We’ve seen naked people bare all for the Dead Sea, and a pledge by the Israel Chemicals Corp to pay billions in damage to save the hotels there. But this is not enough: The Dead Sea is dying and governments aren’t doing anything to protect it for future generations. In response, today November 21, Friends of the Earth Middle East are staging a funeral procession for the Dead Sea at 9:30 this morning opposite the Israeli Parliament building in Jerusalem. If you are nearby, join the funeral.
A Funeral for the Dead Sea in Jerusalem Today
Middle Easterners Join Movement to Occupy Rooftops
Instead of occupying Wall Street, solar power activists occupied rooftops yesterday.
The Occupy Wall Street protest may be dwindling down, but it has inspired other movements around the United States and the world. One such offshoot, which took place yesterday, is Occupy Rooftops. Led by Solar Mosaic, an organization that tries to promote the spread of solar energy use in communities, Occupy Rooftops (aka Community Solar Day) encouraged people to take charge of rooftops that are prime location for solar panels. And yesterday people all over the world (including some in Jerusalem, Cairo, and Tel Aviv) did.
The idea behind Occupy Rooftops was that “anyone, anywhere can start a community solar project to create jobs and clean energy in their community,” said Lisa Curtis, Solar Mosaic’s communications manager.
Gulf Orders Piling Up For Fuel-Efficient 787 Dreamliners
Gulf carriers are ready for the new EU carbon regulations, with 70 orders pending for the 20% more energy-efficient Boeing Dreamliner.
From January next year, all airlines wishing to land and take off in Europe will have to buy permits under the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to help cover the carbon cost of all flights into or out of the EU. Â EU figures show airline carbon emissions have doubled since 1990, and would triple by 2020, unlike most other sectors, which have gone down. Initially, airlines will pay for 15% of the carbon they emit.
The ETS ruling has created an uproar among global carriers with China and the US threatening lawsuits. That’s one way to deal with new climate regulations.
(Related:Â BrightSource Joins Last Minute Renewables Rush in Greece to Meet ETS Rules.)
Another response is ordering more fuel-efficient planes. Like the new Dreamliner.
Help Kickstart a Sustainable Lighting Project
Israeli designer Adital Ela Asks for help with her WindyLight sustainable lighting project on Kickstarter.
Kickstarting a new sustainable lighting project that employs wind in generating energy to create light is sustainable Israeli designer Adital Ela. Her project, WindyLight, is a “family of self-sufficient outdoor lights that perform on free, clean energy and create a unique and sensual illuminating experience. [The WindyLights] are designed to dance to the rhythm of soft gusts of wind and to provide light even in the urban environment.”
But Ela doesn’t plan on doing it alone and is asking for the public’s support via Kickstarter, an online funding platform that helps get small creative projects off the ground. You could help fund this project starting at as little as $1.
Ecological News From the Middle East
Had a busy week? Well, why not stop and sample the delights of Sunday’s news nuggets
It’s been a busy week here at Green Prophet headquarters and we’ve all been hard at work highlighting the green and not-so-green news of the Middle East. Personally, finding out that Mekkah wouldn’t be replicating the mistake of building huge, gawdy clocktowers and would be embracing traditional architecture instead was the highlight of the week. Miriam’s interview with a water engineer on the dangers of fluoride was an interesting (if shocking) read and Karen’s post on bike culture in Beirut raised some important questions.
If you’ve missed Tafline’s posts on her trip to the Siwa Oasis, firstly shame on you! And secondly, go read them now and enjoy the amazing photography that accompany the posts on the veiled weavers and salt carvers who love their trade. Once you’ve done all that, come back and read about electricity cuts in Yemen, green grants and find out whether the Dead Sea made it as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Dead Sea Doesn’t Make To the 7 Wonders List
Despite Jordan and Israel’s efforts to promote the splendour of the Dead Sea, it wasn’t chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (it did however make it to the final 10 contestants). The winners were: the Amazon River in South America, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines, Jeju Island in South Korea, Komodo in Indonesia and Table Mountain in South Africa. Via Haaretz
Yemen Struggling With Limited Electricity
The water-poor (if conservation smart.) Yemen is dealing with even more problems- this time related to energy. Reports have emerged that the capital city is struggling with severe electricity cuts that mean on some days, residents are getting just one hour of electricity.
Via Global Post
Ford Awards $100,000 in Environmental Grants
Ford Motor’s annual environmental grants were awarded to 12 organisations across the Middle East this month. This years winners include three projects focusing on marine protection in the UAE, Kuwait and Oman; an environmental education project in Lebanon; an environmental community theatre in Jordan; a study of the Arabian Oryx; a Green Ramadan project in Kuwait and lots others.
Top image via XYO/flickr.
For more weekly digests and Sunday snippets see:Â
Sunday Snippets: Bahrain’s Water Solutions and Egypt’s Gazelles
Sunday’s Green News Snippets: Saudi Rail and the Haifa Oil SpillÂ
Twirling for Tripoli’s Car Free Day
Spinning for a car-free day in Tripoli, Lebanon. Though not clear of cars, the streets were considerably less congested and polluted.
Like in many Middle Eastern cities, walking the streets of Tripoli in Northern Lebanon is an assault on the lungs. Battered, old taxis dart and crawl along the cramped roads, oozing billows of pungent fumes, while furiously honking their horns. But this all changed on 14 November.
Watts to Water Brothers in Rural Pakistan
Three brothers working in Pakistan’s remote Chitral communities are helping provide green electricity for 45,000 homes.
Their micro hydro-electricity projects, 70 up and running to date, include manufacturing and installation, giving Pakistani families in undeveloped communities clean and reliable power.
So far they have helped supply 10 MW of clean greenhouse gas-free power in two years, working closely with the Clean Development Mechanism, a United Nations tool to help mitigate climate change.
The projects are in “far flung areas” says Rahim Diyar (pictured above left), the managing director of Hydrolink.
Rahim is only 23-years-old, and armed with an MBA has enlisted his engineering brother Fazli Rabbi to help realize the dream of creating sustainable power for Pakistan, from within the country. A third brother Fazli Khaliq is the CEO.
Pan-Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Recipe
Can something as healthy as this be so delicious?
The rainy, Middle-Eastern winters bring out the best cabbage-family vegetables. I love to visit the open-air market between showers, choosing snowy cauliflower and dark-green broccoli for a quick vegetarian main dish. Cooked to tender-crispness by the recipe below, these superfoods retain their snap and lively flavor.
The vegetables take all of ten minutes to prepare, but cooking them needs all your attention. If you’re planning to serve rice or other dishes as well, have them cooked and ready to serve at the same time.
Pan-Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Recipe
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 small cauliflower
1 medium-sized bunch of broccoli
Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove of garlic
2 scallions
Freshly-ground black pepper
zest of 1 lemon
Cut away the leaves from the cauliflower (save them for steaming and eating later) and cut the stem off. Break the head up into small florets no bigger than the first joint of your pinkie finger. Do the same with the broccoli. Keep the florets all about the same size, so that they’ll cook evenly. Rinse and drain.
Chop the scallions finely. Chop the garlic finely and mash it with the edge of your knife.
Pour a dollop of olive oil into a large skillet and heat it up for a couple of minutes. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and stir gently to coat them with oil. Keep the flame medium-high. Leave the vegetables alone a minute or so, then lift a few to see if they’re starting to color at the bottom. If not, give it another minute. Sauté another five minutes, stirring gently.
Add the garlic and scallions and stir; cook only another minute. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Remove from the heat. Grind a little pepper over all and stir in the lemon zest.
Serve right away, and enjoy!
More recipes from Green Prophet:
Israel Chemicals Will Pay for Southern Dead Sea Damage
Dead Sea bathers, naked or clothed, may now continue to enjoy floating there.
Israel Chemicals (ICL), one of the major mineral mining companies at the Dead Sea, and whose activities appears to be partially responsible for continuing rising waters in the salt lake’s southern portion are willing to pay for most of the costs of dredging built up deposits of salt from the lakes southern portion. This development reported in The Marker, will prevent rising waters from flooding many of the hotels located in this area.
Is This the Green Lebanon You’ve Dreamt About? (Video)
Cars, pollution, and the uniqueness of Lebanon can’t be forgotten, according to ironic statements by designers, business people, actors and writers in this documentary that intends to open the eyes of the Lebanese youth to the real problems in their society. See sewage flowing into the sea, the garbage mountain at sea, the pillage of archeological ruins, the terrible traffic situation – the way scooters weave through traffic. This eye-opening video is appealing to viewers to be part of the change. Did you know that there are 400 cases of forest fire arson every year in Lebanon and none are persecuted? The loss of green space at a staggering rate. Watch the video below.
We Almost Lost Our Green Grand Mufti?
Trying to “talk to God” a passenger tried to open plane’s emergency door mid-flight.
The Grand Mufti of Egypt is considered “very green” according to our analyst Moshe Terdiman. But a mishap aboard a flight to Cairo last week could have cost him his life. Our friend Jon Jenson at the Global Post picked up a local item from the press in Cairo: A passenger on board an EgyptAir flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo, carrying the Grand Mufti, averted sabotage.
Extinct Hula Painted Frog Hops Back to Life
Like the Dead Sea scrolls of nature, an extinct frog from Israel returns to life
Considered extinct for about 50 years, the Hula painted frog was spotted last week in Israel by a nature parks warden out monitoring the birds. The Hula Valley was covered in DDT and drained decades ago to stop the spread of diseases like malaria. It was established that along with malaria species indigenous to specific regions in Israel like the Hula painted frog, were gone for good. But new conservation measures that has brought water back to the Hula Valley shows that nature can spring back.
Riad Dar One for Some Magical Marakesh Mystery
Get close to Jamaa el Fna (the best square in Morocco) at Riad Dar One. This is by day.
After an enchanting stay at the Dar des Cigognes on the outer perimeter of the Medina of Marrakesh near the Jamaa el Fna, it was time to move in a little closer to heart of the Medina at the Riad Dar One. I was traveling in Morocco this summer and was privileged to stay at family-run guest houses like the Kasbah du Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains along the way.
Bracing what seemed like 60 degree C heat in the noon-day sun (this was in June remember), I headed off with baby and carry-on to be greeted personally by the owner of Riad Dar One, Jean Peres, at the Palais Bahia. You can’t get to Dar One by taxi and you can certainly get lost while trying to find the old converted riad which is now a guest hotel with 6 rooms.
The possibility of getting lost in Marrakesh, and returning to it after you’re exhausted and exhilarated from the market square, is what makes it really fun. Dar One is clean, modern, and its staff friendly and cute. It is a perfect place for couples, newlywed or more experienced couples, looking for a romantic getaway. I liked staying a night at Dar One for loads of reasons.
Rapid Gulf Growth Wrecking Ecological Havoc
Extremely valuable oil and parched dry sand is proving to be a lethal combination for the Gulf region, according to a Canadian report out of the University of Toronto.
Imagine a rapidly growing tourist paradise, but set in the path of a “freeway” line of oil tankers constantly moving through, shipping out a third of the world’s oil, polluting the coastline, and you can begin to imagine the scope of the Gulf problem assessed by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Toronto.
Jordan Steps Up Anti-Logging Efforts Over Winter
Authorities in Jordan are stepping up the monitoring of forests to stop illegal logging over the winter months
The onset of winter can only mean one thing- the weather is going to get colder and in Jordan, that means a rise in illegal logging. According to the government, illegal logging for heating purposes and for trade increases in the cold months and so to prevent this, they are stepping up their monitoring. The number of patrols and rangers from the Ministry of Agriculture will be doubled and individuals caught cutting down trees could face a three-month prison sentence and a fine for each tree cut down.