An environmental awareness campaign is subverted by Jordan’s “aniti-normalisation” groups. Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) are renowned for reaching across political borders to address environmental concerns that know no borders. For years, in spite of the political aura, Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians have worked together to monitor and protect the imperiled Jordan River, […]
Meet Lisa, the co-founder of the world’s much loved green news media site Grist. Just as fun as going on a press trip and seeing the heart of a country’s cleantech industry, are the other bloggers one meets on such a trip. A few months ago, during their longest days of the year I went to […]
Kuwaiti desalination plants similar to this one provide all the country’s fresh water at great environmental expense A Gulf Times article that points out the severe water problems Kuwait faces is really nothing more than a déjà vu of all other states that border on the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE Emirates, Oman […]
A new 100 MW wind energy project is slated for northern Israel. In the wake of the Israeli government’s support for a major wind farm on the Golan Heights, plans are underway for a similar project in the Galilee region, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Measurements in the Galilee indicate that the wind is less […]
The etrog is a stunning fruit. It's also known around the globe as citron ––but it's not to be confused with the French word "citron" which just means lemon. The etrog or citron is indeed a citrus fruit, so cousin to lemon and lime, but it's a world away from that tangyness and in its own class.
Coriander, lemon, and four kinds of vegetables make a mouth-watering vegetarian couscous. Natural locavores, good Middle Eastern cooks take pleasure in seeking out the very best and freshest vegetables in the open-air markets, transforming inexpensive local ingredients into delicious traditional foods. Some examples include mulukhiya (our mulukhiya recipe here) and couscous. While couscous is often […]
Modest moms don’t need expensive new breastfeeding covers, with all the green choices available. While it’s not difficult to breastfeed modestly in public, many women in the Middle East prefer to wear a breastfeeding cover. And a range of companies will be happy to sell you a new one. But there is a greener way: […]
Teams have 72 hours to re-design an urban area in a pretty crumby satellite city in Israel. It’s guerilla urban architecture. We’ve all had the same thought: it’s been built, we’re stuck with it. This ugly urban mess we have created is here to stay and there’s nothing we can do about it; may as […]
If your design or project has serious green mettle, why not enter the Global Green Awards? We may have our fair share of not-so-eco maniacs in the Middle East, but we also have a powerful body of concerned citizens who realize that the success with which we develop sustainable options in every aspect of life […]
Known for bulldozing archeology ruins into the sea, is it hello BP and bye bye Appolonia? Libya’s ancient archeological sites under threat from offshore oil spills. British Petroleum (BP), whose Deepwater Horizon offshore oil well was spewing thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for more than five months, was at the […]
Energy-intensive water park in the desert, offers a “home” to displaced penguins. Every now and then, the Middle East comes up with a scheme that is so ridiculously un-eco that we can’t believe someone thought it was good for the planet. See us on Al Jazeera TV talking about hypocritical ideas in the UAE. Some […]
A handy chart to plot which Middle East countries are going nuclear. Ever since oil was discovered in the Middle East around 1950 it has gas been the driving force behind the region’s transformation. But as of late a new focus has emerged based on both an ever increasing demands for electricity but also a […]
Finally! Researchers put skeptics to rest as the “Saudi Arabia” of renewable energy takes off in Northern Scotland. Harnessing the ocean’s extraordinary energy potential is no easy feat. Though the seas are difficult to tame and have swallowed more than one piece of equipment, Israel has managed to reign in that rogue power with a […]
Non drip tomatoes, latest Dead Sea trouble, Ormat in the US and more headlines related to Israeli cleantech and the environment. Israel’s government is getting serious about ending global oil dependency by 2020. Ormat Technologies has secured funding for geothermal plants and Eilat-Eilot has been chosen to by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor […]
American engineering student Laura Stupin spends her first week on Masdar’s Mothership. Never mind the trumped up press releases that claimed for Masdar a zero carbon, zero waste, car-free city, or the derisive press that followed. And forget the original ambition to complete such unrealistic goals by 2015. Fast-forward instead to October, 2010, just over […]