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How to Get to Israel by Boat

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green travel, ship, Israel, Lianna Etkind, eco-tourism, carbon-free travelIn a bid to reduce her carbon footprint, Londoner Lianna Etkind chose an unconventional summer holiday this year – a voyage to Israel over land and sea.

“From London to Israel without flying? Is that even possible?” Mostly, telling people about my ambition to travel overland to Israel was met with incredulity. Crossing borders in the Middle East is hardly straightforward, and the ferries that used to go from Greece and Cyprus stopped years ago, another casualty of ‘The Situation’.

But it is possible. The cargo ship company Grimaldi allows paying passengers to piggyback on their regular freight passages to Israel. For me, travelling by cargo ship was a way of minimising the climate change impact of my travel. At around 400 Euros (US$520), it’s more expensive than flying. But passage includes meals and a cabin for the week long sail. I booked trains from London to Paris, then onto Italy, where we would embark.

Enter the Biomimicry Design Competition for a Shot at $5,000

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biomimicry, design competition, Biomimicry Institute, Middle East, water shortages, designThis is the fourth time that the Biomimicry 3.8 institute is staging their international design competition and this year they are inviting students to submit water management solutions that take inspiration from nature. Biomimicry is not a well known design strategy in the Middle East, though it is possible to learn what camels and scorpions teach us, for example, through special tours offered by Dayma in Egypt.

But the great thing about this competition is that learning is an essential aspect of the entire process. Hit the jump to find out what it takes to win $5,000 while providing meaningful ideas to address the very serious problem of worldwide water shortages.

Jordan Mandates Domestic Solar Water Heating

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solarJordan passes new building codes requiring solar water heaters on all new commercial and residential buildings.

It’s about time: Regulations come into effect in April 2013 and make solar water heaters obligatory for every new residence (including apartments) sized 150 m2 or greater in Jordan where there is ample sun. Private houses sized a minimum of 250 m2 and office spaces sized a minimum 100 m2 must also comply. Finally Jordan’s rooftops and side yards will capitalize on the nearly 330 days of sunshine that they bask in every year, just as we’ve seen in Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel.

Halal & Organic – The Skincare Range That Cares About The Planet

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halal-organic-skincare-green-muslims, halal organic skincare productsFaiza Hussain, who has started a small online business selling halal and organic skincare products, tells us why she ditched the chemical-laden products she used to love

Like most women, Faiza Hussain’s fascination with creams, lotions and potions started at a young age. As a teenager she had a collection of skincare products she adored but as the years went by, she became a mother and a wife and also began to wonder what exactly was in the products that were going into her skin. After some research, she found out that lots of products contained alcohol and animal fats (including pork substance) as well as chemicals that were known to cause irritation to sensitive skin. So she began to make her own all halal and organic products for her young family. Soon her friends and family were asking for more and so ‘Halal & Organic’, her online shop, was born. 

Bahrain Announces 5 MW Solar Power Entrance

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bahrain, solar power, sunshine in hand, fingernails, PV plant

Bahrain, a small island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf, has lagged behind other Gulf region countries in developing its clean energy sector. But the ministry of electricity and water affairs is looking to change all of that with the announcement of a new solar energy project in the capital, Manama. The hope is that the new project will be a watershed for the small Gulf Kingdom, an archipelago of 33 islands, to begin to establish alternative energy as a key driver of the country’s energy sector.

Better Place Electric Car Company Lays Off Staff?

better place, electric car, israel

In the wake of ousting its guru-like CEO visionary Shai Agassi, rumors are circulating that Better Place Israel will be laying off staff, about half of its workforce, according to Haaretz. The plan is to cut about half of its Israeli staff, numbering somewhere between 400 to 500 people.

The article states: “After anticipated development team layoffs, dismissals are expected among the staff in charge of the network of battery changing stations. The plans for the Israeli network call for 45 stations, 38 of which have already been built.”

I think this will turn out to be interesting because most of the cars sold in Israel were to company employees. As company policy, employees were asked to purchase new cars, though some of the employees found loopholes around it. Still, imagine getting sacked and having to drive around the car that will remind you every day that you don’t have a job?

The flailing company hasn’t seem to be able to meet the aggressive roll-out expectations set by Agassi over the last five years and also seeks a cash injection of about $150 million to keep the company afloat. Meanwhile there are talks in the air that the incoming CEO Evan Thornley from Australia has plans in the works with leading car companies such as General Motors, according to various media sources. Can this important EV enabling startup be salvaged?

Green Education in the United Arab Emirates, Business is Booming

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Green, Education, United Arab emirates, Sharjah, Youth, Environmental, Awareness, GrowthThe Bee’ah School of Environment (BSOE), an education initiative created by a United Arab Emirates-based environmental and waste management company, recently announced it is expanding its networks in the eastern and central region of Sharjah, engaging with 160,000 students in over 200 schools. The BSOE envisions an expansion of this initiative, hoping to spread throughout the UAE, with the support of both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment and Water. From Ramallah to Jordan, and other areas of the UAE, this year the the Middle East has seen a surge of cooperative environmental initiatives between entrepreneurs and public education.

The Arab Youth Climate Movement Is Born

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arab-climate-change-youth-movement-aycmEstablished in the lead up to the COP18 Doha negotiations, the Arab Youth Climate Movement brings together over 20 campaigners from 15 Middle East/North Africa countries

As the saying goes, there is power in numbers. So it’s great to see environmental organisations across MENA come together to “create a more sustainable, prosperous, meaningful, just, and fair world”. The the newly launched and ambitious Arab Youth Climate Movement unites campaigners from IndyAct, 350.org, Global Campaign for Climate Action and the Climate Action Network (CAN) in a simple vision: to be able to enjoy the stable climate that our parents and grandparents enjoyed. A five-day workshop was held around two weeks ago in Egypt where new regional alliances were built and plans were made to hold an Arab regional day of climate action on the 3rd of November.

Egyptian Seed Bombing Campaign To Hit Cairo and Alexandria

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seed-bombing-bozoor-balady-egypt-cairo-food-independence-gmoEgypt’s first ever seed bombing event will highlight the importance of preserving Egyptian seeds and promoting local biodiversity

Environmental groups across Egypt have come together to launch a unique event that involves two things you wouldn’t normally put together: seeds and bombing. Campaigners from Nawaya, Nabta, Greenpeace Egypt and 350.org have been busy training activists in the art of seed-bomb production ahead of a guerilla-style gardening event due to take place next Saturday. As well as lots of fun (who doesn’t like moulding shapes with clay!), the event aims to highlight the the importance of local biodiversity and the increased disregard for native Egyptian seeds and crops amongst the agricultural sector. And following the news that Arab Spring countries are at increased of food price hikes in 2013, timing couldn’t be better. 

Columbarium is an Eco-Luxe Cave Dwelling in Israel

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cave, architecture, Airbnb, Columbarium, Israel, natural materials, A surprising number of people still live in caves throughout the Middle East, but hardly any of them have a home that is as luxurious as the enviable Columbarium in Israel.

Iranians live in caves, some Turks live in caves, and one of the region’s most sought-after Couchsurfing hosts brings guests to his tranquil lair in Petra, Jordan, but most of those dwellings are rather simple and dank. Not so with this Airbnb listing for a two bedroom apartment located between caves Hazan and Beit Govrin in the Judean hills of Shefek Israel.

Iranian Farshid Moussavi’s Prismatic MOCA in Cleveland Goes for LEED Silver

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architecture, MOCA, Farshid Moussavi, Cleveland, Iran, design, LEEDFarshid Moussavi’s inaugural project in the United States, the sharp Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, is expected to achieve LEED Silver certification if it performs as designed.

Born in Iran but currently based in London, Moussavi recently split up with her former work and life partner and beat out a lot of competition to win the MOCA project. But with a price tag of $27.2 million and more glass than we like to see on a new build, we predictably take issue with calling the project sustainable.

Wake Up To These 7 Eco-Clocks

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eco clocks leaf apple daylight savings
Mornings are getting darker. Need a pick me up? Tick tock: try an eco clock.

Israel daylight savings already sent summertime packing, but the rest of us in the Middle East will be switching in the weeks ahead from Daylight Savings to standard winter time.  Blast yourself out of that darkened bedroom with the help of one of these innovative clocks that give a nod to sustainability, or at least to Zen-like calm.

Pop Your Own Chemical-Free Popcorn

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chemical free popcorn
Chemical free popcorn

Crunchy, tasty popcorn, made on your stove top, with nothing but goodness in it.

My friend was amused that I have no microwave oven. How can I deal with food all day long and not own one? And how were we going to pop the popcorn she’d brought over? The health risks associated with microwave ovens and foods packaged especially for them like microwave popcorn packages put me off. And frankly, those popcorn bags with the laminated interiors give me the creeps (read this story on the US man awarded $7 million plus in damages for popcorn lung). Handing the bag of tricks back to my friend, I went to my pantry and pulled out half a cup of dried corn kernels. Then I showed her how you make real, honest-to-goodness popcorn. It takes all of 10 minutes.

Stove-top Popcorn

yield: 10 cups

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup of  popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Drop 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil. Cover the pan.

When the kernels pop, add the salt, then the rest of the popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and wait 30 seconds.  This method helps all the kernels pop at about the same time.

Return the pan to the heat. When the popping starts,  move the pan back and forth over the burner.  Once the popping slows down, remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot popcorn into a large bowl.

Melt the butter in the empty pot and pour over popcorn. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Delicious flavorings for popcorn:

Sprinkle brewer’s yeast and garlic powder over prepared popcorn; mix in gently.

Go Middle-Eastern and sprinkle a teaspoon or two of Yemenite hawaij spice over the popcorn and stir in. Curry makes a good substitute for hawaij.

If you must use a microwave, it’s perfectly possible to pop corn in a plain paper bag with the top firmly closed.

More about harmful chemicals in our food and drink:

Egypt’s Filthy Canals Are Breeding Disease and Discontent

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egypt-cairo-abu-sir-canals-water-rubbish-disease-governmentEgypt’s network of canals are filthy, stagnant and have become dumping sites which breed disease and discontent

Egypt may be synonymous with the majestic Nile but the network of canals that bring water from this important waterway to the surrounding agricultural lands are filthy, rancid and breeding grounds for rats and disease. According to a recent report by Al Jazeera, the Egyptian government is simply not doing enough to provide suitable garbage management and this means local see little alternative to dumping in the stagnant canals. Government mismanagement and corruption has been highlighted by campaigner Sarah Rifaat as one of the major barriers to action on climate issues in a recent interview. This case with the canals shows how such factors play out in real life. 

Thousands of Gulf Sharks Caught During Annual Fishing Ban

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nature conservation, sharks, Gulf, UAE, illegal fishing, shark finIt is illegal to catch sharks from the beginning of January to the end of April in the United Arab Emirates and yet thousands of them are landed during that time. Speaking to a delegation of international conservationists at the four day Shark Conservation Arabia workshop in Dubai, marine biologist Rima Jabado explained that during visits to shark landing sites in four Emirates, she witnessed scores of fishermen pulling in large sharks that are then sold for their fins and meat. But nobody feared a governmental backlash, since enforcement is so weak.