We tend to lean away from cement as much as possible given its super high embodied energy content, but we can’t help but admire this phenomenal mural carved out of the material and cast in bronze by Khaleel Abu Haltam.
Middle East’s Largest Mural Was Carved Out of Cement
3 Frozen Watermelon Desserts
Summertime is watermelon time, and time to enjoy the pleasant contrast between the fruit’s hot red color and cool sweetness. Mark Bittman of the New York Times writes a variety of recipes featuring watermelon. In case you need convincing, here are 5 good reasons to eat watermelon this summer.
We’ve taken three of Mr. Bittman’s watermelon desserts to show you. You’ll need a blender or food processor to get the texture you’ll want, but they’re all very easy to make. Perfect desserts for lazy summer days. But don’t throw out all of the rind! Try our Iraqi watermelon rind jam first.
Why Were Egyptian Sphinx Feet Found in Northern Israel?
Israeli archeologists are nearly bald from puzzled head-scratching. First was the discovery of a sunken mound of rubble beneath the Sea of Galilee, now comes the mysterious unearthing of an ancient Egyptian sphinx in northern Israel. Make that “parts” of an ancient Sphinx: so far, only segments of its face and feet have been recovered, but archaeologists expect to find more as the dig continues.
Cintec Restores Egypt’s Oldest Pyramid with Water-Filled Bags
Egyptian Pharaohs from the 3rd dynasty were thought to be semi-divine and their majesty considered worth preserving well into the after life – hence the elaborate pyramids constructed in their honor. Using self-inflating water-filled bags for stability, Cintec recently restored the oldest pyramid from that era built for Pharaoh Djoser.
Vanina makes trash from Lebanon glitter
Whereas most people would scarcely give a pile of old keys a second glance, the Vanina girls from Lebanon see in these disused materials new life as glittering jewelry.
Tatiana Fayad and Joanne Hayek have been friends since they were small children and first started collecting random objects as potential materials for new jewelry pieces while they were in college.
That was seven years ago. Now they are working together in a northern suburb of Beirut as Vanina – a rather cheeky name inspired by a French song from the 1970s.
In an interview with The Daily Star, they said they chose this name for their fashion studio because the song’s upbeat tempo and feminine quality resonate with their mission as designers. And it does, but there is also a certain social and environmental awareness that drives their choices as artists.
Rather than buy new materials for their accessories, for example, the duo find value in discarded objects that have special aesthetic qualities.
“We took the concept of taking an everyday object and giving it a higher value,” Joanne Hayek told the paper. “It’s a call for waste management.”
One of their earliest jewelry collections, “Coined,” was comprised of old Lebanese coins decorated with beads, patterns, or words.
Another, “Disc-carded,” involves using bits of metal from CD discs, which have lost their appeal since the advent of iPods and iPhones.
Parts of the keys mentioned in the introduction were used in a collection called “Unlocked.”
In addition to having a clunky, industrial edge, these pieces were created to encourage people to be friendly and neighborly, like they were before Beirut became overrun with high-rise apartments. They are reminders to “keep doors open.”
Taken both metaphorically and physically, Vanina’s upcycled jewelry communicates a message, which is perhaps what distinguishes them from a great number of contemporary jewelry makers.
Like solar power versus oil, their work replenishes the earth while others, who are still stuck on the idea that only gems and precious metals are worthwhile as adornments, extract from it.
Of course, they aren’t the first in Lebanon to join a growing number of international artists and designers who reuse existing materials in order to spare landfills and slow down unsustainable consumerism.
Although they are using recycled materials that are normally frowned upon in Arab societies, the pair have been incredibly successful and their designs have appeared in several respected fashion magazines.
In Egypt, the recycling trend is also catching on slowly. We recently interviewed a group of girls who have turned plastic into marketable products that encourage Egyptians to pay better attention to where stuff comes from and where it lands up.
So, tell us in the comments: would you wear “trash”?
Updated 2024: Soulful in its essence, Vanina was born in Beirut from a friendship between Tatiana Fayad and Joanne Hayek. Together, they shared a vision of creating a label that embodies the notion of femininity, with sustainable and mindful methods woven into every collection.
Since its founding in 2007, Vanina has organically evolved from a jewelry line to a full-fledged lifestyle brand, presenting seasonal collections of clothing, accessories, and jewelry, all proudly handcrafted in Lebanon, and sold internationally.
It remains rooted in Beirut, promoting social and environmental consciousness and contributing to a more sustainable future through a focus on community and circularity.
::Vanina
Ancient Fez Storage Space Transformed into a Thriving Café Litérraire
Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP) was commissioned to upgrade the historic Dar Tazi compound in the medieval city of Fez in Morocco, and the completed transformation of an ancient storage space into a thriving Café Litérraire called Multiplex comprises the first of the project’s three phases.
Powering Buildings With Bioreactor Algae Skin Facades
A five-story apartment building in Hamburg, Germany gets its juice from its algae skin. It’s an example of the kind of architectural innovation that could readily transplant to the Middle East. So why is partnership between designers, investors and government largely absent in this region?
The continuing drought of global investment requires innovative approaches to project underwriting. The most successful strategies involve collectives of stakeholders each with a unique interest in a common project. Singularly, none would back the initiative, but in combination with others, sufficient momentum is created to realize the scheme. There’s power in unusual partnerships, but let’s get back to the building.
The Bio Intelligent Quotient House (BIQ) was designed by Arup, SSC Strategic Science Consultants and Splitterwerk Architects to demonstrate the use algae as an alternative to other renewables for heating and cooling large buildings. BIQ, which contains fifteen apartments, is the first building in the world to be powered exclusively by algae.
One hundred and twenty-nine algae filled tanks are suspended across the southeast and southwest sides of the building. The algae was harvested from the nearby Elbe River and placed inside thin rectangular cases. Each transparent tank was then attached to scaffolding around the building exterior.
The tanks turn mechanically to face the sun, similar to solar collector technology. An automated system also provides carbon dioxide and nutrients to the algae, which lives in a water solution inside each panel.
The growing algae provides shade for the building and also works as a buffer for ambient noise. Excess heat that collects in the tank water is transferred to underground storage for later use. Algae growth is monitored, with occasional harvesting. Inside a building laboratory, the harvested biomass is converted to biogas which can be burned to provide winter heat. Algae produces up to five times as much biomass per hectare as terrestrial plants and contains oils that can be also be used for energy.
The design and construction of the $6 million BIQ has taken three years, funded by Internationale Bauausstellung as part of the ongoing International Building Exhibition 2013. It’s one of 16 featured projects that seek to demonstrate cost effective ways of bio-friendly building. BIQ serves as a test case to be studied by architects and engineers from around the world, assessing potential impact beyond its Hamburg location.
Instead of copycatting fast-food and home delivery, why not replicate a Western concept that might positively shape the Middle East’s future? Germany has a long history of building exhibitions, a tradition that would easily export to deep-pocket Arab countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. These nations could underwrite building competitions and exhibitions bespoke to the challenges of the Middle East, encourage home-grown innovation and generate ideas to solve our most pressing problems. A girl can dream…
Young Egyptian Designers Use Fashion to Change Our Plastic Habits
Young Egyptians Yara Yassin and Rania Rafie are embarking on a business that makes bags from bags – innovative handbags sewn from throwaway plastic. It’s not a gimmick, a serious environmental message underpins the venture.
The freshly minted design school grads share a heightened awareness of modern consumerism, and hope to spread the word that our daily habits have powerful and negative global impact. Green Prophet had a chat with the upcycling duo.
Green Prophet: Tell the readers about yourselves.
Yara/Rania: We are two Egyptian designers who graduated this past winter from the German University in Cairo. We spent our last semester in Berlin in an exchange program run by our university. We created this project together, under the supervision of Tim Braun.
GP: What did you study?
Y/R: We studied Applied Arts and Design, majoring in Product Design. Our field might seem conceptual and general, but our studies were quite detailed and specific. We learned about the different types and stages of product design across broad categories.
GP: How did you get interested in environmental issues?
Y/R: Coming from a developing country, and traveling abroad, we began to see how different lifestyles, values, and economic conditions directly influence the environment. Each country has its different climate which, in turn, influences and creates different cultures, but in the end, we all live on the same planet. Earth, as a whole, must be protected.
Yara has been always interested in sustainable design and the question of why we consume more than we need. She’s worked on several projects trying to solve environmental problems in Egypt. Rania is interested in minimalism: designing in simple forms using the fewest elements and creating minimal waste.
We both share a vision that future decades demand eco-friendly designs. Of course, we don’t imply that our products don’t harm the earth. Instead, we are bringing attention to over-consumerism and highlighting the limitless potential for creative recycling.
GP: Why specifically plastic bags (as opposed to plastic bottles, general litter)?
Y/R: We chose plastic bags because we can’t see a real reason for them anymore. We observe everyday and everywhere the enormous amount of plastic floating in the air and water, trapped in trees, littering the streets. Bag production and disposal creates a huge carbon footprint, and their function can be met in greener ways.
On a personal level, we deal with piles of plastic bags in our homes. We questioned why the waste was so prolific, when will people wake up and say “No more!”. After our semester in Berlin, we saw how Germany worked to reduce plastic bag use. That’s when we started to research plastic pollution and design ways to positively impact the problem.
GP: What do you see as the worst impact of plastic bags?
Y/R: The greatest risk is that plastic can be eaten by animals and fish. It unbalances ecosystems and is making its way into the human food-chain.
GP: In Jordan, everything we buy gets put in plastic bags. There’s no culture of using reusable market bags. Issuing free plastic bags is illegal in Israel – if you want one you must pay a small fee (the same as in Ireland, and many other countries). What is Egypt’s plastic bag policy?
Y/R: Unfortunately, in some Arab countries like Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, and Lebanon, bans on plastic bag don’t exist. Same goes in Egypt, there is no plastic policy; whatever you buy, you will receive a plastic bag, whether you need it or not. That’s why we felt the urge to create a social awareness through out our products, for people to realize the hazardous health and environmental effects of these bags.
GP: What would you like to see happen next (with your project and your work)?
Y/R: We are currently working on social awareness, we want to create our own community to help us deliver the message. We’ll be participating in an upcoming design competition in Amsterdam, and we’d like to see our designs reaching out into Egypt and beyond. Our goal is not only to start an individual business, we want to incite a huge social awareness to help people in the Middle East change these habits. As cliche as it sounds, this could really make difference into a better life.
GP: Is there anything you would like to tell Green Prophet readers?
Y/R: Take a minute to research your own country’s plastic bag policy. See if there is an effort underway to limit their use, and support it. Aim to reduce your own use of the bags – refuse them when they are offered, turn to reusable eco-friendly shopping bags instead. It will make a difference.
Then, think wider: consider what other wastes you throw away, where you throw them and where it will all end up. We tend to be naturally lazy. Counting your weekly use of plastic bags and bottles you use (and toss away) can be a bit shocking. Take your head out of the sand. Our earth is all we’ve got, start by yourself to save it.
Endnote: You can contact the designers directly via email Yara Yassin at [email protected] and Rania Rafie at [email protected] regarding their designs or to request product brochures.
Images courtesy of Yara Yassin and Rania Rafie
Watch out for Lumpy Skin Disease as UAE Bans Jordan’s Cows
The United Arab Emirates has imposed a temporary ban on imports of live cattle, their non-processed skins and all beef derivatives originating from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan following recently reported cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
Brazil’s Easy Taxi App Heads to Egypt and Morocco
Sometimes if you stand on the wrong corner of a busy street in Cairo, taxis will drive right on by, guilt-free, while in less populated cities throughout the Middle East and Africa, they are simply hard to find. Experimental taxi apps are in the works to ease the problem, but Brazil’s Easy Taxi heading our way is already well-established.
Cyprus Oil Spill Threatens Pristine Coastline
Better call out that airborne Mediterranean pollution surveillance crew Tafline just wrote about! Last Tuesday, an oil tanker delivering fuel to a power plant in the Turkish Cypriot-controlled north of Cyprus spilled approximately 40 tons of oil into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Absurdity of Selling Israel’s Private Water to the Highest Bidder
Chronic and even acute supplies of fresh water in Israel and other parts of the Middle East has resulted in over-dependence on desalination. Even more ominous are predictions for the future of inadequate fresh water supplies following a NASA Image Technology survey of the accelerated disappearance of a large underground fresh water sea under Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran.
New Hybrids on the Horizon for the Middle East
Hybrid cars have had a slow start in the Middle East in comparison to other markets. One factor influencing sales is the fact that fuel costs tend to be lower than in other parts of the world, creating less demand for electric vehicles. However, a new crop of sport and luxury models could help change that.
The Hyundai Motor Company has just launched their first hybrid car in the region, with the new Sonata hybrid. Is the Middle East ready for a new rash of hybrids and electric vehicles? Hyundai’s Vice President Tom Lee believes so, stating that increasing awareness in the region of environmental issues makes it a good time to meet the new demand for green cars. It’s worth taking a closer look at the new Sonata and some other upcoming luxury hybrids which are due to hit motoring car news sites in the next year or two.
Sol Chip’s Everlasting Solar Battery is a World First
Israeli’s Sol-Chip has developed an everlasting solar battery that can power mobile and remote devices continuously using energy from the sun.