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Skin Cancer Risk Goes Up In the Afternoon Sun

Karin Kloosterman
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18
Skin Cancer Risk Goes Up In the Afternoon Sun

beer drinking party afternoon sun cancerA new study has found that afternoon sun is five times riskier than than sun caught in the morning hours.

Are you one of those people who slather sunscreen all over your face come high noon, but remove the T- shirt later in the day to catch those warming, vitamin D-making rays? Well if you are one of those people (which was me until I read this study)  who take joy in basking in the “safe” late day sun drinking a beer or sailing your sailboat, be warned: according to a relatively recent study published in PNAS (links to PDF), afternoon sun ups your risk of getting skin cancer five fold.

And it’s not because of anything the sun did: according to the researchers it’s all about our internal circadian clocks and our DNA’s ability to fend off the damaging effects of UV radiation. It turns out that our DNA is less protected to mutations late in the day. Simply put: our body works less good after a long day on the job. The bad news: more DNA damage is found to occur. This damage can result in skin cancer.

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SodaStream’s SuperBowl Ad Challenges Coke and Pepsi’s Winning Streak

Tafline Laylin
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0
SodaStream’s SuperBowl Ad Challenges Coke and Pepsi’s Winning Streak

SodaStream, Coke, Pepsi, Super Bowl, Advertising, plastic, pollution, IsraelOnce just a small company with a negligible following, SodaStream has caused a resounding splash with its recent Super Bowl advertising debut. Following up on its earlier strategy of comparing its brand to soda giants like Coca Cola and Pepsi, which waste billions of plastic bottles every month, the Israeli company made a bold move by targeting the companies on one of their biggest selling days, an American institution, the Super Bowl.

Their advertising agency Pale Dot Voyage initially featured both Coke and Pepsi products in the original advertisement, but CBS, concerned to offend their advertisers, banned it. SodaStream was forced to submit an advertisement featuring generic products instead but the impact was still clearly felt. The central message? By using their carbonated machines instead of coke or pepsi, consumers can save 15 million plastic bottles on game day alone. 

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LEED-Seeking Google Tel Aviv is About as Cool as Offices Come

Tafline Laylin
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0
LEED-Seeking Google Tel Aviv is About as Cool as Offices Come

LEED, Platinum, Google, Tel Aviv, Camenzind Evolution, Setter Architects, Studio Yaron Tel, Electra Tower, Israel, green design, sustainable designUnreal. That is the first word that swims around our heads when we look at images of Google’s new offices in Tel Aviv.

While some plebes schlep to work amid carpet covered cubicles and everlasting beige, Google’s employees have an indoor orange grove reminiscent of Jaffa’s longstanding industry, a wall covered in a giant giclée of the Negev desert, a dining room that mimics the city’s effervescent cafe culture and even a meeting room that pays respects to local surfers.”

What’s more, these offices are not relegated to just one floor of the Electra tower. Instead, there are eight all decked with the same playful, mostly nature-oriented decor that has catapulted Camenzind Evolution‘s reputation as a leader of the interior design world. 

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New Israeli Strains of Chickpeas Promise Higher Yields And Even Better Nutrition

Miriam Kresh
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9
New Israeli Strains of Chickpeas Promise Higher Yields And Even Better Nutrition

improved strain chickpeas hebrew universityThe Hebrew University in Jerusalem improves one of the world’s most important food staples.

In a world where rainfall is no longer predictable and droughts hold sway, even affecting politics in the Middle East, we are less and less complacent about food security.

Developments like wine produced under desert conditions and pest-resistant wheat brighten the picture, but we’re still far from feeling safe about tomorrow’s plate of food. Now new strains of chickpeas that don’t rely on winter rains hold out a good promise for this drier planet.

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France Says “Oui” to Masdar Renewables Deal

Faisal O'Keefe
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0
France Says “Oui” to Masdar Renewables Deal

france masdar deal CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al JaberMasdar CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber signed a joint declaration with the French government, paving the way for new collaboration on advancing clean energy projects in France. The deal facilitates co-development of new technology and allows for easier transnational exchange of expertise and experience. In also underscores existing cooperation on the Global Atlas of Renewable Energy. France plans to produce 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, a strategy also intended to boost the national economy. At present, France’s wind energy capacity ranks sixth in the world.

“France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are equally committed to address energy security and sustainability,” Al Jaber told AMEInfo. “The two countries are making bold investments in large-scale renewable energy projects and developing carbon reduction strategies.”

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Casablanca’s Cinema in the Hands of One Man

Tafline Laylin
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3
Casablanca’s Cinema in the Hands of One Man

lifestyle, cinema, culture, ABC Cinema, Casablanca, MoroccoThe commercial capital of Morocco is catching up to the western world through a series of dedicated governmental initiatives, putting old institutions like ABC Cinema on Boulevard Mohamed V at risk. Made famous by the romance starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca is a bustling metropolis with a brand new tram line that connects all of its main neighborhoods.

By some accounts this is good. Quality of life has improved for some people, the place is modernizing. But this new world order has not only created environmental hazards such as poor waste and water management, it has also dealt cinema the death knell. And one man is valiantly trying to forestall its complete demise.

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50 Gulf Companies Voluntarily Cut Energy and Water Use

Tafline Laylin
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1
50 Gulf Companies Voluntarily Cut Energy and Water Use

energy conservation, water conservation, dubai, united arab emirates, A host of private companies in Dubai and other emirates that have joined a voluntary initiative to reduce their energy and water consumption have experienced enormous success, demonstrating that it’s not impossible to do so.

Last week the Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) recognized five firms in particular for exceeding energy and water conservation targets set as part of the Heroes of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) environmental initiative in a country that currently has one of the world’s highest per capita carbon footprints, The National reports.

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IRENA Produces Free Global Renewable Energy Atlas

Faisal O'Keefe
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4
IRENA Produces Free Global Renewable Energy Atlas

renewable energy maps from IrenaIt’s a sea-change for a region so linked to the hydrocarbon,  but new clean energy initiatives are heating up the Middle East.

Thanks to the 2013 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (we were invited to), some new development partnerships between United Arab Emirates renewables company, Masdar, and both the Jordanian and French governments were formed; Greenpeace released Jordan’s Energy Future, their first report specific to the Arab world; and now Green Prophet’s learned that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)  based in Abu Dhabi just launched a Global Renewable Energy Atlas.

The new atlas shines a light on the world’s wind and solar infrastructure and, by cataloging resources into an open-access web-based tool, aims to accelerate adoption of clean energy technology. The Global Atlas is the most comprehensive information platform on the potential of renewable energy.

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Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki Says “Leave the Birds Alone”

Kelly Milone
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0
Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki Says “Leave the Birds Alone”

sultan saeed al darmaki leave the birds aloneIf you’re looking for some light reading from the Middle East, something peppered with the region’s wit and satire, then look no farther than Abu Dhabi and Sultan Saeed al Darmaki, presently a businessman running the construction-based Al Darmaki group. He has published his first official book, entitled Leave the Birds Alone. It was a highly personal endeavor, as the content is simply a collection of some of the wittiest or thought-provoking ideas and observations he has accumulated throughout his lifetime.

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Consumption in Dubai – Breathtaking Photos of Our Environmental Impact

Richard Allenby Pratt
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0
Consumption in Dubai – Breathtaking Photos of Our Environmental Impact

Environmental Art, Photography, Nature, Richard Allenby-Pratt, Consumer Culture, Consumption, Ghaf TreesRichard Allenby-Pratt’s popular Abandoned photo series still haunts us. Currently based in Dubai, the professional photographer received numerous accolades for extraordinary compositions that depict wild animals meandering through a deserted Dubai.

How surreal, and yet not so far removed from the truth, it is to see rhinos and giraffes searching for food amid a backdrop of glass and steel. Now we’re happy to announce that Richard will be sharing more images from a new project that he has been cooking up. It’s called Consumption and it starts in Dubai.

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It’s Baby Steps for Saudi’s Biggest Solar Plant

Tafline Laylin
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0
It’s Baby Steps for Saudi’s Biggest Solar Plant

desert, solar, clean tech, alternative energy, renewable energy, saudi's largest solar plant, PV,Built anywhere else, a 3.5 MW photovoltaic solar plant wouldn’t even elicit a whisper from mainstream news outlets. But one completed in Saudi Arabia has set the wires ablaze. We don’t mean to be cynical. It’s great that Saudi has turned to solar, regardless of its intentions. Some solar is better than no solar.

To put that into perspective, Masdar is about to complete the world’s largest single unit CSP plant outside of Abu Dhabi. That 100 MW facility will power 20,000 homes.  If my calculations are right (and they could be wrong, because I’m a wordsmith not a mathematician), Saudi’s plant will run less than 800 homes. So it’s baby steps for the Kingdom, which plans to spend $109 billion to derive one third of its energy requirement from solar technology by 2032.

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XinZhao Li Snaps Rare Photos of Remote Tajik People in China

Tafline Laylin
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17
XinZhao Li Snaps Rare Photos of Remote Tajik People in China

Tajiks, photography, lifestyle, tribal life, China, art, culture, travel, natureTaskurgan is an unforgiving place. Located at 10,140 feet in the Pamir mountain range on the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, close to Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, this small autonomous Kashgar Prefecture county in Xinjiang, China is cold, the winters are long, and food is hard to come by.

But out of such a place emerged a fascinating culture. The ethnic Tajiks and their simple, tribal way of life are not well known to the outside world, however, something that Chinese photographer XinZhao Li sought to change.

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Turkish Architects Reveal Plans for Renewable Energy-Generating Mosque

Julia Harte
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0
Turkish Architects Reveal Plans for Renewable Energy-Generating Mosque

Surrounded by mountains, Turkey’s fourth largest city, Bursa, is already one of the country’s most verdant metropolises — and it’s about to get a little bit greener.

A mosque slated to be built in the western city of Bursa will produce 120 kilowatts of electricity from solar and wind energy, according to Turkish paper Hürriyet Daily News. But the building will consume just 50 kW of that, selling the rest to the national power grid.

See the design for the mosque after the jump.

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Katerva’s 10 World Changing Sustainable Projects for 2012

Karin Kloosterman
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0
Katerva’s 10 World Changing Sustainable Projects for 2012

katerva sustainable awards nobel prize ecology

While there are no winners from the Middle East this year, an important awards organization Katerva scours the globe for people and organizations that can make real immediate change for our planet. Now Katerva has announced its 10 winners for the Katerva Awards 2012.  In 2011 we wrote about Katerva’s 8 finalist projects that will save planet earth (including this eco-toilet) and today we bring you the 10 winners for 2012. Terry Waghorn who established the organization spends his days and nights networking and Skyping with high-ranking authorities across the globes from celebs, princesses, supermodels, entrepreneurs, universities and techies at their hubs. Oh, and once and a while this Green Prophet. Unlike TED events (see the TEDx we helped organized in Jaffa) which bring together important and inspiring people to talk, Katerva is a catalyst that aims to put talk into serious action.

According to Waghorn, “Today’s unprecedented challenges require a new kind of organization, one that optimizes the world’s unprecedented interconnectedness, prioritizes action and systematically taps the most innovative ideas on the planet. Katerva is that organization: designed to convene, catalyze and accelerate breakthrough solutions to global challenges.”

Winners (posted below, which includes the grand prize winner for a micro-implantable vaccine delivery device) will be fostered through development stages by members of Katerva – people,  businesses and committed experts. Read on for the list that wins support from Katerva. These are organizations that should be on every humanitarian funders’ e-roladex, and obviously they are great starts for interns and volunteers. Simply by sharing this post you can help support them. And the winners are:

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Yinchuan Exhibition Center: Islamic Design in China

Tafline Laylin
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0
Yinchuan Exhibition Center: Islamic Design in China

Islamic Design, China, Mashrabiya, Yinchuan Exhibition Center, daylighting, energy efficiencyOne of the best kept secrets in the world of architecture seems to have leaked… in China. Long celebrated in the Middle East for its climatic awareness and passive efficiency, traditional Islamic design reflects an astute awareness of nature. Mashrabiya screens create privacy and shading while permitting daylighting and natural ventilation.

Traditional building materials such as earth were used because of their superior thermal performance. And buildings were oriented for optimum shading in summer and winter solar gain. Sure Architecture has borrowed from these techniques in their curvilinear design of the Yinchuan Exhibition Center in Northern China.

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Meet Seramic Materials from Abu Dhabi

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Based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Seramic Materials was founded in 2019 by Dr. Nicolas Calvet and Dr. Jean-François Hoffmann, researchers working at the intersection of renewable energy and materials science. The company grew out of the Masdar Institute ecosystem and is supported by clean tech programs like The Catalyst, with early backing of around $150,000 and more than $2 million invested in research and development over time.

24 7 renewable energy: how solar, wind, batteries and AI SaaS replace fossil fuels

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A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency based in Abu Dhabi makes something clear that many in the industry already suspected. When solar and wind are paired with battery storage, they can deliver reliable, round the clock electricity at costs that compete with, and often beat, fossil fuels.

A summer of sugar wax or time for laser treatments? The environmental answer

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Green Prophet readers know we write a lot about hair. We have covered the halal and the haram sides of hair removal for Muslims. We have written about sugar waxing, Persian sugaring, threading, and the beauty secrets that came out of the Middle East long before salons started calling them trends. Our articles on sugar wax broke the internet a few times. 

Make paper mache with flowers to create stunning vase

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There’s something quietly beautiful about what Rebloom Studio is doing, and it starts with waste. At wholesale flower markets, mountains of unsold blooms are tossed out at the end of each cycle. Perfect flowers, just not sold in time. Most of them are burned or dumped. Rebloom takes that moment and turns it into something else.

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