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Sustainable Tunisian Crafts by Matali Crasset

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sustainable design, matali crasset, tunisia, palm lab, HI Hotels, ecotourism, eco design, local materials, artWhen we first wrote about the boutique Dar HI Hotel in Nefta, Tunisia, Ben Ali was still in power, and Tunisia was one of the Middle East and North African region’s most egalitarian Arab countries. So much has changed since the Jasmine Revolution, leaving both the population and their natural environment more vulnerable than ever before.

Which is why the timing of Matali Crasset exciting new line of twelve unique and ecological furnishings crafted by Tunisian women is so impeccable. To be distributed exclusively by France’s Made in Design, these one-of-a-kind woven, handcrafted goods are made with the most responsible materials available by artisans who can really use the cash.

Arab and Jewish Teenagers Grow Algae for a Greener Future

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arabs, jews, algae, Kibbutz Ein Shemer, Eco-Greenhouse, agriculture, biofuels, wastewater treatment, food, medicineDespite the many wounds that cripple cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian governments, Arab and Jewish teenagers work side by side to further algae research in Israel. Established in 2008, the Micro Algae Educational Project packs two important imperatives into one succinct program for high school students: ecology and social healing.

Conducted in the Eco Greenhouse on Kibbutz Ein Shemer, the project aims to establish the ideal growing conditions for algae and then foster a variety of real-world applications, including food, medicine, bio-fuels and water treatment. So far, more than 300 Arab and Jewish students equipped with little more than a curious mind and a healthy dose of tolerance have participated in the project, and many more are on track to do the same.

Turkey Wins “Fossil of the Day” Award At Doha Climate Change Negotiations

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With the world’s fourth largest number of planned coal-fired power plants, Turkey is flouting international concern about climate change.

As the United Nation’s climate change talks in Doha enter their second day, Turkey has been called out on its irresponsible climate policies with the “Fossil of the Day” award. Although Turkey has kept a low profile in the negotiations so far, according to the Climate Action Network (CAN), it is “clearly their time to step onto the fossil stage,” according to the award announcement.

USA Fracking Will Top Saudi Oil Production in Five Years

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american girl at a gas pumpThe United States is poised to become the world’s largest oil producer by 2020 thanks to increased output of new exploration technologies such as fracking. But what does this mean for politics?

The World Energy Outlook 2012 released by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that America will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by 2017, becoming a net oil exporter by around 2030. The US currently imports around 20 percent of its energy needs. The IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol told a news conference in London that rising energy efficiency and increased production will enable the US to achieve previously unthinkable energy self-reliance by 2035, with increased reliance on natural gas as cheap domestic supplies boost demand.

According to CBS News,  the report says rebounding US oil and gas production and increasing light tight oil and shale gas resources are “steadily changing the role of North America in global energy trade,” speeding up redirection of international oil trade from the Middle East toward Asia.

A 1,700 Gigaton Carbon Bomb is Thawing in the Permafrost

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permafrost, methane, carbon bomb, climate change, global warming, Doha, COP18, kyoto protocolNegotiators working on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol in Qatar ought to know that 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon lie buried in the permafrost, which is double the amount that currently wreaks so much havoc here on earth, reports UNEP. Then, as arctic temperatures rise as a result of global warming and the permafrost melts, tons of heat-trapping gas will gush into the atmosphere.

Only, this 1,700 gigaton bomb has not been accounted for in prediction models. That a huge concentration of latent ice-age old carbon poses potential danger not just to humanity and to other species but to the roads, pipelines and buildings lying above it has been neglected, said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. A suggested three-pronged course of action will hopefully change that.

Jerusalem Cookbook and Green Prophet’s Review

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review jerusalem cookbookAuthor of the hugely popular cookbook Plenty, Yotam Ottolenghi teamed up with  co-chef Sami Tamimi to produce a cookbook that will dazzle, inspire, and satisfy your senses.

Both men were born the same year in Jerusalem; Ottolenghi in the western Jewish side and Tamimi in Arab east Jerusalem.  They  never met until they were in their 30s, in London. Now business partners and cooking together, they’ve grown nostalgic over the foods they knew as boys. Jerusalem: A Cookbook is the result – 120 recipes based on the big flavors and incredibly diverse cuisines that Jerusalemites love.

Christo Stacks Oil Drums in Abu Dhabi Mastaba Artwork Mimicking Pyramids

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christo oil drums abu dhabiMagnificent public art or environmental boondoggle? Oil drums stacked to the height of the Giza pyramids. 

Christo, the artist who temporarily wrapped acres of fabric around the Pont Neuf and the Reichstag, now plans to stack thousands of empty oil drums in the Abu Dhabi desert in his first ever permanent installation. The finished work will rise 150 meters above the desert, a mass that would eclipse the Great Pyramid of Giza: is this magnificent public art or environmental boondoggle?

Zööba: Egyptian Street Food Goes Inside

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vegan, vegetarian, street food, Zooba, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt, concept restaurant, boutique restaurant, local foodOrdering a foul or falafel sandwich at any fast food chain or street vendor in Cairo puts consumers one step closer to triple bypass surgery. This has less to do with the food itself than it does with how it is prepared, since Egyptian cuisine, a fluid, nebulous thing fraught with the influence of so many nations, is often comprised of perfectly healthy ingredients that even vegans can eat, except they’re usually not so fresh and swim in fat.

Now there’s Zööba, a “hip” new restaurant in Zamalek that takes the heart-stopping edge off street food while maintaining both the tradition and the fun. Using mostly seasonal produce and only the freshest ingredients and spices, this tiny concept eatery founded by Chris Khalifa and Moustafa El Refaie offers up wholesome dishes that come with a side of Egyptian pride.

Israel Strengthens Environmental Ties to Africa: Part 2

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Agriculture, Food, Israel, Africa, Water, Natural Resources, Connections, Environment, Politics, Relations, RegionalInvesting in African Agriculture

This past April, MASHAV, Israel’s agency for international development cooperation, signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The memorandum is aimed at addressing food security through partnerships with farmers in Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Israel will contribute expertise in irrigation, water technologies, agricultural production and climate change.

Israeli experts have experience with desertification and hostile, dry environments. The Negev Desert makes up around 60 percent of Israel’s total landmass. Yet, since its establishment in 1948, Israel has managed to create a thriving agricultural economy. This experience could be particularly valuable in African countries with scarce water resources.

Beemtech’s Smart Sensors Slash Energy Use in Commercial Spaces

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radiator energy savings, dollar billsOnline and remote controls for smart energy solutions for heating, cooling and office space lighting.

About 20 percent of the operational expenses in office buildings, schools and hospitals goes toward energy — HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and electricity. Usually a default temperature is set for all year round, and the HVAC system and lights stay on even in unused rooms.
Now an Israeli company Beemtech aims to keep managers aware of how the space is being used in order to control the temperature and lighting more efficiently, and reduce costs dramatically, says CEO Nati Freiberg.

COP18 Host Could Be Swallowed Up by Rising Seas

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UNFCCC, COP 18, Qatar, Rising Seas, Doha, Climate Change, A sea level rise of 100 inches or eight feet in Ar Ru’ays, a city at the northern tip of Qatar, would render 100 percent of the population homeless. Considered one of the top ten developing nations that is most vulnerable to rising seas, the host of the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC has good reason to push for a successful meeting.

17,000 delegates from around the world have gathered in Doha and so much is at stake. This year the existing Kyoto Protocol expires and Canada, Russia, Japan and New Zealand have said they won’t sign on for another round. Those nations that have committed to an amendment must agree on the terms and expiry date, while the battle between developing and developed countries, and who should bear responsibility, desperately needs to be resolved.

Egypt’s Inspiring Youth Launch New Environmental Coalition

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350.org, climate change, Egypt, environmental activism, climate change coalition, COP 18Egypt’s youth are an inspiring bunch. They have taken down a dictator, and withstood the subsequent uncertainty, but their hardest battle may come in convincing the country that the natural surroundings are worth saving. But they are not being deterred. A few dedicated environmentalists in the country gathered this month to continue to build the country’s first National Coalition on Climate Change, which will look at a range of issues from recycling and trash to global rises in temperatures and how Egyptians can help the battle.

Water Portraits – Making A Splash For Water Conservation (PHOTOS)

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water portrait, middle east, north africa, scarcity, conservationIn a bid to highlight our water use and waste, photographer Peter Holmes has created a series of memorable portraits of water use in different countries. 

“Statistics about water consumption are difficult to comprehend and are un-relatable to everyday life – this project attempts to make water consumption visible in a meaningful way.” Well, that’s one way to justify dumping water over people doing something innocent like reading or drinking a cup of tea from places as far afield as Canada and Morocco. It took photographer Peter Holmes over two years to complete the portraits which “bridge the gap between statistics and significance of water use” in a bid to make it more ‘visible’. The stunning results are featured below.

Israel Strengthens Environmental Ties to 44 African Nations

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Water, Sudan, Africa, Agriculture, Israel, International Relations, Forest, Food, Food Security, EnvironmentIsrael now has relations with 44 African nations, more than at any time in the country’s history. “This is the dawning of a new era in relations between Israel and African states,” according to Lynn Schler, director of the Africa Centre at Ben-Gurion University. During summer 2012, a vast array of high-profile African leaders visited Israel, and Israeli leaders visited partners in Africa, in the hopes of fostering closer economic and agricultural ties. And in May, the first-ever Nigerian delegation of high-profile businessmen attended Agritech Israel 2012, an international agricultural technology exhibition.

ZARA Fast Fashion Retailer Under Fire for Polluting China’s Waterways

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environmental activism, Greenpeace, Dirty Laundry, Zara, Fast Fashion, pollution, ChinaSpanish fast fashion company Zara has come under intense fire recently for failing to address a Greenpeace report released last year outlining the textile industry’s deleterious impact on China’s waterways. Called Dirty Laundry, the report unveiled that persistent and bio-accumulative hazardous chemicals with hormone-disrupting properties are released into the same water that residents rely on for their livelihoods.

Several other clothing manufacturers rose to the environmental advocacy group’s challenge to clean up their act. Zara’s failure to do the same has resulted in a massive global campaign to besmirch the firm and pressure its leadership to re-evaluate their environmental policies.