BrightSource gets more than a billion in loan guarantees to shine its solar lights brightly and power California homes. We reported on BrightSource, the solar thermal energy company, and its nearly $1.5 billion in loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy last week. This was the biggest clean tech news in March. I spoke […]
Purim, one of the most colorful and popular holidays in Judaism (probably because it is a mitzva to get, ahem, inebriated), is coming up this Saturday evening. Colorful because it involves getting dressed up in costume, and popular because it’s fun to see everyone else’s creative costume ideas, eat delicious pastries, hear the story from […]
An act of redemption for family sins: Etti Altman co-founder and spokesperson of Let the Animals Live is pushing for anti-fur law she hopes will be passed this February 24. Israel would be the first in the world to ban fur. While fur was in vogue in the 1950s and ’60s and some people still […]
Birthday parties can be delightful events but they can also be stressful and very unhealthy for your children and the earth. With the stress on many parents these days to invite whole classes of children, to entertain, feed and send them home with a party bag, it is no wonder that we are left with […]
The price a pedigree camel fetches could fuel a small town. Is it moral for camel races to continue, while much of the Arab world lives in poverty? Walk a mile for a camel? It certainly seems like rich people living in Abu Dhabi and other UAE states are more than willing to do this […]
Though their lofty ideals of higher education are admirable, universities are often nevertheless subject to frequent budget cuts and funding shortages. This can force university administrations to take drastic measures and reduce important educational resources… or, in the case of Haifa University, it can lead the administration to save money by going green. During the […]
IsraWinexpo 2010 opened last night to journalists, critics, and wine industry representatives. The exhibition opens to the public today and tomorrow, Feb. 10-11, from 16:00 -22:00 hours. It takes place at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Center. Green Prophet attended. Glass in hand, we circulated between the attractive, well-organized stands, which were staffed by friendly, knowledgeable […]
For the past two weekends I attended a Quran study seminar hosted by the Al-Maghrib Institute in Bradford, UK. Throughout the course the staff and speakers directed our attention to the environmental schemes that they ran. As a representative of Green Prophet I seized the opportunity to look into the ways British citizens were contributing […]
Concerts are a good way to bring environmentalism to the streets and the general public. Over the past few years, we’ve seen this tactic used to promote the green cause a few times in the Middle East, like the used-falafel-oil-powered Earth Day concerts in Tel Aviv and the “Don’t Panic, It’s Organic” concert. The practice […]
Predicting peak oil? Saudi water desalination plants like this one to be powered by the sun. You would imagine that a desert country like Saudi Arabia would have to rely a lot on desalination for a good part of the fresh water it uses. For example, a previous Green Prophet article told about the Kingdom […]
With its year-round sunshine and high temperatures, Eilat and the region are a perfect location for the deployment of alternative energy projects. Here, Aora fires up its sun-focusing flower and solar collectors. While Israel generates numerous headlines as a solar energy innovator, the country still has plans to build additional coal plants, and there’s relatively […]
These steel cans will take years to oxidize completely Let’s face it everybody: recycling, or the lack of recycling that is, is one of the biggest environmental problems this planet faces after climate change. This situation is a very acute one here in the Middle East, as noted in some previous Green Prophet articles such […]
The UK snow-in didn’t stop this Muslim woman from recycling. Now she proposes some reasons why the Middle East should start. Snowy weather affects our recycling: Snow storms, heavy rain and the lack of grit to melt the snow on roads here in the UK delayed garbage collection for most of the country. That has […]
Karen ponders the possibilities of a new social idea to help the homeless and the environment. Walking down the street this morning, watching a homeless man rummage through the trash for recyclable bottles and cans, I had a dream. A dream of an organization that helps the homeless while helping the environment. A dream of […]
More western countries are banning circuses with animals, and allow only humans to perform. Can Lebanon and the Middle East change their passion for this cruel form of entertainment? The circus came to town in Beirut Lebanon; but will have to leave in a hurry after it was discovered that animals brought to participate in […]