Lebanese inventor makes “alive” app for war-torn regions
“I’m alive.” I’ve made that call, maybe you have too. That surreal statement instantly erases panic in whomever’s on the other end of the line. It reconstructs a momentarily unglued world.
Country: Lebanon
Lebanon’s largest landfill gets blocked by protestors
Lebanon has had its share of pollution and garbage issues laundered out on Green Prophet. There have been stories of garbage trucks dumping their loads straight into the sea, or those on Sidon’s notorious garbage mound, where local residents used to say: “It’s horrible isn’t it? You smell it before you can see it.”
WakaWaka’s Solar for Syria gives refugees energy and light [video]
Nearly 7 million people have fled their homes to escape the violence in Syria, and 2 million refugees in Jordan and Lebanon face a wet, cold winter with nothing – not even a safe lamp to light their way. Which is why WakaWaka launched the Solar for Syria campaign.
Beirut Art Center Exposes Emerging Lebanese Artists (and Missing Nipples)
A provocative installation by Lebanese graphic designer Wael Kodeih aims to challenge cyber censorship. Part of the fifth annual Exposure exhibition now at the Beirut Art Center (BAC), is it art or gimmick?
IKEA’s flatpack homes for refugees get a reluctant OK from Lebanon
Lebanon’s government has finally agreed to a trial run of IKEA’s prefabricated flatpack homes designed for refugees, but they’re not excited about it.
Middle East Hunters Promise to Stop Slaughtering Birds
Birds have a terrible time in the Middle East and North Africa. We’ve seen men posing with a bonnet full of dead ones, one million migrating songbirds killed for a pickled dish, and other horror stories.
Hawa Akkar Wind Farm to Illuminate 60,000 Lebanese Homes in First for Country
Lebanese renewable energy have fallen short of its ambitious goal of reaching 12 percent of Lebanon’s energy needs by the year 2020. But now it is in the middle of building its first wind farm at about 60 MW in the country’s north.
Beirut Residents Revolt Against Plan to Destroy Iconic Massad Stairs
Beirut residents are fed up: everywhere they look there are cranes and bulldozers turning their city into a giant concrete mess and even the smallest efforts to beautify the city are destroyed. This time they are saying no to a municipal plan to demolish the iconic Massad stairs.
As Trees Die, Cyprus Republic Looks to Lebanon for Water Import
Cyprus has one of the worst fresh water shortage than other regional countries, including Lebanon, Israel and Syria. The problem is so bad that reservoirs have gone dry and trees are dying.
Naive Israeli Startup Tricks Beirut Designers into Doing Illegal Business
Creativity, like nature, knows no borders, and we’re all about putting politics aside for the greater good, but a pair of naive American women behind the Israeli startup ArtSetters pulled a stunt that could have put Beirut artists in serious danger.
Find secret green spots in Beirut
A group of activists in Beirut have teamed up with a local design agency to create the city’s first map of green spaces. Beirut Green Project and Wonder 8 launched the Beirut Green Guide at Tawlet earlier this week, but a few kinks still need to be worked out. According to the Daily Star: “The […]
60 Must-Have Pantry Items For A Middle-Eastern Kitchen
"Middle Eastern food" is a catch-phrase that embraces the cuisines of so many countries, and ethnic streams inside those countries, that a list of 60 essential ingredients can't cover everything. But if you love the flavors of the Middle East...be it cumin-scented, crunchy falafel or the fragrance of rose-water in pastries like ma'amoul, it's worth organizing space in your kitchen for the ingredients listed below.
Lebanon’s Toxic Sea-side Sidon Dump Gets Eco Makeover
Not that long ago, the city of Sidon (or Saida) in Lebanon moved its trash to the local Sidon dump, where the toxic landfill and trash site washed into the sea every winter. Sometimes dump trucks didn’t wait for the rains and dumped directly into the sea.
The Iconic VW Van in the Middle East
Volkswagen’s “hippie van” was the preferred mode of transportation for peace lovers during the 1960s, but Brazil is shutting down the last production line this year to meet rigorous new safety requirements. See our nostalgic photo tour of VW vans in the Middle East.
Moussa Beidas’ Art Installation Powered By The Sun?
A young Dubai designer wants to install the world’s largest perpetual public art installation to send a message around the planet using the power of the sun.