Why grow apples in Lebanon when hashish and cannabis is hundreds of times more lucrative? An overview of Lebanon’s unsustainable drug business in the Bekaa Valley. Escalating clashes between armed tribesmen trying to protect their cannabis fields and the Lebanese armed forces are pushing Lebanon to readdress the long-standing issue of cannabis cultivation in the […]
6 ways you can get an environmental education online. Some of them are completely free. An unsustainable spike is driving up the cost of higher education, particularly the United States where tuition and fees have risen more than 400 percent since the 1970s, far outstripping both inflation and the housing bubble. This discourages enrollment in […]
The Abu Dhabi government in cooperation with Mitsubishi industries has opened the region’s first rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The station is located in Masdar City and is certified to meet the Charge de Move (CHAdeMO) industry standard for rapid charging. This standard can reduce charging time by as much as 90 percent. Charging […]
Gaza’s population is increasing, and the water supply is not keeping pace according to Oxfam, the British human rights organization. In a new report, the group asserts that Gazans are spending as much as one-third of their household income on drinking water, and are facing growing health risks. “The infrastructure has been deteriorating rapidly because […]
These days it’s impossible to trust anything. We go to the store or market and buy what we believe is an organic head of lettuce but it’s virtually impossible to know whether that label meets our own standards for healthy food. Which means that we could be consuming nasty chemicals without even realizing it. Unless […]
Supported by the women’s group Karama, families in Bethlehem’s Dheisheh refugee camp have begun growing fresh food on their rooftops Cramped conditions in the Dheisheh refugee camp of Bethlehem mean that any space – nevermind green space – is difficult to come by. The streets are narrow, families live in small homes and parks and […]
The ‘Adopt A Negotiator’ project is looking for young bloggers and activists from the region to take part in the Doha Climate Change Conference this November Are you a budding blogger with an interest in the environment? Or maybe a video journalist with a passion for social issues? Well, if you are and also happen […]
Yemen isn’t as hot as Saudi, but the temperatures this Ramadan have been high enough to make waiting out the long daylight hours without food and drink very, very hard. But that’s not the worst of the country’s troubles. Such spirutally-motivated hunger and thirst would be bearable if families had some nice dates and juice […]
Need to put a good meal together but it’s too hot to cook? Here’s an easy menu for those hot-weather meals. Knowing that hot days are still ahead, the wise cook organizes a plan for dishes that take only minutes to prepare, yet satisfy those fickle summer appetites. First, take a look in your refrigerator. […]
There are nearly 8 million people crammed into Israel and most of them like a little A/C in the summer. But only 74, 520 families separate their organic and inorganic waste. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Well, it turns out that the Ministry of Environment has recently committed just over […]
We continuously shine a bright light on the issue of food waste during Ramadan and have provided tips for keeping it down, but throwing away perfectly good food is not something that only happens during the holy month or in the MENA region. It is a global phenomenon. Even though roughly 925 million people throughout […]
Usually new developments seeking LEED certification have to “prove themselves” – so to speak – before they can achieve any kind of certification. However, in order to recognize the division between owners and tenants of new developments, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) makes an exception for core and shell buildings that are designed […]
An epidural could be the key to reducing PTSD in new mothers Before I gave birth, I was sure it would be all-natural. For the sake of my baby, and my back, I decided to not take an epidural. The tune changed when the contractions attacked me like a lion, giving me no-where to run. […]
It gets so hot in Israel that safari animals are fed funky popsicles, so we were surprised to learn that the country’s most successful soccer team wears uniforms made out of 13 recycled plastic bottles! But it’s true. And even though the majority of Israelis are probably more passionate about soccer than they are about […]
Kelly learns to cook like a local (vegetarian) Jordanian at Beit Sitti in Amman. For all those tourists in Amman who want to gain authentic Arabic cooking experience to bring back home and impress their dinner guests, or for the local Jordanian who wants to throw a unique rooftop party in the area, Beit Sitti, […]