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And The Green Globe Goes To…. Park Inn Muscat, Oman

Tafline Laylin
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And The Green Globe Goes To…. Park Inn Muscat, Oman

Park-Inn-Muscat-OmanPark Inn Muscat receives the Middle East’s first internationally recognized Green Globe standard certification

Creating quality tourism options in the environmental context has only been popular since the early 1990s. Now there are all kinds of opportunities to enjoy a relaxing holiday without causing harm to the surrounding environment: from bio tours in Israel, to Jordan’s green oasis, eco-tourism is booming in the Middle East. We don’t receive much eco-tourism news from Oman, that obscure nexus saddling the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, flanked also by the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. So it comes as a pleasant surprise that the Green Globe certification was awarded to a hotel there.

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Get Mad With Bill McKibben: 10-10-10

Tafline Laylin
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Get Mad With Bill McKibben: 10-10-10

350-org-mckibbenGet mad about poor energy policies that are heating up our planet, and then get organized on 10-10-10

I was taught the value of balanced writing free of slanted language.  “Let the facts speak for themselves,” my noble university professors proclaimed. “Don’t appeal to emotion.” But as a working environmental journalist emotionally and intellectually saturated with dismal reports like BPs never-ending pursuit of carbon-emitting fossil fuels, and temperatures escalating as a result, I frequently want to dump the nicey nicey and say Hey! Wake up. I like my job so I don’t dare. But Bill McKibben, the acclaimed author of Deep Economy who has plenty of job security, does dare. In a recent diatribe published all over the world, he finally dropped the F-bomb on the energy policies (or lack thereof) that have set our planet on fire.

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How Does Noise Pollution Impact the Red Sea?

Tafline Laylin
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How Does Noise Pollution Impact the Red Sea?

red-sea-reef-fishNoise pollution threatens Great Barrier Reef Fish. Are Red Sea fish in danger too?

Several human interferences impact the Red Sea: poaching by Yemenese fishermen, frequent oil spills, and even sunscreen is harmful to corals. These examples barely bob on the surface of the greater problem though. Worldwide, phytoplankton is diminishing, a sign of serious ecological malfunction, and more and more fish are being added to the list of threatened species. A recent study on the Great Barrier Reef, the granddaddy of reefs, adds another threat to the creatures that call the reef home: noise.

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Detox – Not a Diet, A Way of Life (4 Tips)

Naomi Ben-David
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Detox – Not a Diet, A Way of Life (4 Tips)

joggersAre you as healthy on the inside as the outside? Detox is the answer to internal health

Summer, vacation, relaxing, it is not just for you, it is also great to give your body the chance to unwind. We tend to push ourselves too hard throughout the year and then try for the quick fix. Whether it is a crash weight loss diet or a detox diet, the fastest is not the best. There are many popular detox diets out there, but don’t be tempted, instead try the healthier options. The body has its own built in way of detoxifying, so why put yourself through days of sipping some strange soup, or munching on cabbage leaves for the sake of detox, try trusting your body.

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Meet Greentech Media’s Michael Kanellos

Karin Kloosterman
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Meet Greentech Media’s Michael Kanellos

michael mike kanellos greentech mediaWant an investment scoop on the Middle East? Read our interview with clean tech reporter, Michael Kanellos.

Michael Kanellos, editor-in-chief at the popular clean tech news blog Greentech Media operates on a level that surpasses even the most active of us bloggers. I met Mike in Finland a couple of months ago on a clean tech media tour joined by other bloggers like TreeHugger’s Ask Pablo, and Lisa Hymas, a senior editor and founder at Grist.

Before most of us had the chance to shower and stumble our way down to the lobby for breakfast, Michael had already scoured the city around us, whipped up a few blog posts, had eaten, sauna-ed, and later –– by the time we got around to meeting the Finnish cleantech companies on our tour ––  had in fact already met several of them earlier at various conferences on his travels.

Michael lives, breathes and sleeps clean tech news: Travelling the world far and wide for stories, we interviewed him to get a western point of view on clean technology trends and developments in the Middle East. Since he’s always forgetting his Twitter account, he says (but here it is)  – it’s best to follow his work through the site www.greentechmedia.com.

Our interview:

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Egyptian Gas Exporter Given Israeli Tax Exemption in $6 Billion Deal

Matt Khoury
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Egyptian Gas Exporter Given Israeli Tax Exemption in $6 Billion Deal

suez canal egyptEgypt’s oil and gas refineries on the Suez Canal.

The Egypt based East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG) which exports natural gas from Egypt to Israel has been granted a 20 year tax exemption by the Israeli government, according the to Israeli business daily Globes. Apparently EMG was give the highly unusual exemption as part of its deal to supply natural gas to the Israeli Electric Company, Israel’s public power company, for 15 years, with an option for an extra five years. The deal is reported to be worth $6 billion.

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Interview With Entity Green, Jordan’s Sustainable Development Organization

Karen Chernick
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Interview With Entity Green, Jordan’s Sustainable Development Organization

Entity Green brings greener development, recycling, and eco-friendly lifestyles to Amman, Jordan. Above, an EG team constructing a new building.

After learning about the farmer’s market, Souq al Balad, that Entity Green helped organized in Amman a few months ago, we decided we wanted to know what else this organization was up to. And so we spoke to Anselm Ibing, manager of the organization’s recycling program, to learn more. Here’s what he had to say.

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Foster + Partners in Jordan: What’s Sustainable About a Green Airport?

Arwa Aburawa
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Foster + Partners in Jordan: What’s Sustainable About a Green Airport?

Queen Alia Airport green airport masdar jordan
Inspired by palm trees, Masdar City architects will expand Queen Alia Airport, to become a “green” airport in Jordan.

A couple of months ago, fellow Green Prophet writer Tafline Layline wrote a blog about the dubious green credentials of Fosters + Partners projects across the Middle East. The architect firm behind ambitious green projects such as Masdar City may be claiming to “design energy efficient, socially responsible buildings” she explained, but they are feeding the ‘bigger, better, more’ mentality which is damaging our planet. Tafline explained that they weren’t challenging our constant urge to grow and consume, and with price tags in the billions were they really sustainable?

Everyone knows that a green building is only as green as those living inside- so unless you change the behaviour of people and they way they treat resources in every aspect of their lives, than what it is the point? And that’s exactly what I was thinking when I heard about Foster + Partners plans for to green (and expand) Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport, which is expected to be completed sometime in 2011.

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Israel Cleantech Intelligence: Tidal Power and 7 More Headlines

Lisa Damast
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Israel Cleantech Intelligence: Tidal Power and 7 More Headlines

Tel Dan StreamIsrael-China, foreign investment in Israel, oil munching bacteria and more headlines related to Israeli cleantech and the environment. Image by Or Hiltch.

During the week of July 25, 2010, Israel’s first tidal power plant was completed in Jaffa. An Israeli-Palestinian team has received a grant to address clean water issues in Israel and the Middle East and a new campaign by Israel’s Water Authority to distribute 2 million water aerators was launched. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.

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Ban Saudi’s Bottled Water?

Tafline Laylin
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Ban Saudi’s Bottled Water?

bottled-water-creativeNot only does Jibal Faifa Water Company’s bottled water contain excess levels of cancer-causing chemical, but plastic bottles are the bane of the environment

It comes as no surprise that water, that miracle of life without which we would quickly shrivel up and die, dominates the headlines. We are either witch-hunting BP for its role in polluting numerous water sources, marveling at Libya’s man-made river, or watching cautiously as Egypt struggles to provide water to its citizens. Then there is the water that comes in bottles. We assume its safe, but is it really?

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Animation: Past Life Regression For Eric-Sun, The Abandoned Cell Phone

Tafline Laylin
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Animation: Past Life Regression For Eric-Sun, The Abandoned Cell Phone

cell phone charging in Africa

The next time you think of replacing your cell phone, remember it’s made of nickel, silver, gold, platinum, as well as plastics and other finite materials; will you reconsider?

We love to share clever designs with our readers, to write about the technologies we hope will save the world one micro chip at a time. There are motorized bikes, energy reduction innovations, smart grids, and numerous other designs worth sharing. But rarely do we consider the ethics of design; nor do we ponder the origin of components that make up the technologies that render life more convenient. For Australian designer Leyla Acaroglu, these questions are central.

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American Vertical Farm Concepts Good for the Middle East

Maurice Picow
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American Vertical Farm Concepts Good for the Middle East

Inspired by Babylon’s Hanging Gardens? Weber Thompson’s Vertical Farm pyramid concept can be used in  Abu Dhabi or Dubai as well.

American cities like Newark New Jersey are a long way from Abu Dhabi or Cairo; but vertical farming concepts now being planned for American cities, are also being considered for locations in the Middle East as well. In a recent published article in Treehugger, giant pyramid shaped structures, as well as specially designed skyscrapers will produce large amounts of vegetables and other agricultural produce by means of soil-less hydroponics.

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Summer Heat Jams Power Production in Oil-rich Saudi Arabia

Matt Khoury
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Summer Heat Jams Power Production in Oil-rich Saudi Arabia

saudi arabia summer hydro electric linesSaudis, Kuwaitis and Emiritis experience summer blackouts, despite being oil- and gas-rich. Lack of infrastructure and change in lifestyle to blame.

With temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius or 112 Fahrenheit more the a few countries in the region are struggling to keep up with people’s needs to keep cool in the scorching summer heat. In Israel, which sadly gets most of its energy from coal and natural gas, the public power company the Israel Electric Company issued a statement on Sunday calling for Israelis to minimize their electricity use between noon and 5 pm for the rest of the week as the company’s production was reaching its limits, the Jerusalem Post is reporting.

The paper also pointed out the Israel only keeps a single digit power reserves compared to the 17-25 percent which is considered necessary. While it’s quite plausible the electricity might be in shortage in Israel as the country lacks any significant natural resources, the fact that blackouts are occurring in the United Arab Emirates home to the world’s seventh largest proven oil reserve is maybe more surprising.

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Only 1 in 25 Emiratis Use Their Legs to Walk

adam gonn - the media line
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Only 1 in 25 Emiratis Use Their Legs to Walk

arabian man walking with stick photoLegs? Who needs them when you can drive. Maybe this is why diabetes rates in the Gulf region are among the highest in the world.

We already know about the terrible rates of road accidents in Saudi Arabia, the dangerous practice of car drifting, and the admiration for gold-plated cars. Now, a new study finds residents of the United Arab Emirates to be highly sedentary, Adam Gonn from the Media Line reports.

A mere 4% of people living in the United Arab Emirates walk on a weekly basis, a new study by an international shoe maker has found. Commissioned by South Korean shoe manufacturer RYN ahead of their forthcoming entrance into the Gulf shoe market, the study into Emiratis’ walking habits found that both UAE citizens and expatriates alike are not walking regularly enough. In spite the fact that the walking infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates is well advanced compared to most countries in the world, just 4% of residents walk on a weekly basis,” read the report.

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RECIPE: Herb-Crust Chicken Shnitzels

Miriam Kresh
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chicken-shnitzels-with-herb-crustChicken fillets pounded thin and fried are shnitzel in Israel. Miriam serves a healthier, herby, baked version.

Sizzling summer weather takes away our appetite for anything but light, nutritious food. Coming in from the street feeling broiled ourselves, a quick, home-cooked meal is the answer. Like these organic chicken fillets. They’re  more interesting than the usual fried shnitzel because herbs like the ones featured in our Middle Eastern spice series, breadcrumbs and nuts protect the meat and keep it juicy – and make a lively, flavorful crust.

Most shnitzels are fried, but these you bake in less than 15 minutes. Less time over a hot stove, and healthier for you.

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