Religious Jews will not turn on or off electricity on the Sabbath. Their solution? A timer electrical outlet, a shabbas-clock. Set the times you want the appliance plugged in to be on and let it go… To save energy these outlets are great to use for space heaters. If you use space heaters when those […]
If you aren’t doing this already you’re probably saying: Are you out of your mind?! I can’t do that! Or perhaps: Yeah, I know I should, I will tomorrow. While tomorrow just becomes the next day… It’s time to stop pushing this off. Make tomorrow today. If you don’t have time, make some, it’s for your […]
Almost every office has one. Sitting in the corner with that strange square body with a big blue head… The water cooler! Ahh just the thought of it makes me feel thirsty. I love the “glub glub” when you pour yourself a cup of water. Well it might be time to say goodbye to that […]
With eight steady writers and up to several new posts a day, Green Prophet is growing exponentially and helping to make the world just a little greener (we hope). In less than two months we have acquired a substantial following from all over the world. There are several ways to keep the green love flowing, […]
Much of the bottled water on the market is actually not so natural. As a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems. Many are bottled from natural sources; however, some are simply filtered or even only tap water in a fancy package. The ones that […]
In a bid to cut down on pollution (and greenhouse gases we hope), the Tel Aviv Municipality is conducting a feasibility study on the use of hybrid taxi cabs in the overly congested and polluted city. We say go one step further – turn Tel Aviv into a car-free zone. The approval is expected to […]
Green Prophet’s James goes underground to see what happens below the surface in Israel’s water pipes. I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. – Isaiah Always ready and willing to […]
Probably my best memory of Israel is hiking in the Galilee as a teenager. With its green expanses enlivened with blood-red and yellow flowers and sparkling streams, there is no place in Israel like the Galilee. Much political furor has been provoked by Minister Meir Sheetrit’s promise to build an Arab city in the Galilee. […]
Try to buy in bulk from warehouse stores or the shuk. Often these items come in big jars which you can use. But even if you cannot, you’ll often find that they offer items that have less packaging and therefore have less trash when you are done using them. An added benefit is that it can […]
I can go on “home-binges” where I will coop myself up inside for days at a time. There can be the productive kind where I’m a workhorse and so do not get out. There are other times when it’s just out of laze… After one of these binges my house will inevitably end up a pigsty. […]
A $100 million investment by Afcon Industries is more than hot wind. It’s a testament to put Israel on the cleantech map and the country’s renewable energy goals set in the right direction. When ready, the cleantech project could supply up to 5 percent of Israel’s energy needs. It could set an example for the […]
Every morning I feel oneness with nature and my creator when I go to my green city garden just outside my front door in Tel Aviv. There I watch my passion fruit vine grow with tenacity; every morning I check its small tendrils racing to catch the sun while it reaches out to clasp any […]
Installing Low-Flow showerheads and faucet aerators is probably the single most effective water conservation action you can do for your home. Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much […]
For some reason my mother always hated hanging plants. And clutter. And collecting things. And although I admire her from here to the moon and back – and learned a great deal from her as well, especially in the taste department – it took one Israeli design student to question her authority. Well, not really […]
Living in Jerusalem’s city center is an occasionally harrowing, occasionally exhilirating experience. Towards the middle of the spectrum (with “harrowing” being defined, roughly, as beer bottles shattering against the side of the building at 3am) is the state of grocery shopping in the center of town, or rather, the lack thereof.
The wonderful wild weather of last week, and according to forecasts, in the week to come; has inspired a series of special water-related posts. This first one examines the findings of a new International report focusing on the condition of the World’s Oceans. It does not unfortunately make for happy reading…………………. Ben Halpern, a […]
It’s only February and the beach is already a hot topic in Israel, but alas, for all the wrong reasons. Work has got underway in the last few weeks to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on a virtually untouched part of Palmachim Beach, which lies midway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod. It […]
Did you know that when you drive at a speed that is over 40 mph using the air conditioner uses less fuel than having the windows open? Because of air resistance when you travel with your windows open you slow down your car and you use more gas. If you are traveling over 40 mph […]
Israel is no stranger to wind power, but using it as a source of viable alternative energy has been criticized by green groups such as SPNI for several reasons. One major reason is that Israel is a flyway for millions of migrating birds heading to Europe via Africa and vice-versa. And no system is in […]
(In Hebrew) Channel One’s Yoman reports on the struggle by residents of Florentine, a neighborhood in south Tel Aviv, against the city’s building plans in the area. The city wants to build a ring of skyscrapers encircling the adjacent Neve Tzedek neighborhood, as well as a new neighborhood in Florentine that would include buildings up […]
Most neighborhoods have recycle bins for paper. However there still are many that do not. If you are unlucky enough to live in one of these neighborhoods tie your newspapers into a bundle before you dispose of them. This way you can prevent newspaper from blowing through your neighborhood and you can use one less […]
Eco-Mom Sophie started the debate on cloth diapers (or nappies as she calls them – it must be a UK thing). She continues her argument for why parents should switch over to cloth. Stinky khaki buckets aside, her arguments are in favor of making this earth a little bit greener. “The Cloth Nappy Reigns” It […]
An Israeli scientist, Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, has found a link between cell phone usage and the development of tumors. Dr. Sadetzki, a physician, epidemiologist and lecturer at Tel Aviv University, published the results of a study recently in the American Journal of Epidemiology, in which she and her colleagues found that heavy cell phone users […]
Fifteen of the largest cities and towns in Israel have signed an international environmental resolution to cut down on greenhouse gases emissions, joining 800 local governments worldwide. The pledge is to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020. It will be interesting to see how this resolution is enforced. While there’s a lot of talk about […]
Israel has lured climate Change evangelist Al Gore to the Holy Land. Come May, Gore is expected to drop in at Tel Aviv University to collect a $1 million in prize booty awarded by the Dan David Foundation. It is reported that Gore will donate all the prize money to a good environmental cause. ::ISRAEL21c