Four years ago when I started Green Prophet I wanted a space to share the good green news from the Middle East – news that usually gets lost in conflict or context. Today our news team have inspired change makers to connect with each other to start new green initiatives. We have covered everything sustainable […]
Claimed to be one of the world’s safest cars, the Fluence EV scored lower than Chevy’s Volt in Euro NCAP crash tests. Not great publicity for electric cars. With Chevrolet Volt hybrid cars now on the road for nearly a year since their debut at the end of 2010, and further to our comparison of […]
Protecting food security in Abu Dhabi. A press release from the United Arab Emirate’s Ministry of Environment and Water states that in the past year, 8000,000 fruit and vegetables were tested for safe levels of pesticide residues. It seems that the scandal in Egypt over illicit pesticides resonates all over the Middle East. Facebook Comments
What Adital Ela has to say about making light from wind, and other sustainable design ventures. We recently learned about Israeli sustainable designer Adital Ela’s work when we heard about her KickStart project to get WindyLights – a design that generates light from wind – on the ground. Since then, we’ve learned that Ela is […]
A new round of sanctions that further isolate Iran financially and politically is likely to bolster nuclear ambitions and keep pollution levels high. Iran has been slapped with a new round of sanctions following a report from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which concluded that the regime is developing nuclear weapons. This […]
“Let our lovely Gerze stay lovely,” reads the banner. “We don’t want a thermal power plant to come to our Gerze…” On Saturday, the Turkish Black Sea town of Gerze — population 11,260 — was host to a 10,000-strong protest against a coal-fired power plant. Protesters arrived from all over the country to march and […]
Yearning for a sufganyah, but horrified at all that oil? Try this tasty alternative. While the menorah sheds its festive light, the family gathers at the table, noshing on traditional foods like sufganyot. You know sufganyot. Those brown disks of tender dough with hearts of jam and coats of powdered sugar that lingers on the […]
Astronomical time savers, renewable faith and eco-terrorism. Another year has passed of the Islamic calendar. Over a thousand years since the first eco-mosque, but are Muslims any more greener at the end of it?
A Dubai Big Bus passing ultra luxurious Atlantis on the Palm hotel. Green is where the money is. The futuristic city of Dubai is often hailed as the showcase of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai has many attractions including the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building and so big that it needs a huge waste disposal […]
Eco-lovers beware: Artificial light at night may be associated with an increased risk for breast and prostate cancers. Next time your partner suggests you keep the lights on in your bedroom, tell him his prostate and your breasts are better off under the illumination of the moon, and your want to make sure your personal […]
Another world’s first for the Israeli-born solar power giant that pioneered solar thermal. BrightSource Energy announced this week that they could chop down the size of their giant 750 MW project in California by 200 MW and yet still make the same 4,000 gigawatt-hours a year of power they are contractually required to produce for California, by […]
Organic feed gives a surprising taste to geese. Kosher-keepers can thank the organic market for a new taste sensation: flesh that tastes exactly like pork, only kosher. Pork-flavored goose, from Spain, that is. The phenomenon is attributed to a particular organic feed that the geese eat. It would be interesting to know if Halal authorities […]
A team of two designers, Godspeed, will be creating furniture from raw and trashed materials in Jaffa within the framework of a single hour. Pop-up stores may not sound like the most sustainable ventures, but the pop-up shop that will open in Jaffa on December 1st and feature the work of the Godspeed design team […]
The Festival of Lights gives spiritual and historical messages. This year, add a green message to the lights. Hannukah falls on December 20th this year. Among the laws of lighting the menorah – one of the Hannukah traditions that Jews follow for eight days – is one that requires placing it where the lights can […]
Despite the mainstream news depicting nothing but political drama and violence, there are all kinds of great green projects ongoing in the Middle East. Take a look at 7 that might surprise you. Most people who think about clean tech developments in the Arab World immediately think of Masdar City, since it is probably one […]
Alcoholism creates addiction and affects health. But for Muslims, not drinking is a command from God.
Wudhu (woo-dhoo) is a Muslim's ritual wash before any act of worship. Wudhu is a control switch, a health check, a reminder of liquid blessings. But how can wudhu make the Islamic faith even greener?
“Nature has provided ecosystems and their benefits to us for free… perhaps because this capital has been provided freely to us, we humans have tended to view it as limitless, abundant, and thus perhaps always available for our use, exploitation, and conversion.” (p.3) The modern economy’s obsession with competitive consumption and endless exploitation of natural […]
Saudi is pulling out the pom poms to protect OPEC oil-producing nations from losing money as climate change negotiations start at the COP 17 circus in Durban. It’s that time of year again, when delegations suit up for the circus that has come to typify the United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Rich, polluting countries unwilling to […]
Israel’s desert climate makes water a rare treasure, but even as the country takes extreme measures to keep fresh water flowing to its citizens, the simple process of evaporation is making the battle even harder. Some estimate that 20% of Israel’s fresh water is lost to evaporation. But two Israeli companies may be on the […]
CDM funding for renewable energy in emerging nations is endangered in Durban, South Africa With the increasingly likely non-renewal of the Kyoto Accord after 2012 at this week’s international climate talks at the seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, renewable energy project funding throughout […]
Before now, the environment has been glaringly absent from Egypt’s political agenda, but our friends over at Almasry Alyoum have compiled a fantastic list of would-be parliamentarians who seek to change that. Until now, the environment has never been on Egypt’s political agenda, but today’s parliamentary elections – albeit fraught with undue complexity and fears […]
Made from sawdust and plastic bags alone, these adhesive-free lamps take leftover materials and make them shine again. Plastic bags are an (unfortunately) abundant material that have been used in many ways by designers, but sawdust – though abundant as well – has not been used as frequently by sustainable Middle Eastern designers. One other […]
This flashy car gives a whole new meaning to recycling! Image via Virendra Saklani/Gulf News Reflecting the Emirati obsession with flashy cars, a Pakistani man has painstakingly coated a Chevrolet Camaro with thousands of “recycled” coins worth nearly $6,000. A longtime resident of the United Arab Emirates, Tarek Javaid has put 3,000 hours into the project since October last […]
The birth control pill is one of the most popular forms of birth control in the world, but a new study finds that it can greatly diminish the sexual experience. Pregnancy prevention, reproductive rights and health go hand in hand, with activists touting the importance of the birth control pill to advancing women’s sovereignty over […]