Saudi Arabia prepares in advance for a future without oil, putting solar energy in its place.
Possessing a fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves, Saudi Arabia has long been synonymous with the petroleum industry, but this is not stopping the kingdom from striving to diversify its energy sources. Renewable sources could account for up to 10 percent of Saudi Arabia’s power output by 2020, an executive from the state-owned national oil company Aramco said. “The proposed target is between 7 to 10% of peak electricity generated by renewables by 2020,” Ahmad al-Khowaiter, director of new business evaluation department at Aramco told Reuters. Â
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, Jordan Valley, and Dead Sea. Without their tireless campaigns and distinctly apolitical cooperation, these shared resources would be in even greater dire straits.
In order to draw attention to these environmental concerns, FoEME arranged a bicycle tour with the Israel Bicycle Association to coincide with 350.org’s 10-10 Global Work Party event. But Jordanian “anti-normalisation” efforts have politicized the initiative, putting pressure on Jordan’s FoEME representatives to cancel it.
Taking the opportunity to get to know a little more of one of the world’s most influential green media sites, Green Prophet sits down with Lisa, asking her about Grist’s history, and how young green leaders from the Middle East can learn from Grist’s example, and be a force of change. Read on for our interview.
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 powerful than in the Golan – though the Galilee is also less likely to be swept up in a political tempest vis-à -vis Syria.
Get fancy with the world’s best smelling citron fruit. Just make sure it’s organic before you eat it as jam.
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. Warty, yes, but too lovely-smelling to be eaten. The fruit is pretty tart like a lemon but there isn’t much juice. Since the thick skin is extremely aromatic we suggest turning the whole shebang into a jam. And we will share the process here.
Citron jam.
The citron’s textured and dimply exterior might fool you as being a mutated lemon, and as a peeled fruit there isn’t much to taste. But as a jam? The aromatic flavors are what some compare to the smell of the Garden of Eden.
So this is the Queen of all citrus fruits and it’s cultivated in regions of Morocco to be ready for the autumn and the Jewish holiday of Succoth, the feast of booths. It’s an ecological holiday at the root of things. And if you dig into history you will see archeologists found the etrog trees growing during Biblical times. Today be on the lookout for organic etrog because pesticide use growing etrog is high.
How the etrog is connected to Jewish holidays
After a small cabin is built in the yard for eating and living in for 8 days, Jewish people obtain 4 elements from nature to remind them of their roots.
Every day a ceremony involving a willow branch, a citron, a palm frond and a myrtle branch is enacted. The etrog is used just for its smell while the other elements have characteristics of their own.
Usually there is an etrog left over from Succoth which ended last week so one etrog is not going to make a pile of jam but it will make a small treat. We urge you to use an organic citron if you can find it to avoid any pesticides that might have gone into growing the fruit. As it’s prized for its smell as well as it’s unusual looks and is an ornamental there are few controls on pesticide use for this fruit.
After the Hebrew holiday Succoth, Jewish families everywhere will have an extra etrog which can make a delicious jam. Just make sure the etrog is organic so you will avoid eating unwanted pesticides. Since the etrog is not normally cultivated for eating there are no limits on the pesticides that are used on the fruit.
Here’s Green Prophet’s tried, tested and try recipe that we come back to every year so you can make your own etrog jam.
Making etrog jam
Ingredients for making etrog jam:
1 etrog (citron)
6 cups water
3/4 cup sugar, use organic cane sugar if you can
Method
Slice and remove as many seeds from the etrog as possible. Try slicing the etrog the long way into eighths to get seeds out as efficiently as possible. There are a lot of seeds in an etrog so allow at least one hour for this step. It can be tedious but the results will be worth it.
If you want to try and grow your own citron or etrog tree, save the seeds and put them aside for later.
Slicing up citron fruit for jam or teaching fractions
Chop the etrog fruit into very small pieces, including the peel, consider using a food processor like a Vitamix for this step. Although cutting it up with a sharp knife is more pleasant. Just watch out for squirts of juice in your eye. Notice the scent. Cover cut up etrog fruit with water and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Next, bring everything to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain fruit. Cover fruit with water and simmer again for 20 minutes, then refrigerate everything for at least 12 hours. Drain. Cover fruit with water and simmer uncovered again for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.
These steps are important because if you skip them the finished product will be bitter!
Cover your beloved etrog fruit with water and add most of the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for one hour. Be careful here, if you leave it for a minute it can burn on the bottom. If it does burn, do not stir up the burned parts into the jam. Dump the stuff into a clean bowl, wash out your pot, put the jelly back in and continue.
Taste to see if you need to add more sugar. Continue simmering for ½ hour or more. The temperature should be 220º–222º, the water should be syrupy and the fruit should be clear-ish.
It should cool and congeal. If it is still runny some people add ¼ – ½ cup of orange marmalade per quart to add “pectin” and cook 15-20 minutes more. Personally, I think that however it comes out is nice.
“It’s true – the etrog is one of the most toxic, highly-sprayed fruits on the market, because it is usually purchased for ritual purposes, and not to be eaten. Don’t make any etrog recipes unless you know that the source of your etrog uses sustainable farming (and if you can find such a source, please let the rest of us know!).”
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 served with meat of one kind or another for gala events, homey vegetarian versions are served as everyday fare. Here, couscous is a foil to vegetables carefully seasoned with herbs and spices, while chickpeas add satisfying protein.
Juice of one whole lemon
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne flakes, according to taste
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 red bell peppers, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
1 walnut-sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped finely
2 zucchini, sliced thickly
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey or date honey
1 preserved lemon, chopped
A handful coriander, chopped
Method:
In a large saucepan, heat the the olive oil . Add the lemon juice, tomato puree, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne flakes, tomatoes and bell peppers. Stir well. Lower the flame to the lowest and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
Add the almonds, dried apricots, ginger, and garlic. Stir well. Cook a further 15 minutes, always on very low heat.
Finally add the chickpeas and zucchini and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the zucchini are cooked through. Just before serving, add the preserved lemons, honey and chopped coriander; mix them in well.
Make couscous according to package instructions. Spoon the vegetables over a mound of prepared couscous and serve.
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: buy second-hand, borrow from a friend, or make one yourself with fabric you already have on hand. Choose a light-weight all-cotton fabric, so stains won’t show. You can cut up an abaya that you no longer wear, or get something at the second-hand store or gemach (a type of lending library for items with limited use).
There are a range of ideas for do-it-yourself breastfeeding covers. Here are the best ones I found:
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 well put up our feet, grab a lager, and watch re-runs of “The Days of Our Lives” to wile away the misery. Others challenge that notion, and show the rest of us couch-potatoes that actually we have an extraordinary capacity for innovation and have the necessary power to reverse our unsustainable trends. And not only can we fix our mistakes during this lifetime (instead of leaving it for our kids to deal with), we can make serious headway over a weekend. They started with the 72 Hour Urban Action Program in Israel’s less-than-glamorous Bat Yam.
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 – agriculture, building, energy, fashion, and industry – will define our quality of said life for decades to come.
To veer away from reckless projects like the monster Burj, or the phony “Iceland” that has just opened up in the UAE, the Global Green Awards are accepting applications, for the fifth year, from creative, original, and positive people who have a sustainable vision. Greenwashers need not apply.
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.
Preservationists have woken up to the fact that BP oil drilling off Libya’s coast and beach areas, contain many ancient archeological sites (underwater and on land) that would be severely damaged in the event of a major oil spill. This danger was pointed out by Treehugger where it was reported that archeologists are “sounding the alarm” in regards to these undersea drilling operations. Ancient remains of the Greek and Roman provinces of Ptolemais and Cyrenaica are at stake.
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 of the most controversial and counterproductive measures we’ve covered so far include the not so green Masdar project or celebrities releasing balloons to highlight the importance of green living; and now comes the UAE’s largest ice-themed water park.
Whilst not in particular good taste, there is nothing wrong with this project until you find out that the park has been built around the issue of global warming. Apparently the park follows the story of a clan of Penguins who are displaced from the Arctic (and not the Antarctic where they normally live) by the impacts of climate change, drift along the oceans until they make a home in the coastal waters of the Arabian gulf.
Global Warming Gimmick?
Guardian UK newspaper, Leo Hickman muses, “Yes, that’s right the country with one of the world’s highest carbon footprints per person, which has got rich, in part, through the region fossil fuel bonanza, has built a tourist attraction that takes the world’s most pressing environmental problem and turns it into a plaything.
After a two-year delay, the theme park opened this week boasting the world’s largest man-made waterfall called Penguin falls with 100,000 gallons of water cascading down every minute. Costing a reported $100m, the theme park is expected to bring in 10,000 visitors a day and it’s ‘novel attractions’ include a rain dance pool (downpour meets disco), a man-made Coral Reef for snorkelling complete with live fish and various other children’s water games.
Energy intensive desalination
Now these features may seem quite impressive but with many locals suffering from water shortages and power cuts, what stands out is how irresponsible and un-ecological it is. To keep this park in working order it needs a 4MW power generation system, a separate water desalination plant which produces 525,000 gallons of water as well as water filtration systems.
Nothing to fear though, they state, as the water will be recycled and used for agricultural purposes. What they fail to mention is that a village near the development feels that their fishing industry is suffering due the loss of a public beach which was once populated with ghost crabs. Desalination is also problematic as it an energy-intensive process which destroys marine organisms such as phytoplankton and fish as well as the ocean environment once heavy concentrations of salty water are pumped back out.
The Middle East also suffers from severe water shortage issues. A report by the World Bank states that under current trends, water availability in Africa and the Middle East will drop by 50% per person by 2050. Consequently, the diversion of water into extravagant water parks is not only misguided but a dangerous indicator of the lack of real understanding or willingness to take meaningful action on climate change.
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 push to cut carbon emissions. And while not officially mentioned the Middle East needs to prepare for the day that the oil runs out: what environmentalists are calling “peak oil.” In addition to Iran, which has a highly controversial nuclear program, seven other counties in the region are proposing or have already started their own programs, according to a report by Power-Gen Worldwide.
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 modest size facility in Jaffa. But the real celebrities in the ocean energy movement, thanks to the superior strength of their tides and waves and longstanding research commitment, hail from the United Kingdom. Their marine might is so superior, in fact, that John Ross with The Scotsman says the uninhabited Stroma island in Northern Scotland has the potential to become the “Saudi Arabia” of renewable energy.
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 to establish and operate a renewable energy technology center in Israel’s Arava region. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.
Saudi Arabia prepares in advance for a future without oil, putting solar energy in its place.
A new 100 MW wind energy project is slated for northern Israel. 
Modest moms don’t need expensive new breastfeeding covers, with all the green choices available.
Teams have 72 hours to re-design an urban area in a pretty crumby satellite city in Israel. It’s guerilla urban architecture.
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.
Energy-intensive water park in the desert, offers  a “home” to displaced penguins.
A handy chart to plot which Middle East countries are going nuclear. 
