you […]
Whether or not you’re a fan of the overly commercialized holiday of love, Valentine’s Day, we think everyone would agree that when giving your special someone a loving gift you want it to be something that doesn’t cause potential harm to them. Candy and flowers are the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, so why not show […]
You know that great smell that tickles your nose when you walk into a coffee shop? The wonderful aromatic smell of roasting beans? Well, if you are a resident of Safed – where the Elite coffee factory is located – that sweet smell is currently mingled with the harsh odor of the shale oil used […]
Last week with our recipe for the Syrian dip muhamarra, we embarked on a perilous culinary adventure: trying to recreate authentic versions of classic Middle Eastern dishes. Why perilous? Well, my grandmother and grandfather couldn’t, between the two of them, agree on the best way to make charoset. Trying to come up with a recipe […]
Israelis come from a variety of countries and their diets tend toward the eclectic. My own culinary heritage is staunchly eastern European. But while my mother rendered chicken fat from time to time, she preferred adapting traditional foods to make them lighter. Alternet‘s Terence McNally interviewed Michael Pollan, ecological food expert and best-selling author of […]
Last night, my roommates and I hosted a dinner party for twelve. Out of the eight dishes, only the stuffed peppers had meat; the others were majadara (rice and lentils), garlic-mint carrots, and goat-cheese stuffed eggplants simmered in Hamutal’s amazing pepper sauce. This morning I considered the carbon footprint of the meal. Although the dinner […]
