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Naked Dead Sea Picture Released by Spencer Tunick

Karin Kloosterman
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5
Naked Dead Sea Picture Released by Spencer Tunick

naked dead seaSpencer Tunick publishes the first official Naked Dead Sea photo this weekend.

Naked Dead Sea and naked Israelis were the talk of the Internet last month as 1,200 Israelis volunteered to strip all to save the Dead Sea from environmental decay. American-Jewish installation artist Spencer Tunick came to Israel and photographed the glistening naked bodies in the dawn of the day, including one Green Prophet writer Alex.

You can read Alex’s account of getting naked for the Dead Sea here. But all the pictures we saw back then were taken from afar as volunteers were not allowed to even sneak in cameras. Up above you are looking at the first picture released by Spencer Tunick, in what is likely to be a huge attention grabbing installation.

naked dead sea photo areil
An aerial perspective of Spencer Tunick’s Naked Sea project at the Dead Sea. Photo by Itamar Grinberg.

A video of the installation in the works: caution, there is clear nudity in the video

Some Green Prophet readers will no doubt be offended by the idea of getting naked for the Dead Sea, religious Jews, Muslims and Christians included. And I certainly wouldn’t do it at this point in my life. But some environmentalists have no problem with exposing their bodies to support a cause: a rapidly retreating global wonder, devastated from lack of water runoff, and industrial mineral-grabbing.

One reader Xoussef writes:

“I do not “understand” art, and don’t pretend to, but this is a bit “faux cul”. I mean that experiencing the nakedness, participating in a shooting, are good enough reasons to participate, and the aesthetic value of it is all the reason the artist needs, but grafting the angle of saving the sea on it is extremely naive at best, dishonest at worst, and eminently futile otherwise.

“What’s needed here is funding and lobbying, I fail to see how this installation helps with either, if it doesn’t prove to be detrimental.

“Just doing the installation straight forward for the sake of Art seems to me a whole lot more honest and honourable.”

What’s your take? A good cause to save the sea or …?

More on the Naked Dead Sea project:
Why I got Naked for the Dead Sea
Strip Naked for the Dead Sea
A Thousand Israelis Get Naked for the Dead Sea
New Life Found in the Dead Sea

Dubai Launches Arabic Carbon Calculator

Arwa Aburawa
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3
Dubai Launches Arabic Carbon Calculator

A carbon calculator in Arabic will help Dubai residents track everything from food, travel to energy consumption

The carbon emissions of Gulf nations in the Middle East are notoriously high. The UAE has one of the largest carbon footprints per capita in the world and the average citizen in the Gulf produces between two to ten times more carbon than the average global citizen. As such, it’s great to see the Dubai government launch one of the first ever carbon footprint calculators in Arabic to help residents track their green and not-so-green behaviours.

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Landmark Wind Power Plant To Be Built In Pakistan

Zaufishan
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2
Landmark Wind Power Plant To Be Built In Pakistan

pakistan wind turbine power renewable energy
A landmark wind power project is set to be built in south Pakistan, which will form part of the 6% target renewable energy in the total power mix by 2030.

Asian Development Bank has provided a loan of $36.8 million to Pakistan’s first privately owned wind farm by the Turkish company, Zorlu Enerji Electrik Uretim, that is utilising it to raise the power output from the current 6 megawatts (MW) to 56.4 megawatts.

A statement issued by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said the total cost of the project is $159 million, out of which 30% is being financed through equity provided by Zorlu Enerji and the rest through loans from Asian Development Bank (ADB), and ECO Trade and Development Bank, as well as a Pak Rupee loan from Habib Bank.

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World Bank Supports Turkey-Built 56.4 MW Wind Project in Pakistan

Karin Kloosterman
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0
World Bank Supports Turkey-Built 56.4 MW Wind Project in Pakistan

boy flying kite pakistanWith crippling floods every year and regular power outages, a new internationally financed wind project in Pakistan is breezy green news to us.

Iran, finding itself increasingly isolated due to US-backed sanctions, has been pressing energy-deficient Pakistan to connect with Iran’s natural gas “peace pipeline“. Natural gas is better than coal (which is killing miners) and dirty fuel that Pakistanis use in their households, but it is not the greenest. We laud a new announcement by the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, which is investing $38.1 million in the company Zorlu Enerji Pakistan Limited, a Turkish energy firm to build what it is calling a landmark wind energy project in Pakistan, the Associated Press Pakistan reports.

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Can Nuclear Power Ever Be Justified For Environmental Reasons?

Arwa Aburawa
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2
Can Nuclear Power Ever Be Justified For Environmental Reasons?

nuclear-solar-middle-east-environmentJordan looks into the advantages of nuclear and we debunk the ‘green’ arguments for going nuclear

Whilst Turkey reassesses its own nuclear plans following a devastating earthquake, Jordan is still exploring the pros and cons of going radioactive. A recent meeting held in Amman brought together various NGOs, experts and academics for the 4th International Symposium on Nuclear Energy. Issues such as the Fukushima incident, safety and the need for transparency came up but so did the advantages of nuclear power for water security. So can nuclear power ever really be justified on environmental terms?

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Solar Powered Taxi To Stop in Israel Next Week As Part of Worldwide Tour

Karen Chernick
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2
Solar Powered Taxi To Stop in Israel Next Week As Part of Worldwide Tour

"solar powered taxi"Beep beep!  This solar powered taxi intends to tour the globe on zero gas and a full tank of sunshine.

Swiss inventor Louis Palmer‘s solar powered taxi will be rolling into Israel next week, after having traveled to over 40 countries and through 60,000 kilometers already.  Without a single drop of standard fuel.  Powered by the sun, this revolutionary taxi will teach Israelis (and the world) that solar powered cars are a viable option for our future.  The country is already awaiting the widespread launch of Better Place’s more sustainable electric cars, but in the meantime, Palmer is showing us that the Middle East’s strong solar rays can be used for transportation as well.

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Trees4Life Tell British Muslims To Plant Trees In Palestine And Reduce Waste

Zaufishan
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1
Trees4Life Tell British Muslims To Plant Trees In Palestine And Reduce Waste

trees4life british muslims plant trees palestine indonesia carbon

British Muslims are breaking the terrorist stereotype in a new eco-awareness campaign. Trees4Life, a British grassroots organisation has branched out as far as Palestine and Indonesia, to facilitate positive solutions to environmental problems in the form of tree-planting programs.

In the faithful hopes of trying to make us aware of our environmental obligations, Trees4Life believes planting a tree is the first small step in being a green Muslim. “We are just trying to open the door in thinking ‘green’,” says founder Naweeda Ahmad.

Green Prophet writer Zaufishan Iqbal asked the Trees4Life team how British Muslims can help the Middle East and whether planting trees is really the way to go about it.

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Nominate Your Green Prophet Eco Hero for 2011

Arwa Aburawa
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2
Nominate Your Green Prophet Eco Hero for 2011

middle-east-north-africa-environment-hero-2011Green Prophet launches the Green Prophet Eco Hero 11 Award for 2011. Who are your eco-heros for the Middle East and North Africa region?

With so much green, inspiring energy in the Middle East North Africa region, we decided to give local green prophets a little pat on the back. At the end of the year, Green Prophet will announce its first list of environmental activists from the Middle East and North Africa region. Top winners will win a small personal cash prize of $200, $100 and $50. All winners will be profiled on Green Prophet, giving credit and credence to their work. Do you know someone who is fighting to save sharks from fin soup, someone fighting for dead seas or lakes, or who is creating new water technologies that could change the water-parched region? If so, let us know about them! Read on for how you can nominate your eco-hero.

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Argan Oil: Expert Estimates About 20,000 Trees in Israel

Miriam Kresh
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5
Argan Oil: Expert Estimates About 20,000 Trees in Israel

image-argan-fruitNah, nobody does that goat thing anymore…

Our recent post about Israeli argan oil caused a few ripples over the Internet. While we now know that the old-fashioned “goat” treatment of the fruit is no longer used in Morocco except as a tourist attraction, we’ve also learned much about the success of growing the tree itself in Israel.

We interviewed Professor Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, responsible for most of of the argan tree’s propagation in Israel. Prof. Solowey has worked with argan trees since 1985. She worked in the National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Morocco, on a 7-year project aimed at increasing fruit yield. In more recent years, she has been developing argan propagation at the Arava Institute.

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Nokka Customized Cardboard Furniture for Everyday and Everyone

Karen Chernick
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0
Nokka Customized Cardboard Furniture for Everyday and Everyone

"upcycled cardboard stool"Upcycled, easily recycled and sturdy cardboard is the base material for Nokka’s furniture.

Cardboard is one of those miracle materials that has recently been rediscovered and used widely by sustainable designers.  It is easy to come by, easy to upcycle, and easy to recycle – and no less importantly, it is surprisingly strong and durable.  Cardboard has been used to create furniture for adults, cardboard dollhouses and cradles for kids, and even mounted cardboard deer heads.  Now Noah Naveh, a young designer from Moshav Beit Itzhak in Israel, has started making customized cardboard items (such as the New York Times inspired stools above) through her new company, Nokka.

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Making an Ecosexual Stink about Komen’s ‘Promise Me’ Perfume

Tinamarie Bernard
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0
Making an Ecosexual Stink about Komen’s ‘Promise Me’ Perfume

Breast cancer is the boogey man lurking underneath our breastbones, and organizations committed to eradicating the disease are the super heroines wearing pink capes, except when they are selling something that can cause cancer.

That Susan G. Komen’s fragrance ‘Promise Me’ may be laced with cancer-causing ingredients is a blessing in disguise. The world needs a smoking gun to wake up consumers to the toxins we are lathering in as we pursue dangerous beauty.  An ecosexual revolution will gain the necessary traction when enough people recognize the inherent value of greening their personal and intimate lives, one vibrator, lipstick, bubble bath, massage oil, sanitary hygiene, condom, lubricant and bottle of perfume at a time. (Just to be clear, that’s a truncated list of ways everyone reading this can be kinder to their somatic and erotic selves; being an ecosexual is actually fairly easy, green and consummately pleasurable.)

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Green Pilgrimage Network Promotes Sustainable Religious Pilgrimage

Karen Chernick
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0
Green Pilgrimage Network Promotes Sustainable Religious Pilgrimage

"ecological religious community"Religious leaders will gather in Assisi, Italy (home of St. Francis of Assisi) to launch the Green Pilgrimage Network next week.

Religious pilgrimage is an important component of many world religions.  Here in the Middle East, the annual Hajj to Mecca draws millions of Muslims from all over the world who want to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam and see an important religious site.  Studies estimate that around two million Muslims make the Hajj pilgrimage.  Yet such pilgrimages inevitably have a big (and not so positive) environmental impact.

To improve this situation, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) will be launching the Green Pilgrimage Network next week – a network that will come up with sustainable solutions for pilgrims (such as the Mecca Metro that has started to transport pilgrims with fewer carbon emissions).

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Israeli Gov’t Denies Eye-Popping Disease that Kills Sacred Sea of Galilee Fish

Tafline Laylin
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2
Israeli Gov’t Denies Eye-Popping Disease that Kills Sacred Sea of Galilee Fish

conservation, wildlife conservation, israel, water authority, galileeIsrael’s Ministry of Agriculture denies that a crazy eye-popping disease is killing a substantial population of fish in the Sea of Galilee.

A bizarre disease is killing off a host of fish in the Sea of Galilee, including the St. Peter’s fish considered sacred because of its relevance to the biblical bread and fishes story. After a fish contract the disease, one of its eyes pops out, leaving behind a gorged-out hollow, and then the other. Soon the fish turns black and begins to starve, and finally red spots appear on its body and it dies. While this is very strange, the most bizarre twist to this story is that the Ministry of Agriculture denies that this has been going on for the past 10 years!

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Scales, Impingement and Entrainment: Know Desalination’s Negative Side

Joshua Basofin
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3

desalination plantDesalination’s negative environmental risks can outweigh the benefits, argues our environmental lawyer blogger Josh.

Israel will quadruple its output of desalinated water by 2050, according to a report released by the country’s Water Authority Council. The government will also encourage construction of new desalination facilities on manmade islands. These measures will ensure a continuous stream of desalted water without developing coastal lands in the tiny country.

Water experts have sung desalination’s praises far and wide lately. It provides a reliable, secure water supply. It reduces our reliance on natural waterways. And not least importantly it has become cheaper as desalting companies develop more cost-effective technology.

Desalination’s critics have, in equal measure, leveled their own concerns at the industry. The process requires exorbitant amounts of energy, they say, is too expensive, and poses potential health risks.

But these concerns only tell a partial story of desalination’s environmental impacts. It affects the marine environment in an important way: through seawater intakes. Decision makers often ignore or downplay this impact. When desalination facilities suck in huge amounts of water, scores of fish and even marine mammals become stuck to the grates. Scientists call this phenomenon “impingement”.

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Iran’s Solar Car Competes in Australia (But Japan Wins)

Maurice Picow
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2
Iran’s Solar Car Competes in Australia (But Japan Wins)

iran solar carIran’s solar-powered Gazelle 2, hopes to place well in trans Australia trials

Iran’s Gazelle 2 solar powered electric car may not have massaging seats, but it certainly looks better than the Palestinian-built solar car in Hebron. The sleek one-seater that weighs only 150 kg, was unveiled at Teheran University by the car’s project manager, Dr. Karen Abrinia.  The five meter long and two meter wide vehicle was designed and made by the students of the vehicular research department at the University of Qazvin. It competed in the World Solar Challenge race in Australia, with the winner Tokai University from Japan, just announced.

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