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8 last-minute Valentine’s gifts to protect the planet and your pocket

Cities

Faisal O'Keefe

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February 12, 2017

8 last-minute Valentine’s gifts to protect the planet and your pocket

Heads up, lovers: just two days ‘til Valentine’s Day. It’s a soggy, frigid Sunday in NYC, and while my newspaper dries on a wheezing radiator, I turn to the internet to scan eco-friendly tchotchkes that will show my honey I’m a eco-minded but cash-lean romance machine. Ten minutes online and I’m quickly swimming in a sea of greenwash. My advice? Stick to K.I.S.S. – a holiday-perfect acronym; keep it simple, and sustainable. Avoid the hype, and scan my 8 suggestions for sharing some love while saving the planet, and cash.

This year say “I love you” the old-fashioned way. Perform an act of kindness, cook something that delights, or create a simple artefact that sparks a smile. It could be my view is colored by six house moves across three continents in eight years. Stuff has to be pretty important for me to acquire and keep, because schlepping it around the planet undermines my best efforts to be resource-responsible and carbon neutral. But it is alarming to see how marketing can make us deviate from our best-laid “live lean” plans. Renewable doesn’t mean sustainable, and recyclable doesn’t erase damages caused by manufacturing and shipping. And don’t forget, Valentine’s Day discount & offers.

See that cool handmade natural cork handbag? It comes all the way from Greece, racking up more air miles than we’ve earned as a couple. Who wants a purse that’s a constant reminder of big carbon feet? There’s a bracelet made from repurposed Nespresso capsules, caffeine pods made from highly recyclable aluminum. But the process to produce that element has significant environmental downside, and only a fraction of aluminum products actually make it to recycling. A neighbor knits coffee cup cozies, in vibrant pinks and reds and sells them to commuters outside a local cafe. But how can my latte be more warmly dressed than the homeless dude who is sitting on damp cardboard a few yards from her stall?

But I’m getting preachy, and this post is about one of the silliest holidays on First World Calendar, so – using arcane, but recyclable, references here – I’ll hop off my soap box and get down to brass tacks.

1. Heart egg sandwich – Start the day off with a dish that’s tasty to the eyes as it is to the tongue. Simple concept, pan-fry a tasted sandwhich, adding another food within a heart-shaped cut-out. They go with an egg, but you can fill it with cheese or go sweet with fruit or jam. See Reclaiming Provincial’s version here.

2. Secret pocket pillow – Super simple, useful, with a twist…you can pop in a tiny personalized message wnenever inspriation hits. Make this with stuff you aready have around your house. Use fabric from an old t-shirt, pillowcase, bath towel. Skip the sewing machine and pull out a needle and thread, YouTube tutorials abound on simple seaming. Get the full tutorial here from See Kate Sew.

3. Origami hearts – Like the secret message part but afraid of needles? So skip the sewing, and burn some calories learning a simple origami technique. Pencil in your poetry, and drop a batch of hearts in a pretty bowl for an instant love connection, or pop them in unusual places for surprise hits of sentimentality when least expected. Dream a Little Bigger shows you how to make the folds here.

4. Heart-shaped soap and salt dough cookie bunting – This is a winner if you want to involve kids. Using three common household ingredients, make a batch of DIY dough that quickly air dries, can be custom-decorated, and strung up on a pretty ribbon or yarn or cord to make festive buntings that could easily turn into an annual family tradition. See details at the Nurture Store site, here.

5. Heart quesadillas – While everyone’s embellishing their dried dough hearts, or penning their love notes inside origami folds, cook up something as cheesy as Valentine’s Day – quesadillas! – and either trim them into heart shapes after removing from the pan, or go the extra culinary mile and make them in an impressive basketweave style. The Mamas’s Grils show you how here.

6. Show the love salad – A perfect side to the toasted cheese sandwiches, use small heart shaped cookie cutters to shape up red peppers, thin slices of cheese, cucumbers, apples and melon. Or get a recipe from Jo and Sue, link here.

7. Heart shaped glycerin soap – Go old school with Martha Stewart, the doyenne of DYI, and make some pretty soaps. in under an hour. You’ll probably have to run out for ingredients, but once you start in, the process is straighforward and swift. Martha offers the recipe and an ancient video tutorial here, any clue who here guest soapmaker is? Click here

8. Romantic cocktails – In the end, I’m going with a batch of rosy-hued pomegranate martinis, in a nod to our time in the Middle East. This recipe from Mix That Drink is a winner. I’ll pre-mix a pitcher and serve them up in coffee mugs, which frees up hands for footrubs and shoulder massages, which will forever be top on the list of the greenest and most affordable gifts for your bae.

All images from referenced websites

Purposely destroyed artwork keeps dozens of refugees warm

Design

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February 11, 2017

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A major Jordanian artwork showcased at the 2016 Amman Design Week was recently repurposed to provide basic human shelter for people in need. This afterlife was intentionally designed into the piece, an artistic application of “cradle-to-cradle” practices. The project raises awareness about conscious design and the positive impact of handcrafts within local communities.

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Using tech responsibly to cut your carbon footprint<

Cities

Bhok Thompson

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February 10, 2017

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Using tech responsibly to cut your carbon footprint<

Whether it’s reducing waste, walking instead of driving, or opting for more eco-friendly fashion, most of us are aware of how small lifestyle changes can help the environment. Technology also plays a crucial role; from innovations in agriculture to GMAP technology used to detect pollution, there is no denying that it’s helping us go green. But can the same be said for the technology we use in our everyday lives? A closer look at some of our most common tech habits may surprise you.

Thanks to technology, almost everything can now be done digitally – be it online banking or communicating by email. Indeed, cloud technology has played a huge part in going paperless; with fully scalable cloud hosting packages readily available to all, swapping paper for the Cloud is easier and more affordable than ever. The less paper we use, the better – there are no two ways about it. However, this doesn’t mean our efforts to be more eco-friendly should stop there.

Just recently, RTE – a French energy regulator – called for companies to send fewer emails in order to save energy. Although this may sound a little far-fetched, when considering the entire process that goes into sending a single email, they certainly have a point. It is estimated that a standard email equates to 4g of CO2 emissions, whilst an email with a hefty attachment could rack up to 50g.

So what about our other much-loved tech fads? For one, there’s our love of video streaming – which, according to a recent report by Greenpeace, is not the most environmentally-friendly practice. Above all, it came to light that most of our preferred platforms do not use renewable energy sources. Netflix received an overall grade of D for eco-friendliness, whilst YouTube topped the list with an A.

Music streaming is another popular modern-day pastime, and when you think about the implications of producing a physical CD – from plastic packaging to transportation – streaming online surely seems like the more eco-friendly option. However, it is thought that streaming an album 27 times online may cost more in terms of energy than the production of its physical CD equivalent.

Even our social media activity contributes to our carbon footprint; something as seemingly harmless as uploading a photo to Facebook adds to the strain on data centers. So when it comes to considering your carbon footprint, it is essential to factor in your digital footprint too. This doesn’t just mean pulling out the plug instead of switching to standby mode; it also pays to take a closer look at the services you use. Find out how your preferred companies source their energy, how they power their data centers and what environmental policies they have in place. By favoring more eco-friendly providers, we can continue to live paper-free whilst using technology responsibly.

Ancient urban gardens in Istanbul threatened to be wiped out

Maurice Picow

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February 10, 2017

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Ancient urban gardens in Istanbul threatened to be wiped out

Urban farming and gardening is as old as civilization itself. The ancient hanging gardens of Babylon helped inspire the water farming known as hydroponics (see how it’s evolved into artificial intelligence). Historic major cities, such as the Byzantine city of Constantinople, which later became Istanbul, were planting urban gardens to help feed inhabitants during times of famine and warfare.

Istanbul’s historical market gardens, known as bostan, were known for providing fresh garden produce for Turkey’s largest city for hundreds of years. These market gardens were located inside city walls, and the produce grown there helped feed hundreds of thousands of people.

Modern construction and population growth has resulted in most of these gardens being doomed for destruction to make way for planned building projects.

The bostan gardens in the Yedikule quarter have more recently been rented by immigrants and others to provide an income for themselves and their families. Istanbul’s metro population, which now is more than 15 million, is simply running out of space.

“The bostan in Yedikule are one of the first forerunners to what we today term urban farming,” says Aslihan Demirtas, an Istanbul-based architect. The Istanbul municipality wants to remove these garden plots in order to provide room to construct a large 90,000 square meter park. Doing so will destroy the incomes of people who came from rural locations and have no other means of making a living. “If you throw me out onto the street, what am I going to do to make a living,” says a 53-year-old bostan farmer.

Police recently entered some of last garden plot areas and told the people renting them that they only have until the “next harvest” to continue farming there. This will end a farming tradition that goes back more than 1,500 years. The gardens which lay along the ancient city walls, until recently have been a UNESCO protected site.

The approaching end of Istanbul’s bostan urban farming does not mean that urban farming is doomed, however. Inhabitants on other major urban locations, ranging from New York City’s Brooklyn based Gotham Greens to urban agriculture movements in Cairo Egypt, indicate that urban farming projects are alive and well.

Photos of Yedikule garden plots Jennifer Hattam

Could hydroponics save Yemen from starving?

Cities
Tech

Karin Kloosterman

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February 10, 2017

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The number of food insecure people in Yemen has risen by 3 million in seven months, with an estimated 17.1 million people now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three UN agencies.

Of the 17.1 million food insecure people, about 7.3 million are considered to be in need of emergency food assistance.

The preliminary results of the Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, created by the UN, show that food security and nutrition conditions are deteriorating rapidly due to the ongoing conflict.

More than two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 27.4 million people now lack access to food and consume an inadequate diet. Another Syria-style crisis may be on our way, and climate change and lack of water is making it worse.

Rates of acute malnutrition were found to have passed the “critical” threshold in four governorates, while agricultural production is falling across the country.

“The speed at which the situation is deteriorating and the huge jump in food insecure people is extremely worrying,” said Salah Hajj Hassan, FAO Representative in Yemen. “Bearing in mind that agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, FAO is urgently calling for funds to scale up its agricultural livelihoods support to farmers, herders and fishing communities to improve their access to food in 2017 and prevent the dire food and livelihood security situation from deteriorating further.”

“We are witnessing some of the highest numbers of malnutrition amongst children in Yemen in recent times. Children who are severely and acutely malnourished are 11 times more at risk of death as compared to their healthy peers, if not treated on time. Even if they survive, these children risk not fulfilling their developmental potentials, posing a serious threat to an entire generation in Yemen and keeping the country mired in the vicious cycle of poverty and under development,” said Dr Meritxell Relano, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.

“The current level of hunger in Yemen is unprecedented, which is translating into severe hardship and negative humanitarian consequences for millions of Yemenis, particularly affecting vulnerable groups,” said Stephen Anderson, WFP Country Director in Yemen. “Tragically, we see more and more families skipping meals or going to bed hungry, while children and mothers are slipping away with little to sustain themselves. WFP is urgently calling for support to provide food for the seven million people who are severely food insecure and may not survive this situation for much longer.”

Food Security

The severe food insecurity situation in the country has worsened sharply in recent months, with an estimated 65 percent of households now food insecure.

In addition, three-quarters of all households indicate that their economic situation is worse now than before the crisis. Incomes have fallen and many public-sector workers have gone for months without being paid. As a result, 80 percent of Yemenis are in now in debt, and more than half of all households have had to buy food on credit.

Many households – 60 percent – have resorted to negative coping mechanisms such as eating less preferred foods, reducing portions or skipping meals altogether.

Malnutrition

The EFSNA results show that over 2 million children are acutely malnourished.

In four governorates – Abyan, Al Hudaydah, Hadramaut, and Taizz, – malnutrition rates have passed the “emergency” threshold, meaning an acute malnutrition rate of more than 15 percent. In seven governorates – namely Aden, Al Dhale’e, Al Jawf, Al Mahwit, Hajjah, Lahj, and Shabwah – rates now exceed the “serious” threshold, which indicates an acute malnutrition rate of more than 10 percent.

Agriculture

The agriculture sector is the main source of livelihood for at least 60 percent of Yemeni households. The livelihoods of this critical segment of the population have been hit hard with agricultural production falling drastically in 2016, compared to pre-crisis levels.

Up to 1.5 million households engaged in agriculture now lack access to critical agricultural inputs (including seeds, fertiliser, fuel for irrigation) and are in urgent need of emergency agricultural support. Of these, 860 000 households engaged in livestock production lack access to animal feed (fodder, concentrate, mineral blocks) and many livestock-dependent households have been forced to sell their herds to cater for other household needs.

Meanwhile, inadequate control of crop and livestock disease further erodes an already struggling agricultural sector and requires emergency protection and safeguarding of assets.

FAO’s emergency work in 2017 focuses on four main areas of activity: providing agriculture kits and tools, as well as vegetable kits and irrigation systems to vulnerable households to improve families’ access to food; emergency protection of livestock by vaccinating millions of animals; providing emergency support to improve and diversify income and livelihoods with cash-for-work programmes, poultry, bee keeping, and fishing; and strengthening the coordination of institutional food security and agriculture responses while building resilience.

FAO is urgently requesting $48.4 million to scale up its response and assist 3 million of the most vulnerable people in Yemen in 2017.

Flying with falcons?

Animals

Karin Kloosterman

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February 5, 2017

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falcons on plane, Saudi prince — *Saudis book private jet for their falcons*

Because of restrictions on the number of birds he could fly with, a Saudi prince boarded 80 of his own birds onto a commercial flight, each in its own seat. The few spaces not taken by a bird were occupied by humans, one of whom snapped the scene and posted it on social media.

According to its boarding policies, Qatar Airways allows a maximum of six falcons on board per plane (one falcon in the Economy Class cabin of an aircraft, and a maximum of six falcons are permitted within the Economy Class cabin of any one aircraft), and Etihad Airways allows falcons in the main cabin or as checked baggage. The falcon is the national bird of the UAE, which may explain why several Gulf airlines are equipped to transport them.

Hermes falcon stand, Dubai, Petit h — *Hermes pop-up shop Petit h creates a falcon stand for Dubai mall shop*

Falcons who fly must be issued an animal passport, valid for three years, for air travel in the UAE in order to protect them from smugglers, which is a serious problem in the Middle East. No photo is required (say cheese? can a bird smile), but the birds must be fitted with a leg ring with an ID number corresponding to its passport.

It’s not readily apparent which airline transported the birds, but several Gulf state carriers do allow falcons in their cabins as a concession to their two-legged passengers who are passionate about falconry, a popular sport among the the privileged class in the Middle East.

Seasoned falconers commonly train multiple birds at once, much like nurturing a stable of fine race horses. The birds travel with their owners for racing and hunting events.

Falcons with passports

In 2013, Gulf News reported that over 28,000 falcons had received passports since 2002 as part of an effort to combat the illegal trade of the birds. Travel is restricted to nine nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are hubs for the ancient and gentlemanly sport.

Checklist for flying with falcons

No first class flights
Tied with chord or chain
Valid health certificate
Wearing hood
Falcon passport

We already known that Qatar Airways permits up to six birds on board. Etihad and Emirates allow birds on board, as does Royal Jordanian on limited occasions, provided they sit in economy class, be secured to their seat with a cord or chain, and carry valid health certificates.

In every instance, each bird must be hooded, and carry a pet passport. The airlines provide protective covers for the seat upholstery. In every instance, these airlines allow more falcons in their cabins than they do dogs or cats.

Though 80 birds on one plane is unusual, the human travellers appear nonplussed. Modern day flying really is for the birds.

Crowdsourcing nature reserves to save the yellow-tailed woolly monkey

Health

Karin Kloosterman

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January 29, 2017

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We did this when I was a kid at high-school: raise hotdog money or donations to buy rainforest in the Amazon. Researchers from Israel are now crowdsourcing the idea and turning Peruvian jungle into a nature reserve. Great ideas like this may save our planet. We reported on this initiative it in 2015, and now it’s happened, with questions answered.

The Israeli-founded organization called Time, has crowdsourced funds to purchase the first area of land to become a nature reserve. The goal is to preserve biodiversity and save endangered species around the world. But this first plot, 80 hectares in size, contains over 300 species of animals, many on the brink of extinction.

“Within less than a year, we’ve managed to show that it’s possible to save species and protect the earth through crowdsourcing, thanks to lots of caring people,” says Time founder Prof. Uri Shanas from the University of Haifa.

TIME which stands for This is My Eart) was established by Shanas and the renowned environmentalist and lawyer Alon Tal of Tel Aviv University, about 18 months ago. Any person that donates to the organization, whether a dollar or a million has equal voting rights.

Once a year members choose at least three threatened habitats from different parts of the world selected by the organization’s scientific committee. Each of the habitats is home to a diverse range of endangered species. The selected habitat is then bought by TIME and becomes a nature reserve. The sale is undertaken through local organizations responsible for managing the new nature reserve following its purchase.

The first habitat chosen is in the Peruvian Andes is home to over 300 species of birds, lizards, and mammals, many of which appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, such as the yellow-tailed woolly monkey and the long-whiskered owlet.

The owner of the site placed it on the market and TiME will buy the land for $30,000. Of this sum, $25,000 was raised by crowdsourcing while $5,000 was donated by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which supports environmental protection projects, among other areas.

“According to Peruvian law, the land can only be sold to locals and accordingly, the land will be purchased in the community’s name by a local conservation organization, Neotropical Primate Conservation, managed by the researcher couple Sam and Noga Shani.

“The Shanis have lived in the area for years, working to help save species in danger of extinction. They will manage the site together with the local community, and in the spirit of TIME, research and educational activities will be integrated in the purchased area,” said Tal.

“The rate of deforestation in the rainforest is among the highest in the world,” Prof. Shanas concludes. “This specific site serves as an important corridor between two existing reserves. Breaking the chain of forests in this area could dissect the region, leaving small animal populations unable to survive.

“Although this is a small area of land, we have been motivated by this success. We really hope that this proof of concept will help us recruit more supporters and members over the coming year.”

Natural ways to look beautiful without injections and surgery

Health

Bhok Thompson

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January 20, 2017

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Natural ways to look beautiful without injections and surgery

Egor Gribanov — Woman in Field of Flowers

There is a reason why our all natural sugar wax recipe is an all-time high post at Green Prophet, racking in hundreds of thousands of views. We already understand the nature of beauty and that if you still a gorgeous older woman somewhere on the planet chances are her beauty secrets are an 8-hour sleep and something simple like olive oil to moisturize her skin. Even the most natural products have something in them to preserve or keep the product that’s why I shy away from endorsing almost any beauty product.

Some older women, may need hormone replacement therapy to stave off the effects of menopause, and these hormone injections can make you look younger by a decade. But they are not a lifestyle choice if you are on them more than 5 years. My mother was on hormone replacement therapy for 10 years and was then diagnosed with endometrial cancer, a common effect with long-term use of hormone therapy. It was doctor prescribed!

For women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s+ large breasts used to be the thing. But now that anyone can pay $10,000 for a breast augmentation surgery, small breasts look best and a big behind is the most sought after feature on the beach.

But now the latest fad is a big rear-end. This is good news for women who are naturally fuller, as larger back ends counteract eating disorders. The two can’t really go together… unless you opt for surgery.

Behind-surgeries are as unappealing to us if not more than breast enhancement. Any kinds of unnatural fillers or surgeries you do to your body can put you at risk for auto-immune diseases. Any time you go under the knife you put your body at risk for infection. Ask any doctor about this, but not plastic surgeons.

If you want to look hot on the beach, consider the most natural routes possible, and you might not like our suggestions because they will require a bit of work. Like anything in life, when you work for it, it will be the best result.

Here are our beauty tips:

For the healthy skin glow: eat fruits like mango and papaya. Take the rinds of the fruit and run the remaining fruit on your skin. Wash off after 15 minutes. Forget buying expensive beauty creams. Spend that money on activities to make you a better person.
Use olive as a moisturizer and in your food. It’s good for everything
Avoid exposure to the sun, or limit it each day.
Buy some hiking boots and get a naturally pert derriere by walking up and down natural paths. You might meet some great people along the way.
Kick off the running shoes and go somewhere warm. Run barefoot along the beach.
Don’t fight your genetics. Work with it. Accent your strong points, downplay your weak.
If anyone is going to love you, it won’t be for your body. Work on your interests and reading list. Get out into the world and build something great. Do good things for others and your beauty will shine through on your face and body. This is the healthiest advice we can give you.

Getting a good night’s sleep in winter

Bhok Thompson

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January 17, 2017

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is something everyone should aspire to. After all, the benefits of it are myriad – from aging more slowly to being increasingly active and attaining general longevity. However, there’s more to it than simply having a regimented exercise program and a healthy diet.

In recent years there has been a growing trend towards living a slower paced life, and this includes getting more rest and sleep, something a lot of city dwellers, hard workers, and young professionals neglect. This is crucial to maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle, along with diet and exercise. However, it’s not something everyone is able to achieve; as many as 150 million people worldwide suffer from a chronic sleep disorder.

On top of that, the rigorous demands of a career and busy lifestyle are a constant drain on our ability to get adequate rest. Below, we’ll discuss a number of tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Invest in a quality mattress

Seeing as we spend almost a third of our lives sleeping, having a poor quality mattress seems counterintuitive to a comfortable lifestyle. After all, you wouldn’t buy cheap running shoes if you were competing in a marathon. The benefits of a good mattress – for example, those found at a company like Panda – can result in a decrease in stress, a better quality of sleep, improved memory and even weight loss, all of which are composite parts of a complete healthy lifestyle.

Set a sleep schedule

Maintaining constant and set times that you go to bed and rise each day is crucial to achieving good quality sleep. This means going to bed at the same time every night and feeling refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning – even on weekends. The logic behind this is the same with any discipline, you’re putting constant time and dedication to build a habit that eventually will grow into a routine.

Relax before bed

Make sure you set some time aside before you go to sleep to let your body truly relax. This means shutting down your computer, putting your cell phone aside and dimming the lights. Get rid of anything stimulating that might jar you awake. Consider taking a relaxing bath, engaging in some meditation, listening to some music or reading a book. All of these will calm both your body and mind and allow you to ease more naturally into sleep.

A Wind Tree for the future

Energy

Karin Kloosterman

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January 10, 2017

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Imagine a beautifully designed tree that you can place outside your house or look at in public spaces and that, when blown by the wind, produces enough energy to light your place up. That’s right; wind turbines can now have a different size and be harmonically integrated within the landscape. So instead of the huge wind turbines we are used to imagine when we think of the machines that create this type of energy we can now think of something different: a beautiful green and white tree that has its own small leaf-shaped turbines and a power output of 3.1 KW. Inspired by nature and its wisdom, this Wind Tree is the new option to fight climate change and other negative effects that conventional fuels have on our environment.

Led by Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, French company NewWind has conceived a design that brings together sustainable energy with beauty and emotion. Made with 72 turbines containing “Aeroleafs”, “L’Arbre à Vent” measures 8 to 11 meters and is capable of lighting 15 streetlights, 100 meters of space office, 71 parking spots, an electric car or the filtration system of a pool for a whole year. And so, with an engaging biomimetic design, these wind trees last close to 25 years, are completely silent – thus not invasive – and close to no permits are needed to install them.

[brid video=”105288″ player=”7642″ title=”A Wind Tree for the future”]

To imagine that a single three represents 864kg of coal and 15 15-litre jerry cans of fuel is reason enough to consider it a fantastic option to slow down the inevitable effects that energy based on carbon-based fuels are having on our environment. As a matter of fact, these Wind Trees have already been installed in Paris, in Place de la Concorde. Allegedly, Michaud-Larivière actually got inspiration from real trees he saw in a Parisian plaza, which leaves kept shaking despite the absence of wind. Small wind currents seemed to him enough to produce energy, and the L’Arbre à Vent have proved this right.

Although the amount of trees needed to produce the same output as huge wind turbines is high, the truth is that if propagated in the right time frame, soon many households could depend on these bio designed Wind Trees, and the mid-term positive results of these would be outstanding. Also, they are designed in a way that if a turbine stops working the rest will continue to produce energy.

Wind energy is a clean fuel source, so its benefits are uncountable when we compare it to other types of fuels. Moreover, all countries have wind, which means that each nation has the ability of producing its own wind energy. It is also cost effective. So, in addition to other ways of protecting the environment we live in, including finding ways to stop fracking (many stars have actually come together against it on the platform Artists Against Fracking), using solar-powered panels in our households, or simply by having vegetarian diets like top celebrities do, also in an attempt to raise awareness about how this can have a positive impact on climate change (by reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by cattle), a wind-energy powered city is an attainable dream that could help fix many of the environmental issues we are currently facing.

NewWind expects to be installing its trees around Europe soon, both in public and privates spaces. We can also hope that this new sustainable technology arrives to the Middle East, where many countries included more turbines over the last year. A future in which we can breathe fresh air and enjoy nature without having to give up the comforts of modern society is no longer an impossible dream.

Sustainable investing, not just a dream for 2017

Karin Kloosterman

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January 8, 2017

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Today’s smart investors can tell you the difference between a seed bank and an investment bank.

Eco banking, or green investing. It seems to have reached the top of its hype around 2008, or around the time when Coldplay said it would plant a tree for every album sold or downloaded. It was also around the time when the notion of carbon credits would work for our system –– that companies would pay others to make their businesses carbon neutral, and less damaging to the atmosphere by way of greenhouse has emissions.

But since then the topic has petered away. Did those trees that Coldplay planet ever grow? Who thought about the cost of maintaining those $1 trees every year? Then there was the catastrophic losses in clean tech investment, making cleantech a pariah for the has-beens or could have beens green energy companies. Solar energy investments tanked. Wind, ethanol and all the other promises made by a bandwagon of companies didn’t hold true, so investors held off.

Why did this happen? And what can we learn? Should all bets be off and business be as usual? Of course not! We can learn that the 2007 era was a time when companies were being built by stock brokers and hedge fund managers, many of them money men, hoping to cash in on the lucrative grants and feed-in tariff guarantees that governments and cities offered to help them go green. They had no clue about the environment on a deep level.

But the green or clean tech companies that survived until today are different. These ones are led by a more educated group of people who understand what triple bottom line means. They read books. They make news and they know who Rachel Carson is and they know what Cradle to Cradle means. Ask a solar energy/clean tech someone in the 2007, and you’d be surprised to see how little any of these guys knew about sustainability. I know because I was there. And I say guys because a strong majority of them were men. One company I interviewed didn’t know what greenhouse gases were. No joke.

But we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It’s 2017 and we are a lot smarter about investing today. But so are the companies changing our world for the good. We are also a lot smarter with technologies (like core banking) and the way we manage our portfolios.

According to numerous reports, including a recent one in Forbes, green or sustainable investing can help you meet your portfolio goals without sacrificing your bottom line return on investment. The investment magazine cites a newly published report from the US SIF (The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment), which found that every dollar invested in sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) assets – and that amounts to $8.72 trillion as of 2016 – is 33% higher than it was in 2014. What this means is that every $1 out of every $4.6 under professional money management in the US is now invested in SRI strategies.

This approach, the report concludes includes environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors or a mission in investing in sustainable areas. And being a part of this mission will not affect your returns. Here’s why. According to the Forbes’ article:

“Firms that pursue better ESG practices have higher quality management and better stock performance.

“Modern portfolio theory says that if an investor limits the pool of possible securities to choose from, the probability of maximizing returns for a given level of risk is reduced. But limiting the pool of possible securities based on ESG criteria has the opposite effect. The reason is that ESG criteria are key indicators of management quality, which helps avoid stock specific risk in a market with imperfect and asymmetric information.”

Other factors that mitigate risk is management quality and services. Today’s managers demand jobs with meaning and higher purpose which affects their operational efficiencies. They simply are motivated to make more money so they can keep making the world a better place. It’s motivating!

And the research coming out of academia supports this theory was well, including a 2014 paper from Oxford University that according to Forbes, “concluded that 90% of the studies demonstrated that sound sustainability standards lowered companies’ cost of capital, 80% of the studies observed that stock performance and good sustainability practices are positively correlated, and 88% of the studies showed that robust ESG practices improved companies’ operational performance.”

Arctic ice melt is rocking world weather

Maurice Picow

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January 8, 2017

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Arctic ice melt is rocking world weather

Polar vortex, the term attributed to the recent frigid weather patterns that recently put much of North America, Europe and even the Middle East into the deep freeze, is now slated to become even more frequent, due to the increasing melt-down of the earth’s Arctic ice cap. The polar bears are moving south and if you are living in a warm or tropical country, now might be a good time to get a second citizenship!

This phenomena is caused by a weakening of the normal jet stream air currents that encircle the earth’s arctic regions, due to higher than average summer temperatures. As a result, these “meandering” jet stream air currents are now dipping into the more southern regions, bringing with them frigid Arctic air.

Fortunately, these polar air dips usually last only a week or two; but they are intense enough to make northern American cities like Chicago, Detroit and New York City experience frigid temperatures of well below zero; often combined with heavy snowfall and strong winds. Many European cities experience intense these winter weather bouts as well. Climatologists and other scientists studying the adverse weather patterns are now tying these jet stream dips to faster than expected melting of Arctic ice, especially in the polar region.

Melting polar ice fields are exposing more of the dark Arctic Ocean surface, which absorbs more sunlight, resulting in an even more accelerated melting factor. The result are increased ocean temperatures, which cause the newer layers of Arctic ice to melt even faster.

Many climatologists are now attributing this to mankind’s continued reliance on fossil fuels, combined with other human influenced depletions of the earth’s natural environment. In regions such as the Middle East, people now experience more adverse weather patterns, including crazy summer “heat domes” that will make many areas (like Jerusalem above) uninhabitable by 2100.

“We are now in “uncharted territory,” says Prof Jennifer Francis, an Arctic climate expert at Rutgers University in the US. “These rapid changes in the Arctic are affecting weather patterns where you live right now.”

New UAE Food Bank aims for full bellies and zero waste

Cities

Faisal O'Keefe

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January 6, 2017

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New UAE Food Bank aims for full bellies and zero waste

Green Prophet recently posted about 2017 being the Chinese year of the monkey, but the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has instead declared it the ‘Year of Giving’. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and UAE VP, has launched the non-profit UAE Food Bank, which will distribute unused food from commercial sources to those in need. It aims to make Dubai the first Middle East city to reach zero food waste.

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UAE bans private ownership of wild and exotic animals

Cities

Faisal O'Keefe

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January 6, 2017

1

UAE bans private ownership of wild and exotic animals

Starting January 28, it will be the year of the monkey as per the Chinese calendar, but in the United Arab Emirates it will be time for cheetahs, leopards and many other exotic animals to celebrate. A newly passed law renders possession of “all types of wild and domesticated but dangerous animals” as a pet illegal, according to Dubai-based Gulf News.

Effective immediately, The Law on Regulation of Ownership of Dangerous Animals requires that only licensed zoos, wildlife parks, circuses, breeding and research centers may keep wild or exotic animals.

[brid video=”103780″ player=”7642″ title=”SHEIKH HAMDAN WITH TIGER CUB”]

May seem intuitive that wild, and often carnivorous, large animals vulnerable to unpredictable behavior are best cared for by professionals. But throughout the Gulf nations, owning exotic pets is seen as a symbol of power and wealth. Who hasn’t seen images on social media of a lion riding shotgun in a young Saudi’s gold-plated luxury car? Look at the Instagram account of the Crown Prince of Dubai, shown below, who often posts pictures of his adorable baby big cats.

In March, a tiger was spotted weaving through bumper-to-bumper traffic on a busy Doha, Qatar highway (image below). A commuter filmed the animal’s antics and posted it on Twitter, garnering its own hashtag (@DohaTiger), and prompting one viewer to complain, “This obsession of keeping wild animals by rich kids in the Gulf has gone too far.” In Qatar, it is illegal to keep a tiger as a pet, and social media users were quick to point out the owner would be in trouble once officials uncovered his identity. But, according to the Convention on the Illegal Trade of Endangered Species, complaints of wild animals as pets in Qatar are on the rise.

Back in the UAE, officials urge the public to report cases of pet wild animals. Get caught with a leopard on a leash or a cougar on a chain, or any other kind of exotic animal at home or in public, and face a jail term of up to six months, or a fine of up to $136,000, or both.

Penalties are more severe for anyone who uses an animal to frighten or attack another person, including a jail term up to seven years for an attack resulting in physical disability, and life imprisonment if the victim dies.

The new ruling also requires all imported animals to be registered and carry official Cites (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) certificates as well as standard UAE veterinary certificates. Beginning in June, dog owners must keep their pets leashed when in public, and hold valid animal permits indicating that the animals are up-to-date in required vaccinations.

World’s first hydroponic community garden for refugees

Gardening

Karin Kloosterman

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January 4, 2017

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No matter where you roam, by choice or for political reasons, food brings us all back home. It’s like a time machine that transports us backwards to memories of our mothers and fathers. Or forwards when we share food traditions: A new project in a troubled neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, Neve Sha’anan, is attempting to connect people to their food traditions using hydroponics, a novel and sustainable way for community gardening.

The neighborhood is problematic as is it’s low-income and has attracted dozens of thousands of refugees and migrants from East Africa. It’s causing political tension in the city by Israelis who believe the refugees are bringing crime into the city. Some “refugees” are seeking political asylum. Others are legal migrant workers and others in the hood are native Israelis born into a hard scrabble life.

The idea of the new project Rooftop Gardens, is to connect all the parts of this troubled community to one common denominator: real food from home.

Leading the project is Lavi Kushelevich (pictured above). He’s an urban farming consultant leading more than a handful of projects to rejuvenate Tel Aviv – including Green in the City – and to turn it into a food-producing engine.

There are many benefits to this, Lavi will explain.

It is possible to grow food close to where we live, even when home is a concrete jungle or apartment building.

Since urban soil is contaminated with lead and other heavy metals, the best solution for growing food sustainably in cities is using a soil-less system, also known as hydroponics. Hydroponics requires treated water and a basic circulation system to work well. It’s actually a fast way to grow tasty, fresh food if you know how to handle some parameters like water chemistry and other environmental factors.

We spoke with Lavi about the project.

The first hydroponic garden has been built in the most difficult neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, on the most difficult street. The building is mixed with many cultures: Eritreans, Nigerians, Sudanese, Chinese, people from Darfur, Israelis – many languages and cultures. The objective is to make the apartment a food garden with tastes from home to connect residents to each other as a community, Lavi explains.

“It’s like the Tower of Babylon. They speak so many languages in that building and now they have a reason to communicate,” says Lavi.

The group currently meets formally on Saturdays, and showing up is also volunteers from the City of Tel Aviv to those from NGOs, and anyone interested in learning about this way of community gardening.

“Now these people who are outsiders are given a chance to talk and the Israelis can see that they aren’t monsters,” says Lavi. “That’s so beautiful. And it’s fun being on the roof.

“We have now given the residents tools to grow their own food. And taught them about hydroponics, while we bring them seedlings with tastes of flavours from all over the world where these people once called home.”

Learn more here on their Facebook page

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