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Europe’s Biggest Solar Farm To Be Built In Turkey

Julia Harte
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6
Europe’s Biggest Solar Farm To Be Built In Turkey

blue mosque turkey sunThe 100-MW photovoltaic power station would be the first to harness Turkey’s remarkable solar resource.

Turkey has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to solar power. At more than 1 million terawatt-hours (twH) of solar radiation each year, it receives more sunlight than most countries in Europe — for comparison, Spain and California each receive about 800,000 twH annually. But solar power contributes a mere five megawatts to Turkey’s overall installed capacity of 46,500 MW. Without subsidies from the government for their power, solar companies have been discouraged from entering the sunny country, and the solar power market in Turkey, despite all its promise, has remained small and scattered.

A U.S.-Dutch company is planning to change all that.

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How the Middle East Should Can Coordinate A Sustainable Agenda

Dr. Yosef Gotlieb
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3
How the Middle East Should Can Coordinate A Sustainable Agenda

In looking toward the future, social Greens throughout the Middle East should coordinate an agenda geared toward a sustainable tomorrow.

Both climate change and the repressive political culture that pervades the Middle East have roots in the state system and political culture of the region. The autocratic regimes of the Middle East – specifically Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Iran – came about as part of the successful efforts of the formerly imperial powers of Europe, chiefly Britain and France, to preserve their economic and political interests in the domains of North Africa and West Asia they once ruled.

A process that began in the nineteenth century, intensified in the post-World I period and then continued through the early 1970s enabled the departing imperial powers to carve the regions into states. Authority over these polities was conferred on indigenous elites whose regimes were propped up by royalties from the transfer of petroleum resources to the roaring fires of the industrial West through tidy arrangements with European and increasingly American corporations.

The insatiable appetite of industry for fossil fuels coupled with market-driven economic growth and rising consumerism in the countries of the “developed” North have been the main engine of carbon-based climate change. This engine has been powered by the petroleum resources of the Middle East whose political, economic and social configuration has been designed to serve the market economies.

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Was the Garden of Eden Snake Environmentally Unfriendly?

Maurice Picow
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3
Was the Garden of Eden Snake Environmentally Unfriendly?

“Szzzzz, c’mon, honey; just take a little bitty bite of this delicious fruit”

This question has been asked by much of Mankind ever since the dawn of the Creation: was the snake that enticed Eve and Adam to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge really environmentally unfriendly? And is it fair to blame the snake for making  the life of Mankind more difficult? After all, the Garden of Eden was supposed to have been a perfect environment with plenty of food for Adam and his wife Eve; and climatically controlled to allow them to go around naked and not be embarrassed by this. Then the Snake came alone and told them that “your eyes will be opened you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.”

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Post-Revolution Egypt Restarts Planned Peak Load Swap With Saudis

Susan Kraemer
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0
Post-Revolution Egypt Restarts Planned Peak Load Swap With Saudis


Some very good news from Egypt. The very progressive renewable energy policy spearheaded by Hassan Younis, the pre-revolution Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy will continue, post-revolution. He is one of four ministers who will stay on in the new government and will continue their good work for the new Egypt.

One of the projects he was working on, that I mentioned in early January, that was interrupted by the revolution, is now back on track. Today there was a new announcement about a grid project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia – to swap “peak loads” (the period each day when the most power is needed on the grid, typically hot afternoons when air conditioners max out).

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Naomi Maaravi Fashions an Individual, Recycled, Re-designed Eco Collection

Karen Chernick
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1
Naomi Maaravi Fashions an Individual, Recycled, Re-designed Eco Collection

Fashion designer Naomi Maaravi makes clothes with a story.

When Dutch designer Naomi Maaravi moved to Tel Aviv a few years ago, she brought her “clothes with a story” and affinity for recycled fashion with her.  She began creating her upcycled, re-designed fashion pieces ten years ago, when she made her first piece for her daughter out of her husband’s worn out jeans. She’s since turned into a collaborator with Comme Il Faut, and has the skills to coach others on sustainable brand building and marketing.

Naomi Maaravi

Her line has since evolved into a recycled – albeit high fashion – line worn by Israeli celebrities such as Keren Mor (pictured above). Of her inspiration for turning the used into the new, Maaravi says that reusing was her father’s way.  “He never threw anything away, never ever,” she says.

"upcycled fashion sweater"“He created a new world out of items that had no value for anyone anymore.

“Milk-bottles became lamps, strings and ropes were made into carpets or seats.  Combinations of old bikes, appliances, garments became interesting new useful or lovable objects.”

Maaravi took these lessons learned from her father and brought them into her design work.

She says that “as a result of my father’s teaching, for me, every garment has a personality, something that makes it individual and precious.  I like to continue these stories.”

Her garments are fashioned from either her own collection of high end materials, or out of materials supplied by her clients.  “Memories, events, joy, happiness, sadness are all parts of the materials I use, blended to create a unique garment with a story on his own,” Maaravi says.

As a result, all of her garments are unique, one-of-a-kind, and infused with a lot of special attention.

:: Naomi Maaravi

Read more about sustainable, upcycling fashion designers:
Lebanese Designer Ziad Ghanem Creates Recycled Couture
“New Dress A Day” Blog Takes Consumerism Out of the Fresh Fashion Equation
EcoGir Flaunts Its Recycled Polyester Suits During New York Fashion Week

Baba Ghanoush Dinner And Israeli Porno With Green Prophet At Masdar City

Tafline Laylin
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1
Baba Ghanoush Dinner And Israeli Porno With Green Prophet At Masdar City

green prophet dinner eggplant, seo jokeOne lucky reader will have a chance to eat with a green prophet… maybe.

Tonight, one amazing eco-minded reader will have the opportunity to enjoy a delicious baba-ghanoush dinner at Masdar City with one of our very own green prophets. And yes, Israeli porno is on the menu. If you believe that, then I’m afraid you are an April Fool. But there is method to our madness. Find out why we used this particular title after the break.

The title “Baba Ghanoush Dinner And Israeli Porno With Green Prophet At Masdar City” reflects an interesting challenge that we green prophets face in our pursuit to disseminate environmental news in the vast and nebulous digital world.

We are competing with more than 25.21 billion indexed webpages and trying to attract the attention of two billion people worldwide who use the web in an information environment that travels at breakneck pace.

Our success depends in part on how well we understand Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is a technique that we use, along with millions of other bloggers and businesses, to generate traffic. In a nutshell: SEO requires strategic use and placement of certain key words.

We have to anticipate the words people use when they go online to find information, use them, and then strategically link those terms with stories in our archives. And we have to do this without compromising the quality of our news.

“Google accounts for nearly half of all Internet searches. Yahoo! and MSN are the next most popular search sites,” according to Microsoft.

These are the five most frequently searched terms (taken from Google trends) for March 31, 2011: yankees, cincinnati reds, ocelot, atlanta braves, and the room.

So, what does this have to do with Baba Ghanoush and Israeli porno? It turns out that the words chosen in our title are among the most popular terms that draw attention to our site.

Does this mean that we are going to start writing about Israeli porn? Not any time soon, but we will keep you up to date on the best baba ghanoush recipes available, and the unfolding developments at the “world’s first carbon-neutral city” – Masdar.

Happy April Fool’s everyone.

More on Baba Ghanoush and Masdar City!
Taking on Middle Eastern Classics: Baba Ghanoush Recipe
Re-Assessing Masdar City
Masdar City: Small Hiccups Or Total System Failure?

Japanese Radiation Reaches Israel

Tafline Laylin
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0

tel aviv coast Traces of radioactive material from Japan have been detected in Israel.

The Soreq Nuclear Research Center announced that traces of radiation had reached Israel on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.This radioactive material is most likely to have carried from Japan, where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant exploded following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that has left scores of Japanese dead and missing.

Although the number 2 reactor at the Fukushima plant in Japan is leaking dangerous quantities of radiation, Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission noted that the concentration of Iodine-131 detected in Israel is 400,000 times lower than after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion and posed no environmental or health risks.

“The public can continue its daily routine as usual,” the IAEC said in a statement. Traces of radiation stemming from Japan have been discovered in Siberia, the Pacific, North America, and most Chinese provinces.

:: Israel National News

More on the Japanese nuclear disaster and consequences for the Middle East:
Japan Nuclear Meltdown Will Seriously Affect World Environment
As Japan Nuclear Plant Melts Down, Israel Plans To Build A “Safe One”
As Japan Plant Nears Meltdown, What Can The Middle East Do To Prepare

For more news on Israel, see the Jerusalem Post.

image via Shayan (USA)

Israel Considers Building An Artificial Island Off Gaza Coast

Arwa Aburawa
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11
Israel Considers Building An Artificial Island Off Gaza Coast

Environmentalists condemn Israeli plans to build an artificial island off the coast of Gaza to house a port, an airport and to encourage tourism

It seems that it is not only Dubai that harbours ridiculous dreams of artificial islands– Israel does too.  Israeli minister for transport Yisreal Katz recently revealed that plans to construct an artificial island off the coast of Gaza had been encouraged by the PM Benjamin Netanyahu and may be getting the green light soon.

It is believed that the island project will cost an estimated $10 billion and take up to 10 years to finish. Gideon Bromberg, director of Friends of the Earth Middle East told the Guardian that the project is “complete madness”.

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Radiation Exposure and Sperm: Basics Every Man Should Know

Tinamarie Bernard
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0
Radiation Exposure and Sperm: Basics Every Man Should Know

You light up my sperm? What a man should know if contemplating fatherhood.

Male fertility depends on healthy sperm. Just as there are ways a man can enable optimum sexual fitness via diet (what’s good for the heart is often good for a man’s libido) and erectile supplements for example, we are now more keenly aware of how certain toxins can permanently alter sperm production and function. The recent disasters around the globe, particularly the nuclear reactor crisis in Japan, highlights how these forces often out of our individual control.  With concerns of radiation exposure on the top of people’s minds, we at Greenprophet.com want to offer basics every man in the Middle East should know with regards to radiation exposure and his sexual health.

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Virgin Galactic – Do We Really Need To Send Rich People Into Space?

Tafline Laylin
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8
Virgin Galactic – Do We Really Need To Send Rich People Into Space?

virgin galactic spaceshipAt this time of ecological uncertainty, can we really justify $200,000 adrenalin hits for the rich?

In 2010, according to the World Hunger Organization, 925 million of our fellow human beings went hungry. Meanwhile, untold millions (billions?) of US dollars are being spent to develop the Virgin Galactic Spaceship, of which the BBC has been given an exclusive first glance.

What good is the Virgin Galactic Spaceship to humanity? Will it improve the situation for the thousands of Japanese who are suffering from what is being dubbed the worst natural disaster in human history? Will it stem the violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria? No. The Virgin Galactic Spaceship is designed to give those people who have benefited from an unethical economic system that perpetually condemns millions of people to hunger a $200,000 joy ride.

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Travellers Want Trains – What is the Middle East Doing?

Sarah Irving
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1

trains middle east
Istanbul – a major hub for train travel across the Middle East

Survey results published this week reveal that the majority of international travelers would prefer to take trains instead of aeroplanes, if they had the opportunity. The poll of 300 consumers, conducted for train technology company Silverrail, showed that 79% would choose trains over planes if high-speed rail options are available, and 61% would choose rail over air if the cost were the same or lower. Two-thirds said that they would add an hour onto train times when comparing them with flights, because they would be spared the time and hassle of check-in queues and increasingly stringent air security.

In Europe, trains are already challenging short-haul flights on routes in France, Spain and Germany where fast rail travel is already well established. But, said travel technology website Tnooz, few tour operators were taking account of customer preferences, with only specialised eco- or train enthusiast organisers offering rail options.

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A Classic Case of Whodunit Arises Over Toxic Waste In Lebanon

Tafline Laylin
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3
A Classic Case of Whodunit Arises Over Toxic Waste In Lebanon

Greenpeace Mediterranean LebanonGreenpeace is taking industry to task for releasing factory-generated effluent into the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon’s coast.

Environmental activists have stopped up a pipe that is gushing toxic waste into the Mediterranean Sea.  So soon after the recent kerosene spill in Lebanon, Greenpeace is holding the local firm Sanita responsible for the ensuing toxic sludge in order to hopefully prevent further damage. Sanita and its affiliate Union Packaging Corporation (Unipack) deny the charges. Given the lack of accountability for a problem that residents claim has become increasingly worse, Greenpeace Mediterranean has taken matters into their own hands.

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Ormat’s Salt Wells Among Renewable Projects Prioritized on BLM Lands

Susan Kraemer
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1
Ormat’s Salt Wells Among Renewable Projects Prioritized on BLM Lands

ormat salt wells geothermal
John Edwards at Energy Prospects is reporting that five geothermal projects totaling 489 MW projects have been selected by the Bureau of Land Management to be prioritized in the Western US this year. Among the five is the 40 MW Salt Wells project being developed by Nevada’s Ormat Technologies, the subsidiary of Ormat Industries, founded in Israel.

Renewable energy approvals on public land is a relatively new thing for the US. Until the Obama administration, BLM lands were seen as oil and gas sites. But, now, with a new administration focus on developing clean energy, that is set to double US renewables to 16 GW.

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Dubai’s Waste amongst the Highest in the World

Arwa Aburawa
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1
Dubai’s Waste amongst the Highest in the World

UAE minister reveals that Dubai is amongst the top producers of waste in the world

Dubai, which is one of the seven emirates of United Arab Emirates, is no stranger to green controversy. From justifying mega malls by certifying them green to a growing market in shark fins despite a 2008 ban, the city certainly does have a few things to answer for. However, some point to a growing trend towards sustainability despite the fact that the region has such high oil reserves. We recently reported on the UAE’s plans to ban plastic bags by 2013, a green gas station in Dubai as well as efforts to encourage the use of public transport by going car-free for the day but it seems that all these initiatives have had a limited impact on the overall green credentials of the city.

According to reports from Emirates 24/7, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad who is the Minister of Environment and Water revealed that waste produced by the Gulf city of Dubai is amongst the highest globally.

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Visualizing Water Needs With Slick Sponge Art

Tafline Laylin
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1
Visualizing Water Needs With Slick Sponge Art

world water needs Matthew LawsThis art installation by Matthew Laws & Hall Watts is an accurate portrayal of what our 2030 water consumption will look like.

Few places are as water stressed as the Middle East. The Gulf countries have to live with the reality that their very existence depends on desalination, the Levant is scarcely better off, and the situation promises to get worse as population expands and temperatures rise. The worst can be averted if awareness grows and municipalities step up conservation programs.

But helping the average person visualize the seriousness of our water shortages is no easy task, except for Matthew Laws and Hall Watts from the Royal College of Art. Their sponge art submissions received a runner up nod from Visualizing.org’s World Water Day challenge. More details are the jump.

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Most of the world’s marine protected areas are polluted by sewage

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Research from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland, published in Ocean & Coastal Management, found that nearly three out of four marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide are exposed to sewage pollution.

Adamah in Los Angeles wants to make Jewish climate action local, practical and spiritual

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At a time when climate anxiety can feel abstract and overwhelming, and being Jewish something people may need to hide in big cities, Adamah Los Angeles is trying something different: turning Jewish values into local climate action with dirt-under-the-fingernails practicality.

How to safely remove astroturf and plastics from your backyard

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For families with kids, pets, or anyone trying to build a cleaner outdoor space, removing old astroturf is one of the simplest ways to reduce unnecessary exposure to plastics and heat. Some past studies suggest that if kids have played on these surfaces you need to wash their hands. 

Is artificial turf bad for your health?

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Artificial turf, the green plastic stuff that is supposed to look like grass, was sold to many home-owners as a clever compromise: a green-looking surface that makes you feel homey, but which needs no mowing. It survives heavy use, and in dry places like Middle East deserts, and in California or Texas, it can replace thirsty lawns. But it is toxic.

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