Social housing can be eco-friendly too, in Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia [image courtesy of seir+seir] Syria says no to plastic bags, Lebanon is pushing for more sustainable transportation, and Tunisia makes good shakshuka. But what do these three countries have in common? They are all participating in the So’Eco program under the auspices of the […]
Green Prophet launches a new weekly series taking an in-depth look at the Middle East “green” blogosphere. This week: Mazen Abboud – a Christian minority’s view on green issues in Lebanon. The growing awareness of environmental issues throughout the Middle East is manifested in the Internet, which includes an ever growing number of websites, forums […]
A bicycle? A train? A bus? What is the best mode of public transportation for Lebanon? [image via: 350.org] Fast Forward, the organization that led a protest composed of 150 cyclists storming the streets of Beirut a few weeks ago in order to promote sustainable transportation, isn’t tired yet. It believes that the Lebanese people […]
Is the solution to Lebanon’s reliance on carbon emitting personal vehicles as simple as a two-wheeler? [image via: mozzoom] One hundred and fifty cyclists demonstrated how easy it could be to cycle through Beirut on Saturday morning, starting at Biel and going to the Luna Park – Manara and back. The eco-friendly protest, led by […]
If Lebanese sewage dumping can be seen from the air, it is centainly seen, and smelled on ground level. Rampant corruption and nepotism among Lebanese government officials is causing a delay in improving the country’s environment, according to the Lebanon Daily Star. The remarks were made by the country’s environment minister, Mohammad Rahhal during a […]
The Honey Council, Hive Thievery and Bee Ecology education in Arabic: In Israel and Lebanon, honey is both a problem and a solution. Image via orinrobertjohn Archeologists have uncovered beehives in northern Israel that date back 3 000 years. A courtyard in the ancient city of Rehov was home to bees producing honey in at least […]
Not yet into the organic food craze of America, the thin craze is taking over the Middle East as sedentary women pop pills to make them thin. Image via hamed Obesity is on the rise in the Middle East. Many Arabs in the Gulf are now overweight after oil wealth has fueled a sedentary lifestyle […]
Get Your Green On in The Dmit Valley Ecovillages are slowly sprouting in the Middle East. There’s Kramim in Israel’s Negev Desert, as well as the well-known Kibbutz Lotan, and now the first of its kind in Lebanon. Called simply EcoVillage, this project was grown from the ground by Karim al Khatib and a group […]
Built on the profits of oil, should Masdar hold the mantle of energy leadership for the world? Yosef asks. According to the Masdar City website, the undertaking is intended to be Abu Dhabi’s “multi-faceted response to the challenges facing a sustainable future.” The city, intended to house 50,000 residents in a kind of technosphere designed […]
Yosef explores Paul Klugman’s environmental economics essay in the NY Times. Klugman and Gore’s words, Yosef finds, may influence decision-makers to slow the gallop toward environmental ruin in the Middle East. Above image of Klugman We greens of the Middle East have to take our manna from whence it comes – even if its from […]
Inside view of Maserati MC Sport: worth 300 grand? Maybe for some wealthy Lebanese who are more interested in “green” of the envious variety. Will eco-friendly cars ever become popular in a country that prefers status symbol models like BMW’s, Mercedes Benz and even Maserati’s? Not according the AFP which reported on the country’s annual […]
Arab solar energy company gets awarded for its sustainable vision in Beirut, Lebanon. They sealed a $15 million round of financing this year; now Abu Dhabi’s solar developer Enviromena Power Systems (“Enviromena”) won the “Sustainable Development of the Environment Award” at the Takreem Arab Achievement Awards held in Beirut last month. Hosted by Al Jazeera’s […]
Tesla’s electric roadster (above) and Nissan’s LEAF could evade import tax to Lebanon this year. Israel probably thought it was alone in the region with its plans to lift (and then stiff) taxes from hybrids and electric cars until now: Its northern neighbor Lebanon says it will likely do the same. In the 2010 draft […]
Addressing a renewable energy forum in Beirut earlier this month, Lebanon’s Water and Energy Minister Gebran Bassil (pictured left) cited the need for regulatory changes to facility the introduction of renewable energy in the country, but expressed optimism that Lebanon will reach its goal of generating 12% of its electricity through renewable resources by 2020. […]
When you live in a city and pass the same developed areas day after day, you can forget that the concrete jungle is unnatural. Sure, it may feel natural to you after a while, but you would undoubtedly also enjoy some greenery. Some botanical specimens to offset the amounts of carbon dioxide released by the […]