Page 510 – Green Prophet

Next for Enlight – a Wind Farm

Tech

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August 29, 2011

Hot on the heels of the solar contract we covered last year to supply the Israeli Defense Force with the power of the sun, Enlight Renewable Energy (TASE: ENLT) has announced a new project. It will build and run a new wind farm on the windy Golan Heights, the site of Israel’s first wind farm, a now very outdated 10 wind turbines.

The company specializes in initiating, developing, constructing and operating clean electricity production projects from renewable energy sources. Until now, these have been in small solar development in Israel (16 small PV facilities) and last year one was announced in Italy, and this marks the company’s first foray into wind farm development.

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Nature Reserve In Jordan Is Growing Organic

Health

Arwa Aburawa

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August 28, 2011

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Nature Reserve In Jordan Is Growing Organic

Jordan is championing water-efficiency and chemical-free farming at the stunning Mujib nature reserve

Following Qatar’s plans to build 1,400 organic farms, comes the announcement that a Jordanian nature reserve will be growing organic crops and medicinal herbs. The farm at the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is spread over 10 dunums and is designed to demonstrate the advantages of growing food using less water and chemicals to the local farmers. Conservationists suggested the organic farm following a decline in the quality and quantity of water in the nature reserve, which is home to over 90 rare plant species and numerous migratory birds.

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Elul, The Jewish Month of Deep Meditation

Miriam Kresh

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August 28, 2011

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Elul, The Jewish Month of Deep Meditation

Prayer notes folded small to fit into the Western Walls’s crevices.

In my early days as an observant Jew, I left a note in the cracks of the Western Wall. I searched my mind for the words to convey my prayers onto paper and wasn’t at all sure God would know or care. I’ve learned since then that every prayer, even the ones scratched out at the last minute and fitted into a crevice between the stones of the Wall, rise to the Creator. Even – or maybe especially – the silent ones.

The upcoming month of Elul leads up to the High Holy Days of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (our post on the green tranquility of Yom Kippur in Israel is here). It’s month of intensive heart- and soul-searching in preparation for the awesome days when we are judged and our fates for the coming year decreed. The word itself means “search” in Aramaic. (And at the year’s other axis, Passover, we conduct another physical/spiritual search. Learn about it here.)

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Foreskin Removal for Zulus Prevents AIDS

Health

Karin Kloosterman

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August 28, 2011

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Foreskin Removal for Zulus Prevents AIDS

Does circumcision offer health benefits? A medical historian I spoke with says yes, it does. She’s now working in Africa with Zulus.

It was a tradition long ago practiced. Now Zulu tribes in Africa are returning to the Jewish custom of male circumcision to reduce the spread of AIDS. In California where calls to ban circumcision are being made, I interview an epidemic historian on why this custom might save Africa. For women grappling with the decision to circumcise or not, this NY Times article gives some additional advice.

While San Francisco politicians debate the necessity of the male foreskin removal rite, citing human rights concerns, Zulu King Goodwill Zwelethini of KwaZulu-Natal nods his head, pictured above. The tribal leader of KwaZulu-Natal, a province of 10 million people in South Africa, recently rescinded a 200-year-old ban on the age-old practice of male circumcision, still conducted in many regions in Africa, after seeing the evidence on the spread of AIDS. Some estimates suggest than more than half of all HIV infections could be stopped if men are circumcised. Very conservative estimates are one in 10.

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Rescued Candlesticks Unite to Form Upcycled Menorah

Design

Karen Chernick

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August 28, 2011

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Rescued Candlesticks Unite to Form Upcycled Menorah

Candlesticks that have lost their partners find a home in this upcycled menorah.

Most flea markets and second-hand stores have them – candlesticks either with or without their partners. Solitary candlesticks often tend to be left behind, since they usually come in pairs. But thanks to this menorah design from Reddish Studio (the same people who make the wonderful Bath & Beyond bath tub chair), all those single candlesticks are put to functional use and united together with new partners. (And kept out of landfills too, of course.)

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More Sustainable Eye Glasses – Wood or Human Hair?

Design

Karen Chernick

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August 27, 2011

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If you think these sunglasses are made from tortoise shell, guess again.

Accessories may be one of the most important places for an ecologically minded designer to start. Accessories are the victims of quickly changing trends and fads, and so their unsustainable fashionable-ness makes their ecological sustainability greatly needed. We’ve seen other green designers tackle this issue before, creating purses out of old tire inner tubes, wallets out of discarded wrappers, and clutches made from old architectural designs. There are the wonderful theme-based goodr sunglasses. However we have not yet seen designers stare sustainable accessories in the face.

Namely, take it to one of the most ubiquitous fashion accessories of all – the eye or sun glasses. And now we’re faced with two sets of designers tackling the issue in very different ways: one making eye glasses from human hair (seen above) and the other making them from wood.

Ezri Tarazi, an industrial designer and the Head of the Industrial Design Department at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, is the one responsible for the wood glasses seen above together with Shoham Zak. Made from special laminated wood layers, they are extremely strong (even though, from a practical perspective, they are not collapsible).

Tarazi notes that they are suitable for people with skin allergies to metal and plastic. In terms of energy consumption, the wood is probably much less energy intensive to obtain than metals and plastic. With a slight tweak in the design to make these frames from durable and quickly growing bamboo, these glasses would be much more sustainable.

Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves, two graduates from the Royal College of Art in the UK, are behind the “Hair Glasses” line to the left – a collection of sustainable fashion eyewear exploring the potential of human hair. Made from human hair and bioresin, the frames are completely biodegradable and no harmful substances are released during production.

In attempt to explain why they would use human hair, the two founders of Studio Swine explain that “the UK beauty industry imports 15 million pounds worth of human hair per year. As the world’s population continues to increase, human hair has been reimagined as a viable – importantly renewable – material.”

Maybe human hair is the new bamboo?

Five Star Eco-Tourism in Cool, But Hot Mid East Locations

Travel

Maurice Picow

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August 26, 2011

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Five Star Eco-Tourism in Cool, But Hot Mid East Locations

Jordan’s Six Senses Evason Hot Springs Eco Resort. Does King Abdullah and family come here for fun?

There are numerous eco-tourism options available in the Middle East. Green-hearted tourists can climb “God’s Mountain” in Egypt or visit the desert oasis of Siwa along the Red Sea coast in Sinai. But in the United Arab Emirates, five star eco-tourism is becoming increasingly popular according to Hotelier MiddleEast.com. Dubai and Abu Dhabi destinations that ostensibly help to “save the planet” offer unique accommodations within a luxury, “eco-friendly” setting.

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Novel Bus-Stop Libraries in Israel Promote Green Transportation

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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August 26, 2011

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Novel Bus-Stop Libraries in Israel Promote Green Transportation

Would mini-libraries at bus stops encourage residents of your city to use public transportation?

Here’s a novel idea: create a system of mini-libraries at bus stops in order to encourage reading and green transportation. Think it could never happen? Think again. Two urban artists, one of whom graduated from Israel’s Technion Faculty of Architecture, submitted their brainchild to the mayor of Kfar Saba, a small city north of Tel Aviv, who gave them his blessing. Although there were some initial reservations about how long the books would last, one resident told Ynet News that at the beginning of the first experimental week, the books disappeared. By the end of that week, not only were the books returned, but new ones were added.

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Masdar’s Carbon Capture Program Could Lead to Mass Delirium and Comas

Business

Tafline Laylin

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August 26, 2011

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Masdar’s Carbon Capture Program Could Lead to Mass Delirium and Comas

Oil and gas companies believe that CCS will allow fossil-burning to continue unabated, but health leaders expose the potential for widespread human fatalities in the event of accidental leaks.

The United States Department of Energy has pledged to match Masdar’s $700,000 carbon capture research program with $3 Million of US taxpayer money. In collaboration with RTI International, an independent, international non-profit organization that has worked closely with the DoE for 25 years, Penn State University and two other American companies, Masdar intends to revolutionize the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) space so that the world can continue to burn coal, gas, and oil without worrying about the impact that doing so will have on escalating climate changes.

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Israeli Cleantech Benefits from Australian Climate Legislation

Tech

Susan Kraemer

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August 26, 2011

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Israeli Cleantech Benefits from Australian Climate Legislation

When Prime Minister Julia Gillard narrowly succeeded in passing Australia’s first carbon tax last month, she probably wasn’t thinking of how Israeli innovation will be a beneficiary.

Not everyone is happy that Gillard passed Australia’s first carbon “tax.” Big Coal is furious. And coal is a huge industry in Australia. But Australia’s Greenearth Energy is one diversified energy company that is enthusiastic about the prospects for clean energy development following the Gillard government’s recent climate legislation that puts a price ($23 a ton) on carbon. Like Israel’s BrightSource Energy (BrightSource Glad to See Carbon “Tax” Down Under) which also stands to benefit from the about-face on climate regulation down under, Greenearth brings Israeli-developed clean renewable energy to Australia.

Greenearth previously demonstrated Zenith Solar‘s ability to bring an astonishing 72% efficiency to solar power through a combined heat and power technology, offering both hot water heating and electricity. But the company holds a diversified clean technology portfolio, bringing not just solar, but energy efficiency, clean fuels and geothermal projects as well – all technologies that will become only more vital for energy security in a carbon constrained world.

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Reporter’s Notebook: Woodland Building in Wales Cures the Green Blues

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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August 25, 2011

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Reporter’s Notebook: Woodland Building in Wales Cures the Green Blues

Nothing cures the green blues better than spending a weekend with talented, wholesome folks who love building cool art and architecture projects as much as they love nature.

SO many wonderful green-minded people such as Najib Saab – head of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), the Green Sheikh from Ajman, my amazing peers right here on Green Prophet, Friends of the Earth Middle Earth (FoEME), and many others strive to remedy environmental issues in the Middle East. But it’s hard to ignore the trash in Egypt, Jordan’s lack of water, Dubai’s unfettered growth model, and a general lack of awareness about the importance of protecting biodiversity, conserving energy and water, and recycling.

When I lose sight of just how much our global awareness has grown in the past decade or so despite the crises we currently face, I find that getting involved in a good green project always restores my hope and perspective. Which is why I contacted Tabitha Pope of Recycled Venues and Jenny Hall of Crafted Space, organizers of the Woodland Design Lab that took place from 18 August – 21 August, 2011 in Wales, and asked if I could join the fun. Luckily for me they brought me on board (though Jenny’s mom did warn her about journalists!) and it was exactly what the green doctor ordered.

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Upcycled Bath Tub Chair Design by Reddish

Design

Karen Chernick

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August 25, 2011

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Upcycled Bath Tub Chair Design by Reddish

"bath chair design" — *Reddish Studio designs an upcycled bath tub chair*

Designers often talk about “clean” design, with crisp lines and an absence of frou-frou decoration. See the emergence of functional design in restaurant furniture.

But apparently there’s another kind of clean design – the kind that’s clean because it’s upcycled from objects formerly used to keep people clean, like a bathtub.

upcycled bath tub to chair blueprint — *The blueprint to upcycle a bathtub to chair*

The Bath & Beyond chair, made by the Israeli designers at Reddish Design Studio, joins a list of other fun eco-friendly chairs such as the modular Loop Chair, the Daily Chair made from the remains of the daily newspaper, and the Rocky Chair made from vintage movie theater seats and rocking chair bases.

Upcycled, aesthetic, and allegedly very comfortable, the Bath & Beyond Chair is a welcome addition to our list of sustainably designed chairs.

Reddish Studio was founded in 2002 by a pair of industrial designers, Naama Steinbock and Idan Friedman, both graduates of the Holon Academic Institute of Technology. The studio designs a range of products, from household objects to jewelry and furniture, and exhibition design as well.

Reddish Studio Idan Friedman Naama Steinbock — *Reddish Studio founders*

In describing the mission of the studio, the designers write that “Reddish studio focuses on keeping its designs clear and intriguing, and spends most of the time helping objects feel better about themselves.”

The bathtub used to create the Bath & Beyond Chair should certainly feel better about itself, for both aesthetic and ecological reasons.

::Reddish Studio

Find more sustainable chair designs from Israel:
Tal Gur’s Daily Chair Finds a New Use for Yesterday’s Irrelevant Newspaper
Modular Loop Chair Serves a Twelve-Fold Function
Another Rockin’ Chair by an Israeli Designer
Amir Zinaburg’s Recycled Designs Can-Can

Turkey’s First “Slow City” Promotes Local Agriculture, Slow Food Movement

Cities

Julia Harte

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August 25, 2011

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Turkey’s First “Slow City” Promotes Local Agriculture, Slow Food Movement

Seferihisar, a city on Turkey’s western Aegean coast, is part of Cittaslow, an international movement founded to promote the Slow Food movement around the world.

Agriculture is the economic foundation of Seferihisar. The region is famous around Turkey for its juicy satsumas and mandarin oranges, while olives and vineyards also comprise a significant portion of the local economy. But in the last decade, the government has passed a series of legislation favoring the homogeneous agriculture practiced by large-scale corporations and discouraging the local agriculture that has traditionally sustained communities such as Seferihisar. Since becoming a “slow city” several years ago, however, farmers in Seferihisar are finding ways to keep their traditional ways of agriculture alive.

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Why the Middle East Should Definitely Support America’s Keystone XL Pipeline Protests

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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August 24, 2011

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Why the Middle East Should Definitely Support America’s Keystone XL Pipeline Protests

Bill McKibben isn’t the kind of guy who takes getting arrested lightly. He’s doing it to save humanity from one of the most catastrophic dangers we have ever faced.

The right wing has long maintained that America should reduce its oil dependency on the Middle East. Considered the root of the last war in Iraq and a compelling reason for Gaddafi to hold on so tightly to power over Libya’s oil fields, Republicans have pushed through a series of catastrophic measures to secure their own oil supplies in the United States. But this time, some of the country’s most respected scientists and environmental activists are risking arrest to fight the latest such folly.

Fast-tracked for presidential approval by the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Panel, the $7 billion Keystone XL Pipeline poses one of the greatest dangers humanity has ever experienced. The 1500 mile pipeline would transport heavy crude oil (or bitumen) evacuated from Northern Alberta’s tar sands to Texas refineries. If burned, this heavy crude oil would release up to 82% more carbon emissions into our atmosphere than conventional oil. More emissions = more erratic climate changes = worsening quality of life for everyone. One hundred and fifty protestors have already been arrested in Washington D.C., where they are putting pressure on President Obama to make good on the promises that got him elected.

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Better Place Announces First Trade-In Agreement for Electric Cars in Israel

Transportation

Karen Chernick

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August 23, 2011

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Better Place Announces First Trade-In Agreement for Electric Cars in Israel

Better Place launches another brand new business in Israel – used electric car sales.

Better Place, the company bringing an electric car infrastructure to Israel, has been changing so much about how the Israeli public thinks about transportation. It has educated the public about the benefits of using electric cars, taught us that a whole new electric infrastructure can be created to replace fossil-fuel-guzzling gas stations, and now it is teaching us that yes, there is such a thing as a used electric cares salesman. According to a recent agreement between Better Place and Trade Mobile, Better Place customers will be able to enjoy car trade-in services when buying or selling Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars.

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