Lebanon is bracing for severe summer drought. As in nearby Jordan, longstanding water management problems are stressed to the breaking point following the driest year on record and a winter exacerbated by a massive influx of Syrian refugees. Facebook Comments
Egypt’s ongoing energy issues, compounded by its current political and economic problems, appear to be going from bad to worse. This is especially so since its natural gas revenues were dramatically curtailed following numerous sabotage attacks on its Sinai gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan. Facebook Comments
Summer’s coming – watch as its warm weather seduces us into abandoning green principles – flipping on the air conditioner (AC) for a fast blast of freeze. Is there a greener way to beat the heat? You bet, and going retro is the smartest way to up your coolness! Look below for this DIY project […]
Something’s bugging Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. So obsessed is the billionaire philanthropist that he’s dedicated the first week of May to raising awareness to the world’s deadliest creature – the mosquito. Facebook Comments
Social media has again proved to be a powerful tool in Tunisia, where a group of people started a Facebook page that turns the ubiquitous ‘selfie’ into an opportunity to express disgust with the country’s stinking trash problem. Facebook Comments
A travelling art exhibit made from thousands of bamboo poles has landed in Israel. Inviting the public to climb on it, and inside it, this is one rare art installation made from thousands of bamboo poles which encourages people to be part of it. Facebook Comments
Following the news that 3D printed homes from China can be built in 24 hours, comes a new Israeli invention called SmartBrick. Facebook Comments
May Camelopardalis is the name given for a newly discovered meteor shower which may or may not dazzle viewers under clear-dark skies. Facebook Comments
There’s something so compelling about this minimalistic villa shanghaied on the edge of a rocky Mediterranean landscape. One of five small villas conceptualized for varying landscapes by Italian design studio LAD, Villa Minima #3 is a distorted parallelepiped structure envisioned for a private residence in Turkey. Facebook Comments
Saudi Aramco may be taking over the Kingdom’s renewable energy industry in order to hasten the uptake of solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy. The move comes after the government-backed group forecasted a significant slump in export revenue as local oil consumption soars. Facebook Comments
Turkish archaeologists have unearthed what Discovery News calls the ‘Byzantine iPad.” Dated to the 9th century A.D., the wooden tool was found among a shipyard of roughly 37 ancient ships in Istanbul. The original ‘iPad’ measures roughly seven inches, except it’s thicker and made of wood, and comprises five overlaid carved rectangular panels coated with wax, Discovery reports. “Yenikapı is a phenomenon with its 37 […]
Green Prophet’s Brian travels to Jordan and finds way too much trash out at sea. He asks: What would Iron Eyes Cody do? Facebook Comments
If you are shopping around for a home in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East there are conventional places to turn to like Craig’s List, local real estate agents, and even new startup websites like Lamudi or Realty Mogul to help you find properties of interest. But let’s say you are a foreigner or returning national looking […]
Our local photographer takes a look at what happens when trees are cut off from their water source in a “desert experiment” in the United Arab Emirates. Facebook Comments
We don’t mean to pick on any one firm here, but a string of repetitive competition proposals has culminated most recently in the Central Bank of Libya design for Tripoli by Henning Larsen Architects. Although they and other foreign foreign firms are making an effort to be culturally relevant, how many desert-like “flowing facades” do we need? Facebook Comments
Like any other appliance, the various components of a home aquarium can consume not insignificant amounts of energy over the course of a year. Facebook Comments
A new case of Mad Cow disease has been reported in Egypt. It may be the final push to make me pass on meat. Facebook Comments
A charitable man who wishes to remain anonymous recently installed a refrigerator outside of his home in Hail, Saudi Arabia. His neighbors can leave their excess food inside the refrigerator where it is kept fresh and clean. Needy people can then anonymously use this excess food without the shame of begging. Facebook Comments
The 2012 winners of a competition with a cringe-inducing name teamed up with a powerhouse plumbing manufacturer to design a self-contained restroom that could be deployed anywhere – it doesn’t require plumbing infrastructure or connection to a power grid! Facebook Comments
Don’t have a garden? You can still own a fruiting olive tree, grown in a container. A sunny balcony and the right climate are the essential things; that, and time. Italians have grown fruit trees in containers for centuries, keeping them protected in special sheds during the winter. Come spring, the trees are wheeled out […]
As I enter Arafet Ben Marzou’s new “office” at the top floor of an apartment building facing the lakes in Tunis, I am met with a very familiar feeling: that silicon valley, young brains, start-up feel. Only this time it is “ à la Tunisienne”, and I have to say, I prefer it. Facebook Comments
Organic farming is widely thought to be the healthy choice – not only nutritionally but because organic farmers are required (in general) to keep their crops chemical- and pesticide-free. But in poverty-stricken Gaza, people are more frequently buying conventionally-grown foods. Facebook Comments
Artist Gregory Kloehn veered off course from a career creating large-scale sculptures, focusing his talents on making tiny buildings from garbage. He erects one-room houses to hotel the homeless, dumpster diving for raw materials which he reassembles into inventive (and minuscule) mobile homes. Facebook Comments
This is one for the kids to answer at dinnertime: An octopus’s arms are covered in hundreds of suckers that will stick to just about anything, with one important exception: those suckers generally won’t grab onto the octopus itself. If they did, the flexible animals would quickly find themselves all tangled up. Facebook Comments
Green Prophet’s brought you the story behind this year’s winner of the Jameel Prize – 3, an international award for contemporary design inspired by ancient Islamic tradition. But there are nine other finalists who warrant a closer look. Meet fiber artist Faig Ahmed – guaranteed his amazing rugs will trip you up! The Azerbaijan-based mixed-media […]
