Page 386 – Green Prophet

Kuwait’s Towering Trash Problem

Cities

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November 9, 2012

For such a tiny nation, Kuwait produces some of the world’s highest per capita amounts of trash

Rubbish may not be the glamorous topic to think about but it is probably the most relatable. We all throw out trash such as packaging which only seems to serve us momentarily or food which wasn’t eaten in time. In Kuwait, citizens are particularly familiar with trash as they generate among the highest per capita amounts of waste in the world. The tiny nation produces more than 2 million tonnes of solid waste which has disastrous consequences. The main form of solid waste disposal used is landfill burial which comes with its own set of problems – as the tyre fire which broke earlier this year demonstrated.

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Lebanon’s Environment Minister Acknowledges Climate Change

Business

Tafline Laylin

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November 9, 2012

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Lebanon’s Environment Minister Acknowledges Climate Change

Lebanon’s carbon emissions are relatively small compared to other Middle Eastern nations such as Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, and pale in comparison to that of China and the United States, but its environmental record is far from pristine.

Heaps of burning trash and some of the world’s most disgusting waterways are just two of the numerous issues plaguing the country, which is why we almost fell out of our chairs to learn that the Environmental Minister not only acknowledges climate change (which is more than some Americans are willing to do), but claimed his ministry is actively engaging solutions and coping mechanisms.

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Hilton Hotels to Share Food Waste in Hungry Egypt

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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November 9, 2012

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Hilton Hotels to Share Food Waste in Hungry Egypt

Hilton Worldwide has launched a pilot program to distribute surplus food to community organizations that feed the poor in Egypt. The hotel chain has teamed up with Feeding America and The Global FoodBanking Network to collect food that would otherwise be thrown away from cafes, restaurants, and conferences and distribute it to school feeding programs, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community programs.

Egypt is the only international beneficiary of this experimental project to reduce food waste, which will also be conducted in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Orlando and Kansas City in the United States.

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Welcome 2013 at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Business

Faisal O'Keefe

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November 8, 2012

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Welcome 2013 at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Kick off the new year with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week to be held January 13 through 17.

The world’s leading symposium committed to promoting the advancement of alternative energy and efficient, clean technologies, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2013 is expected to attract 30,000 participants from over 150 countries.

Hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week provides a global platform for international dialogue and cooperation. It’s a chance for energy and environmental world leaders to engage and debate: driving innovation, policy change and investment.

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A Dedicated Green Roof Research Center Opens in Israel

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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November 8, 2012

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A Dedicated Green Roof Research Center Opens in Israel

Green roofs have become a widespread phenomenon over the last few years but very little research has been focused on perfecting the practice in the Middle East, where high temperatures and dwindling water resources have prevented widespread uptake. But that is all set to change as a new center dedicated to researching the efficacy, ecology and overall environmental impact of green roofs has opened in Israel.

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Over Polluted Qatar Hosts UN Climate Conference

Business

Faisal O'Keefe

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November 8, 2012

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Over Polluted Qatar Hosts UN Climate Conference

This month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18) will be hosted by Qatar, the tiny peninsula nation in the Persian Gulf that holds the world record for per capita CO2 emissions.

According to a report entitled Indicators of Sustainable Development 2011 released by Qatar’s statistics’ authority, the state has experienced a 27% annual increase in ozone-depleting substances, 9.3% increase in nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and 3.6% increase in carbon dioxide (CO2). Qatar has held the emissions world record for two decades. To understand the scale of these figures, consider that Qatar doubles the next highest per-capita emitting country, Kuwait, and trebles the United States.

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Angry Tunisians Protest Shell’s Shale Plans

Business

Tafline Laylin

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November 8, 2012

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Angry Tunisians Protest Shell’s Shale Plans

Image via Tunisia Live

Having met strict regulations in the United States and other developed countries that have slowed down their ambitions, Shell has sought to use less developed nations as guinea pigs for an as-yet unproven shale gas extraction technology. But they have met surprise opposition in Tunisia, which boasts a relatively strong civil society despite the rising influence of Islamic extremists.

Dozens of activists from various environmental advocacy groups and other civil organizations gathered yesterday in front of the Tunisian Ministry of Industry and Energy to protest a budding relationship between the ministry and the energy giant.

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Legacy of Hybrid Battery Inventor Stan Ovshinsky Lives On

Maurice Picow

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November 8, 2012

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Legacy of Hybrid Battery Inventor Stan Ovshinsky Lives On

Frontal view of Toyota Prius Mk III hybrid: its battery was innovated by Stan Ovshinsky

Ever since the first Toyota Prius hybrid cars began traveling on streets and highways in many parts of the world, more and more people have had the pleasure of driving these dual engine cars that incorporate both a standard gasoline engine and an auxiliary electric one. Since then, other hybrid models have been produced by companies such as General Motors with its Chevrolet Volt, which is a “plug in” hybrid with a gasoline engine for extending the car’s cruising range.

The Volt, parts of which have been made from recycled rubber and plastic materials, is in fact what one might refer to as a “reverse hybrid” with the prime power unit being the electric motor. Yet few people who own these cars, or understand the technology involved with them, are aware that Stan Ovshinsky is responsible for developing the nickle-metal hydride battery used in them.

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Iraq Puts Hope in Wind, Solar Power to Buttress Energy Sector

Tech

Joseph Mayton

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November 8, 2012

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Iraq Puts Hope in Wind, Solar Power to Buttress Energy Sector

The Middle East is continuing to show itself capable of boosting alternative energy sources without facing political backlashes from opposing sides of the aisle. In Iraq, large multinational corporations are working with the country’s ministry of electricity to see clean and renewable resources become a reality in the post-war environment, where investment is expected to skyrocket.

Last month, words became a future reality for the country after the ministry announced plans to spend as much as $1.6 billion on solar and wind power stations across the country over the next few years; not only will this add some 400 megawatts of power to Iraq’s national grid, which has been hit by daily blackouts, but it also has positive results for the environment.

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A Bonnet Full of Dead Birds Angers Lebanese Nature Lovers

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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November 7, 2012

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A Bonnet Full of Dead Birds Angers Lebanese Nature Lovers

When a Lebanese hunter posted an image of two men presenting a bonnet full of dead birds on his Facebook page, he didn’t get quite the response he hoped to receive. Instead of cheers and congratulations, he received leers and boos.

Fouad Nassif has since removed the image from his wall, but not before it appeared on the STOP Shooting Birds!! in Lebanon! page, where nature lovers expressed outrage. A few die hard hunters had their say as well. We contacted Gabriel Medawar and Julie Lebnann, two of the country’s most outspoken activists, who are circulating a petition to ask the government to enforce existing hunting laws.

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Siemens Exits Desertec and China Wants to Enter

Tech

Tafline Laylin

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November 7, 2012

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Siemens Exits Desertec and China Wants to Enter

As part of its plan to shake off its unprofitable solar shackles, including Israel’s Solel initiative, German giant Siemens has exited the ambitious Desertec project. But that doesn’t seem to have deterred the strength of the initiative, which is designed to enable Europe to import one fifth of its power by 2050 from renewable energy plants scattered across Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and other North African and Middle Eastern countries, as firms in China and other countries make moves to get involved.

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A fire hazard in Fisker Karma Electric Super Cars?

Transportation

Maurice Picow

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November 7, 2012

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A fire hazard in Fisker Karma Electric Super Cars?

Mid East purchasers of Fisker Karma electric hybrids should be aware of the car’s potential fire risks

Wealthy residents of opulent Mid East countries such as Abu Dhabi have been well known for owning various types of luxury vehicles, ranging from solid gold Mercedes sport cars that run on biofuel to ungreen armored gold trimmed Rolls Royce EWB Phantom limousines. A new type of luxury sports car, the US-made Fisker Karma electric hybrid sports car, is now being imported into the UAE and other Middle East countries by Dubai based Al-Futtaim Trading Enterprises, as reported in a recent Green Prophet article, but potential buyers should be warned that the car has been riddled with problems.

A Fisker Karma hybrid

Some Middle East buyers may have to wait awhile for their new Fisker, however, as it was reported that 16 of these super fast electric hybrids burned and exploded at a storage lot in the Port of New Jersey where they had been parked prior to being exported abroad. The cars were flooded by seawater during the recent hurricane Sandy super storm and investigators are trying to determine what caused the car’s batteries to catch fire and then literally explode.

Although it is still too early to determine exactly what caused this to happen, theories seem to point to the possibility of an electrical short circuit caused by the cars being submerged in seawater. This isn’t the first time that these cars have caught fire, however. There have been other incidents, including one in the US state of Texas when a Fisker Karma caught fire when its owner stopped at a supermarket to buy groceries. This incident occurred about two months after the company recalled 600 cars due to a possible battery defect.

Another US manufactured hybrid car, GM’s Chevrolet Volt also has had problems with car batteries catching on fire during side impact crash tests.

Importing these $140,000 cars into the Middle East, especially Arabian Gulf countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait could cause more problems for these cars due to the extremely high summer temperatures of as much as 45 degrees Celsius as well as the possibility of the danger of tidal surges caused by cyclones and similar storms.

It’s still too early to tell whether these cars, which incorporate a small auxiliary gasoline engine to recharge the car’s battery pack to extend their driving distance, will have similar problems in the Middle East. But we do advise buyers to proceed with caution.

More articles on electric, luxury and hybrid cars and issues surrounding them:

Luxury Fisker Karma Electric Vehicle Hits the Middle East

The Best Electric Cars of 2012 According to the American Buzz

Volt Battery Catches Fire in Crash Tests But Beats the Renault Fluence EV

Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold Bio Fuel Mercedes Another Dubious “Green” Development

10 Cool Garbage Cans for Middle East Trash

Design

Faisal O'Keefe

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November 7, 2012

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10 Cool Garbage Cans for Middle East Trash

Would innovative waste disposal devices make for tidier Jordanians?

Year Two in the Hashemite Kingdom, and my honeymoon with Amman is kaput. It’s impossible to keep the romance alive when your beloved is so totally…trashy. At work, shopping for trash receptacles for a new airport terminal, I stumbled across some wacky waste bins that might’ve saved my relationship with my new hometown.

Unlikely that the Greater Amman Municipality will splurge on these for every corner, but cool cans like these might inspire folks to properly dispose of their Jordanian junk. (A tidy girl can dream…). Here are ten great and green waste bins for keeping your trash.

1. Automatic Opening Can

No matter how clean you may be, your kitchen garbage pail is filthy. Rotten food, liquids and dust make for an icky mess that splatters everywhere: nobody likes to touch them. These auto-cans have been on the market for years. Infrared sensors let cans open automatically, based on detection of motion within a certain range. Lids close quickly after you make your dirty deposit.

2. Clean Cubes

The simplest trash bin on this list is Clean Cubes: an eco-friendly, biodegradable, disposable and recyclable collapsible “box” which holds a standard garbage bag in place. Easy to clean, easy to store, Clean Cubes received the 2012 International Housewares Association Innovation Award. ($10 on Amazon)

3. Expando-bin

This expandable bin, designed by Front, expands and contracts according to the stuff you deposit. Sleek, smart and pretty: not a typical description of a garbage pail. ($780 at Scandinavian Design Center)

4. The Little Egg

The Ovetto Bin (Italian for little egg) was designed by Italian architect Gianluca Soldi to simplify trash sorting. The plastic oval is divided into three separate compartments for organics, plastics, papers (or any sorting method you choose). Different color doors help you identify what goes where. Compartments are lined with traditional garbage bags to allow easy emptying. ($272 at ecocentric)

5. Urbano Eco-Bin

Winner of the 2005 Pratt Product Design Competition, designer Kevin McElroy’s clever trash can allows you to store and reuse the plastic bags that you collect from shopping in a neat, organized way. Simply loop trash bags around the cut-out sides and push them all the way down, creating a visual of stacked handles all along the side. When you are ready to use one, just move it up to the handles and hook so that it won’t fall in on itself. ($19 at Uncommon Goods)

6. Bar Code Bin

What to do is you’re too colorblind to use the Ovetto Bin? Let the bar code bin figure your recycling for you.

Just make like a cashier and swipe your (originally labeled) junk over the top and the appropriate bin will open automatically. By designer Woo Seok Park, this prototype hasn’t hit the marketplace yet.

7. Armstrong Bin

Deriving its name from the original moon-walker, Neil Armstrong, designers Sukwon Park and Sungwoo Park conceived of this gizmo to let you compress your daily volume of trash. Drop in your junk, and then stomp on the lid. You may not be able to totally eliminate your wastestream, but you can reduce the amount of space it will take in landfills. Still in development, can you imagine the mess if the stomping burst the liner bag?

8. Minus Pail

Turkish designer Cem Tutuncuoglu dreamed up this high-tech gadget to help reduce trash stink – a problem in hot countries: it’s refrigerated to a temperature of your choosing. A literally cool concept, but how much energy does this consume? And isn’t composting the best afterlife for discarded organics?

9. Crusader’s Bin

The Crusades can be viewed from many angles, and using a medieval helmet to dump your dirties might be great fun for anyone not viewing the Crusaders as the noblest of heroes. This bin is formed from cast resin with a faux hammered-metal finish. ($50 at Design Toscano, currently out of stock)

10. Gold Plated Garbage Can

The perfect gift for your favorite Gulf royal: a classic trash can dipped in real gold. Swiss pop artist Sylvie Fleur crafted only (?) 25 pieces which sold for $15,000 each. Possibly the perfect accessory for the garage where you park your solid gold Mercedes.

Jordan Enjoys An Endless Summer

Business

Faisal O'Keefe

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November 6, 2012

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The logistical headaches of keeping daylight savings year-round in Jordan.

Last week in Amman, the Jordanian Cabinet reversed a decision to switch to wintertime, sticking with daylight saving time for the entire year. Our extended daylight hours are good for the environment (and coveted by many Israeli neighbors), but the late decision is causing logistical headaches.

This is a late-breaking flip-flop. Previously, in mid-October, the same Cabinet had issued instructions that clocks should be set back 60 minutes for wintertime as of Friday, October 26, as had been the national habit for years past. No explanation was given for the sudden decision, which moves Jordan into a different time zone.

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Will the Kyoto Protocol Survive Qatar 2012?

Business

Brian Nitz

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November 6, 2012

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Will the Kyoto Protocol Survive Qatar 2012?

The Qatar climate conference this year could very well mark the end of the Kyoto protocol.

Qatar has one of the highest per capita CO2 emission rates in the world, but it will host The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s climate change conference this year – shortly before the Kyoto protocol’s first emission targets expire at the end of this year. Will the Kyoto agreement die? Will it hobble along on a skeleton crew of signatories or will be be reborn in Qatar as the inclusive greenhouse gas reduction agreement first envisioned in Kyoto 15 years ago?

The UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 18) conference will take place between November 26 and December 7th 2012 in Doha, Qatar. The Kyoto agreement is facing even more challenges than it did during the 2011 climate conference in Durban. But there is some hope that the Qatar climate conference will spark off the second phase of the Kyoto protocol agreement even as Kyoto’s 2012 deadline approaches.

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