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Huge MedGrid Joins Giant Solar Desertec Plan

Susan Kraemer
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Huge MedGrid Joins Giant Solar Desertec Plan

medgrid desertec In a marriage made in renewable energy heaven, the two most ambitious energy plans in the world have joined forces.

Today, Desertec and Medgrid signed an agreement to strengthen co-operation on building renewable energy from the deserts and the huge grid to move the power. Desertec, which a mere few years ago was just an impractical vision of a chain of power plants in the North African sun to power 15% of Europe. Now known as Dii (Desertec Industrial Initiative), Desertec now has 56 partners in 15 countries and is already beginning the financing on the first solar power plant in the chain in solar-friendly Morocco.

(Related: Desertec Begins: 500 MW Moroccan Solar)

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Shopping Malls Go Green in Israel

Maurice Picow
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Shopping Malls Go Green in Israel

Ir Yamim MallThis Israeli mall, Ir Yamim includes a round tank in foreground for rain or AC runoff water

Mid East Green building projects like those in Abu Dhabi’s much publicized Masdar City,  green building construction plans for Saudi Arabia, and a newly completed green building in Amman Jordan are indications that a number of countries in this region are interested in making commercial and residential buildings more environmental friendly. This also holds true for Israel with an “eco tower” now being built in Tel Aviv, and what is being touted as the country’s first green shopping mall now under construction in the coastal city of Netanya.

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5 Free and Cheap Apps to Save the Planet

Alex Gutman
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5 Free and Cheap Apps to Save the Planet

We’ve written a book on how to write to save the planet. Now for those of us who aren’t blogging or writing, but who are environmentally conscious, whether you simply want to save money on your monthly electric bill or want to figure out the best way to work or “green” your best friend’s wedding, chances are you’ll find some App to help you green your life. Here are 5 Apps I personally tested that can help make your life and the world a greener one and make your handheld engagement one that is for a good cause. They are either free or cheap.

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Kite Surfer Pulls ‘Sail-Support’ Wires to Track the Sun

Karin Kloosterman
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Kite Surfer Pulls ‘Sail-Support’ Wires to Track the Sun

eterngy, etracker solar panelInspired by kite surfing, an Israel engineer at Etenergy develops a PV dual-axis tracker to get 40% more energy from large PV solar installations.

What happens when an Israeli engineer with experience in solar power goes kite surfing with the wheels of his mind turning? Eyal Dror founder of the company ETracker has developed a new kind of pivoting solar energy tracker. When connected to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, the company’s solar tracker rotates with the sun. With poles and wires built like a kite surf Etenergy says they can get a lot more energy from the sun, especially in windy regions. I met with Dror and Simon Fried from the company last week at the WATEC event in Tel Aviv, to learn that their new tracker the Etracker uses half as much materials as conventional trackers, and can give 40 percent more power to existing systems for a fraction of the price of today’s dual axis trackers.

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Developer’s Artificial Reefs Unlikely to Restore Gulf Damage

Tafline Laylin
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Developer’s Artificial Reefs Unlikely to Restore Gulf Damage

artificial reef, manmade islands, gulf, persian gulf, arabian gulf, dubai, marine ecosystem, coral reefs, environmental destruction

A report last week showed that development projects like The World manmade islands above are destroying the Gulf’s fragile marine ecosystem. One major culprit, Nakheel, aims to restore their own damage with 500 artificial reefs.

Last week the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Toronto released the first official report linking rapid development projects with widespread destruction to the Gulf’s marine environment. Environmentalists and activists have long suspected that man-made islands and row after row of the world’s biggest this and that could not possibly be sustainable but the report taken up by such prestigious journals as Nature finally made that truth unequivocal.

Much of the damage done to this fragile ecosystem can be attributed to real estate developers Nakheel, which is behind such projects as The World manmade islands, Palm Jumeirah, and Palm Jebel Ali. Although they told The National it has nothing to do with the damning report released last week, the company recently announced that they will build 500 artificial reefs in an effort to restore the ecosystem in and around their own projects. 

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Critical Mass of Cyclists to Test Jerusalem’s Bike Paths

Karen Chernick
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Critical Mass of Cyclists to Test Jerusalem’s Bike Paths

"bike path jerusalem"During this month’s ‘Critical Mass’ in Jerusalem, cyclists will check out the city’s new bike paths.

Maybe it’s because Israel is becoming a nation of pedalers, or because biking is a hot form of eco-tourism, but for whatever reason a group of Jerusalem cyclists has been getting together for a monthly Critical Mass.  (And no, Critical Mass is not some kind of large religious gathering, even though it’s taking place in Jerusalem.)  Critical Mass, a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world, is an event that has been taking place in cities around Israel for some time.

This month’s Jerusalem Critical Mass will be a little different though, and will aim to test out some new bike paths that the municipality has installed.

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Guest Photo Gallery From the Heart of Tahrir Square, Egypt

Tafline Laylin
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Guest Photo Gallery From the Heart of Tahrir Square, Egypt

tahrir square, arab spring, egypt, photos, CR gas, protests, live ammunition, militarySicilian photographer Giusi Cosentino has shared striking images straight from the heart of Tahrir Square. 

Sicilian photographer Giusi Cosentino and her partner Alex Tricani were commissioned to document life in Cairo in order to boost tourism. Fate pushed us together a couple of weeks ago when our bus to the Siwa oasis near Libya broke down, and we subsequently traveled together to meet the Veiled Weavers of Siwa and the One-Eyed Salt Carver who still loves his craft.

Convincing the world that Cairo is a good place to visit is becoming increasingly difficult for the pair. Protestors are camped out for the sixth day at Tahrir Square to rebel against the country’s rogue military, which has responded with a potentially lethal brand of tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition.

Nothing brings a story home better than beautiful images, so Giusi has shared hers with us. Please visit her remarkable Manifestanti in Piazza Tahrir photo gallery for an up-close look at what our Egyptian friends are currently facing.

International Call for Papers: Ecosexuality Anthology

Tinamarie Bernard
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International Call for Papers: Ecosexuality Anthology

ecology sex, sexualityHave something to say about the sensual side of green? A new magazine is looking for submissions.

As a philosophy, ecosexuality is quite new even to many environmentalists who are keen on greening their personal lives yet are unaware of this socially transformative movement.  From using eco-friendly lubrication to maintaining healthy reproductive and sexual well-being, to adopting the ideals of ecology in one’s primary relationship, ecosex is many things to many observers and mavericks, including myself, who support the idea of sustainable love that is good for people and the planet. Now those who imagine a greener way to love, including lovers in the Middle East, can lend their voice to the symphony and help create as well as advance the idea of what it means to go “green between the sheets.”

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Lifestyle Poor for Abu Dhabi Women’s Health, Pregnancies, Babies

Tinamarie Bernard
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Lifestyle Poor for Abu Dhabi Women’s Health, Pregnancies, Babies

muslim woman with babyLifestyle diseases associated with excess are undermining maternal and fetal health in Abu Dhabi.

According to 2010 statistics by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), 20 percent of Emirati women and 18 percent of expatriate women in the emirate have diabetes. In addition, 38 percent of Emirati women and 32% of expatriate women are obese.  The result is that more women in the country are experiencing complicated pregnancies including  gestational diabetes, and it’s all made worse by a pattern of delaying to seek appropriate maternal and child health care, the experts warn.

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Israeli Artist Transforms Rockets Into Roses

Miriam Kresh
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Israeli Artist Transforms Rockets Into Roses

image-kassam-roseBlacksmith and artist Yaron Bob creates beauty and a message of  hope from  deadly rockets.

Karen asked on our post about jewelry made from upcycled bullets, how can we change the context of other discarded or grotesque objects in order to view them as beautiful?

Now, how can weapons of death ever become symbols of peace? It takes a spirit determined to draw hope and grace from terror and despair.

Israeli artist Yaron Bob does the most daring recycling imaginable. He takes spent Kassam rockets and from them welds roses, menorahs, and jewelry.

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Egypt’s Military May Be Using Lethal Teargas

Tafline Laylin
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Egypt’s Military May Be Using Lethal Teargas

Egypt, Cairo, Toxic Pollutants, Military, Teargas, Tahrir Square

Many people fear that the Egyptian military is using a lethal new brand of teargas to dispel protestors in downtown Cairo.

During the last two weeks in Egypt there existed a menacing energy that I hadn’t experienced before and which felt certain – like a pressure cooker – to explode at any moment. Sadly, as I was waiting to board my flight to South Africa on Saturday, violence did erupt again with terrible crackdowns from both the Central Security Forces (CSF) and the Military.

Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei called what is happening a “massacre” and tweeted that “Tear gas with nerve agent & live ammunition [are] being used against civilians in Tahrir.” This potentially new brand of tear gas has received widespread attention and the medical community is concerned about its long term impact.

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Iraq and Libya For Eco-Seeking Bravehearts

Maurice Picow
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Iraq and Libya For Eco-Seeking Bravehearts

iraq and libya, eco-travel and green tourism Iraqi historical sites are many, but the security situation is still risky
Middle East Eco Tourism has been written about a lot on Green Prophet, including upscale Five Star Eco-Tourism in locations like Abu Dhabi and Jordan, hiking holiday tours in Lebanon, and even how to travel through parts of the Middle East by bike. But if you are looking for really unusual travel destinations in today’s politically changing Middle East, consider places like Iraq or Libya, where archeological sites intermingle with unfinished ecological projects  started by the country’s former strong man, Muamar Gadaffi.

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Beirut’s Rooftop Revolution by Wassim Melki

Will Todman
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Wassim Melki green roof, sustainable design, beirut lebanonWe interview urban designer Wassim Melki who envisions a sustainable future for Beirut’s skyline.

Beirut is almost completely bereft of public green spaces. Satellite images show expanses of grey apartment and office blocks and a depressing lack of trees or any other kind of greenery. But architect and urban designer Wassim Melki has a plan to radically change all of this. Whilst finding space to create public parks, or even planting trees alongside roads is practically impossible, he suggests that the solution lies on rooftops.

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Recycling Plants and Paying the Green Forward

Karen Chernick
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Recycling Plants and Paying the Green Forward

"uprooted plant growth"In addition to paper and plastic, now Israelis will be able to recycle their garden and windowsill plants too.

When redesigning one’s garden, sometimes perfectly healthy plants get tossed out in the shuffle.  The plants are not sick or anything, but simply do not match the new landscaping theme of the garden.  These carbon dioxide consuming and oxygen producing plants need not go to waste, however, thanks to the new initiative of a plant nursery in Israel.  Wendy Nurseries recently open a donation center for second hand plants and trees, which in turn are implanted in welfare institutions and military bases that need some aesthetic and ecological sprucing up.

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Turkish Town Bewildered By Strange Chemical Precipitation

Julia Harte
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Turkish Town Bewildered By Strange Chemical Precipitation

That bluish stuff on their hands? Sticky powder that can’t be washed away with regular cleaning products — and is probably coming out of one of the many factories in the area.

It’s raining unidentified factory exhaust in the township of Dilovası, about 100 kilometers east of Istanbul. Since early last week, residents have been baffled by the sticky substance falling from the sky, and frustrated by its adherence to their cars, houses, windows, and trees.

Three brave locals wiped some onto their hands to show a photographer for the Turkish daily Milliyet. (Don’t worry about the orange spot, though — it’s henna, and it’s just a sign that the hand’s owner has been to a wedding recently).

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