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Going Green Ends With Water from the Sea

Green Prophet
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desalinated water fish pipe undersea photo
Desalinated water is costly for Israel, and practically no one is talking about the hidden costs.

Making drinking water from sea water has been touted as a solution for water shortage in the Middle-East and elsewhere. In southern Israel, near Ashkelon, a small pilot project has been pumping out 24 million cubic meters of fresh drinking grade water into Israel’s water system since 2005. Currently expanding its output to add another 45 million cubic meters a year, the facility is planning to produce 120 million cubic meters of fresh drinking water annually by 2013. And Gaza’s about to get its own plant too!

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Shark Fin Soup Can Give You Brain Damage

Karin Kloosterman
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10
Shark Fin Soup Can Give You Brain Damage

shark fin soup, mercury poisoning, marine ecosystem, pollution, sharks, wildlife conservation, Gulf, Middle EastGulf experts say that shark meat contains extremely high levels of mercury. The picture above depicts a deformed Japanese boy whose mother had mercury poisoning.

If shark conservation isn’t your thing, and you are one of the people creating a worldwide demand for shark fin soup, think about this next time you slurp: filmmaker and activist Jonathan Ali Khan is presenting a new TV documentary in the United Arab Emirates on the health risks of eating shark meat, the Gulf News reports.

Collecting footage for the NGO Shark Quest Arabia, we featured Jonathan Ali Khan here. His new show will document in detail how sharks, high on the food chain in the marine ecosystem, have dangerously high levels of mercury. This metal is linked to brain damage and infertility.

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Newton Becker, a Bright Source for Solar Thermal Energy, Dies at 83

Green Prophet
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Newton Becker, a Bright Source for Solar Thermal Energy, Dies at 83

newt beckerConsidered by some as the father of solar thermal electricity generation, Newton Becker, was the founding investor and Chairman of the Board of Luz International – the company that went on to become what BrightSource is today. He died Monday in LA at age 83.

Back when, Luz became the largest solar company in the world by building solar electric generating power plants. From 1984 to 1991 Luz (which was founded in Israel) built and sold nine solar energy nine plants (SEGS I-IX) with 350 MW of capacity, enough to supply the residential needs of 540,000 people in the Los Angeles area.

Newton also invested in and was a chairman of the Board of Directors of “Electric Fuel” during its start-up period 1993-5. Electric Fuel made Zinc Air Batteries for Electric Vehicles – about 400 miles for the EV1 and about 250 miles for a Mercedes Van – and could be refueled with new zinc plates in about 10 minutes. He also made huge inroads for chartered accountants everywhere.

Green Prophet’s 11 Eco Heroes of 2011

Arwa Aburawa
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15
Green Prophet’s 11 Eco Heroes of 2011

Ilana Meallem Professor Onur Hamzaoğlu – TurkeyAzzam iraq
Our VIP list of 11 environment heroes for the Middle East 2011.

If you don’t know these people already, now is the time to start. Top heroes are from Israel, Turkey and Iraq. The year 2011 has been a year like no other in the Middle East. We’ve seen protests against corruption, people have taken to the streets to save salt lakes, promote green transport and ask that renewable energy is taken more seriously. In an effort to celebrate the work of eco heroes from the region, we asked our readers to nominate the people who they felt went the extra mile for the environment in 2011. After whittling down the nominations – we present our editorial pics: the top 11 Green Prophet Heroes for 2011! Drum roll, please:

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Moroccan Fekka Cookies RECIPE

Miriam Kresh
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15
Moroccan Fekka Cookies RECIPE

image-moroccan-fekka-cookiesCrunchy, just-sweet-enough tidbits that perfectly match  a hot cuppah.

Hospitality is a fine art in the Middle East, with traditions to dictate every gesture. A guest will always be offered tea, coffee, and one or more old-fashioned sweets, like kanafeh pastry, or silky malabi, or light fekka cookies. The traditional fekka  is baked twice, like biscotti, and like those Italian cookies, is just sweet enough to satisfy. This easy variation makes nugget-sized cookies that bake up only once.

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Masdar Aims to Become the Guru of Sustainable Building Materials

Tafline Laylin
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1
Masdar Aims to Become the Guru of Sustainable Building Materials

masdar city, energy efficiency, building materials, eco building, green building, sustainable building, green architecture, eco architecture, fraunhofer, solar energyMasdar will break ground on a new Facade Test Center in a few months. It will research the most energy efficient building materials on the market.

Masdar is constantly reinventing itself  in order to ensure that the Gulf’s first genuine low-energy and low-carbon building project succeeds, and its latest reincarnation may well become one of its most useful. The company has teamed up with the leading German research institute Fraunhoefer Gesellschaft to build a Facade Test Center (FTC) within Masdar City, where they will conduct thorough tests to suss out the most sustainable building materials available to builders. This is a groundbreaking project that could dramatically improve the energy performance of construction projects in the Gulf and wider MENA region.

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Technion & Cornell Win Historic Bid to Build a Net-Zero Energy Tech Hub in NYC

Tafline Laylin
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3
Technion & Cornell Win Historic Bid to Build a Net-Zero Energy Tech Hub in NYC

clean tech, venture capital, New York City, Roosevelt Island, Cornell University, Technion-Israel Institute of technology, net zero energy, solar power, geothermal power, environmental education, green design, sustainable designThe groundbreaking net-zero energy NYCTech Campus designed as a collaborative project between Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University will also be one of the world’s most environmentally-friendly campuses.

The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has earned considerable esteem as a world leader in clean technology – a reputation that matched Cornell University’s vision for a state-of-the-art net-zero energy hub in New York City. Representatives of the two learning institutes conducted clandestine meetings in order to create and submit what turned out to be an irresistible proposal for an international competition to design a new Applied Sciences Graduate School on Roosevelt Island.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially announced this winning partnership at the end of 2011, and classes are expected to begin as soon as September this year. The Technion sent us YouTube clips of the aerial and interior views of the new campus. Take a look after the jump!

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Recycled Furniture by Lebanon’s Niloufar Afnan

Karen Chernick
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Recycled Furniture by Lebanon’s Niloufar Afnan

recycled furniture, "upcycled royal stool"Long live the queen, if she can manage to sit on Niloufar Afnan’s recycled ‘Royal Stool’.

At this year’s New Designers Exhibition in London, Lebanese-born designer Niloufar Afnan decided to poke a little fun at the royal family and demonstrate the possibilities of upcycled furniture.  She exhibited Royal Stool (pictured above) and 46 (shown after the jump) – two furniture pieces that show the possibilities of reusing found objects.  Both pieces are made from found furniture parts and scrap materials that Afnan collected and assembled in new ways, showing us that with a little creativity and problem solving even broken items can be functional again.

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Global Clean Energy Brokers Meet at Abu Dhabi Emergy Summit This Month

Susan Kraemer
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Global Clean Energy Brokers Meet at Abu Dhabi Emergy Summit This Month

world future energy summit laying down clean tech pipingPost-Durban World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is now a huge opportunity for clean energy developers in the Middle East region.

Ever since the European Union adopted the Kyoto Accord and with it the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which funds renewable development in the developing world to offset carbon emissions in Europe, the developing world has become the driving force behind renewable energy investment. And now that Durban expands the Kyoto Accord, even more so.

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Gazan Farmers Struggle With Rising Salinity & Water Shortages

Arwa Aburawa
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5
Gazan Farmers Struggle With Rising Salinity & Water Shortages

water-gaza-farmer-salinity
High water demand is putting pressure on scarce water resources and destroying the agricultural sector in Gaza

Water shortages are a widespread and common problem for the people of the Gaza Strip, between Israel and Egypt. There just isn’t enough water for the growing population and an Israeli blockade which limits imports and exports means the locals can do little to alleviate the situation. I recently wrote about the stunning water mural project in the Gaza Strip which highlights the serious water shortages in the area in the hope of encouraging political action. The European Union also recently pledged 10 million euros for a desalination plant that would serve Khan Yunis and Rafah. Until these projects can have the desired effect, however, farming on the land in Gaza has become almost impossible.

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Tata Nano Micros – Smart Cars for the Poor Man

Maurice Picow
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1
Tata Nano Micros – Smart Cars for the Poor Man

tata nanoA Tata Nano in India – this made-for-masses cheap mini could be the smart car for the poor man, in countries like Israel, Jordan and Egypt

Ever since India’s Tata Motors Company came out with its Nano micro mini car in 2009, and we featured it here on Green Prophet,  people are still wondering if this tiny little bug shaped car is something that people outside of India might want to own as well. When it came out, it offered purchasers three models: the base model, the CX model and LX (“luxury”) model. When originally test driven in 2009,  the LX model was used since it contained some features that more affluent buyers would appreciate; such as air conditioning, a central locking system, reclining front seats, a heater (not a big deal in southern India but good to have in northern Indian states); and a door lock on the passenger side that is not available on other models.

It’s not a gold plated mercedes, but the Tata Nano could be a good fuel-efficient driving model for the poorer Middle East countries.

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Heaven Forbid – Recycled Israeli Pencils Land on Saudi Shelves

Tafline Laylin
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1
Heaven Forbid – Recycled Israeli Pencils Land on Saudi Shelves

trade, commerce, zionist, arab, recycled wood, recycled pencils, Kravitz, Israel, Saudi ArabiaTo the great shock and horror of a local journalist, recycled Israeli pencils are discovered for sale on the shelves of a popular store in Saudi Arabia.

A journalist from the Saudi paper Jazan was shocked to discover pencils brandishing an Israeli logo on the shelves of his local Abu Rialin store. Made from recycled wood, Kravitz pencils are a hugely popular product in Israel but have never been exported – particularly not to an Arab country.

The Jazan journalist criticized the Saudi Ministry of Commerce for allowing the sale of “zionist” goods in a popular chain store. What’s worse, the pencils are being sold for one third of what they cost in Israel ($1.30). Kravitz CEO Menashe Zilka told Ynet News that he has no idea how the pencils landed up in Saudi.

He suggests that maybe a wholesaler or entrepreneur bought a pile of pencils and persuaded Abu Rialin to stock them.

:: Ynet News

image via Cohdra, Morguefile

More bizarre news from the Gulf:
HAMAD: Sheikh Graffiti Visible From Space
Giant Human Infrared Dryers Slash Carbon Emissions
Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah on a Leash

Ramot Polin: Crazy Israeli Architecture Gone Terribly Wrong

Tafline Laylin
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5
Ramot Polin: Crazy Israeli Architecture Gone Terribly Wrong

green design, sustainable design, eco-design, sustainable architecture, earth architecture, Ramot PolinA hastily constructed building in Israel designed in 1972 seemed like a good idea at a time, but now it has evolved into a bizarre eyesore and a sanctuary for the country’s Orthodox Jews.

We’ve seen many funky buildings on Green Prophet, including Moshe Safdie’s famous Habitat ’67 and beehive shaped architecture in Syria, but the difference between them and Ramot Polin lies in functionality. While each of the former projects produced cozy, livable residential space, Ramot Polin apartments are cramped, dark, and beset with problems.

Designed by Zvi Hecker after the 6 Day War in 1972, the 720 unit complex built in Jerusalem was an architectural experiment that was supposed to encourage middle-income Orthodox families to settle. Instead, the crumbling Ramot Polin complex now provides sanctuary to low income religious groups.

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Neoflam Ceramic Pans Are Allegedly Carcinogenic, Causing Panic in Israel

Karin Kloosterman
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45
Neoflam Ceramic Pans Are Allegedly Carcinogenic, Causing Panic in Israel

neoflam pots ceramic kolbotekMedia sham or company scam? The Israeli government is now looking into re-testing Neoflam pots and pans over widespread public panic that these “health” pans are allegedly carcinogenic.

With a large share of the market for pots and pans in Israel, the Korean-based company Neoflam is in the media spotlight in the small Middle East country right now — a place where people love to eat, and where grandmothers love to cook. All Jewish holidays revolve around food, so news that a popular company is selling pots and pans with lead and cadmium on them, has created nationwide panic.  For all those people who believed Teflon-coated pans to be unsafe for food preparation, they bought into the promise by Neoflam and other ceramic-coated pots and pans manufacturers, that the new line of non-stick pots and pans are not just healthy, they are good for the environment. An Israeli investigative report, however, may have blown the lid off a new toxic industry that is misleading the public.

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Green Muslims Top ‘Muslim 500’ List

Arwa Aburawa
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0
Green Muslims Top ‘Muslim 500’ List

green-muslims-environmentGreen Muslims have been nominated as some of the most influential Muslim leaders of 2011

While Green Prophet works on its own top green leaders of 2011, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre had released a list of the 500 most prominent Muslims of the past year. The annual publication highlights the 500 most influential Muslims of the year– which includes several Muslim environmentalists. The Green Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Goma’a as well as Fazlun Khalid, who I interviewed last year were both included on the list.

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Key Rules Recreational Cannabis Users Must Follow in Pittsburgh

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Adults who are 21 or older can carry up to 30 grams. This amount applies to personal use within Pittsburgh’s limits. Carrying more could lead to confiscation or legal action. Staying under the limit avoids problems during any public stop.

Turning Your Energy Consultancy into an LLC: 4 Legal Steps for Founders in Texas

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If you are starting a renewable energy business in Texas, learn how to start an LLC by the books.

Ancient Chinese medicine might heal spinal cord injuries

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In the study, the scientists didn’t just test one plant compound at a time. They tested two traditional Chinese medicine compounds together — luteolin (from flowers like honeysuckle and chrysanthemum) and astragaloside IV (from astragalus root, Huang Qi). These plants have been combined in Chinese herbal formulas for centuries to help the body recover from injury and inflammation.

Luxury meets the textile waste stream with Coach – Bank & Vogue

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A new collaboration between luxury brand Coach and textile reuse pioneer Bank & Vogue attempts to stitch those two worlds together: high fashion and the global textile waste stream.

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