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Jordan Valley Eco-Centre Opens Community Guesthouse

Sarah Irving
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palestine eco tourism photo Palestinian youth learn about water issues at Al-Auja Eco-Centre

Green Prophet has featured news about the Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME) Eco-Centre at Al-Auja, a Palestinian village in the Jordan Valley, on a number of occasions. Green Prophet writer Rachel Bergstein has reported on the challenges the inhabitants of Al-Auja face because the water from their famous spring is appropriated by neighbouring settlements. And more recently, Maurice Picow wrote about the shocking pollution of the Jordan river – including the Christian ‘Baptism Site’, not far from Al-Auja.

Bergstein also wrote several years ago about the potential for eco-tourism in Al-Auja, after walks in the village were included in the FOEME’s ‘Neighbours’ Paths’ programme, raising awareness of water issues and community solutions. Now, the Eco-Centre has launched its latest project, a guesthouse with space for around 40 visitors to stay in dormitories, using a shared kitchen or being served traditional meals cooked by staff from Al-Auja.

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Human Fertilization Starts at the Bottom

Susan Kraemer
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Human Fertilization Starts at the Bottom

pee poo africa peepoo image childA banal for-profit product for the Third World may revolutionize the treatment of human waste

In the Middle East and other regions with increasing water stress, using clean water to whisk excreta out of sight is increasingly wasteful. For the more than 40% of the world’s population that don’t have private toilets with running water, it is not even a choice. For the rest of us, who are the heirs of European water-based treatment of human waste, developed back when there was plenty of water, and only a few million of us, we may soon need to consider a dry treatment alternative, courtesy of a Swedish architect: the Peepoo bag.

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New Natural Gas Pipeline Offers Promise of Cleaner Air in Northern Israel

Ira Moskowitz
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New Natural Gas Pipeline Offers Promise of Cleaner Air in Northern Israel

Pollution in HaifaA new natural gas pipeline promises to cut air pollution in the Haifa Bay area by at least 75% by 2013.

As noted in a previous post, there was some disappointing environmental news in Israel this week: The Finance Ministry slapped a freeze on development of large solar power plants, pending a review of the feed-in tariff scheme. But there were also some good news: A new pipeline was dedicated this week that will bring natural gas to northern Israel, allowing petrochemical plants and other industries in the Haifa area to switch from diesel and crude oil, thus significantly reducing air pollution.

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Camille Zakharia Coastal Promenade Photo Exhibition Opens Soon In Dubai

Tafline Laylin
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Camille Zakharia Coastal Promenade Photo Exhibition Opens Soon In Dubai

camille-zakharia-coastal-promenadeIf you’re in Dubai, don’t miss out on the opportunity to see Camille Zakharia’s beautiful photographic exhibition called Coastal Promenade.

Even tiny Bahrain has been swept up by the furor that has uprooted despotic regimes throughout the Middle East. And it’s not hard to see why. This once quaint coastal country has been overrun by a surge of capitalist change, forever altering its architecture and culture as a result. In part to help restore sections of its coast, Bahrain’s first female Minister of Culture, Sheikha Mai, commissioned the Reclaim Project shown last year at La Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Camille Zakharia’s photography featured prominently at the event and will soon be on show at the beautiful Art Sawa Gallery in Dubai’s Al Quoz District.

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A Roadmap To Blue (H2O) Peace In The Middle East

Tafline Laylin
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A Roadmap To Blue (H2O) Peace In The Middle East

blue-peaceWith input from over 100 Middle Eastern leaders, the Swiss government has produced a positive tool that could transform regional water policies.

There are no foregone conclusions. How the next few decades proceed depends on us, on actions that we take today. We know that the Jordan River barely exists six months every year, such is its decline. We know that the Dead Sea is shrinking. And we know that sixty percent of Syria is likely to become an uninhabitable desert. But this is not the end of the line. A new report called “Blue Peace: Rethinking Middle East Water” compiled by the Strategic Foresight Group provides leaders of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories with long-term policy options that could transform regional political disturbance and ecological destruction into a peaceful, cooperative and rejuvenated Middle East.

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Meet Hana Faouri- the Upcycling Designer from Jordan

Arwa Aburawa
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If you have a lot of stuff laying around that you can’t bear to part with but currently has no use, than Hana would be a god send. The Jordan-based eco designer can turn tins into lanterns, skateboards into necklaces and plastic bags into notebooks. Not only is she a budding designer with great flair but she also has the time to help out on projects working with children in refugee camps, women’s rights and helping the planet. I spoke to the upcycler about all things hand-made, taking a leap into the unknown to do something you love and changing people’s perceptions of trash.

Also, check out Hana’s tin can lantern tutorial which is a great step-by-step guide to making a gorgeous lantern from a tin- but if you don’t have the time to make it yourself, you can always snap up one of Hana’s!

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Finance Ministry Freezes Incentives for Large Solar Plants in Israel

Ira Moskowitz
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Finance Ministry Freezes Incentives for Large Solar Plants in Israel

Israel's solar industry displays its wares in Eilat
Israel’s solar industry will showcase its wares next week at the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Conference.

Just a week before the 4th annual celebration of Israel’s renewable energy industry in Eilat, the country’s slow progress toward generating green energy hit another bureaucratic snag and zigzag. The Ministry of Finance froze implementation of the feed-in tariffs the Electricity Authority approved last month for a 500 MW quota of  large solar power plants. Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau angrily accused the Ministry of Finance of “the targeted killing of the solar industry” and argued that the treasury’s action was contrary to government policy.

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RECIPE: Chocolate-Nut Clusters

Miriam Kresh
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RECIPE: Chocolate-Nut Clusters

image-chocolate-clusters

Make your own chocolate treats with this easy sweet recipe.

Valentine’s Day is behind us, but love of chocolate lingers (see our post on why Fair-Trade or organic chocolate is the ethical way to indulge). These rich mouthfuls have no added sugar and are packed with chocolatey goodness – a real slow-food dessert (like our malabi pudding recipe)  except that they only take about 10 minutes to make.

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Replacing Depleting Oil Will Shortly Outpace Fresh Demand

Susan Kraemer
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oil camels
Peak oil poses biggest threat to peak oil, Wikileaks cable shows

You think a population approaching seven billion puts pressure on oil supplies? Soon, just making up for peak oil losses will take twice as much new oil as that, according to the Aramco whistle blower quoted by Wikileaks, Dr. Sadad al-Husseini, and covered in detail by our own Tafline Laylin this week.

“Satisfying increases in global demand will require bringing online annually at least 6 million b/d of worldwide output, 2 million to satisfy increased demand and 4 million to compensate for declining production in existing fields.”

He should know. He is the former Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production at Saudi Aramco.

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Costly Glass Could Herald New Generation Of Solar Panels

Tafline Laylin
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1
Costly Glass Could Herald New Generation Of Solar Panels

The next generation of utility-scale CSP reflectors may favor metals and plastics.

With the latest revelation that Saudi oil is expected to plateau within the next fifteen years, there is more incentive than ever to fast-track renewable energy plants. The 1980 Solar Energy Generating Station in California (SEGS) has provided new solar developers with lessons learned, but there is a hitch. The glass used in first-generation utility-scale solar plants would never pass muster today. In order to pass environmental regulations that prohibit leaded paints and copper previously used, sturdy glass panels for CSP reflectors cost a small fortune to manufacture. A prohibitive fortune at that. Some industry experts claim that unless those costs come down, less costly and more flexible alternatives might soon dominate the market.

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Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticising Lack of Flood Protection

Arwa Aburawa
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Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticising Lack of Flood Protection

The short documentary highlights the lack of adequate flood protection in Saudi, after floods killed four this winter and left over 120 people dead in 2009

Whilst the world deals with the recent Wikileak revelations that Saudi exaggerated its oil supplies by 40%, local Saudi citizens have got together to deal with a more pressing issue for them: recurrent and deadly floods. Just this winter four people were killed after heavy rains, electricity was cut off in parts of Saudi’s second largest city of Jeddah and many feared a repeat of the serious flooding of 2009 that killed 122 people.

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Jordan Teams With Spanish Firm To Cool Homes With The Sun

Tafline Laylin
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Jordan Teams With Spanish Firm To Cool Homes With The Sun

jordan-eco-houseThe Jordanian Renewable Energy Society is adding solar-cooling to their Eco-House project.

While Jordanians argue over whether enviro Queen Rania is entitled to throw lavish birthday parties at the expense of the populace, the business of achieving Jordan’s renewable energy goals continues apace. The Jordanian Renewable Energy Society (JRES) and a Spanish firm have made arrangements to adapt sophisticated solar-cooling technology for domestic applications, according to the Jordan Times. The original project will be installed at the JRES headquarters in West Amman, with a long-term view towards making it available throughout the country.

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“Dam” Victory for Turkey’s Environmentalists!

Maurice Picow
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“Dam” Victory for Turkey’s Environmentalists!

This beautiful valley might have been flooded by another Turkish dam

Turkey’s ongoing water resources and energy problems have already resulted in the damming of a number of rivers in that country to create reservoirs for both water storage and creation of hydro electricity.  A planned government project to construct a dam across the Macahel Valley, the country’s lone UNESCO recognized natural biosphere reserve, has now been canceled.  The cancellation is attributed to intense efforts by local and international environmentalists to save what is considered to be a unique natural haven for a number of wildlife species, according to Turkey’s Hurriyet English News Agency.

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Dubai Utility Doubles Business Electricity Rates in Three Years

Susan Kraemer
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Dubai Utility Doubles Business Electricity Rates in Three Years

dubai lights buildingYou wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping the lights on in buildings like these!

In an attempt to reign in Dubai’s profligate fossil energy use, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has sharply raised rates for business customers who have failed to reduce their electricity consumption since 2008, Utilities-ME is reporting. Starting in January 2011, there is a more sharply tiered rate system, so that profligate energy users wind up paying far more for each kilowatt hour than their more energy-efficient competitors. The new rates mean that in practice, businesses can pay almost double what they paid before 2008.

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WikiLeaks: Former Aramco Head Warns US About Saudi’s Strained Oil Production

Tafline Laylin
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1
WikiLeaks: Former Aramco Head Warns US About Saudi’s Strained Oil Production

overconsumption-natural-resourcesWikiLeaks show the Saudis overestimated their oil reserves by about 40% –  the US is worried.

As the largest exporter of crude oil, Saudi Arabia has kept international oil prices reasonably steady. Until now. The recent instability in the region coupled with overambitious estimates and slowing production has cast serious doubt on the country’s ability to keep prices low. Even more troubling, The Guardian reports that recently leaked confidential cables show that peak oil could occur as early as 2012. Peak oil’s inevitability has long been known, but it was earlier thought that we had until 2020.

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Billie Eilish’s Mom Maggie Baird Launches “Climate Kitchen” on Public TV

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Maggie Baird, best known as the mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, is stepping into a much larger spotlight, this time as a climate storyteller.

Monitoring farmers’ tillage patterns from space

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Tillage is one of the clearest signals of how a farm treats its soil. Intensive plowing can degrade structure, release carbon, and increase erosion. Conservation practices—no-till, cover cropping, minimal disturbance—do the opposite. They build soil, retain water, and support biodiversity. But until now, measuring these practices at scale has been slow, expensive, and often self-reported.

Hydrophilis SCUBA gear could make us one with the sea

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Hydrophilis, Oliver Isler’s experimental rebreather suit, reimagines diving by reducing drag, eliminating bubbles, and bringing humans closer to the natural movement of marine life.

Alcohol the night before work in the heat may raise inflammation, study finds

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If you work as a roofer, landscaper, pool builder, or in construction, installing garden slabs or solar panels, building sheds, or working on outdoor home improvement projects, take note of new research that can help you protect your heart.

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