Imagine trash and sewage filling six Olympic-size pools. Can you smell it? Now drain them into Kidron Valley which separates East and West Jerusalem, abutting their holiest sites. It’s a revolting image and annual reality: those pools are fantasy, but the waste is not.
Palestinian Schoolkids Green-Up Jerusalem’s Holy Valley
Student Proposes Iraq Embassy Design for Oslo a la Zaha but Greener
Zaha Hadid’s flowing architecture instantly sprung to mind when we came across Zaid Bin Talib’s design proposal for an Iraqi embassy in Oslo. Daring, futuristic, and swooping, the design appears to be influenced by Iraq’s most famous architect’s style, except the Oslo School of Architecture and Design student’s work is so much greener.
Abu Dhabi Warned of Toxic Dust Storms
Pablo Picasso once said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” So, it’s off to the art galleries all you in Abu Dhabi: your meteorological agencies are warning of epic dust storms ahead.
16-year-old Turkish Teen Makes Bioplastic from Banana Peels
Meet Elif Bilgin, the latest in a string of wunderkids from the Middle East and North Africa, who invented a bioplastic made from banana peels.
#occupygezi In-Situ Architecture Made with Scrap Materials (Photos)
Design is an often overlooked aspect of any social protest movement, but the organic nature of its occurrence is of great interest to the Turkish collective Herkes İçin Mimarlık. Translated as Architecture for All, this group collected photos of shelters built from scrap materials during Turkey’s recent uprising and then made drawings of them.
Jordan’s US Embassy Sees Power in SOCCKET Balls
A couple of Harvard students have enlisted the world’s most popular sport as a generator of portable power. SOCCKET ball, the brainchild of Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman, is a toy that can produce renewable energy anywhere. The inventors stopped in at the US Embassy in Jordan to conduct educational programs for children and workshops for young entrepreneurs.
Are Squishy Little “Moss Piglet” Tardigrades Extraterrestrials?
Earth’s most indestructible being might be this wee barrel-bodied cutie with eight stumpy legs. Tardigrades are small, segmented animals with a penchant for water dwelling: lichens and mosses are their favored habitat. They’re found everywhere, from the deepest seas to the towering Himalayas, at the equator and polar caps. Their physical prowess lead some to suspect they come from outer space.
“Dubai’s Skyscrapers are Cheap” and “Anonymous” says Architect Franky Gehry
Frank Gehry, considered one of the world’s most important architects, said in a recent Foreign Policy interview that its “cheap” skyscrapers makes Dubai look like any other “cruddy city in the world.” We’ve been dissing these skyscrapers for a while, based on their shoddy eco credentials, but it’s so satisfying to hear from one of the world’s most renowned architects that so many of them are just junk.
$10 Recycled Cardboard Bike Indiegogo Campaign Raises Nearly $20,000 in Two Days
When news of a $10 bicycle made of recycled cardboard first reached our desk, we didn’t think it would ever see the light of day, but in two days, Cardboard Technologies has already raised a whopping $16,070 on its Indiegogo campaign to mass produce what Popular Science Magazine called one of the best inventions of 2013.
Saudi Arabia HungerStation: Fast-food Convenience or Obesity Enabler?
HungerStation.com in Saudi Arabia is a new online platform where customers can order food from a lengthening list of restaurants for delivery right to their doorstep. Wildly successful, the service has experienced a 500% increase in daily traffic since their launch last November, and is signing on new food chains at an impressive clip.
High Flyers’ Legroom Generates More Emissions
No news that first-class passengers have deeper pockets than economy flyers. Now the World Bank confirms their carbon footprint is about sevenfold that of the average airborne Joe.
Istanbul: 500 Youth Activists Gather for Global Power Shift Summit
With the dust of social anger still unsettled in Taksim Square and on the same day that U.S. President Obama unveiled his groundbreaking climate action plan, 500 young climate activists from around the globe have gathered in Istanbul to mobilize strategies for a cleaner energy future. Is the pendulum finally swinging green?
Byblos, the ‘Best Arab Tourist City’ in Lebanon Offers Lessons in Greening too
Byblos, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city in Lebanon has been named the Arab world’s best tourist city by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and it offers a host of lessons in greening too.
Ship With Black Bitumen Sinks off Oman’s Pristine Coast
A ship carrying thick black bitumen, the same stuff found in Canada’s tar sands, sank off the coast of Oman on Sunday and its contents are now floating on the Gulf of Oman – about 40km east of the capital Muscat.
Beirut Terraces Make Sustainable Vertical Villages for Lebanon City
As part of a larger master plan to rejuvenate the downtown Beirut area, Swiss Architects Herzog & De Meuron have designed “The Terraces,” a green waterfront apartment tower in Beirut lush with vegetation and hanging gardens.