A few weeks ago, we were driving our “tourist” mom from Canada around the country, when we accidentally took the wrong cut-off and found ourselves somewhere in the middle of east Jerusalem. Excited by seeing the children riding around on donkeys and the general sense of choas, Mom commented on how very different this place […]
I was out walking about a forest around Jerusalem today and kept hearing gunshots firing off from the Arab village across the way. They’re celebrating Hajj now, said my boyfriend. And I thought of all the Muslims who must be aching to make their pilgrammage to Mecca. With so many people converging in one small […]
Everyone and their mother is doing it. Talking about global warming, that is. Stumbling around the net, we bumped into this YouTube video sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, which links nicely to our last post on tree planting in Israel.
It’s really romantic to carve your lover’s name on a tree. But let’s admit, it’s so last century! An even more romantic gesture, to show your love for ______ [insert name/s], would be to plant a tree in his or her name. And the act would even offset carbon emissions. Rather than going on a […]
We love the Heschel Center for reminding us about their fundraiser: Hike Bishvil Yisrael – March 23-27, 2008. Israel’s outdoor scenery is breathtaking, writes Heschel, “and there is no better way to see it than with the people working to preserve it. “This is an opportunity for a unique, challenging and rewarding Israel experience and […]
There is a lot of talk these days about carbon footprints. And there is much debate over how people can reduce theirs. A carbon footprint is essentially the amount of CO2 a person leaves behind as a result of personal transportation (cars and plane), heating their homes and even putting food on their tables. That’s […]
We can’t help linking to this most recent story on Amirim, a vegetarian village founded in the 50s by Moroccan immigrants, at the top of the Sea of Galilee. The village offers guesthouses and lodging for out-of-towners and extols the virtues of vegetarianism and veganism. The village (moshav in Hebrew) is belonging to the Merom […]
Peeking inside people’s fridges is a new series being put on by the BBC, as part of their research into sustainable eating around the world. It is not a new idea, and what people are eating has been well-documented by photojournalists (The Walrus magazine) and also on the internet. You can even take a snapshot […]
Elanit collects the inner tubes from nearby garages, cleans them, cuts them up and fashions them into environmentally-friendly products, which you can use.
There has been a buzz in the news over the past few days. This buzzing is over how three Israelis have made it into an exclusive list of Scientific American’s ‘50 most significant scientific breakthroughs in 2007.’ Making that list is not our only ‘top’ accomplishment for this year. An Israeli scientist has also made […]
Why is it more expensive to buy ‘clean’ food than food containing additives and pesticide residues?Many people who would like to eat naturally, are forced to eat commercially-produced food containing pesticide residues and preservatives because natural food is beyond their budget. This seems counterintuitive. Every person regardless of income level should have the basic right […]
Thousands of years before green became hot, the Jewish people were observing the Shmitta, or shmita, a sabbatical year. The Shmitta is documented in the bible as a year where farmers are forbidden to work the land in order to give the land a rest. The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai. (2) Speak […]
The truth hurts: that adorable sweater you found on sale at Banana Republic for $25 is no harmless indulgence. The production, transportation and washing of clothing is responsible for approximately 25 percent of an individual’s C02 emissions- -about one ton per person. In a move to green their products, Israeli clothing company Delta Galil has […]
Energy, we all need it for practically everything we do. With global warming accelerating and fossil fuels expected to run out in decades, the hunt is on for alternative energy sources. Professor Dan Zaslavsky from the Technion in Haifa has come up with a solution – the Energy Tower – which will not only reduce […]
Apartments for China, outfitted with individual greenhouses. We’d live in one of these eco-abodes. Outdoor vegetable gardens are nice, but as it turns out, they are so 2007. Now Technion Institute researchers Tagit Klimor and David Knafo have developed a design for high-rise apartments that will have their own self-sustaining greenhouses. The greenhouse spaces will […]
(Parking at Rabin Square and pool of water in the parking lot.) People who live in Israel and who have to negotiate its roads might not feel that they have arrived in Gan Eden (“Eden”). As the standard of living increases on a yearly basis, so does the number of cars and parking lots. Any […]
Deep in the heart of the Negev Desert, there is but one natural resource: the sun. David Faiman from Ben Gurion University has found a way to use solar energy to concentrate the light of a 1,000 suns. Using reflective mirrors made from silicon, David has built a series of mirrors that concentrate the penetrating […]
According to a company press release the Israeli tidal wave energy company S.D.E. began talks with Sri Lankan officials to construct and install a 200 MW power plant at an estimated cost of $130 million. If negotiations are successful, they say, the plant will be the first of its kind to produce electricity at a commercial […]