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An Insider’s Experience of Exploring Beirut by Bike

Karen Chernick
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An Insider’s Experience of Exploring Beirut by Bike

"beirut lebanon bike path"What it’s really like to explore Beirut (and especially the new Waterfront District) by bike.

Lebanon – and Beirut in particular – have been making efforts recently to improve the availability of eco-friendly forms of transportation.  A campaign this past summer gathered 150 cyclists in Beirut to demonstrate how easy it could be to bike through the city.  And, in order to provide tourists with alternatives to bus tours or trekking around in personal rented vehicles, a new tour company – BeBeirut – has started offering walking and running tours.  It appears as though Beirut is becoming a friendlier place for those who like to travel using their own two legs.

We recently took a virtual bike tour of the city, thanks to the blogger over at This is Beirut, and got an insider’s scoop on what it’s really like to traverse the new bike path along the developing Waterfront District.

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Green Tidings from The American University in Cairo

Ira Moskowitz
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Green Tidings from The American University in Cairo

american university cairo American University in Cairo’s new campus was designed for efficient energy and water usage.

Most observers would not think of Egypt as an environmental leader. Instead, the smog and litter of Cairo come to mind, or the negative environmental impact of the Aswan Dam. Yet we recently reported here that Egypt ranks No. 1 in the Mideast (and No. 22 in the world) in renewable energy investment potential. Earlier this year, we also featured Cairo’s lush Al-Azhar Park, built on a former garbage dump.

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Dance for Rain, Don’t Seed Clouds Finds New Research

Green Prophet
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Dance for Rain, Don’t Seed Clouds Finds New Research

israel rain danceCloud seeding not more effective than chance (or prayers?) finds new research.

Prayers are answered as rain starts falling in the Middle East –– but not before hot, possibly climate change related dry spells have helped spread wildfires in Lebanon and Israel. But those looking to cloud seeding to ignite a rain: better do a rain dance. Cloud seeding, a weather modification process designed to increase precipitation amounts by dispersing chemicals into the clouds, does not work, has found Tel Aviv University researchers.

In the most comprehensive reassessment of the effects of cloud seeding over the past fifty years, new findings from Prof. Zev Levin, Dr. Noam Halfon and Prof. Pinhas Alpert have dispelled the myth that, at least in Israel, cloud seeding is an effective mechanism for precipitation enhancement. The findings were recently reported in Atmospheric Research.

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ETV’s Micro Turbine Battery Charger A Game Changer for EVs?

Maurice Picow
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ETV’s Micro Turbine Battery Charger A Game Changer for EVs?

ETV’s micro- turbine device to extend the range of  the battery cell packs to up to twice the present driving range of 130 -160 km. Public charging posts (like this one) may not be needed.

The electric car innovation and development industries in Israel have not been sparing media hype to make people more aware of the approaching realities of large numbers of electric cars plying the streets and highways. This is especially true regarding companies such as Better Place LLC, which plans to put their version of a Renault made electric car on Israel’s roads by the end of 2011.

Better Place’s battery exchange network is not being received favorably by many people, however; and the company’s infrastructure concepts in Israel (the proposed trial center for company head Shai Aggasi), the company does not appear to be to moving towards creating such a big impression on the average individual. The company is also being looked at as an electric car  “monopoly” since it is the only “favored” electric car company in Israel.

All this may change, however, with the entrance of another electric car concept “player”, ETV Motors which has just announced a radically new concept to extend the range of  the lithium ion  battery cell packs that will be fueling these cars.

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Lebanon NGO Plants Ancient Species to Reclaim Arid Land

Hannah Katsman
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Lebanon NGO Plants Ancient Species to Reclaim Arid Land

1500-year-old Lebanese oak treeThis Lebanese oak tree has survived for 1500 years, but many others were destroyed in recent forest fires.

Sawdust from Lebanese cedars has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and the Bible recounts how the trees were brought to Jerusalem for the building of Solomon’s Temple.  The cedar even appears on the Lebanese flag. But with climate change and the devastation caused by forest fires, Lebanon can’t take these great trees for granted.

Fortunately, the local NGO Jouzour Loubnan has stepped into the breach and begun planting three ancient species— cedars, almonds and carob. Carob and almond provide fruit, while planting native trees ensures that the ecosystem can sustain them.

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Cancun Ends On Slightly Better Note Than Copenhagen

Tafline Laylin
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Cancun Ends On Slightly Better Note Than Copenhagen

climate-change-talks-cancunCancun ends. Qatar’s happy, so is Saudi Arabia. But Bolivia’s not.

Not every country whose representatives attended the climate talks in Mexico are pleased with the outcome. CNN reports that Bolivia sought to block what is being dubbed the “Cancun Agreement,” saying that the text of that agreement is hollow, and that the failure will lead to loss of human life.

Even so, tiny rhetorical steps were taken, and the United States and Mexico were eager to call the conference a success. In addition to sparing forests worldwide, a Green Climate Fund to help poor nations combat climate change is supposed to be established and Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) will be funded under the UN.

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Stay Cool In Turkey’s 5 Star Underground Yunak Evleri Hotel

Tafline Laylin
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Stay Cool In Turkey’s 5 Star Underground Yunak Evleri Hotel

cave-hotel-turkeyStep back in time with this restored 5th-6th century sextet of cave houses converted into a luxury hotel.

We were quite taken with these long-standing caves in Iran, and with this eco-boutique hotel in Turkey, but neither match the style of the restored Yunak Evleri hotel in Cappadocia. With fixings such as marble in the reception area, it isn’t the most modest tourism facility we have featured, but we do love to see history, nature, and travel merge in creative harmony. Once a sextet of cave houses carved out of soft limestone, a little cleanup and modern conveniences were added to this 5th-6th century marvel to produce a 21st century luxury hotel.

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Egypt in Top 22 Nations for Renewable Investment Potential

Susan Kraemer
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Egypt in Top 22 Nations for Renewable Investment Potential

egypt sand dune To heat up its solar development, the Egyptian government is offering free land to potential solar investors.

Despite Israel’s innovative green tech sector, and Abu Dhabi’s green building commitment at Masdar, the highest-ranking nation in the Middle East for renewable investment potential turns out to be Egypt, according to new  rankings from Ernst & Young.

Egypt beat out the other MENA countries in renewable investment attractiveness, to claim the number 22 spot, right above Mexico.

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Gaza’s Green Roofs of Herbs and Vegetables

Arwa Aburawa
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Gaza’s Green Roofs of Herbs and Vegetables

green-roof-gazaIn over-crowded Gaza, the locals have taken to growing crops on their flat roofs

As the most densely populated area in the entire world, the Gaza Strip is understandably short of space. People live in overcrowded concrete homes separated by narrow alleyways and agricultural land is in short supply considering there is a need for food to replenish 1.5 million Palestinians, who also happen to live under blockade. In response to this situation, Gazans have taken to greening their roofs by planting herbs and vegetables to help supplement their diets and also generate a small income by selling excess produce.

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The Islamic New Year: A Time To Reflect

Arwa Aburawa
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The Islamic New Year: A Time To Reflect

As the Muslim world marks the Islamic new year, Arwa reflects on the past 12 months of environmental action (and inaction) in the Middle East

Believe it or not, this busy week saw the start of the Islamic new year of 1432 A.H. Unlike the typical new year celebrations with parties, fireworks and new year countdown, the Islamic holiday is a pretty low-key event. Public celebrations are minimal and the event is mainly marked with private contemplation, prayer and reflection on the year that’s passed.

The Muslim calendar marks the hijrah, or pilgrimage, of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution in 622AD which is why the Islamic year has the suffix A.H. (After Hijra). So in the true spirit of the Islamic new year, I want to look back on the year that’s gone and also consider whether the Middle East’s hijrah- or migration- towards a more sustainable future is on the right path.

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Save Trees. Save Your Document In Unprintable WWF Format

Tafline Laylin
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzY4SGgEB7g&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Sometimes less is more. WWF creates a brilliant file format that can’t be printed.

The Chinese used to write books on silk. Think about that for a second. If you thought you had to produce an entire sheet of silk in order to pass on that really bad joke your father sent you, might you think again? Silk became too cumbersome to consistently produce, even for the Chinese, so they invented paper in 104 A.D.  The Arabs then inherited and perfected paper several hundred years later and were the first to use linen.

But modern technology has made paper far too disposable, and therefore the trees from which it is mostly produced. To help curb the unthinking habit of pushing print, a habit that needlessly imperils our forests, the World Wildlife Fund has created a document format that simply can’t be printed. It is called .wwf.

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Reporting On Poverty and Sustainability from the Rehovot Conference

Dr. Yosef Gotlieb
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The relationship between poverty and environmental degradation is a major impediment to sustainability. Specialists from throughout the world gathered for the Rehovot Conference in Israel to discuss sustainable development initiatives.

The inherent connection between development and environmental concerns was a major theme of the 2010 Rehovot Conference organized by the Weitz Center for Development Studies (WCDS). The conference on “Inclusive Sustainable Development Initiatives,” took place between Dec. 5-7 at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University in Rehovot. The conference brought participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Russia and Europe for a biennial conclave sponsored by the WCDS. For many of the participants, this was an alumni gathering since a significant number were among the 4000 students from more than 80 countries who have studied in the Center’s programs since 1963.

The Rehovot Conference offered an opportunity for the in depth discussion of issues involved in poverty alleviation, socioeconomic change, planning and  environmental welfare. The consensus among these participants is that it is impossible to speak of development without addressing environmental degradation and global change.

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NPR: Rabbis Turn To Prayer And Fasting To Relieve High Temperatures

Tafline Laylin
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NPR: Rabbis Turn To Prayer And Fasting To Relieve High Temperatures

As vegetable prices soar and cows produce 50% less milk because of high temperatures and no rain, Israel’s Rabbis turn to prayer.

Religious leaders in Lebanon asked their followers to pray for rain around the same time Rabbis in Jerusalem were doing the same. Only Orthodox Jews were asked to take their immolation to the next level by fasting.

Throughout the Middle East, but especially in the Levant, the heat has barely eased its summer routine, causing all kinds of havoc. Vegetables prices have doubled and even tripled according to NPR, the dairy industry is melting under crisis, and fauna and flora are shifting their habits with the changing climes.

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Environmental Factors Turn Once Harmless Sharks Into Killers

Tafline Laylin
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0
Environmental Factors Turn Once Harmless Sharks Into Killers

These are the two sharks killed by Egyptian authorities following several attacks off the Sinai peninsula last week. One of the sharks responsible for some attacks remains at large.

There are many consequences of climate change that scientists foresaw: melting glaciers, rising temperatures, freak storms, flooding, drought, and continued loss of biodiversity. Then there are the consequences that weren’t necessarily anticipated: a change in species behavior.

Despite popular perception, sharks are not man-eating killers. But they do need to eat. While the Sharm al-Sheikh investigation is ongoing, one American experts claimed that the attacks were not carried out by one rogue killer, but occurred as a result of more than one shark’s rational desire to find food.

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Dick Cheney Accused Of Bribing For Nigerian Natural Gas Project

Tafline Laylin
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2
Dick Cheney Accused Of Bribing For Nigerian Natural Gas Project

dick-cheney-nigeria-bribeDick Cheney is on the board of Genie Energy which owns 89% of Israel Energy Initiatives, the company accused of operating a less-than-transparent oil shale campaign in Israel.

The 46th Vice President of the United States and former CEO of Halliburton Company has been charged with resorting to bribery in order to secure a natural gas project in Nigeria, according to a CNN report.

Dick Cheney is also on the Genie Energy board, which oversees the strategic financial, operational and public policy matters related to shale oil ventures both in the United States (AMSO LLC) and in Israel (Israel Energy Initiatives). IEI is the company that aims to test AMSO’s in-situ oil shale extraction technology in the Elah Valley.

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