Bring out the tissues. When we heard the news that a 15 metre fin whale had made it to Ashkelon, in Israel, our hearts filled with joy. We know whales have come to these shores before. Take Jona and the Whale story, for example. Our hearts sunk. The young female calf found swimming off the […]
The Kishon River was once a notorious dumping ground for seven chemical plants, with the result that the entire ecosystem died and the river was even blamed for causing cancer in soldiers (though that has never been proven conclusively). In recent years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has initiated what they refer to as a […]
Israel has a number of Eco-Tourism options. But we suppose, at the end of the day, it all depends on semantics, marketing and what one classifies as “ecological.” We are of the notion that an eco-trip could be as simple as a walk in the forest, basking in the sunshine at your local cafe, or […]
It could only happen in 2008. During the year of Shmitta, which is every seven years, Jewish law dictates that we not work the land of Israel in any way. The Jewish National Fund customarily organizes tree-planting activities that attract thousands of people in honor of Tu B’Shvat…but not during Shmitta.
It’s a yearly ritual in Israel: we worry about rain. We worry when we don’t have rain in the winter, when it is supposed to fall; and we worry when we get rain if it’s the wrong time for the crops. This is not a new phenomenon: the Jewish religion is richly interwoven with customs […]
Timna Valley north of Eilat in the Arava Desert, believed to be the ancient site of King Solomon’s mines, is under threat. The pristine valley is in danger of being turned into a Disney-land style hotel complex and spa, and convention hall. Four hotels are planned for the site, Daniel reports in the Jerusalem Post. […]
Citizens and tourists rejoice: the Clean Coast Project of 2007 has ensured that we can hit those beaches in 2008. At least that’s according to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, which reports that 80% of Israel’s beaches have been declared clean, with a mere 2% getting the dreaded rating of “dirty.” This is is […]
In previous articles, we’ve illustrated that religious Jewish practices such as Shabbat and Shmitta have the potential to affect the environment in a positive way. This makes us happy, as we at Green Prophet like when Jewish customs dovetail with the ideals of sustainability that we want to promote. We therefore regret to report that […]
In a recent interview with this writer, Professor Pinhas Alpert, head of Tel Aviv University’s department of Geophysics and Planetary sciences, stated that “winters here in Israel are becoming warmer, with much less precipitation annually, and these extreme temperatures, at the minimum and maximum ends of the scale, also show a greater fluctuation between them.”Thats […]
I want to share with Green Prophet a great site that encourages participants worldwide, not only here in Israel, or in the UK where it is based, but every computer-using sentient being anywhere, to cut down their energy output: be it water, waste, or carbon in general … and monitor their own reduction levels, and […]
It’s really romantic to carve your lover’s name on a tree. But let’s admit, it’s so last century! An even more romantic gesture, to show your love for ______ [insert name/s], would be to plant a tree in his or her name. And the act would even offset carbon emissions. Rather than going on a […]
We love the Heschel Center for reminding us about their fundraiser: Hike Bishvil Yisrael – March 23-27, 2008. Israel’s outdoor scenery is breathtaking, writes Heschel, “and there is no better way to see it than with the people working to preserve it. “This is an opportunity for a unique, challenging and rewarding Israel experience and […]
There has been a buzz in the news over the past few days. This buzzing is over how three Israelis have made it into an exclusive list of Scientific American’s ‘50 most significant scientific breakthroughs in 2007.’ Making that list is not our only ‘top’ accomplishment for this year. An Israeli scientist has also made […]
