Page 18 – Green Prophet

FireDome’s AI eyes the flames and catapults eco-flame retardants to save forests, homes and factories

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October 22, 2025

Imagine a world where forest wild fires are stopped before the fire trucks even roll. That’s what Israeli startup FireDome just showed in its first real-world demo of an autonomous wildfire resilience system — a machine-vision launcher that spots small fires and catapults eco-friendly flame retardant capsules to snuff them out in seconds.

The system uses AI-powered detection to track smoke, heat, and movement, making split-second decisions on where to aim and release biodegradable capsules filled with water or retardant. The goal: to contain wildfires before they spread. It could save factories and land managers millions on insurance premiums. And save people in California the grief from wildfires. Personal home versions are in the works.

“This is the turning point,” said Gadi Benjamini, CEO and Co-Founder of FireDome. “Wildfires are getting bigger, costlier, and harder to insure against. Our technology acts in seconds to protect lives and landscapes before first responders arrive.”

FireDome’s platform defines what it calls Wildfire Resilience-as-a-Service (RaaS) — a new model that merges detection, decision-making, and suppression into one holistic defense system for communities, utilities, vineyards, and resorts living with wildfire risk.

“FireDome exemplifies the kind of breakthrough that can change how we live with wildfire risk,” added Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, former U.S. Fire Administrator and FireDome advisor.

With climate change turning wildfires into a year-round menace, FireDome’s automated response could help insurers, landowners, and municipalities rethink what resilience looks like — using technology not to fight nature, but to act before disaster strikes.

::Firedome

Polluters like L’Oreal may need to pay for polluting EU waterways

Water

Karin Kloosterman

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October 22, 2025

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Europe is dealing with polluted water and the EU wants polluters to pay. They are pushing back

We just got back from Berlin where we stayed at the world of the Michelberger Hotel. We’d already read about the pollution in the rivers that circle that city. A new Yale Environment 360 investigation reveals that a large-scale survey of European rivers has detected an alarming 504 harmful substances in the rivers — including 175 pharmaceuticals like painkillers and antidepressants — in waterways stretching from Germany to Spain.

The findings have alarmed scientists and public health officials who warn that even low-dose residues of medicines and cosmetics are reshaping aquatic ecosystems. Fish and amphibians exposed to drugs such as diclofenac show hormone disruption, sex changes, and organ damage.

Diclofenac is a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) — the same drug class as ibuprofen or aspirin. It’s prescribed to treat pain, arthritis, and inflammation, often under brand names like Voltaren, Cataflam, or Dicloflex.

However, it’s also one of the most problematic pharmaceuticals for the environment. After being excreted or washed off, diclofenac passes through sewage systems largely unchanged. In waterways, it can accumulate in fish and aquatic mammals, damaging their livers, kidneys, and reproductive systems.

Studies have shown that chronic exposure can cause organ failure and sex changes in fish, and even contributed to the mass die-off of vultures in South Asia, where livestock treated with diclofenac poisoned scavenging birds.

Because of its toxicity and persistence, diclofenac has become a symbol of the pharmaceutical pollution crisis now being addressed by the EU’s new wastewater directive.

To tackle the growing “chemization” of Europe’s rivers, the EU has adopted a revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, mandating a fourth stage of purification — or “quaternary treatment” — using ozonation or activated carbon to strip out micropollutants. Plants must begin upgrading between 2027 and 2045, with the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries required to pay at least 80 percent of the costs, following the polluter-pays principle.

Water before (left) and after (right) a fourth stage of purification at a wastewater treatment plant near Frankfurt, Germany. Lando Hass / dpa

Yet those same industries are now pushing back. Trade groups and companies including L’Oréal and generic-drug manufacturers have filed legal challenges at the European Court of Justice, arguing that the rule unfairly singles them out while sparing other polluters like the food and chemical sectors.

Member companies of Medicines for Europe is one trade group who is engaged in the legal case include Accord Healthcare; Adamed Pharma; Fresenius Kabi; Insud Pharma; Polpharma; Sandoz; STADA; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; Viatris; Zentiva.

Cosmetics industry players (though specific individual cosmetic companies are less publicly named in the same detail) are also flagged as being part of the push-back, via their trade bodies. These include companies such as Chanel and L’Oréal in broader media coverage, according to the Yale report.

At Berlin’s Schönerlinde wastewater plant, a pilot ozonation system set to open in 2027 offers a glimpse of the future. “There’s no doubt who has to pay for it — the industries that cause the pollution,” says Andreas Kraus, Berlin’s permanent secretary for climate protection and environment.

The Schönerlinde wastewater treatment plant outside Berlin. Benjamin Pritzkuleit / Berliner Wasserbetriebe

Environmental economists warn that delaying these upgrades will only allow micropollutants to seep deeper into groundwater and drinking water. As Green Prophet has reported, water contamination is not only a European crisis: pharmaceuticals and pesticides are already affecting rivers from the Jordan Valley to the Nile Delta.

The debate over who should clean Europe’s water — polluters or the public — is now a litmus test for whether the continent’s Green Deal commitments can survive political and industrial pressure.

All the more reason to filter your home water. Green Prophet has featured solutions like the Berkey Filter, trusted by many environmentalists. Some go a step further, using reverse osmosis systems along with Mayu for all drinking water and then re-adding essential micronutrients. Others prefer living water drawn from a clean, untouched spring. We’ve also featured American wastewater treatment companies like BioprocessH2O which is helping companies avoid reparations by cleaning up the first time at the source.

Whatever your choice, the message is clear: we are poisoning our own wells with the very medicines meant to heal us. Something has to change — and it starts with awareness and action at home.

The first bread was baked in Jordan’s Black Desert

Archeology

Karin Kloosterman

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October 22, 2025

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Natufian stone fireplace(Photo by Alexis Pantos) — Natufian stone fireplace (Photo by Alexis Pantos)

In the volcanic basalt expanse of the Harra’t al-Sham—known in English as the Black Desert of northeastern Jordan—lies the archaeological site of Shubayqa 1. This rugged lava field stretches from southern Syria across eastern Jordan into north-western Saudi Arabia, a stark landscape where early people experimented with fire, flour and stone. The Black Desert’s basalt flows, cinder cones and sparse steppe vegetation set the stage for one of the oldest culinary traces on Earth.

At Shubayqa 1, researchers led by University of Copenhagen archaeobotanist Amaia Arranz-Otaegui sampled two stone hearths dated to roughly 14,400 years ago and identified charred crumbs that are unmistakably bread-like. The research was published in 2018. But archeologists usually know years before a discovery is made public. And it takes many more years until the public is aware.

Microscopy from the site that looks at archeology of plants and food, shows ground and sieved wild cereals and tubers that were mixed into dough and baked as unleavened flatbreads—produced by hunter-gatherers thousands of years before agriculture began in the region. As Arranz-Otaegui put it, “We were very surprised to find bread made before the origins of agriculture.

“Our finds provide empirical data to demonstrate that the preparation and consumption of bread-like products predated the emergence of agriculture by at least 4,000 years.”

Modern agriculture is believed to have started in the Levante region of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

These breads were likely special-occasion foods, not daily staples.

The makers of these ancient flatbreads belonged to what archaeologists call the Natufian culture, a late Epipalaeolithic tradition spread across the Levante. Natufian communities were semi-sedentary in places, like the Arabian Bedouin today found in the Middle East, and they used mortars and grinding stones, and stored foods—behaviors that foreshadowed the shift to farming.

The Shubayqa sequence shows the Natufian presence in eastern Jordan was just as early as in the Mediterranean woodlands, revising old assumptions about a single western “core.”

Fourteen thousand years ago there were no modern nation-states as we know them today. Archaeologists place Shubayqa 1 within the southern Levantine corridor, a biodiversity-rich bridge between Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. In this context, it makes sense to speak of the “southern Levant” and the eastern Jordan steppe rather than formal ancient polities.

There are no written records for Natufian belief, but the culture left clear signs of symbolism: personal ornaments, intentional burials, and communal features that hint at ritual gatherings and feasting. Preparing a fine flatbread from wild plants—soaking, grinding, kneading and baking—was a careful, time-intensive act likely reserved for moments of significance. Food, in other words, was already a vehicle for ceremony and identity, according to Encyclopedia Brittanica.

Bread before farming—and beer too

Shubayqa 1 shows that bread-making preceded farming by roughly four millennia. A complementary discovery at Israel’s Raqefet Cave adds a second surprise: residues on Natufian stone mortars there show they were brewing a fermented cereal beverage at least 13,000 years ago, long before wheat and barley were domesticated.

Together, these finds suggest that our prehistoric ancestors were bakers and brewers well before they contemplated becoming farmers.

The Natufian hearths from Jordan’s Black Desert invite a reframing of food history. Bread and beer were not simply by-products of agriculture; the desire for these transformed foods may have helped drive cultivation itself. They also remind us that ingenious, place-based foodways—wild grains, tubers, local milling, communal baking—were born in arid lands and basalt fields. As climate stresses grow, that lesson in resilience and resourcefulness from the deep past feels timely.

Want to bake some ancient bread? Take a taste of this 5,000 year old bread from Turkey. Make your own Mesopotamian beer. Try Mersu, the world’s oldest sweet.

What has more protein – spirulina or a steak?

Food

Karin Kloosterman

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October 22, 2025

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What has more protein – spirulina or a steak?

picture of a green smoothie (what the smoothie would look like) — A dose of spirulina in every smoothie

In recent years, the suggestion that the blue-green algae superfood put in green smoothies commonly known as spirulina may rival traditional animal-sourced proteins has attracted growing attention. Some people like health influencers David Avocado Wolfe are suggesting its better to eat a pile of spirulina over a steak for protein value.

What packs more protein? Spirulina or steak?

The question posed by many nutrition-conscious readers is whether spirulina truly contains more protein than steak. A review of the available data offers a nuanced answer: yes by dry weight, but in practical terms, not in typical servings.

Spirulina, scientifically referred to as Spirulina (dietary supplement) (a biomass of cyanobacteria), when processed into its dry powder form, is remarkably rich in protein. One detailed review reports protein levels ranging from 55 % to 70 % of its dry weight.

An authoritative source from Harvard Health, a respected medical institution, also states that “spirulina boasts a 60% protein content” in its dried form. Against that backdrop, the raw concentration of protein in spirulina appears exceptionally high compared with many foods.

By contrast, typical cuts of cooked lean beef—such as steak—contain significantly lower percentages of protein by weight. According to credible sources, cooked lean beef averages about 22% to 26% protein.

For example, one nutrition database lists a 100-gram portion of grilled beef tenderloin as containing approximately 26 grams of protein. Thus, on a gram-for-gram basis (i.e., comparing 100 g of dried spirulina vs. 100 g of steak), spirulina contains more protein. However, this comparison misses two important practical considerations: serving size and bioavailability. (And well, taste). You can sink your teeth into a 250g steak, raised on organic grass in open pastures. Try eating 250 grams of spirulina.

diy spirulina recycled water tank — Learn to make your own spirulina

While spirulina is very protein-dense in dry form, typical daily servings are small—often a few grams. A tablespoon (about 7 g) of spirulina powder provides around 4 g of protein. By contrast, a single steak meal may provide 25 to 50 g of protein in one sitting. For example, a 10-ounce steak (≈ 283 g) has been cited as delivering around 42 to 50 g of protein. If yu are a vegan there is no question that you will eat tofu, and spirulina and beans and pulses for protein. If you are a vegewarian, a fresh, healthy steak may give you more than just protein. It gives you more iron and other amino acids too.

While both spirulina and beef provide “complete” protein (i.e., containing all essential amino acids), the absorption and usability of that protein by the human body may differ. Animal-sourced proteins are often considered more easily digestible and more strongly tied to muscle repair and growth, though the exact difference can depend on numerous factors including cooking method, other dietary components and individual digestive efficiency.

rib eye steak aleph farms — A steak grown in the lab made by Aleph Farms. It is meat grown in a lab, without animal suffering.

So what’s the verdict? By dry weight spirulina indeed contains a higher concentration of protein. Yet, when the comparison is adjusted to realistic portion sizes and typical consumption, steak delivers far more protein in a single serving. Let’s root for companies like Aleph Farms, making lab-grown steak from real animal tissue so we can bypass the animal suffering bit altogether.

Eating History With The Bronze Age Bread You Can Bake in Your Kitchen Today

Food

Julie Steinbeck

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October 22, 2025

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Ancient bread found in Turkey. 5,000 year old loaf.

Archaeologists working at the site of Küllüoba Höyüğü in the province of Eskişehir, central Anatolia, Turkey uncovered a charred loaf of bread dating to the Early Bronze Age (c. 3300 BCE). The 5,000 year old loaf gives us insights into ancient diets and how we can eat more sustainably today.

The loaf, according to Turkish news sources, was buried beneath the threshold of a house, and because it had been burnt and then buried, it was remarkably well-preserved — enabling detailed analysis.

Lab analysis of the remains found that the bread was made from coarsely-ground emmer wheat flour (an ancient hulled wheat variety), combined with lentil seeds, and used a leaf of an as-yet-unidentified plant as a kind of natural leavening or fermentation agent.

After the discovery, the local municipal bakery (Halk Ekmek in Eskişehir) worked with the archaeological team to recreate the bread, using similar ingredients — in particular substituting a close analogue, the naturally low in gluten ancient wheat variety Kavılca wheat, when original emmer seeds were no longer available.

From a municipal press release (in Turkish) from the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality:

“Inspired by the 5,000-year-old bread unearthed at Küllüoba Höyük, the Küllüoba bread is made from ancestral grains such as Kavılca, Khorasan, and Gacer, ground in a stone mill, together with lentil flour. It was noted that with its low-gluten, additive-free, and nutritious composition, this bread also contributes to today’s understanding of healthy eating.”

Emmer wheat is being revived in Israel.

The excavation director said: “This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape.”

The renewed bread has not just academic interest — local consumers have lined up to buy the round, flat loaves (≈12 cm diameter). It also sparked interest in reviving ancient wheat varieties that are more drought-resistant.

Home-Baking Recipe (Inspired by the Ancient Loaf)

Modern bread produced using the same ingredients as the ancient bread

The following Green Prophet recipe is adapted from the archaeological findings and modern recreation, but simplified for home use. It won’t be exactly the ancient product (especially due to modern ovens and ingredient availability), but it offers a close experience.

Yield: About 2 loaves (≈12 cm diameter each)
Ingredients:

200 g whole-grain emmer or spelt flour (if true emmer unavailable)

50 g bulgur (preferably coarse)

30 g red or green lentil flour (or finely ground lentils)

1 ½ tsp salt

300-330 ml lukewarm water

1 tsp active dry yeast (modern substitute for ancient natural leaf-ferment)

Optional: small pinch of sugar (to assist yeast)

Optional: a few drops of olive oil

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the emmer/spelt flour + bulgur + lentil flour + salt.

Dissolve the yeast (and sugar, if used) in half the water; let sit ~5 minutes until bubbly.

Pour the yeast mixture and the remaining water into the dry mix. Stir to form a soft dough.

Knead lightly for 5 to 7 minutes until the dough is smooth (it may be a bit denser than modern breads due to the coarse grains).

Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (or until roughly doubled).

After rising, divide into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, shape each into a flat round about 12 cm in diameter and ~1–1.5 cm thick.

Preheat your oven to about 180 °C (350 °F) with a baking stone or heavy baking tray inside.

Once hot, place the rounds onto the stone or tray (you may score a shallow line on top). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove, cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Baking Notes:

Because the original loaf was very flat and pancake-like, you should keep the shaping relatively thin.

The lentil flour adds protein and gives a nutty flavor; if you cannot get it, you may substitute finely ground lentils or omit (but you will reduce authenticity).

If you have access to an ancient grain flour (Kavılca wheat, spelt, einkorn, emmer) use it for more authenticity.

For authenticity you could bake on a heated stone or in a cast-iron skillet to get a rustic bottom crust.

The loaf is best eaten fresh, but will keep a day or two wrapped. We keep our bread in the freezer and heat it in the toaster so it keeps for weeks.

Why ancient bread and ancient recipes matter

The discovery in Turkey offers a rare physical example of bread from ~3300 BCE, giving insights into ancient diet, agriculture and ritual (the loaf was buried beneath a home’s threshold, suggesting a symbolic role). The revival in modern Turkey not only connects bread to cultural heritage, but promotes ancient grains (less‐common, drought-tolerant) and sustainable agriculture.

For home bakers today, experimenting with such a recipe gives a tangible link to thousands of years of bread-making tradition.

Here are three more examples of ancient or heritage-inspired recipes featured on Green Prophet, including one for ancient beer:

Mersu (oldest known dessert from Mesopotamia) — Learn how to make this simple date-and-nut confection, inspired by tablets over 3,700 years old. Link: Make Mersu, the oldest known dessert in history

Make mersu, a divine sweet made for the gods

Mead – The ancient honey wine returns — An article on how mead (fermented from honey and water) was enjoyed in ancient civilizations, with historical context and a modern revival. Link: Mead: The Ancient Wine Is Back Green Prophet

Ancient Mesopotamian Beer — A deeper dive into one of the world’s earliest beers (2-4% alcohol, brewed from barley/emmer and sweetened with dates/honey), including a basic home-brewing interpretation. Link: All About Ancient Mesopotamian Beer

Recipe: Mushrooms Cooked in Grapevine Leaves

Food
Recipe

Miriam Kresh

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October 21, 2025

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Recipe: Mushrooms Cooked in Grapevine Leaves

Grapevine leaves are usually thought of as wraps or savory little parcels stuffed with rice and/or meat. But as our previous post on fish grilled in grapevine leaves shows, the leaf of the grape is more versatile than that.

This recipe is said to have originated in France. I can’t guarantee it did, but a dish like this one logically evolves wherever mushrooms and vineyards thrive in the same local. The tangy, woodsy flavor of the grapevine leaves complements the earthy mushrooms. Olive oil and garlic are natural added ingredients. You’ll be wafted to the Mediterranen when you lift the leaf cover and the irresistible aroma rises.

A jar of grapevine leaves in brine makes cooking quick and easy if you can’t get fresh leaves. Make sure to extract the leaves gently from the jar, because the brine makes them fragile. Although you’re not filling and rolling them, as in Iraqi stuffed grape leaves, you may want the unused leaves to make dolamades some time later.

You’ll need a shallow baking dish with either a tightly fitting lid or foil to cover the dish well.

Mushrooms Cooked In Grapevine Leaves

An easy Mediterranean mushroom dish

4 cups – 300 grams – fresh button mushrooms.
Grapevine leaves to cover the bottom of a baking dish in one layer (plus added leaves to cover the mushrooms)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
8 whole (peeled garlic cloves)
1/2 tsp. Ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325° F – 165° C
Rinse the grape leaves and leave to drain in a colander or on a kitchen towel.
Rinse the mushrooms and pat them dry.
Remove and chop the stems coarsely; set the stems aside.
Halve any particularly large mushrooms.
Line a baking dish with grape leaves in a single layer.
Pour half the olive oil over the leaves.
Place the sliced or whole mushrooms over the leaves.
Put the chopped stems around the mushrooms.
Poke the garlic cloves into any empty spaces around the mushrooms.
Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the dish with grape leaves.
Pour the second half of the olive oil over all.
Cover the dish with a tightly fitting lid or foil.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Spoon some of the cooking juices over the mushrooms and garlic cloves, and serve.

mushrooms covered in grapevine leaves

Side Dish

Mediterranean

mushrooms, grapevine leaves

The leaves covering the mushrooms will be dark and crunchy. If you cooked this with fresh grapevine leaves, they will be tender enough to eat, and tasty.

Any remaining cooking juices can be added to a sauce, poured over steamed vegetables or stirred into mashed potatoes.

Photos by Miriam Kresh

Recipe: Fish Grilled in Grapevine Leaves With Chilli Dipping Sauce

Food
Recipe

Miriam Kresh

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October 20, 2025

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Recipe: Fish Grilled in Grapevine Leaves With Chilli Dipping Sauce

If you’ve only ever eaten grapevine leaves as dolmades, you’ll be surprised to learn that those tangy grape leaves add luxurious flavor to a variety of other dishes.

You’re lucky if you have access to a green, growing grapevine in the spring, when you can pick the fresh leaves and process them at home. It’s easy enough. Just a matter of blanching them briefly in boiling water, then cold. You’ll have the satisfaction of successful foraging.

But say you have a yen for stuffed grape leaves and it’s way past the season for picking. You can forage the leaves, already preserved in brine, at your local grocery store. Here’s our Iraqi Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe for starters.

Keep a jar of grape leaves in the pantry for inspiration. Go vegan, or not. Choose to wrap cheese, or mushrooms, or fish in grapevine leaves. We’re offering you the first in a series of grape vine leaf-inspired recipes to brighten meals any time: grilled fish in vine leaves, then dipped in a spicy-hot, herby sauce. The fish is marinated for an hour in a coriander-based chermoula dressing.

Grilled Fish in Grapevine Leaves With Sweet and Sour Chilli Sauce

Fish wrapped in grapevine leaves and grilled, served with a spicy sauce.

For Fish:

30 vine leaves in brine
4-5 firm white fish fillets (such as haddock, snapper, grouper)

Chermoula:

1 Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
4 Tblsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt

Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup superfine sugar or 1/2 cup plus 1 tsp granulated sugar
1-2 Tblsp water
Pinch saffron threads
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
3 scallions (finely sliced)
1 oz. Fresh grated ginger root
2 hot chillies (seeded and finely sliced)
Small bunch fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Small bunch fresh mint (finely chopped)

Process the chermoula ingredients in a food pr0cessor or blender. Pour into a large bowl.
Rinse the vine leaves, then soak in cold water to remove most of the brine.
Cut fillets into eight bite sized pieces.
Marinate the fish pieces in the chermoula for 1 hour.
Heat the vinegar or lemon juice, sugar and water. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Boil one minute, then cool.
Add the remaining ingredients; blend.
Drain the vine leaves and pat dry.
Lay a leaf flat on the work surface. Place a piece of marinated fish in the center.
Fold the edges of the leaves over the fish. Make a parcel by wrapping with extra leaves.
Repeat until all the fish pieces are wrapped in the leaves.
Thread the parcels onto kebab skewers. Brush with any leftover marinade.
Heat the broiler to the highest setting.
Cook the kebabs 2-3 minutes on each side.
Serve hot with the chilli dipping sauce.

Main Course

Middle Eastern

Moroccan, Spicy

Note: the chilli sauce is also wonderful with our chicken-stuffed mulberry leaves, which our editor Karin kitchen-tested and loved.)

Recipe and photo from Recipes From A Moroccan Kitchen by Ghillie Bașan.

Quilts, Soil, and the New Folk Memory Movement

Art

Julie Steinbeck

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October 17, 2025

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Big Bluestem quilt Pauline Burbidge, cyanotype quilt art, modern folk craft movement, contemporary textile archive, botanical imprint fabric, prairie grass quilt design, handmade cyanotype quilt, Pauline Burbidge botanical quilt, International Quilt Museum Nebraska collection, textile memory mapping art, slow craft cyanotype fabric, regenerative craft movement, neo-folk textile art, land-connected quilting revival, cyanotype prairie grass fabric art, modern quilt artist Pauline Burbidge, botanical cyanotype craft movement, fabric as archive quilt, nature imprint folk craft, new craft folk textile movement — Close-up of Pauline Burbidge’s botanical quilt work showing cyanotype impressions of Nebraska grasses, blending textile art with land memory and ecological storytelling

A newly commissioned quilt, “Big Bluestem,” by textile artist Pauline Burbidge has entered the permanent collection at the International Quilt Museum at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Created using cyanotype techniques on fabric—an old 19th-century sun-printing method once used for botanical documentation—the quilt captures grasses from Nebraska’s prairies and turns them into a living memory map. Fossils, bison, insects, and historic symbols are stitched into the back like a quiet ledger of land and humanity.

We’ve been experimenting with cyanotype over the years and love how you can take objects and prints and turn them into photographs.

This return to slow, tactile, land-connected craft echoes a larger cultural shift we’re seeing across climate art, regenerative design, and local storytelling. Quilts are becoming scrolls. Soil is becoming ink. Memory is becoming a material.

Pauline says: “To me, the importance of the tall-grasses is key to our future balance – the well-being of humans, animals and plant life. There are very few Tall-Grass Prairies left! I would love to see more conservation and development of them – they are so important!”

Craft as Archive: Dirt, Ink, and Healing Objects

Karin Kloosterman, Nova Cups made with dirt from the Nova dance floor

@greenprophet Reposted from @Kedma_link We travelled to the site of the Nova dance floor October 7th massacre with our mother and collected earth from the dance floor. The memorials written by mothers for their daughters and sons tore our hearts out. Our Scottish mother cried and screamed to us last night — let the world know what happened in Israel! They don’t know. They don’t understand. We don’t want to fight. There is a belief in the Holy Land that all material carries a divine spark. And the materials and matter that come into our lives has a purpose, just like relationships, fortune, love, and pain. While we can’t form complete pots or cups from sand, we imbue our vessels with sparks of the earthen memory from Nova and are curious to see if something extra, like a maker’s spirit, can be felt when holding or drinking from such cups. We are looking for people from all over the world to try our experiment. Can you feel anything that matters in the material you hold? Can we redeem the pain, or matter for that matter? Drop us a line in the comments with your location if you want us to send you a Nova Earth cup. We have 20 to give away and are looking for people from all over the world to participate. #Jaffa #novaearth #pottery #materialmatters #ceramic ♬ Will Ye Go, Lassie Go? – Lola Kirke & Peter Dreams & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Jack O’Connell & Sinners Movie

Canadian experimental artist Karin Kloosterman, founder of Green Prophet and a regular contributor here (read her latest on how to escape a cyborg take-over by hiding out in Berlin at Michelberger Hotel), has been making vessels and tea cups using soil collected from sites of cultural and emotional rupture. One of her recent series includes 18 healing cups made from the earth of the Nova music festival dance floor, reclaiming soil touched by grief and turning it into a shared ritual of remembrance. She also embeds seeds and found materials into vessels as anonymous time capsules, to be uncovered by future humans in a cyborg world.

Jason Logan’s “Make Ink” project in Toronto creates pigments using rusted scaffolding bolts, berries from alleyways, copper pipes, and soot from bus stops—turning urban scrap into poetic, usable color. The book is a handbook for those who want to create ink as memory rather than commodity. Andrian Pepe in Lebanon reconstructs identity through wool and traditional textile forms, using craft as emotional cartography.

Experimental biofabricators are now printing patterns on fabric using mushroom-based inks, and even making mushroom paper and mushroom-based leather—creating textiles that age, change, and biodegrade intentionally. Quilts that are meant to return to the earth.

From Knitting Elephant Sweaters to Soil Teacups – Folk Traditions in the Anthropocene

On Green Prophet, we’ve covered similar folk gestures over the years: The knitters in India making oversized sweaters for cold elephants, a gesture of absurd tenderness that went viral. Women’s collectives in the Middle East knitting protection around trees like they were family members.

Knitting sweaters for elephants in India

These are not just cute stories. They signal something deeper: a hunger for connection to land through material ritual. When the digital world feels weightless, people turn to thread, soil, and plant dyes as a way to say: we are still here.

Start Some Projects With Your Local Spirit and Materials

Make quilts printed with plant shadows using sunlight and mushroom ink. Begin soil ceremonies—collect clay or earth from places under stress and turn it into vessels or fabric dyes. Create urban ink labs in schools and kitchens, inspired by Make Ink. Start a climate memory quilt—invite refugees, festival-goers, farmers, firefighters to each contribute a patch using pigment or soil from their land.

Love the idea of craft from place? Read these articles on Green Prophet:

Cycling in Japan to make socks — In Japan you can also knit socks while cycling

Ocean Action Forum 2025: Can Saudi Arabia Redefine the Future of Marine Stewardship?

Travel
Water

Karin Kloosterman

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October 17, 2025

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Desalination and power plant powered by the sun in ultra-luxury Shebara, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, a nation better known for its oil wealth, is rapidly reinventing itself as a marine sustainability player. Positioned between the ecologically sensitive Red Sea and the economically strategic Arabian Gulf, the Kingdom now has its sights set on becoming a global hub for blue economy innovation.

As part of this shift, Jeddah will host the Ocean Action Forum on October 27–28, 2025, at the Jeddah Hilton, gathering policymakers, scientists, investors, infrastructure developers, marine engineers, and climate strategists. The event promises not just high-level discussion but a new governance model for ocean-positive development in the Gulf.

According to the official agenda, the forum is designed to “shed light on key industry trends and issues, foster strategic partnerships, and explore cutting-edge solutions to safeguard marine ecosystems.”

Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has made an unusual promise for a hydrocarbon nation: to restore coastal ecosystems, expand marine protected areas, scale mangrove forests, and build new “nature-compatible” infrastructure across its rapidly developing coastal cities.

Aquellum is a new Araqa area giga project by Neom on the Red Sea — Aquellum, a 15-minute city being developed on the Saudi coast

In early 2025, the Kingdom took a symbolic global step by assuming the Secretariat of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), giving it a front-row seat in shaping global coral protection policy. This forum is the first major marine policy gathering since that appointment, making it a signal moment in the Kingdom’s environmental diplomacy.

A Closer Look at Day One

The event opens with remarks by Dr. Vienna Eleuteri of the Saudi Red Sea Authority, who will set the tone with a call for “long-term marine stewardship backed by measurable outcomes and inclusive governance.”

From there, discussions quickly move from policy to hard innovation:

Marine Spatial Planning as Climate Defense
How do you balance tourism, fishing, shipping lanes, and offshore development without collapsing delicate marine ecosystems? Experts from KAUST, Fujairah Research Centre, and Buro Happold will debate new zoning and monitoring tools.
Turning Ports into Reefs
In one of the most anticipated talks, Ocean Ecostructures CEO Ignasi Ferrer will present how AI, robotics, and bio-designed structures can convert concrete seawalls and breakwaters into living habitats, transforming industrial coastlines into biodiversity zones.
Aquaculture Reimagined
With global pressure on wild fisheries, KAUST’s Aquaculture Development Program will outline how precision aquaculture and filtration technologies could make farmed fish part of a regenerative, not extractive, ocean economy.

Mangroves, Microplastics and Machine Learning

Saudi Arabian mangrove forests can help mitigate climate change

Late-afternoon sessions focus on restoration at scale, including Saudi-led platforms like Netzero’s Mangrove Action initiative, which uses satellite monitoring and digital tracking tools to verify coastal restoration outcomes—a shift toward data accountability for nature projects.

There will also be a tech spotlight on microplastic-free aquaculture, with filtration innovators from TraCon GmbH showcasing Aqua BIO Kat, a new German-engineered system designed to reduce contamination and protect human health through clean water cycles.

From Coastal Luxury to Coastal Responsibility

Saudi Arabia’s massive Red Sea tourism projects—including NEOM, the Red Sea Global regenerative tourism initiative, and luxury island developments—have drawn both investment interest and ecological scrutiny. The Ocean Action Forum appears to be the Kingdom’s answer: framing development and marine restoration not as opposing forces, but as parts of a “regenerative coastal economy.”

The success of the event will depend on what happens after the panel lights turn off—whether restoration targets, monitoring systems, and local community roles become embedded in policy, not just PowerPoint slides.

But one thing is clear: Saudi Arabia is no longer observing the marine sustainability movement from the sidelines. It is positioning itself to lead it. The Ocean Action Forum 2025 at the Jeddah Hilton may well be the moment the region begins to define its own blueprint for marine resilience—not borrowed from Europe or island nations, but rooted in the realities of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf.

Top Teen Group Homes in Phoenix for Behavioral and Mental Health Support

Lifestyle

Bhok Thompson

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October 16, 2025

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Top Teen Group Homes in Phoenix for Behavioral and Mental Health Support

spotting news Finding the right support for a teenager facing emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges can feel overwhelming. Families in Phoenix have access to structured group homes and treatment programs that focus on stability, guidance, and personal growth. Knowing which options provide the right balance of care and structure helps families make informed decisions during a difficult time.

This article highlights several trusted programs in Phoenix and its surrounding areas that specialize in supporting teens aged 12-17. Each option offers a distinct approach, ranging from residential treatment and therapeutic schools to alternatives that emphasize individualized guidance. By exploring these options, families can gain a better understanding of the type of environment that may best support long-term progress.

Avery’s House – specialized care for troubled youth ages 12-17 with mental health support

Avery’s House provides a structured and supportive setting for adolescents who need help with emotional and behavioral challenges. The program focuses on teens between the ages of 12 and 17 who may be struggling with issues such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, or substance use.

Unlike traditional group homes, the facility emphasizes individualized care plans. Licensed professionals guide each teen through treatment that addresses both mental health and daily life skills. This approach helps young people build coping strategies that support long-term stability.

Families looking at teen group homes in Phoenix often consider Avery’s House as a better alternative compared with other group homes.

The environment combines therapeutic support with a safe space where youth can work on personal growth.

In addition to residential treatment, Avery’s House also provides outpatient options.

These include day treatment and intensive outpatient programs, giving families flexibility based on the level of care their teen requires.

Turning Winds – residential treatment with CBT, DBT, and life skills for teens

Turning Winds is a residential treatment center located in Montana that serves teens from across the country, including Phoenix. It provides structured care for adolescents dealing with mental health challenges, behavioral struggles, and substance use concerns.

The program uses evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These approaches help teens build healthier coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and address negative thought patterns.

In addition to therapy, Turning Winds emphasizes life skills development. Teens learn responsibility, problem-solving, and communication skills that support long-term growth. Academic support is also available to help students stay on track with their education.

The center combines clinical treatment with experiential learning. Activities in nature and group settings encourage teamwork, resilience, and personal responsibility. This blend of therapy, academics, and skill-building creates a structured environment that helps teens work toward stability and healthier habits.

Modern Recovery Services – an alternative to traditional group homes with guidance

Modern Recovery Services provides an option for teens who need more than the basic care provided in traditional group homes. The program focuses on structured mental health support and consistent guidance to help adolescents manage emotional and behavioral challenges.

They provide therapy and counseling that address common issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Teens receive personalized attention in a supportive setting, which can help them build coping skills and healthier routines.

Unlike standard group homes that mainly provide housing and supervision, Modern Recovery Services emphasizes treatment and long-term progress. Their approach combines therapy, family involvement, and ongoing support to create a more complete care model.

Programs also include virtual options, allowing teens to access care from home when in-person treatment is not possible. This flexibility helps families stay engaged while guaranteeing that teens receive consistent support for their mental health needs.

Liahona Academy – therapeutic boarding school combining education and treatment

Liahona Academy is a residential treatment center in Southern Utah that serves boys between the ages of 12 and 17. Families often consider it when local therapy or outpatient programs are not enough to address serious behavioral or emotional struggles.

The program combines structured education with therapeutic support. Students continue their schooling while also participating in counseling and skill-building activities created to address issues such as defiance, anxiety, depression, and poor peer choices.

Staff at Liahona work with each student to promote accountability and healthier decision-making. The approach emphasizes both guidance and discipline in a controlled setting, helping boys understand the results of their choices.

In addition to therapy, the school environment allows students to keep up with academics. This balance of treatment and education is intended to prepare them for a more stable return to family, school, and community life.

Restore Troubled Teens – consultation and advocacy for personalized group home placement

Restore Troubled Teens acts as a consultation and advocacy service for families seeking the right group home placement. It connects parents with programs that match their child’s behavioral and emotional needs.

The organization works with a network of residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and group homes. This allows families to explore different care options rather than relying on a single program.

Parents often reach out when a teen faces issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, or defiance. Restore Troubled Teens helps guide them toward facilities that provide structure, therapy, and academic support.

By focusing on individual needs, the service aims to reduce the stress of choosing a program. Families receive guidance on placement options that balance safety, therapeutic care, and education.

This approach gives parents a clearer path when navigating the many treatment choices available for struggling teens. It emphasizes matching the right program to the right child.

Conclusion

Teen group homes in Phoenix provide structured environments where adolescents can receive support for behavioral and mental health needs. These programs vary in focus, with some emphasizing basic care and others providing therapeutic services and professional guidance.

Families often weigh factors such as location, level of care, and cost when choosing the right option. Monthly rates typically range from $3,500–$4,500, with specialized care reaching $5,000–$6,000.

The best choice depends on the individual needs of the teen, whether that involves a traditional group home or a more specialized residential treatment setting.

We’ve reached the coral tipping point

Animals

Julie Steinbeck

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October 16, 2025

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Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs under way, as world reaches first tipping point

The world faces a “new reality” as we have reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, according to a landmark report released by the University of Exeter and international partners.

With ministers gathering ahead of the COP30 summit, the second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs – on which nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend – are passing their tipping point. Widespread dieback is taking place and – unless global warming is reversed – extensive reefs as we know them will be lost, although small refuges may survive and must be protected.

We are on the brink of more tipping points, with devastating risks for people and nature: the irreversible melting of polar ice sheets, the collapse of key ocean currents and the dieback of the Amazon rainforest – where COP30 will be held.

With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, the report – by 160 scientists at 87 institutions in 23 countries – argues that countries must minimise temperature overshoot to avoid crossing more tipping points. Every fraction of a degree and every year spent above 1.5°C matters.

Green Prophet published an IRENA report today that shows while we’ve made progress in renewables, we aren’t going to make targets unless we double up.

Twende Solar in Ethiopia — Twende solar installation in Ethiopia

Action to trigger “positive tipping points” of self-propelling change – such as the rollout of green technologies – now offers the only credible route to a safe, just and sustainable future, the report says.

The researchers are working with Brazil’s COP30 Presidency to ensure that tipping points are on the agenda at the summit.

Professor Tim Lenton, from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said: “We are rapidly approaching multiple Earth system tipping points that could transform our world, with devastating consequences for people and nature. This demands immediate, unprecedented action from leaders at COP30 and policymakers worldwide.

“In the two years since the first Global Tipping Points Report, there has been a radical global acceleration in some areas, including the uptake of solar power and electric vehicles. But we need to do more – and move faster – to seize positive tipping point opportunities. By doing so, we can drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and tip the world away from catastrophic tipping points and towards a thriving, sustainable future.”

Dr Mike Barrett, chief scientific advisor at WWF-UK and co-author of the report, said: “The findings of this report are incredibly alarming. That warm-water coral reefs are passing their thermal tipping point is a tragedy for nature and the people that rely on them for food and income. This grim situation must be a wake-up call that unless we act decisively now, we will also lose the Amazon rainforest, the ice sheets and vital ocean currents. In that scenario we would be looking at a truly catastrophic outcome for all humanity.

A healthy coral reef in Eilat — A coral reef in the Red Sea.

“As we head into the COP30 climate negotiations it’s vital that all parties grasp the gravity of the situation and the extent of what we all stand to lose if the climate and nature crises are not addressed. The solutions are within our reach. Countries must show the political bravery and leadership to work together and achieve them.”

The report says that the nature of abrupt and irreversible Earth system tipping points mean that they pose a different type of threat to other environmental challenges, and that current policies and decision-making processes are not adequate to respond. Global action must include accelerating emissions reductions and scaling up carbon removal to minimise temperature overshoot. The expected impacts of tipping processes need to be considered in risk assessments, adaptation policies, loss and damage mechanisms and human rights litigation.

Dr Manjana Milkoreit, from the University of Oslo, said: “Current policy thinking doesn’t usually take tipping points into account. Tipping points present distinct governance challenges compared to other aspects of climate change or environmental decline, requiring both governance innovations and reforms of existing institutions.

“Preventing tipping points requires ‘frontloaded’ mitigation pathways that minimise peak global temperature, the duration of the overshoot period above 1.5°C, and the return time below 1.5°C. Sustainable carbon dioxide removal approaches need to be rapidly scaled up to achieve this.”

World Breaks Renewable Records — But Still Not Fast Enough to Meet 2030 Goal, IRENA Warns

Energy

Green Prophet

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October 16, 2025

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The world added a record 582 GW of renewable energy in 2024, but that pace is still far off from what’s needed to meet the COP28 UAE Consensus target of tripling capacity to 11.2 TW by 2030, according to a new progress report released today by the global renewable energy group IRENA, the COP30 Brazilian Presidency and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA).

To stay on track, the energy system now needs to deploy 1,122 GW every year from 2025 onward — nearly double today’s annual buildout. Global energy efficiency is lagging even further behind, growing by just 1%, far short of the 4% annual improvement needed to keep the 1.5°C goal alive.

The report — Delivering on the UAE Consensus — calls for urgent action to:

Embed higher renewable targets into upcoming NDC 3.0 climate plans before COP30 in Belém
Double national ambition in line with the tripling goal
Scale annual clean energy investment to USD 1.4 trillion between 2025 and 2030 — more than double the USD 624 billion invested in 2024.

Investment, Grids, Supply Chains: The Real Bottlenecks

Despite rising investment, actual project delivery remains slow. Grid limitations and supply chain vulnerabilities for solar, wind, batteries and green hydrogen are emerging as the central barriers — a reality also echoed by energy developers interviewed by Green Prophet this year, who cite grid access and permitting delays as the main brake on deployment, not technology availability.

USD 670 billion per year must go into grid modernisation and flexibility solutions like storage to prevent renewable energy “traffic jams” — a theme seen in MENA markets, where solar capacity is being installed faster than utilities can connect it. Read here how AI can stabilize the grid.

G20 countries are expected to hold over 80% of installed renewable capacity by 2030.
G7 economies must play a leadership role by scaling their collective share to around 20% of global capacity.
Wealthy nations are urged to deliver on the USD 300 billion climate finance floor and move toward the USD 1.3 trillion aspiration set at COP29.

We’ve declined putting in quotes from the talking heads. European blackouts, political instability and skyrocketing prices for food and energy are due to Middle East conflicts and interests fueling conflicts, such as Qatar propping up Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis who fire at ships. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also destabilizing energy prices and has been so for about 4 years now.

In MENA and Mediterranean markets we cover, solar fields now sit ready but under-connected, as grid modernisation lags behind flashy capacity announcements. The region — especially Gulf and North African economies — could play a major role in closing the global gap, but only if infrastructure catches up with ambition and clean tech manufacturing localises, rather than relying on fragile import chains.

::Download IRENA report

Stay at Michelberger in Berlin, your home base for the last cool city on earth

Travel

Karin Kloosterman

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October 16, 2025

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Stay at Michelberger in Berlin, your home base for the last cool city on earth

Michelberger-hotel — Press material from the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin.

Berlin still feels like the last cool city humans can be human before everything moves into the cloud. We took a five-day family trip with a Green Prophet mindset — low-impact, curious, no interest in polished tourist loops.

Generator Hostel is often recommended as a budget option for families in Mitte. We considered it but felt that Mitte is too far from it all, and instead contacted eco-leaning hotels to see who had space. Circus was full. Orania was almost full and offered a family room for 750 Euros, still well beyond budget. Michelberger, noted for its regenerative farm on the outskirts of Berlin, had two loft rooms available for a family of four, 300 Euro, — booked immediately. The location was excellent, the brunch breakfast was an added 24 Euro each (you can choose each day), and if you have time to linger, this farm-to-table option is worth it.

michelberger hotel berlin, sustainable design hotel berlin, eco friendly hotel berlin, family stay michelberger, berlin loft hotel room, warschauer strasse hotel, berlin creative hotel stay, boutique hotel friedrichshain, brunch at michelberger hotel, michelberger hotel lobby, berlin hipster hotel, east berlin factory hotel conversion, michelberger vegan breakfast, michelberger hotel interior design, berlin hotel near raw gelände, michelberger hotel travel review, green prophet berlin stay, michelberger hotel aromatherapy lobby, berlin eco hotel loft bed, michelberger hotel family room — A room at the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin

A cafe on the other side of the hotel offers a great place to have a cappuccino and a buttery croissant. Artists, designers and fashion types also pop in off the streets by day, and to hear DJs (and sometimes) live music by night. At Michelberger you are in the center of it all without leaving the hotel. I’ve never felt that way before, except once at a $10 a night hostel in San Jose, Costa Rica. I am too old for bedbugs and 7 people to a cramped dorm room.

Every other night a bean bag room on the 5th floor turns into a movie house called the Forest Theater, upgrading your trip to the feeling of a global nomad without having to travel to Chiang Mai. We peeked in on a film at 8pm and it was packed.

The loft bed setup in Michelberger made the room feel like a treehouse. We took 2 rooms for a family of 4, but 3 could fit comfortably if you are planning on being out of the room by day. Climbing up into the king bed every night felt like a repeat moment of “okay, I can live like this.” Beds and pillows were excellent.

Note on scent: the hotel uses aromatherapy-type smells in the rooms, lobby and common areas. They’re from natural oils and noticeable. If you’re scent-sensitive, just be aware — it’s part of the Michelberger identity.

Breakfast at Michelberger is a meal you actually remember. Sourdough bread, jams, vegetables, cheese, the best apple I ate in my life, — a lot of it coming from the hotel’s own farm. It reminded us of farm stays in Sweden like Stedsans: real food, not hotel buffet food. Designers we know travel to Berlin and mark this place as THE place to brunch and we get why.

The Michelberger building used to be an East German factory. Now it’s full of laptops, fashion people, and families like us who are tired of standard hotels. You hear multiple languages at every table. The shared spaces are active but not chaotic. It’s rare to walk into a hotel and feel like you are part of something bigger.

Simple but good touches: Dr. Bronner’s soap in the rooms, mesh shelves, big desks, nothing overly designed but everything considered. My husband says that’s the German way.

The location is ideal — right next to Warschauer Straße S-Bahn and U-Bahn. From there you can get anywhere in Berlin or to the airport without thinking. Michelberger is in the quirky Friedrichshain district and it’s a walk or a two-stop tram ride to the Kreuzberg district.

Berlin from Michelberger — Walkable, Raw, and Full of Side Missions

RAW-Gelände is minutes away — graffiti walls, skate ramps, concerts, bars operating out of shipping containers, and informal market days where Berliners unload boots full of old Doc Martens and Adidas. Bargain and bring a hood or umbrella because Berlin weather shifts every hour.

Once a 19th-century train repair yard (the Reichsbahn-Ausbesserungs-Werk), this abandoned industrial strip is now one of the last true subcultural zones left in central Berlin. Since being taken over by artists and outsiders in the late ’90s, it’s evolved into a graffiti-covered hub packed with clubs, bars, an indoor skate park, a climbing gym, and a Sunday flea market. It feels less like a tourist site and more like Berlin holding onto its rough edges on purpose.

Skatehalle inside RAW is a full skatepark indoors with sessions for different skill levels and even wheelchair sessions. Teens will not be bored.

Dog Shit Park nearby (nickname earned) is where you meet people actually living in Berlin, not touring it. We met Collin there — former snowboard film guy — who said, “You look like you want to skate and spray paint. Why did you come here? Too bad not earlier, I could have shown you the alternative Berlin” in a way only Berlin locals can.

Boxhagener Platz (Boxi) is a short walk — calm park on weekdays, full flea market on Saturdays. RAW on Sunday felt more alive and less curated than the Boxhagener Platz, with stuff that can be bought on a Chinese website and sold as trinkets.

We ate mostly vegan and Berlin makes it easy. 1990 Vegan Living — Vietnamese-style vegan bowls, tofu panko sticks — easy crowd-pleaser. About 100 Euros for a family of 4 including alcohol. You can’t make reservations and if you have a chance, choose a table on the right side if you like action and people watching.

Iro Izakaya (vegan tapas and sake) was my husband’s top meal of the entire trip. It’s supposed to be Japanese but tasted like an Asian fusion restaurant. Also about 100 Euros for a family of 4 dinner. The kids still like ramen, so noodles and Asian food was an easy way for us to please all. A ramen bowl was about 15 Euros. I didn’t love the broth and had much better vegan ramen in Japan. You can’t please everyone all of the time.

Museums weren’t a focus, but the Vintage Computer Museum was a hit (Computerspiele Museum) — kids can actually play old Sega and arcade games without time limits. DDR Museum gave the kids a practical picture of East German life — like a kibbutz apartment but with more 70s wallpaper. It was my way to warn them about Communism.

Useful Stops for Teens and People Who Like Real Shops

Green Fuzz – non-vintage alt clothing store, actually interesting.
Wollparadies Fadeninsel – right next door, full of hand-dyed wool, very Waldorf-friendly.
Voo – scent and ceramic heaven, items look like they were pulled from a flea market but priced like art objects (just look, don’t commit).
Search and Destroy Skateshop – for kids who actually skate, not just wear skate brands.
There are vintage shops everywhere but they feel overpriced for someone who shops vintage in small charity shops in Canada. Even Humana, with its outlets around Berlin are very overpriced. Pop in though if you need a sexy dirndl costume for Octoberfest or a pair of Lederhosen.

Train rides in Berlin double as people-watching. Watch out for BVG tourist passes bought through an app. We made an expensive mistake, spending $250 for a 3-day local tram pass for our family. We mistakenly bought the pass that included museums free of charge, and one of the days all the museums were closed. We hadn’t intended on going to any of the museums that were free with that pass. I reached out to customer service and they said the passes are, sadly non-refundable. Try and research the passes and what you need online before your trip, and I suggest buying single ride tickets the first day you are there, to see if it’s worth for you to buy any passes. In some instances taking an Uber on short trips made it more worth our while.

Beyond that unpleasantness, the trains are great and easy to navigate. A little less easy for me than Japan.

Multicultural, relaxed, with vegan döner and kepap stands at almost everywhere outside of them. We tried Indian food one night at in Oranienstraße at Amrit (not far from the station) and it was forgettable, but a Pakistani taxi driver later told us where the “real” places were— filed for next time.

If You’ve Got a Few Days and Don’t Want the Usual

Use Michelberger as a base and explore everything within a 20-minute walk before you even consider museums. We heard that the Natural History Museum is great for kids –– the aquarium too. But our kids have travelled to so many large cities from Toronto to Bangkok, where these kinds of copy-paste museums seem to be a carbon copy of each other and a place to go when you need to kill time and not get the true vibe of the place.
Sit at RAW for an hour or a few and just watch. Get to Holstmarket 25. We didn’t make it, but it’s earmarked for our next stay.
Let teens spend a session or two at Skatehalle while you explore Boxi or grab coffee. Book in advance so you aren’t disappointed. Skatehalle offers a beginner’s session for kids for 20 Euros on Sunday mornings from 9 to 11. My son loved it. They have a number of drop in times throughout the week.
Mauerpark on Sunday for markets and karaoke
Look up what’s on at SO36 or About Blank instead of Googling “best nightlife.” We caught a show with the teens at Prachtwerk. Berlin works better without lists.
We didn’t get to the Liquidrom or Vabali spas this trip. The kids needed our full attention. Next time we will look for events at the Tempelhofer Feld, an old airstrip turned into a giant public park, and maybe a hike to Teufelsberg in Berlin, a man-made hill in the Grunewald Forest that is home to an abandoned Cold War listening station used by the US and its allies.

Rent a bike and drive around without a plan.

Michelberger, designed by re-use architects: Jonathan Tuckey Design in 2018, is the best home base if you can stretch to it. From there, Berlin unfolds itself without needing much planning. Don’t sweat it by booking trips.

::Michelberger

Shop at the Voo temple in Berlin

Art
Fashion

Karin Kloosterman

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October 16, 2025

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Entrance through an alleyway to the Voo concept store in Berlin. Like Soho in the 90s.

We walked in expecting to see organic cotton clothes, but were surprised to smell a universe of alternative fragrances you won’t find at La Labo. There is a La Labo in Berlin. But we suggest you head to the hipper part of town, to Kreutzberg and stop at Voo. Not an easy price point on anything there –– Voo shirts for $800 my daughter noticed, but for a worthwhile $250 you can have a non-commercial scent that isn’t exactly bespoke, but pretty close to it. We’ve loved using natural perfumes like Ayala Moriel, but they tend to wear off quickly.

The concept shop carries clothing, a cafe, ceramics that look they fell off a flea market truck and were left behind (the kind we like best) but we couldn’t have known that Voo would be selling the smells of your autobiography. Welcome to Berlin! Voo’s selection offers something between sustainable and a commercial option although we can’t vouch for the ingredients in each bottle. A scent in their showroom called Chinese Tobacco caught our eye and nose.

Since the wall came down between East and West, Berlin has been a city of soft chaos and graffiti, attracting misfits from all over the world. The Voo perfumes, found in an alley by Green Fuzz and a great wool shop on Oranienstrasse feel like emotional codes. Here are some of the brands that are curated to be far from mainstream perfumes and scents sponsored by big money and full of artificial enhancements.

Ephemeral Dyadic – a range of perfumes made in Turkey and for those who walk home alone at night by choice. Ephemeral Dyadic is a perfume project founded in 2023 by artist Sinan Saul in a small art studio in Istanbul’s industrial district. The name ‘Ephemeral’ means ‘temporary’, while ‘Dyadic’ stands for ‘the relationship between two subjects’. Drawing inspiration from the concept that scents are fleeting but emotions are eternal, each fragrance creates a unique bond between the wearer and memory.

Ephemeral Dyadic, a brand from Istanbul

Dark Dreams — Smells like a club bathroom mirror at 3:47 AM, where you meet your own eyes and briefly believe you could start over.
Ozymandias — All the fallen empires of your past relationships bottled with quiet dignity.
Bodhi & Utah — Desert sage drifting through urban glass — a spiritual prank.

Notes de Bas de Paje is a French parfumerie d’auteur — less a fragrance brand and more a keeper of personal archives. Each extrait de parfum is treated like a fragment of memory, a page torn from a life story, meant to be worn close and shared with no one unless invited. Crafted in small volumes, deeply intimate, Notes de Bas de Paje makes perfume for people who treat scent as narrative, not accessory.

The niche perfume house founded in 2023 by Alice Gensse and Pierre‑Jr Menana. The name plays on the French term for footnote, note de bas de page. Committed to ethical, gender-neutral, and fully French production, the brand approaches fragrance as a literary gesture. Each scent is a subtle, personal, and meaningful sensory footnote that tells a story.

Some of their scents:

Towédé — Amber fruit drying in the sun, violet smoke rising like memory.
Olatua — Saltwater soul retrieval.
Prolégomènes — Smells like the unfinished introduction to a revolution.

19-69: Founded by Swedish artist and product developer Johan Bergelin, 19-69 takes its name from 1969, a year marked by Woodstock, the Stonewall riots, the moon landing, radical art movements, and the death of the Summer of Love. But we didn’t smell patchouli. Bergelin treats perfume like a cinematic road trip — each scent born from a place where youth culture collided with counterculture, where something ended and something more dangerous began.

Influenced by Helmut Newton flash photography, biker films, cheap motel carpets, and the romantic dirt of subculture, the brand doesn’t decorate life — it documents it. These aren’t polite fragrances; they smell like movement, migration, rebellion, and sweat drying in the sun on unfamiliar skin.

Fragrances:

MIAMI BLUE — Chlorine, sweat, careless decisions.
Chinese Tobacco — The scent of a hidden backroom where someone rolls a cigarette with ritual precision. Tobacco leaf, tea smoke, and the holy pause between inhale and exhale. Maybe it was your dad’s wine cigar in the 70s. Be transported in this scent of a time machine that can take you back and transport you into the future.

::Voo

Regenerative circling faming with man, AI, robots and solar power

Karin Kloosterman

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October 12, 2025

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In the next wave of regenerative agriculture, the farm is no longer a grid of efficiency but a living circle—with the human spirit at its core. Instead of replacing the farmer, AI and robotics now orbit like silent companions, extending our hands rather than erasing them. A rotating robotic arm moves through the plot not as a master, but as an assistant, guided by ecological intelligence and human intuition. This is not automation for profit—it’s a return to sacred design, where technology becomes humble, circular, and in service to the soil, the grower, and the wider web of life.

During Covid, when the world lost its bearings and I feared the global food distribution system would snap like a dry twig, I did the only sensible thing a mother could do: I built a garden. Not a Pinterest garden, but a functional, wartime-style victory garden (download the original here), a mashup of raised Middle Eastern circular plant beds with permaculture herbs spiraling from the center, borrowing wisdom from desert farmers and American agricultural resilience manuals from the 1940s. We planted beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, molokhia (it grows faster than hemp), lettuce, zucchinis, melons and more.

The reward wasn’t just food security — it was witnessing life return. Birds began swooping low to take a peek and eat bugs during the day, chasing the pollinators that came to kiss the flowers. A watermelon I planted was one day the size of an egg and then ballooned into a full, striped universe almost overnight, as if showing me how quickly life responds when humans step back and design with respect. Life happens!

Now, in a strange and beautiful echo of my inherited Dutch farming ancestry, a Dutch industrial designer, Floris Schoonderbeek, is proposing a new way to farm — in circles, not squares. They call it Circle Farming, an invention that I see it as a technological reverence for something ancient. Farming in circles in the Middle East isn’t new. Look from above and you will see circular crops irrigated in Libyan deserts.

Pivot irrigation is used in California and Libya but the scale of farming takes out the “man” in the center

The Al Khufrah Oasis in southeastern Libya, near the Egyptian border (photo above is from 2004), is one of the country’s largest agricultural developments and a distinct geometric landmark of pivot irrigation is easily spotted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Since only about 2 percent of Libya’s land receives enough rainfall for farming, the project relies entirely on fossil water pumped from a deep underground aquifer. In tandem, the Libyan government launched the Great Man-Made River project to transport these groundwater reserves to the coast to support population growth and industrial expansion.

Today, parts of the system are still functioning, but years of conflict. the death of Gaddafi, and lack of maintenance have reduced its reliability. While water continues to reach some agricultural and urban areas, the original vision of full capacity and expansion has largely stalled.

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But the Dutch, famous for stubbornly living and growing on land that is supposed to be emerged are updating the instead of plowing rectangles with tractors, a robotic arm is fixed at the center of a 30-meter circle. It moves slowly, like a clock hand made of steel, pulling familiar agricultural tools behind it — for weeding, watering, even harvesting — except now without carving brutal tire tracks through the earth. The land between circles is left untouched — a commons for insects, wildflowers, birds, even humans to linger. Farming becomes a woven pattern instead of an industrial grid.

Each circular strip holds a different crop, creating a precision-farming mandala that’s both productive and biodiverse. Sensors and AI whisper data back to the farmer — moisture here, pest pressure there — giving advice like an oracle rather than a command chain.

Workers aren’t expected to bend and break their spines in the fields. Instead, they lie belly-down on suspended beds attached to the rotating arm, gliding over the crops with dignity — hovering like dragonflies as they weed, prune, harvest by hand. It turns farming from grunt labor into something closer to communion with the land.

This model is being designed for small peri-urban farms, the exact kind of places that struggle to compete with industrial agriculture but carry the soul of food sovereignty. It’s automation not as replacement, but as companion. A bridge for urban people longing for meaningful work, who might rather float over lettuce than sit under fluorescent lights answering emails for a salary that buys them tasteless tomatoes.

This is the new agricultural aesthetic: not tech versus nature, but tech in service to a more intelligent form of nature-culture. Circular design — which ancient farmers, Bedouins, and mothers like me already knew — is returning, this time with robotics and AI strapped in for the ride. What happens when farming becomes beautiful again? When robots don’t dominate, but make room for birds, wildflowers, kids, rest, and wonder?

Greenhouse farming which allows the farmer to adjust micro-specific conditions to the plant is a market dominated by Dutch and Israeli technology. Will the Dutch own regenerative farming? Given the history of farming and efficiency in both of these countries, it will be technology that will be available to all of humanity.

Read up on the history of Dutch irrigation farming

In Israel: Simcha Blass and the perfection of modern drip irrigation in Israel

::Circle Farming

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