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Israeli Biomedical Technology Purifies Water in Outer Space

Miriam Kresh
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Israeli Biomedical Technology Purifies Water in Outer Space

image-quasar

New Israeli technology purifies waste water in orbit and on Earth.

Up till now, waste water from space flights has been dumped into outer space. Sad enough to contemplate Earth’s shrinking water resources (see our post about the Arab world’s water crisis) becoming daily more polluted by industries like the Dead Sea Works. The idea of contaminating outer space with contaminated H2O is, well, a little hard to swallow.

According to water-technology.net,  an innovative water purification plan that was recently tested on NASA’s last space shuttle, Atlantis, gives reasonable hope for change.  The new polymer system, tested in orbit, successfully removed all bacteria and viruses from water used in flight.

The system is a creation of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies  and  Strauss Water, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest food and beverage conglomerate.

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Jordan’s Potential First Oil Field For the People

Tafline Laylin
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Jordan’s Potential First Oil Field For the People

resource curse, oil, azraq, jordan, oil explorationThis man is paddling trash out of a polluted water body in the Jordanian city Azraq, which is believed to have one million barrels of oil.

All signs show that Jordan is firmly caught in the clutches of a resource curse. Since it takes a whopping 80% of its energy from Egypt, which has not been a reliable supplier following numerous post-revolution explosions of its natural gas lines, and its renewable energy thrust is only expected to shape up in another five years or more, the Kingdom is eager to secure other sources of energy to meet its growing demand.

To do that and create more energy independence for a country that imports 97% of its energy, geologists are pressing the government to step up exploration of what they hope is a substantial oil field just east of Amman.

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New Study Shows Negev Solar Farm is a Death Knell for Wildlife

Maurice Picow
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New Study Shows Negev Solar Farm is a Death Knell for Wildlife

Could  large solar array farms put these desert animals at risk?

Builders of large  solar array farms in Israel’s Negev region and in places like California’s Mojave Desert  have had  ongoing problems with nature lovers , environmentalists, and Native American Tribes .

It now appears that the environmentalists in Israel may be winning out on efforts to build giant solar array farms in the Negev and Arava regions. A recent study conducted by Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) indicates that building such projects could be fatal to thousands of wild animals that live in the fragile ecosystem of these desert regions.

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The Recycled Plastic Bike that Never Gets a Flat Tire

Tafline Laylin
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The Recycled Plastic Bike that Never Gets a Flat Tire

recycled materials, green transportation, Dror PelegDror Peleg’s recycled plastic bike will set you “Frii” from flat tires.

You won’t be able to do the Tour de France with this colorful bike designed by Israeli student Dror Peleg, but you will definitely capture everyone’s attention. Like this green toilet also developed in Israel, and Hashim Al Sada’s solar generator developed specifically for Qatari campers, Frii is relatively cheap to produce and has the potential to make life a lot greener and happier for a large number of people.

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‘Joint Green Projects Can Help Create Lasting Peace’- Israeli Director of FoEME

Arwa Aburawa
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‘Joint Green Projects Can Help Create Lasting Peace’- Israeli Director of FoEME


We speak to Gidon Bromberg (left) about the challenges of working with the first and only regionally focused environmental organisation in the Middle East

Gidon Bromberg has been working with Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), an environmental organisation which focuses on trans-boundary issues, since it was established seventeen years ago. As the first regional organisation involving Jordan, Israel and Palestine the environmental NGO has seen it’s fair share of troubles such as criticism for encouraging countries to work together and ignore political tensions.

“We face condemnation from people in Jordan, Palestine and Israel for the work we do,” explains Bromberg. “We call them the ‘spoilers’ as they don’t want to see any co-operation whether there is benefit for the communities for not… They state that any co-operation should come after a final peace agreement but we don’t believe that.”

Rather than waiting for peace, Bromberg states that action is needed now to influence governments to make the right decision and also to halt the ongoing environmental destruction that is occurring every day in the region.

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The Green Sheikh on Ramadan: Waste 2 Food or Food 2 Waste?

Green Sheikh
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The Green Sheikh on Ramadan: Waste 2 Food or Food 2 Waste?

Ramadan, food wasteThe Green Sheikh appropriately devotes this month’s column to the environmental and social benefits of Ramadan.

Every year more than 1.6 billion people around the world celebrate the amazing holy month of Ramadan, (learn how to green your holy month) fasting from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. Only those who are sick, elderly or on a journey, or women who are pregnant, menstruating or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, then they must feed a needy person for every day missed.

A few years ago I wrote an Arabic article called “adaat wa ibadaat” which means literally in English “habits and rituals.” It focused on our daily habits of consumption and lifestyle during the month of Ramadan, taking its main message from the noble Qur’an: “Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for God loves not the wasters”.

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Inspiring Qatari Man Designs Solar Generator For High-End Desert Camps

Tafline Laylin
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Inspiring Qatari Man Designs Solar Generator For High-End Desert Camps

cleantech, Qatar, solar energy, Hashim Al SadaAfter watching a sobering documentary about global warming, Hashim Al Sada has devoted his career to developing solar powered solutions for Qatar.

If you can’t beat ’em, do you join ’em or redirect the game? Qatari desert camps are often equipped with a variety of electronics, including refrigerators, air-conditioning units (check out these Dead Sea inspired Advantix Systems), and televisions powered by diesel generators. (Berbers in the Sahara also rely on diesel generators to pump water). Rather than dismissing these trappings and the pollution generated to maintain them, the 26 year old Qatari inventor Hashim Al Sada created a clean energy alternative that will allow his fellow Qataris to enjoy these full-luxury “camping” trips without the attendant environmental destruction.

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RECIPE: Crunchy Chickpeas for Healthy Snacking

Miriam Kresh
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RECIPE: Crunchy Chickpeas for Healthy Snacking

chick pea snack
Quick to make and satisfying – roasted chickpeas answer the need for a healthy snack.

When we casually dump a can-full of chickpeas into a pan, we’re thinking of dinner, not how the ancient world ate the little yellow grains. But chickpeas  found in Middle-Eastern archeological excavations have been proved to be eaten by folks as far back as 6790 BCE. The ancients ate young chickpeas raw, boiled the mature grains, and also ate the leaves. So can we. In fact, having access to the pungent spices of the Middle East, we can make far more delicious snacks of them than our faraway forefathers ever ate. (See our delicious recipe for humous here, and our equally good chickpea-filled sambusak pastries.)

High in protein and fiber, with satisfying complex carbohydrates, chickpeas seasoned with Middle Eastern spices and roasted are easy to make and popular with everyone.

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Israeli Court Bans Use of West Bank Sewage Plant

Arwa Aburawa
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Israeli Court Bans Use of West Bank Sewage Plant

The Israeli High Court recently ordered an Israeli sewage treatment plant built illegally in the West Bank to stop its work. So should Israel be thinking of building solar fields there?

A couple of days ago, the Israeli High Court of Justice banned the operation of a sewage treatment plant built illegally on Palestinian land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.

The court found that the plant was built using a fictitious building permit and funded to the tune of NIS 7.8million by the Israeli state. Yesh Din, the human rights organisation petitioned the court on behalf of the residents of the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud and after two years, the case was finally resolved. But what does this outcome mean for the Israeli government plans to build solar fields in the contested Palestinian territories?

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Leonardo DiCaprio To Join Zayed Prize Jury

Arwa Aburawa
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Leonardo DiCaprio To Join Zayed Prize Jury

As the Middle East is short on its own green celebrities, the Zayed Prize has decided to nab some from Hollywood (and tennis) instead

The Zayed Prize is the most prestigious green energy award in the Middle East so it’s easy to see why they have the pick of the bunch when it comes to putting together their jury. This year however, they really have outdone themselves.

As well as securing Mohammed Nasheed, the president of the Republic of Maldives who has campaigned internationally on climate change, they have managed to convince Leonardo DiCaprio, the Oscar-award winning actor/environmental activist, and Grand Slam Tennis Champion Andre Agassi to join them. Cherie Blair, wife of the previous Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair, will also be deciding the winners for the award for innovation, leadership, long-term vision and impact on renewable energy and sustainability.

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GE Plans to Buy Israeli LED Brightspark Lightech

Tafline Laylin
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GE Plans to Buy Israeli LED Brightspark Lightech

LED lighting, GE, CleantechGE is expanding its geographical and technological reach. Israeli firm Lightech is the latest to join the ranks of GE acquisitions.

General Electric is becoming more fully ensconced in the Middle East. In addition to committing to developing a major hub in Masdar City – one of this region’s mostly widely publicized sustainability projects – the American company recently announced plans to set up a major R&D center in the Israeli city Haifa.

GE is also expanding its technological base by engorging itself on a slew of cleantech companies. According to GigaOm, Lightech, which specializes in LED and low-voltage halogen lighting systems, is the latest company to join the ranks of GE acquisitions in a deal that could cost the electrical supply corporation a cool $15 to $20 million.

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Organic Farming On the Rise In Emirates

Arwa Aburawa
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Organic Farming On the Rise In Emirates

Since 2007, land dedicated to organic greenhouse farming across the United Arab Emirates has increased by 15 percent

Despite some debate over the carbon-footprint of locally grown food when using desalinated water, it is widely accepted that growing your own food locally is better and greener than shipping it in from all corners of the world. Therefore, revelations that the modest organic farming movement in the United Arab Emirates is on the rise is definitely good news.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Environment and Water, the total area of organic greenhouse farms reached 2,196 acres in 2010, up from just 110 acres in 2007. Whilst the growth is small, it is a step in the right direction in a country reluctant to reduce its dependency on oil to desalinate water or reduce its waste.

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Greater Flamingos Return to Abu Dhabi Wetlands and Hopefully to Bu Tinah

Maurice Picow
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Greater Flamingos Return to Abu Dhabi Wetlands and Hopefully to Bu Tinah

Greater flamingos and chicks found in Abu Dhabi once again.

Abu Dhabi’s remaining wetlands and its well publicized Bu Tinah archipelago have been mentioned a number of times by Green Prophet; especially with it being nominated for designation as one of  the earth’s Seven World Wonders. But now this natural wonder, along with other designated wetlands such as Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, may once again become home to increasing numbers of beautiful Greater Flamingos that are attracted to these areas as nesting sites.

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Ramadan: The Time To Go Green Is Now

Arwa Aburawa
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Ramadan: The Time To Go Green Is Now

As the holy Islamic month of fasting approaches, why not prepare for a greener Ramadan now?

There are literally a couple of days left till Ramadan starts, so I want to make a last ditch attempt to encourage Muslims to go green in the holy month of fasting. Whilst Tafline explored the darker side of fasting in countries less tolerant of a Muslim’s decision not to fast, I want to look at the ways that Muslims are embracing a greener Ramadan in the hope that such behaviour will one day become the norm all year round.

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Palestine’s Aspirations For A Green Ramallah

Arwa Aburawa
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Palestine’s Aspirations For A Green Ramallah

green ramallah palestineThe cultural and political heart of Palestine, the city of Ramallah, wants to improve its green credentials

As well as hosting Palestine’s first environmental festival this year and assisting the construction of the country’s first green city named ‘Rawabi’, Ramallah has aspirations to be an environmentally friendly city of its own.

The municipality of Ramallah recently released a mission statement which says: “We want the city of Ramallah to be beautiful, green, safe, clean, and environmentally friendly for the sake of all its residents.” As part of the efforts to improve the city, the municipality states that more greenery will be planted, an awareness-raising campaign focused on schools will be launched and a clean-up programme initiated.

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