Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
Before promoting sustainability progress, companies must ensure their initiatives are genuine and measurable. Today’s audiences are increasingly skeptical of vague environmental claims, particularly as awareness of “greenwashing” has grown.
Sydney is best known for the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. If you’re looking to enjoy dinner with views of these landmarks, here are some great options.
It's sea turtles which may in the end save islands in the Seychelles. They may also better help us understand climate change. Like rings on a tree, scientists have found a way to read sea turtle shells and how they are impacted by climate change tells a story.
For centuries, the Sámi shaman drum was one of the most powerful sacred objects in northern Europe, and one of the most feared by church and state. If ISIS looks bad to us today for its religious fundamentalism, Christians were just as fervent.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) fast food market is expected to reach $4.5 billion in gross sales by 2015, driven by growing demand from its young, western-influenced population, higher disposable incomes, and new financing arrangements, according to a report by Euromonitor, a leading analyst of global markets.Western coffee chains are less about catching a caffeine fix than they are about providing a cozy venue to check your email or write your screenplay. Similarly, future expansion of junk food joints in the Middle East will be sold as “lifestyle destinations” that just happen to come with a side of sugar, fat and processed carbs.
Extremely limited social outlets for young Saudis mean there’s a wide market in which fast food outlets can position themselves as central points for uber-passive “recreation” and hip social gathering.
Ecosex is the ‘trend that could’ except among most green bloggers and editors. Why are they avoiding the one subject that could resurrect environmentalism?
Take a hike to fall in love with Planet Earth and embody green loving? End your romance with plastic because the evidence is irrefutable; BPA is nasty to your naked bits? You bet! From healthy habits in the bedroom to eating for optimum performance, Ecosex is the optimal way to experience intimacy that is good for you and safe for the planet. With rare exception however (Green Prophet is notably cool), the green blogosphere has yet to catch the enthusiasm; even though it is this writer’s opinion that Ecosex has the potential to revitalize enthusiasm for eco-conscious living among a populace grown bored, weary or deaf. Yes, Ecosex can save the world. But greenies have to finally listen.
Surprisingly they are inspired by Hassan Fathy: we interview Egypt’s Brotherhood’s Think Tank on Environmental Policy – A Green Prophet Exclusive
The Muslim Brotherhood estimates that 70 percent of Egypt’s agriculture might be affected by pollution. And in a while they will probably be in charge. It’s time to ask them how they’ll remediate this.
I ask Jamal Himdan. Around thirty, he never ran for office, but he is still in charge of the Muslim Brotherhood’s think tank, for the environmental part at least. We had an elaborate chat, which I’ll shorten as much as possible. But I won’t reduce it to an enumeration of their program, along with some juicy quotes. Instead I’ll quote you the most interesting passages in their entirety. The Brothers are said to have an ideology of their own so it might be interesting to understand their logic. To help you with this, I’ll let you read how Himdan explains their ideas.
Perhaps best known for their extraordinary 2009 solar-powered night garden installation in Jerusalem, or their creative street branding cooperation with Castro, Israeli designers OGE were entrusted as the creative directors of the largest flower exhibition to ever take place in Israel.
19 years after the original Haifa International Flower Exhibition, the self-described “Creative-Young-Workaholics” helped to ensure that this year’s program would be completely unforgettable. Included in the 30 acres of Hecht Park exhibition space were nine geodesic domes, each featuring a different world of flowers enhanced by ethereal designs. Check out OGE’s beautiful images after the jump.
Ben-Gurion researchers claim that Israel’s urge to shop will eventually force Shabbat laws to change.
This is a typical side street in the Yaffa flea market, Israel. From left to right, notice a charming second-hand shop that sells amusing things like the full-sized statue of a Roman gladiator. Blond tourists with cameras hanging from their necks stroll by. A woman consults with her husband by cellphone. A rug vendor gazes at something across the street. And stacked away for city garbage disposal, garbage.
It’s a work day in a shopping district. Inevitably there’s garbage, packaging mostly. I wonder if any of this shopping detritus will get recycled, although I feel doubtful. But at least on one day a week, there is less garbage and energy consumption because shops are closed by law. That’s Shabbat. See Tafline’s post on Shabbat awareness.
Yet Israeli’s urge to shop is so strong, according to Ben-Gurion University researchers Guy Ben-Porat and Omri Shamir, that it may well put an end to Shabbat store closure. So traditional values erode, and so do landfills rise.
Determined to make a positive environmental contribution, the UK-based clothing manufacturer DGrade perfected a method that converts recycled plastic into yarn. They use 20% less water, 50% less energy, and produce 55% less carbon emissions than the cotton manufacturing process requires, and they have recently opened a branch in the Dubai mall.
(As of 2022 it looks like the brand has shut down)
Their cost-competitive brand Dirtball targets young, sporty types, and they are also under license to sell Spiked clothing designed for the hipsters among us. Which was all very exciting, until we learned that their clothes are made in China.
How to make clothes from plastic
DGrade’s Managing Director Kris Barber described the process by which their plastic clothing is manufactured to Gulf News correspondent Anupama Varma Chand.
Our factories buy post-consumer plastic bottles recovered by recycling companies, says Kris. These are then shredded into flakes and heated and extruded through a spinarrette (something like a showerhead). When cooled the strands of plastic (polyester) are then crimped and re-shredded into fibre. In some cases this fibre is then blended with cotton and spun into yarn, then knitted and dyed to produce blended polyester/cotton or 100 per cent recycled polyester.
Approximately three 500ml plastic bottles are used to make a t-shirt, 30 bottles go into a pair of shorts, while 40-60 bottles might be diverted from the waste stream in order to make a jacket. These are admirable numbers, and Barber told the paper that they are heavily audited by SEDEX, the supplier ethical data exchange, a non-profit organization that ensures ethical practice in global supply chains.
While DGrade sites altruistic reasons for switching to post consumer recycled plastic, many other clothing manufacturers have been moving away from cotton as prices in the last two years have risen in some cases by as much as 80% as a result of flooding, cold weather snaps and other factors that have decimated global crops.
Climate and cotton production
In a report called Cotton and Climate Change: Impacts and Options to Mitigate and Adapt released by the International Trade Centre (ITC), researchers demonstrate how the effects of climate change are changing the industry. Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels adversely affect cotton crops, water is less widely available, and more pest infestations are occurring.
Cotton also contributes up to 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
Because of the high price of cotton, more environmentally-friendly fabrics are becoming more cost-competitive. But we have to question how much of this results from cheap labor in China. A truly sustainable clothing manufacturer uses local labor, even if it means the prices are somewhat higher. Not to mention the embodied carbon emissions associated with shipping half way across the globe.
Creating plastic awareness in the Gulf
According to Gulf News, producing the yarn, made for the UK company Greenspun in China, “requires between 60 to 90 days, which includes the time taken to ship the consignment of plastic waste to China where it is converted into yarn, woven into fabric and fashioned into clothes by the manufacturing unit in China, before they are shipped back to the UAE.”
Still, this is an admirable initiative and the company is also engaged in plastic-awareness programs in the Gulf, which is quickly becoming a leading promoter of earth-friendlier packaging. They were the first in the region to completely ban regular plastic bags, even though biodegradable alternatives have a long way to go before they are completely viable.
DGrade’s clothing is perfectly safe to wear, according to the company, since no chemicals are used in the manufacturing process, and they have the same texture and feel as cotton. Best of all, once you tire of your item, you can return it to the company for a 20% discount and they will recycle it.
New research has found that thyme, the main ingredient in Zaa’tar, could be more effective in treating acne than prescription creams
In the Levante no breakfast is complete without a small plate of oil and Zaa’tar, a special herb mix of wild thyme, sesame seeds and salt. New research has now found that herbal preparations of thyme could be more effective in treating acne than prescription creams.
Researchers at the Leeds Metropolitan University found that thyme was able to kill spot-causing bacterium after five minutes and also soothe the skin with natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Old Wive’s wisdom finds that herbal treatments make great skin remedies
What’s more, they discovered that the thyme tincture had a greater antibacterial effect than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide – the active ingredient in most anti-acne creams or washes. Dr Margarita Gomez-Escalada who is heading the project said: “While thyme, marigold and myrrh are common herbal alternatives to standard antibacterial skin washes, this is the first study to demonstrate the effect they have on the bacterium that causes the infection leading to acne.”
“Herbal preparations are less harsh on the skin due to their anti-inflammatory properties while our results suggest they can be just as, if not more, effective than chemical treatments.”
Proof if you ever needed it that nature knows best.
We keep harping on about making the most out of solar energy, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa where we have more than our fair share of sun, but have any of us really thought about what such a future might look like? As much as we Green Prophets would love to see more earth architecture and buildings made out of recycled materials, recent history suggests that the bulk of developers are more likely to opt for more modern designs, like this concept for a mixed-use tower in Dubai.
Geoffrey Dabelko at the 12th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment in Washington D.C.
A couple of months ago a friend of mine studying at the Monterey Institute of International Studies engaged with a Green Prophet post about the link between water and security. As it turns out, she is studying with adjunct professor Geoffrey D. Dabelko, who is also director of the Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP), a nonpartisan policy forum on environment, population, health, and security issues at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
He is currently focusing on climate change and security with an emphasis on managing transboundary fresh water resources. Since my friend introduced me to Geoffrey, he has appeared on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show, a leading radio show in the United States, to talk about a recently released US National Intelligence Council report that focused on the link between water and global security. We have continued that conversation (link to transcript) here in order to better understand whether our region’s water scarcity is more likely to lead to war or peace.
Green Prophet’s Karin meeting Jordan’s prince in 2010 in Switzerland.
Way back in 2010 a group of high profile water researchers and dignitaries from the Middle East met in Switzerland to find ways of making liquid peace. Diplomacy works through slow channels, but a new group of ministers and VIPs from around the region have agreed on long-term water cooperation. Chaired by Jordan’s Prince Hassan bin Talal the group hopes to transform water into an instrument of cooperation between nations with their own internal problems, problems which could worsen with more water shortages. The countries are Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
Natural food users are aware of a number of herbs and vegetables to give a natural boost to human immune systems that are often weakened by taking too many antibiotics. Here are just some of them, with explanations on how these natural vegetables and herbs benefit our bodies and help increase our natural immunity to disease:
1. Astralagus – an herb long used in traditional Chinese medicine that aids in digestion and acts as a stimulant to the immune system as well as being a diuretic.
The herb is used in people with poor appetite, diarrhea or loose stool, blood in the stool and uterine bleeding. It also contains polysacchrides, saponins and flavonoids. Chinese medicine practitioners also use the plant to treat symptoms of HIV/AIDS; especially fatigue, weight loss, night sweats and insomnia.
If you have an auto-immune disease, are a child, are nursing, pregnant or are a transplant recipient, it is advised not to take Astralagus known in Chinese as HUang Qi, Radix Astragali, or 黄芪.
Astragalus propinquus is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.
2. Red Bell Peppers: These sweet tasting vegetables come in different colors, ranging from light green to red. They contain a carotenoid called lycopene that protects our bodies against various cancers.
Fresh bell peppers, or if you are lucky Aleppo peppers are great immune boosters.
3. Cat’s Claw: A woody plant with hook like thorns found in South American rainforests that has long been used by natives there to treat health problems including arthritis, stomach ulcers, inflammation, dysentery, and fevers.
It also contains antioxidants and oxindole alkaloids enhancing the immune system’s capacity to engulf and destroy pathogens.
5. Ganoderma– This hard, bitter mushroom is also known as reishi. Ganoderma is used to promote health and longevity in traditional Chinese medicine.
Proponents claim that ganoderma can relieve fatigue, keep cholesterol in check, curb high blood pressure, tame inflammation, build stamina, and support the immune system.
6. Garlic – This spice has had a long history of medicinal value. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Ellen Tattelman, an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, it was found that garlic has cardiovascular, anti-microbial and antineoplastic properties.
Garlic is used almost daily as a spice in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
7. Ginger – This herb has been shown to reduce inflammation, cardiovascular conditions, blood clots and cholesterol. It is often used in Chinese medicine and is commonly used to treat various types of stomach problems, including motion sickness, morning sickness, colic, upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, nausea caused by cancer treatment, nausea and vomiting after surgery, as well as loss of appetite.
8. Ginseng – Another common herb in Chinese medicine. The most commonly studied variety is Panax ginseng and is used for improving thinking, concentration, memory and work efficiency, physical stamina, and athletic endurance.
It is also used in treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), for boosting the immune system, and for fighting particular infections in a lung disease called cystic fibrosis. Its main active component, ginsenosides, has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
9. Gingko Biloba– Ginkgo has been used in traditional medicine to treat blood disorders and enhance memory. Scientific studies throughout the years have found evidence that supports these claims.
Gingko has also been found top help treat dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and poor circulation in the legs. It also may be good for improving memory in older adults. Laboratory studies have shown that ginkgo improves blood circulation by dilating blood vessels and reducing the stickiness of blood platelets. Gingko trees are very long living; often living up to 1,000 years.
10. Turmeric– This spice contains curcumin, which has notable antioxidant properties. It also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and stomach soothing benefits.
The good news about these beneficial vegetables and herbs is that they are available either naturally in our region or in whole food and health products stores and holistic medicine pharmacies. Using these products is an excellent way to commemorate Earth Day. And sadly, to help keep your immune system strong to beat viruses, some which may be deadly, like corona virus or COVID-19.
More on beneficial herbs and veggies for health and well being:
Framing climate-influenced migration as a threat is dangerous and counterproductive is author Gregory White
Around the time of the Copenhagen Summit in 2009, there was a sense that climate change was finally transitioning from something which only concerned hippy do-gooders to an issue that affected the entire international community. Everywhere you looked people were talking about climate change.
There was campaign after campaign, there were art exhibitions, documentaries, theatre productions and it felt like we may have been on the cusp of change (hindsight sadly tells us that we were not).
As Gregory White states in his book Climate change and migration: security and borders in a warming world, ‘securitizating’ climate-induced migration (CIM) is counter-productive as it helps justify more unnecessary migration controls. It also encourages rich nations to abandon any sense of ethical responsibility to those on the receiving end of their emissions: “As industrialized countries contribute the most to climate change through consumption and emissions, CIM [Climate-induced migration] constitutes an ethical dilemma that will require them to reconsider and revise the existing dialogue concerning migration.”
Just when thousands of expatriates were fleeing their Gulf homes during the global economic collapse four years ago, Nick Leech was moving in. He was one of the lucky ones, but that has more to do with his diverse talents than good luck.
Originally from the UK, Nick first trained as an architectural and design historian and studied at the Royal College of Art before doing another degree in landscape architecture. It is in this capacity that he got his first job in Abu Dhabi, where he also started tending his own garden for the first time.
Soon “Nick’s Garden” was born – a bi-weekly gardening column that appears on The National.
Most tourists who visit Oman’s Gulf coast are treated to pristine views and sparkling waters, but Ray Montoya, an American angler and art teacher living in Muskat, produces YouTube videos that show another side to the country. Using a small yellow kayak, the hapless eco-crusader travels along the nearly 1,000 miles of coast, frequently discovering animals trapped in discarded fishing nets and unfathomable piles of rubbish. Hit the jump to watch a video of one such turtle that would almost certainly have drowned if it hadn’t been for Ray and his handy snippers.
Framing climate-influenced migration as a threat is dangerous and counterproductive is author Gregory White 
