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Is Troubled Egypt Ripe Enough For Eco-Tourism?

Tafline Laylin
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0
Is Troubled Egypt Ripe Enough For Eco-Tourism?

Red Sea, eco-tourism, sustainable tourism, sustainable development, sinai peninsula, wildlife conservation, environmental degradation, sharksA new eco-village in Upper Egypt raises hopes that the country may move in a more sustainable tourism direction, which we would really love, but most indicators show that won’t happen any time soon.

Hoda Baraka from Almasry Alyoum was one of the first journalists to point out how unregulated development is impacting on the timeless Siwa Oasis near Libya, and recently visited a new eco-village in Upper Egypt – an archaeologically-rich but neglected area south of Cairo. The New Hermopolis Eco Village founder and physician Mervat Nasser and architecture planner Yahia Shawkat both expressed hope during her visit that projects like this could benefit from the revolution – but only if government alters its mass tourism model. We are not so sure.

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Kuwait’s Environment REUSE 5.0 Exposition Calls for Applications

Karen Chernick
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31
Kuwait’s Environment REUSE 5.0 Exposition Calls for Applications

"reuse exposition kuwait"For the fifth year Kuwait’s eco en.v REUSE exposition will showcase green companies, retailers, galleries, restaurants, social initiatives, and people.

Re-users of all ways, shapes, and forms are now welcome to apply for exhibition space at REUSE 5.0, an exposition that will take place at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) in February 2012.  The exposition, which has grown steadily over the past five years, hopes to serve as an opportunity for non-profit organizations, companies, professionals and aspiring creative talents to showcase their accomplishments in the field of social responsibility and sustainability via a range of artistic mediums and interactive activities for the general public.   As Kuwait’s premier exposition for eco-friendly thought, REUSE serves as a vehicle for dialogue among the private, public and civil sectors.

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The Cheetah: Nature’s 21st Century Feminist

Tafline Laylin
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1
The Cheetah: Nature’s 21st Century Feminist

wildlife conservation, cheetahs, South Africa, endangered species, wildlife, animal conservationGreen Prophet recently visited the Hoedspruit Endangered Species center in South Africa to get a better sense of conservation initiatives aimed at restoring the cheetah’s dwindling population.  

The last cheetah we wrote about was a scrawny, injured juvenile running through the streets of Abu Dhabi – another casualty of the Gulf country’s (illegal) obsession with owning exotic pets. But this past weekend we met a host of other cheetahs with a more hopeful destiny in South Africa’s Limpopo province and discovered – to our great delight – that this remarkable creature is actually the animal kingdom’s 21st century feminist.

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Egypt’s Red Sea Sharks Face Extinction

Miriam Kresh
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9
Egypt’s Red Sea Sharks Face Extinction

image-red-sea-sharkThe Arab Spring in Egypt has been a failure for sharks.

Since last year’s political uprising, and consequent deterioration of law enforcement, poachers supplying restaurants with illicit shark fins have driven the Red Sea shark population down by as much as 80 percent, reports Egypt Independent. In 2006, laws prohibiting trading in sharks were passed, with severe penalties attached. However, in the post-revolution chaos, the Egyptian army no longer patrols the coast to stop illegal fishing. (If you’re planning to travel to Egypt these days, you’ll need to read our 5 tips for traveling safely in post-revolution Egypt.)

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Genetically Modified Food in Israel, Lots of It

Miriam Kresh
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31
Genetically Modified Food in Israel, Lots of It

image-soybeans genetically modifiedMost Israelis complacently think that there are no GMO foods in Israeli food. But there are, especially in soy products.

“It’s a huge mistake to think that there’s no genetically-modified food in Israel,” said Naama Rosenberg, spokeswoman at the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research. In a telephone interview, Ms. Rosenberg went on to explain that 90-100% of soy in Israel is imported from the US and of genetically-modified origin.

That of course, includes vegetarian hot dogs and veggie shnitzels, not to mention baby formula and other food children grow up on.  More basic staples, like cooking oil, are soy or canola oil, canola being another well-known GMO crop.

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The Arab Spring Was Hibernating in Egypt’s Green Party

Does Vandousselaere
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Hisham Zayed egypt green partyEgypt’s green environmental party was founded 25 years ago for green and social change – long before the Arab Spring. The Green Party is working to show Egyptians and the Arab world the connection between their issues and the environment.

The year 2011 will probably be remembered as the year of the Arab Spring. And while the whole world focuses on Islamists no attention goes to the emerging Green parties in this region. That’s why we met with the new president of the oldest Green party in the region, Mr. Hisham Zayed from Egypt.

He was already there twenty-five years ago, barely 17 years old, when the Egyptian Green Party was founded. “In 1986 the German greens warned us that Laban Nido, Egypt’s national baby-milk brand, contained fall-out of the Chernobyl disaster. Instantly we decided to set up an initiative to warn Egyptian society about this,” Zayed tells Green Prophet.

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Cellular Phones, WiFi and Bee Collapse? Israeli Bee Boss Not Buying It

Karin Kloosterman
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Cellular Phones, WiFi and Bee Collapse? Israeli Bee Boss Not Buying It

bee colony collapse
Bee colony collapse disorder is a worldwide phenomenon decimating bee colonies worldwide. Bees, you see, are pretty important. Without them much of our food can’t be pollinated. And the true reason why America lost about one third of its bees last year is largely unknown. Some believe it’s because there is lack of pollen as crops producing nectar decline. Some others say conventional pesticides, while more recently European researchers are blaming cellular phone antennas and WiFi connections (which is also now linked to male infertility). But Israeli bee scientists aren’t buying the “radiation” link.

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Beirut’s Eco Fashion Boutique is “Green and Glam”

Karen Chernick
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Beirut’s Eco Fashion Boutique is “Green and Glam”

"green fashion lebanon"Green is glamorous, according to Beirut’s eco fashion boutique.

People need to eat and people need to dress every day, so food and fashion are two of the ways that people can make a daily difference in protecting the environment.  Organic food products have crept into mainstream supermarkets, but organic and eco-friendly fashion is a little harder to track down.  Beirut already has a specialty shop for organic foods, A New Earth, and now practically next door is an eco fashion boutique called “Green and Glam”.  It just got easier to go green in Beirut.

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Cyprus Natural Gas Discovery Estimated at Billions

Maurice Picow
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Cyprus Natural Gas Discovery Estimated at Billions

Cyprus natural gas noble energy
With an estimated 8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, Turkey wants some of this energy wealth too.

The Republic of Cyprus has started surveying for natural gas, and recent estimates are that its undersea reserves are worth billions of dollars. Helped by Israel and America’s Noble Energy, the subterranean Cyprus discoveries could make the small island EU nation energy independent for 200 years, according to the Cyprus Mail.

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Yaniv Pardo’s Twisting Tower for Netanya in Israel

Tafline Laylin
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4
Yaniv Pardo’s Twisting Tower for Netanya in Israel

yaniv pardo, Netanya, sustainable development, green building, passive design, eco-building, mashrabiya, energy efficiency, mixed use developmentNetanya’s efficient new twisting tower will be powered by geothermal energy and transform this once-obscure Israeli city.

We have a real soft spot for earth architecture, such as Nader Khalili’s gorgeous domes and arches fit for space, and these amazing Syrian beehive-shaped buildings that have lasted hundreds of years, but we also acknowledge the great strides that contemporary Israeli architects have taken to realize modern buildings more sustainable than their antecedents. In addition to the LEED Platinum-hopeful Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University, Netanya’s new City Hall is one of them. By giving this twisting tower a light frame with a mashrabiya-type screen, Yaniv Pardo has considerably reduced the required building materials and energy footprint. More pictures and sketches of this proposed structure below. 

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Egypt Establishes Country’s First Dolphin Sanctuary

Tafline Laylin
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1
Egypt Establishes Country’s First Dolphin Sanctuary

wildlife conservation, animal conservation, marine ecosystem, red sea, hurghada, tourism, marine protected areaEgypt’s first wildlife sanctuary in the Red Sea will ensure that Hurghada’s Indo-pacific dolphins can rest and socialize in peace!

Egypt’s Red Sea Governor Mahmoud Assem has established a safe-zone designed to protect the vulnerable Indo-pacific dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). The move, which bans any kind of vessel from entering the Fanous Reef, has been lauded by conservation groups such as the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA) – one of the few organizations committed to protecting the region’s marine life. HEPCA recognizes Egypt’s first dolphin sanctuary as a ” milestone achievement” and published a handy guide for divers and swimmers still permitted in the safe zone that describes best practices to maintain in the presence of dolphins. 

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Will Bike Sharing Become the New Mode of Transportation for the Middle East?

Karen Chernick
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3
Will Bike Sharing Become the New Mode of Transportation for the Middle East?

"bike path middle east"Is bike-sharing gaining momentum in the Middle East?

Paris got many cities to start thinking seriously about bike-sharing systems when it launched Vélib in 2007 – a municipal bike-sharing network that has been widely successful and grown to include over 20,000 bicycles at 1,200 stations.  Cities worldwide have begun adopting the idea, but it is perhaps most suited to an area like the Middle East, where weather is relatively mild year-round and cycling is a viable option most of the time.  2011 was a big cycling year for the region and a few Middle Eastern cities have already adopted bike-sharing systems, with others contemplating implementing them soon.

Is bike-sharing gaining speed in the Middle East?  Could it be the region’s new mode of transportation?

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Nader Khalili Built Earth Buildings Fit for Space

Tafline Laylin
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Nader Khalili Built Earth Buildings Fit for Space

earth architecture, earth bag construction, green building, eco building, architecture, nader khalili, hassan fathy, sustainable architectureEarth bag construction is one of the most affordable and sustainable ways to build a home that is harmonious with the earth. Nader Khalili from Iran was a big proponent of this “super adobe” style structure.

If Hassan Fathy is the father of sustainable architecture, then Nader Khalili must be his close cousin. The Egyptian and Iranian architects respectively grew up with an interest in housing poor populations and refugees with earth architecture and both made enormous contributions to the modern application of ancient building techniques.

But Khalili, who spent much of his career in the United States and received awards from the Aga Khan Foundation, NASA, and the United Nations, veered down a particularly unconventional path.

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12 Uber Simple Steps to Green Your Life in 2012

Tafline Laylin
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0
12 Uber Simple Steps to Green Your Life in 2012

compost, new years resolutions, environment, green lifestyle tips, cycling, electricity, energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling,

Step in for this wonderful list of 12 easy ways to green your 2012. image via maliny

The folks over at Nourishing the Planet have come up with a stellar list of simple steps that every person can take to green their lives. Although it is written with an American audience in mind, each of these suggestions are so rudimentary, yet have such enormous paybacks, that it is definitely worth sharing with our readers in the Middle East as well. From recycling what you can to turning off the lights when you’re not using them to  drinking more tap water, these suggestions are about making minor modifications in your life that save not only energy but also your hard-earned money. Step on in and get ideas for ways that you can create a lasting shift in your daily life. 

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Roots to Fruits: Eat Pea Pods, Cauliflower Leaves, and Onion Peels

Miriam Kresh
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0
Roots to Fruits: Eat Pea Pods, Cauliflower Leaves, and Onion Peels

image-cauliflower-with-leavesAvoid food waste – eat your peels, roots and vegetable “waste” like pea pods, onion skins and cauliflower leaves.

Want another reason to feel virtuous? Alright – remind yourself that your local landfill isn’t one tiny bit fuller because you cooked. But let’s not dwell on smelly, pollution-charged landfills when we’re contemplating dinner. Let’s look at more ways to utilize all edible parts of your produce – even onion skins.

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