“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
Why did the carrot slap the lettuce? Because it was too fresh.
A joke that gains huge laughs in the single-digit age group gets a bit more foreboding when applied to grown-up concepts like world hunger and food security. An unprecedented amount of perishable food items are wasted every day in first-world cities. Now a new study by the Dubai Municipality Food Control Department shows that the modern Middle East is picking up those same bad habits, with most consumers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) so obsessed about food freshness that they won’t buy products approaching their sell-by date.
Getting meat without killing animals is a concept that’s fast approaching reality. Lab-grown, or ‘cultured’, meat could resolve many of the environmental and ethical problems of the modern food industry. As unpalatable as it sounds –pioneering research is underway with at least 30 laboratories around the world involved in ‘in vitro’ meat research, including Tel Aviv University. But is there a market for ‘franken-meat’?
flux has developed Eddy, a massive innovation for home growing, vertical farming, and indoor agriculture.
Food Tech, on the surface of things, sounds like something you might not want to bite into, especially if you practice permaculture and organic gardening. But dig deeper as guests from Israel and France learned last week in Jaffa during the So French, So Food week, which hosted 20 top French chefs visiting Israel.
They came looking for mouth watering startups and the Israelis did not disappoint. The FoodTech Pitch TLV pitch night, ‘Where Gastronomy Meets Technology’ – was a highlight of the week-long event. The premise of the FoodTech event was to show how startup nation technology answers the need for food and organizer Yossi Dan did an excellent job.
Beyond the wine and cheese, the event featured interesting technologies that produce, store, deliver, share and help us eat our food. Israel has come far since its early days when it innovated foods like ptitim or Israeli couscous, actually just round beads of pasta, to fulfil the food desires of its North African new immigrants. But food innovation and Israel as a predominantly Jewish nation collecting Jewish food traditions from far and wide makes sense. The latest frontier from Israel is vertical farming where companies like flux are transforming the way we grow food using hydroponics. The Dallas based company has started piloting its technology and expects to start sales by the end of 2016.
I am not sold on all the sustainability credentials of the startups I saw at the event. But the it proved that creativity has its place in food technologies, and that the term Food Tech can be stretched far.
10 food tech startups from Israel
The event collected 10 startups featured below (plus I added in mine so you can know more about flux), but there were others in the audience who’d come to check out this new buzzword and industry forming in Israel. And it’s not just a West Coast trend: something is brewing in Israel – from the new Alpha Strauss food tech incubator to the forming Food Lab Capital that plans to invest in food technologies.
1. BitBite
BitBite has developed a small device that sits in your ear and monitors the way you crunch your food. According to the CEO there is a lot to be learned from the way you chew your food – was Mom always right? The device can eventually learn what you are eating (organic chicken salad, Doritos?) and can help guide you through more “sound” ways to chew (masticating abundantly is better for your health apparently) and even offer ways in which you can improve your diet.
Guess you’ll be pulling this sound plug out when sneak eating chocolate at night. Not sure about this idea providing real value but judging by how many people diet in this world, it just might. BitBite website
2. Valiber
Valiber’s CEO has developed a device (with his father who sat beside me, who built the prototype, see below) of a stick that monitors sweetness in food. Based on some sensor that measures electric conductivity Valiber can tell how sweet a liquid is from a scale that the company has invented.
Eventually the company also wants to be the taste tester for bitterness and sour and other qualities that we’re only able to describe subjectivity. They’ve developed a new scale to measure sweetness and believe that people will care beyond calorie count to just how sweet that juice or cola really is. I think it could work. Valiber website
3. Woosh
Woosh is creating filtered and chilled water stations in cities. They are banking on the fact that people who are buying bottles of water feel incredibly guilty for doing it. So instead these same people are going to carry around a refillable water bottle and buy their water for a fraction of the cost of buying bottled water. The best scenario where I see this working is in cities where it’s really impossible to drink tap water, in countries like Thailand or Brazil. Organizations like Unicef could subsidize the costs and locals and tourists can get a good cold drink.
My main problem with this company which I have covered more positivity in the past is that clean water really should be a basic right for all people everywhere. Charging a fee for it to end users sounds problematic. But then again who hasn’t bought bottled water for $5 from Evian or fizzy water from San Pelegrino? I am guilty and I bet you are too. Woosh, can you add little bubbles? Woosh website
4. EatWith
EatWith makes me smile. See our previous feature on EatWith. I love the idea of connecting people through food. It’s an app and website that lets hosts offer meals in any kind of scenario (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover?) so that people from any kind of scenario can share it.
The company has a rigorous scanning process which tends to keep the riffraff out and the value-adders in. If I were on the jury, I would have chosen EatWith. Eatwith website here
5. Yummi
While EatWith was the first to make me aware of the social economy on your table, Yummi is the next generation. It’s a younger company that will connect you to local food so that other people can prepare home cooked food for you. A marketplace of home cooked food, Yummi is a pretty good idea but not in its innovativeness but in its need. When I was pregnant I was dying to buy home-cooked food but the process required me to make too many phone calls and to have more personal connections to the food cookers than I was willing or able to have. Easier just to cook myself.
Yummi might be the better broker. Or there may be good reason why home cooked food, made with love, is staying in the realm of the rare. Yummi website
6. Pimi Agro
Pimi Agro has developed a post-harvest chemical solution to nasty fungicides. The process is based on hydrogen peroxide which the company claims is relatively inert and which coats fresh food to prolong its shelf life.
I have taken an MBA class on developing solutions for the developing world and have learned the stark truth: most of the food produced in developing countries (about 70% of it) spoils before it reaches anyone’s table. Pimi Agro to the rescue? PIMI AGRO website
7. IntoEat
Intoeat is a young company developing an app to connect people to discount food sources. Also for those into food porn.
Want some home cooking or a discount supper at the nearby pub?
This app lets restaurants offer deals and pictures of what’s being served so you can connect to it and eat it now.
Available on the app store.
8. Innobev
Innobev is developing a drink to help you can the caffeine addiction. Is too much caffeine a bad thing when you want to wake up in the afternoon? The company has developed a drink, without the caffeinated high, based on proven research and herbs to help you wake up from the afternoon slump more healthfully. The company is installing itself in workplace hangouts like the lunchroom. For a brief period in my life when it was inappropriate to take a nap at work I wished I’d had something like this. Or do like the Chinese: roll out a little mat and take a few winks when the need arises, with an Innobev by your side. InnoBev website
9. Protyplus
Protyplus is developing a way to turn meat protein into a melt in your mouth snack. Most Green Prophet’s will gag at the thought of melt in your mouth meat but let’s keep an open mind: there is a need and market for freeze packaged products especially for long-distance hikers or people in emergency situations.
The jury down below seemed to get excited over the samples the company was offering so maybe ProtyPlus is onto something. It looks like it based on novel academic research.
10. GreenOnyx
GreenOnyx was the jury’s favourite. The company is a husband and wife team who are taking a small Asian water-based plant, putting its seeds into a coffee-like pod, and building a machine around it so people can grow up to two pounds of the plants per day at home. That’s for the home unit. The small plant, a type of edible duckweed, is being touted as the next superfood and is called Khai-Nam or water eggs. It’s also known as Wolffia globosa or water meal and is packed with more protein than soy. It is a staple diet in Asian countries like Thailand where it is scooped off water after the rains. The stuff just grows like a weed but it can be toxic if not farmed correctly. Presumably GreenOryx has the problem solved.
The company has an FDA seal of approval to sell its product in the US, but the plant is an invasive species so I hope that the US Department of Agriculture is also consulted. A quick look online and I see that this edible duckweed is already found in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida. But this blogger warns about checking your state first before growing it.
All in all I love the idea as a novelty (we are all about fresh food, made locally and sustainably after all – and on water!) but again the whole pods concept needs to be solved so they are not throw away. One challenge in growing duckweed outdoors is bacterial contamination which the couple seems to have solved by providing a tool to cultivate it hydroponically indoors. There is a restaurant and industrial version being planned. Website here GreenOnyx.
The olive branch as a symbol of peace is rooted in ancient Greek culture, but the link between the fruit tree and conflict resolution continues today; especially clear in a beautiful little project called Olive Oil without Borders (OOWB) just re-launched in its second edition at a conference held last month in Kufr Rai, in the West Bank.
A diving club struck gold on a recent expedition off the Mediterranean city of Caesarea, finding a priceless trove of coins dating back more than 1,000 years. The stash was discovered on the seabed that was once home to ancient Roman-era port city Caesarea, considered one of the flagship archaeological sites of Israel.
Harsh winter storms have pounded the coastline, churning up the ocean floor and sweeping back layers of sediment to expose the ancient treasure.
The extraordinary find happened by chance. Divers were exploring the ancient harbor when they noticed the gold, thinking at first it was a toy or modern game piece. Once they realized it was a metal coin, they collected several more and quickly surfaced to tell their dive club director. Experts from the Antiquities Authority (IAA) came to the site, where they uncovered almost 2,000 gold coins in different denominations issued by the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled much of the Middle East and North Africa from 909 to 1171.
The IAA issued a statement calling the nearly 20lb haul “the largest treasure of gold coins discovered in Israel”. IAA spokeswoman Yoli Schwartz told AFP the find was “so valuable that its priceless,” adding the coins were now the property of the state, and that there was no finder’s fee.
Kobi Sharvit, director of the IAA marine archaeology unit, said further excavations would be conducted to shed more light on the origin of the treasure. “There is probably a shipwreck there of an official treasury boat which was on its way to the central government in Egypt with taxes that had been collected,” said Sharvit, “Perhaps the treasure of coins was meant to pay the salaries of the Fatimid military garrison which was stationed in Caesarea and protected the city.” Another theory is that the treasure belonged to a large merchant ship that traded between Mediterranean ports.
IAA said the coins did not need any special handling, as that they had been “naturally cleaned” by the sea.
Global warming makes for fierce winter storms that will ultimately destroy vulnerable coastal developments. Watching incremental changes to local weather is the meteorological equivalent of movie previews. While Mother Nature tosses us some teasers, we can presage the blockbuster feature film.
Work to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Act to realize change on a larger scale. But ’til then enjoy the silver linings. In this case, archaeological “digs” caused by intense wave action that unearth a literal pot of gold.
In a bid to make the future of the United Arab Emirates more sustainable Google has recently sponsored a local community project called Innovation Hub.
While the UAE is far from being a Startup Nation like its Middle East neighbour Israel, the new UAE hub will train young people and teachers in the region in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Google’s involvement in the Ras Al Khaimah was due to a lack of locals trained in those fields. Projects like this one aims to turn the UAE into a sustainable nation, especially when fossil fuels run out.
The project initiated by Al Bayt Mitwahid Association will offer classes in 3D printing, robotics, green energy and programming.
While the location is at the UAE Teachers’ Association building in Ras Al Khaimah, and far from the skyscrapers of Dubai, this modest space might give birth to a new sustainable path for the UAE. In shalla.
There’s been a revolution in Iran, and we’re not talking about the one that resulted in overthrowing the Shah in 1979! The latest one involves an Irish environmentalist and surfing champion, and her mission to bring the sport to Iran, and its women.
When a young boy stood on the beach in a fishing village in one of Iran’s least known areas, and saw three women catching waves, it was the first time he had seen females surfing. Actually, it was the first time he’d seen anyone surfing! One of them was Easky Britton. We featured her first visit to Iran before, but now there is a documentary about her incredible mission to introduce surfing to Iran.
A passionate environmentalist, Easkey started surfing when she was just four years old. She first came to Iran in 2010, her curiosity and attraction to the unknown taking her to a remote and dangerous part of the country that even many Iranians don’t travel to: Balochistan. Marion Poizeau, a French film maker came with her, and created a short video about Easkey being the first woman in Iran to surf. It quickly drew media attention.
In 2013, after hearing lots of positive of feedback from Iranians about this new sport, the pair returned to make a documentary. With Marion’s passion for film-making and Easkey’s thirst for surf, the two were an inspiring combination. Into the Sea follows the journey of Easkey, Iranian snowboarder Mona and Iranian diver Shalha, who are introducing surfing to Iran. The film was a project based around an objective of sharing a passion for surfing in the country, and at the same time making it accessible to everyone, including women.
“Scariest little corner of the world”
Iran has a lot to offer, but it’s never really been a country renowned for its beaches or its surf. Many people haven’t even heard of Balochistan. It’s rarely mentioned in guidebooks. Poor life expectancy, high poverty levels and low rates of adult literacy; the picture hasn’t been a rosy one for this remote area that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. In fact The New York Times branded Baluchistan as “The scariest little corner of the world.” But with vast stretches of empty, crowd-free beaches, for Easkey it meant a “guaranteed adventure in a little-understood country.”
Making waves in the local community
Easky and Marion ended up in the city of Chabahar, and the the small village of Ramin just to the east of the city. From her first visit Easkey wore a hijab and full-length wetsuit in the water. She wanted to challenge perceptions about women and sport, but was also careful to respect the local culture and Islamic religion.
Marion who was filming the experiences said that the support they received touched her deeply: “We had a sit-down with the elders and the tribesmen. We drank tea for about three hours with them. They spelled out the rules: women surfers must cover their hair and separate surfing lessons would be given for men and women. After that, we were under their protection.”
The enthusiasm of the Balochi people was overwhelming, but it was apparent there was a long way to go. Easkey at times has struggled to accept how much local women were kept in the background; how invisible they seemed. In Chabahar, despite the positive reaction by the local community, Shalha expressed her uncertainty about whether the local women would be allowed to surf or swim in the future. When she and Mona asked local women if they wanted to go surfing, they declined. Shalha explained that “It looked like they wanted to go, but they weren’t allowed.”
But surfing has empowered the women of Balochistan in some way. For Easkey, introducing surfing to them has meant that Balochi women and girls no longer on the sidelines. “What’s most inspiring, is the enthusiasm and vision of the young people here, with young women making an important, change making role, leading the way in a new frontier sport,” she said.
Surfing into the future
Into the Sea, screened in Tehran and London, has been critically acclaimed. Marion said: “This film is a message of tolerance and shows that by following our passion we can create nice stories even in unexpected places like Balochistan. It’s a great perspective of a beautiful story that is still ongoing.”
In September 2014, Easkey, Mona, Shalha and Marion went back to Balochistan and put on more surf classes. They created the group “We surf in Iran” where Iranians – both male and female – from all around the country went to participate in classes. Next the women hope to establish an Iranian national federation of surf and be able to organize international events and encourage foreigners to experience the region, one that the Easkey and Marion now consider a second home.
Posters mocking actor Ed Begley Jr. and radio-host Robert Kennedy Jr. were plastered all over Hermosa Beach, California and nearby neighborhoods ahead of the pair’s recent appearance at the simplistically titled, “Environmental Forum with Bobby Kennedy Jr. & Ed Begley Jr.” at the Hermosa Beach Community Theater. Tuck this in the ballooning file labeled “When celebrities eclipse the causes they champion“.
It might not have the archaeological marvels of Petra or the adventure of Wadi Rum, but a two-hour drive from Amman’s dusty streets, you’ll find something special that you won’t find elsewhere in Jordan. Nestled in the hills and landscape of north-western Jordan, lies a green oasis with an eco-minded philosophy: Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark (SHE.)
Visitor numbers are continually on the up, reaching 20,000 last year. On weekends in spring it’s not unusual for the park to see 2,000 visitors, ranging from families, to school groups and nature lovers all wanting to make the most out of the open green space, and enjoy the flora and diverse ecological habitats.
With its growing popularity (it’s even hosting the annual Jordan Valley Triathlon and Duathlon next month!) and to cope with the increasing visitor numbers, the EcoPark is upgrading its facilities. It’s recently installed new 26-kilowatt solar smart panels moving with the sun to catch its light and providing power to the information center and cabins.
Work is ongoing also on a new kitchen, toilets and seating area that will be ready in spring, and cabins with private bathroom facilities are planned for the future.
The EcoPark already has a giant swing in place to delight and challenge visitors, but it’s planning more adventure games for summer, including two new zip lines, one sweeping across Jordan’s first dam – the Ziglab dam – which was built in 1964. In keeping with its eco-friendly ethos, the new kitchen and toilets will be housed in recycled containers and private bathroom facilities will be provided with fresh spring water from the dam.
The story of Sharhabil EcoPark
Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world, and its problem of water shortages has long been documented. After seeing the destruction and the deterioration of the Ziglab dam and the land surrounding it, a group of environmentalists from EcoPeace Middle East decided that they needed to do something. They rented 100 dunam of land from the Jordan Valley Authority, began to plant trees and monitor environmental threats.
The pilot project was so successful that they were given more land and grants, fenced off the area to prevent overgrazing. The park opened to the public in 2008. It now has 56 species of birds, walking trails and wooden cabins for visitors to stay in.
Educational initiatives
Part of the SHE EcoPark’s mission has always been to increase public awareness about the environment and to preserve ecological habitats in the Jordan River Valley. Recycling and sustainability haven’t been a priority in Jordan and green governmental policies are greatly lacking in Jordan. But the park aims to change this.
One way SHE EcoPark does this is by organizing events and projects for children from schools and community organizations around Jordan. With Jordan’s water shortage issues and having poor recycling infrastructure, educating the future generation about water conservation and recycling is paramount.
Recently a group of orphans from Amman that came to spend the day enjoying the fresh air, the grassy trails and games. After having breakfast cooked by two local women, they set off on a two-hour hike around the park, passing a bird-watching hut hide made from 2000 recycled plastic bottles filled with sand, learning that litter can be reused again for something useful.
The EcoPark’s manager Othman Al-Tawalbeh said that there are many ways that we can benefit from recycling and he wants to get this point across to visitors. “We want to teach people how they can benefit from plastic by using easy-to-teach practices,” he said when describing a second use the park has for discarded plastic bottles – mosquito traps!
The geodesic dome – a structure made from metal – was another huge hit with the children. Apart from learning about alternative ecological building techniques, they saw how an open air theater worked. The dome is used as a stop off point along one of the trails and provides a very apt space for environmental discussions, teaching visitors about the regional water conflict.
Mr Tawalbeh explained that although children have spend a fantastic time at the park, it takes time and management to teach kids to care for the environment. “80% of the children leave the park with rich knowledge about caring for the environment, but there are still challenges of course in getting all children to understand the importance of sustainability and caring for the environment,” he added.
Working with the local community
As well as working with the general public to improve sustainability, the park also works with the local community. There have been problems in the past with cattle overgrazing, but the park and local Bedouins work together to reduce the effects. The Ziglab dam pumps water to the Bedouins for their own use and in return they conserve the main water reserves of the dam.
The SHE EcoPark park also relies on locally grown and made produce, such as pomegranates, olives, oranges and lemons. Local Bedouins come and attend to bee hives in the park and sell the honey in the small visitors’ shop. Groups coming to learn more about nature and the environment also have the chance to drink and eat with a local Bedouin family.
Walking trails, bikes and a shady picnic areas are just some of the many ways to enjoy this calm eco-haven with rolling hills and magnificent views. The visiting children enjoyed it greatly. On returning from the two-hour walk tired, but animated, and full of new information one child commented: “This is already the best day I’ve had in ages.”
The toughest foot race on Earth kicks off on April 6th. It’s a gruelling multi-stage adventure through formidable landscape in one of the world’s most inhospitable climates – the Sahara desert in southern Morocco. The annual Marathon des Sables, better known as MdS, is now in its 30th consecutive year. Ready to lace up?
We don’t often hear good news coming from Palestine, but solar energy advances for Palestinian households are something to celebrate. The Dead Sea Photovoltaic Generating Plant offers drastically reduced prices for Palestinians struggling to pay their energy bills and its first phase is now open and underway.
Traditionally Palestinians have had to rely on Israel for their electricity. They do import some electricity from Jordan and Egypt, but it’s done little to reduce their dependence on Israeli energy suppliers. It’s estimated that around 80 percent of Palestinian electricity is imported.
The electricity tariff in the Palestinian authorities is also about 15 percent higher than in Israel, even though the GDP for Palestine is much lower. Palestine is a territory poor in wealth, but also in natural energy resources such as natural gas and fossil fuels which can be generated into electricity. Energy security is a controversial topic.
The opening of the 710 kW first phase of the planned 1.5 MW Dead Sea Photovoltaic Generating Plant has gone some way in improving the situation, offering drastically lowered energy prices for Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. The plant uses solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells, and turns sunlight into electricity and is the biggest photovoltaic (PV) installation producing electricity in Palestine. It’s based near Jericho and is 258 meters (846 ft) below sea level.
The organization, Future for Palestine, is funding the $1 million solar project. It’s headed by Salam Fayyad, the former prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority. Future for Palestine has already been subsidizing electricity bills for 5,000 families suffering from poverty in East Jerusalem which amounts to $14 per family and reduces their bills by an average of 25%. To ensure this support for Palestinian families would be sustainable in the future, the organization decided to fund the new solar project.
Msader for Energy systems, the Palestinian company who built the plant, wanted to build and design and a solar energy system that would give long-term, reliable energy output in desert climate conditions with very hot and dry weather. Abelnaser Dwaikat, the managing director of the firm told Green Prophet that there was a need to promote and develop a resilient and sustainable energy supply for Palestinians. He said: “ It is crucial to focus on reducing dependence on energy imports and increasing the utilization of renewable energy sources available in Palestine.”
Given the high number of sunny days in Palestine, increased reliance on solar energy is very feasible. Yet Abdelnasser noted that there were challenges with the introduction of this type of green energy. “Solar PV and photovoltaic systems are yet to fully take off in Palestinian areas due to high initial costs associated with such systems,” he said.
Yet he believes that in the future these systems will be a leading source of clean and independent energy for the Palestinian people. “It’s a very potential market for solar energy as already the Palestinians are using 80% of solar thermal heating and the photovoltaic system should be the same percentage in the coming year, Mr Dwaikat said.”
The second phase of the Dead Sea Photovoltaic Generating plant will start in mid-2015 and should be delivered by end of this year.
So you forgot that it’s Valentine’s Day – again? Solve the problem in your morning shower (like this clever Romeo), or scan Green Prophet’s last-minute ideas from seven stellar and sustainable gift programs. Use your laptop or smart phone to make a fast online donation or buy in the name of your beloved. Save the planet and your relationship in one grand gesture.
World population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Rising incomes in emerging economies lead to greater demand for meat-rich diets. As the world grows hungrier for animal protein, insects could be the new way to feed livestock, and us. Using insects to feed the animals providing tomorrow’s meat – does anything about this bug you?
Egypt isn’t exactly renowned for its vast green spaces and pioneering environmental policies. Its capital is the biggest city in the Middle East and it’s also one of the most densely populated in the world. Cairo is famous for being full of people, buildings and traffic – not plants or trees. But recently projects aiming to green the city have been sprouting up all over the urban metropolis.
Living walls are just one effort to turn Cairo into a better urban environment – both aesthetically and ecologically. We’ve covered them before in Lebanon and Kuwait, and now it’s Egypt’s turn.
The walls – also referred to as vertical gardens, green walls and vertical vegetation – use a system that can be attached to either free-standing structures or walls. They utilize space by turning walls into green spaces.The plants are cultivated both vertically and hydroponically, meaning the vegetation is planted in an environment without soil.
Green Studios is a landscape technology and design firm that has taken living wall projects across the MENA region. One of its recent projects was the HS residence in Cairo. Lacking outdoor space, planting vertically was the only viable option left to green the exterior of the private dwelling. The idea was to have the main characteristics of a garden – without having an actual garden. And it looks fantastic!
Wanting to keep it creative and unique, but still garden-like, abstract shapes of trees and shrubs were used on the 120 square meter wall. These were outlined by stainless steel frames held by wooden branches acting as trunks. These trunks diffuse indirect lighting through the entire canvas providing the necessary mood at night. “It portrays how design and hydroponic technology, combined together can create remarkable additions to a space,” Pamela Haydamous, a landscape designer at Green Studios said.
But although the walls are easy to create, issues can crop up. The challenges for living walls usually vary with every site. The main challenge is the fact that the plants are planted in a soilless medium and need a way to adapt to their surroundings.
The technology the company uses allows the plant roots to spread and grow in a healthy environment, and adapt to new system of nutrition, irrigation , drainage and light exposure. In this way even shrubs and trees can grow normally. The Green studios ‘skin, patented in Lebanon and US patent pending, is tested for extreme weather conditions and temperature variations, and also forms an isolation layer to protect the plant roots. It also has a high water retention capacity, is flexible, strong and UV resistant . And it’s not only private properties in Cairo greening their spaces. The Green Wall in Cairo’s Galleria mall is injecting some well-needed green into public space. The 12 meters high by 100 meters long wall features a vertical garden and waterfall.
The idea was to have a living wall interlocked with modules of grey and beige tiles. This wall is on the main indoor façade of the mall , containing a water feature and is the main area where most of the restaurants are located. It means you can enjoy your coffee in a garden-like environment without even having to venture outdoors!
And the benefits? Apart from looking good, they’re said to improve air quality by removing harmful toxins from the air, are sustainable and can even reduce stress!
According to Indjy Shawket, a lecturer from the Architecture Department at Cairo University, “Urban greening can help dealing with the environmental challenges arising from climate change, such as global warming. Living walls can be a part of this.”
Why did the carrot slap the lettuce? Because it was too fresh.
And it’s not only private properties in Cairo greening their spaces. The Green Wall in Cairo’s Galleria mall is injecting some well-needed green into public space. The 12 meters high by 100 meters long wall features a vertical garden and waterfall.