Gilatz builds another solar plant in Italy, capitalizing on the country’s hefty solar subsidies.
Solar is going viral, and can be profitable too. Gilatz Investment, a publicly traded company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has signed a deal through a subsidiary for the construction of a third 2 MW solar power plant in Italy, according to a Globes report.
PopLove’s recycled fashion did a double eco service during “Thirsty for Change” – it got people excited about upcycled design and aware of the need for greater water conservation efforts. [image via: Fashion Snake]
A few weeks ago a fashion show of PopLove’s upcycled couture was paraded down one of the buildings at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzlia in an attempt to raise awareness about the need for water conservation in Israel. The event, “Thirsty for Change”, was organized by an IDC student, Talya Friedman, as her final seminar project. The proceeds from the (fun) event were donated to Israel Water Treaty – a local organization that attempts to protect residents’ right to quality water and provide educational programs about water.
Don’t swat the wasp! Insects are important links to the food web and deserve protection status too.
As the world begins to pay closer attention to the importance of preserving biodiversity, more has emerged about the Middle East’s wild side. Hundreds of birds flock through the UAE en route from Africa to Asia, while conservation efforts have drawn more negative attention to sharks in the Red Sea.
But less is known about the insect world and why we even care. Often people see a creepy crawly and are moved by some kind of ancient DNA to squish the life out of it. But Anthony van Harten realizes that insects are crucial to maintaining healthy ecosystems and are fighting to protect them in Dubai.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osHCbW9orV0[/youtube] Even as they sound an important climate change alarm for Middle Eastern viewers, AFED’s endorsement of MASDAR and KAUST deserves its own alarm.
At Green Prophet, we have lamented environmental inaction in the Middle East for a long time. Ridiculous artificial island schemes and dying rivers, such as the Jordan, are only 2 examples from a long list that both reveal and threaten the region’s stability. The Middle East does not spew the kind of emissions seen in the United States, China, or India, but many countries in the region are blinded by fossil fuel wealth, which obscures the attendant environmental decay. The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) released a powerful 12 minute documentary that finally sounds the alarm.
A new research project aims to create an early warning system to save lives of people who take the train.
Trains are one of favourite means of public transportation. See how Europe does it. Trains are fast, affordable and in the right country, they run on time. But as new tracks are laid down, new hazards emerge. A new research project looks to predict future disasters so that trains will continue to rule the public transportation track.
Thousands of people around the world have died in train wrecks caused by natural disasters. In 2004, the tsunami in Southeast Asia derailed a Sri Lankan train, killing 1,700 people. But with modern advances, these tragedies can be avoided — and a Tel Aviv University researcher, working in collaboration with teams from seven countries, is leading the way.
Tesla Model S Coupe: Expensive bang for your bucks. The Middle East can only drool for now.
Tesla electric sports roadsters floated a successful IPO stock offering and are now tearing down the roads in European countries like Turkey, Hong Kong, Japan, and Canada. Still considered to be an expensive recreational toy due to its high price (beginning at US $ 100,000) the car is nevertheless being bought by well-to-do people who love fast cars; especially ones that go from 0 to 60 mph in only 3.7 seconds, according to tests run by Tesla. The car was recently featured in the SPEC Smart Products Ecosystem Connections news site, reporting that Tesla has sold more than 1,200 of these roadsters to customers in 28 countries.
A Muslim woman makes an uncharacteristic stand for vegetarianism on the conservative streets of Amman, Jordan.
Last Sunday in the bustling streets of Amman in Jordan, a young Muslim women wearing a hijab and a suit of lettuce made a stand for vegetarianism. Amina Tariq, who is a member of the animal rights group PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, held up a sign playfully stating ‘Let Vegetarianism Grow on You’ which explains why she was covered from her neck down to her toes in lettuce.
IBM to create new flow models and smart grid water solutions based on Israeli high-tech expertise.
Scientists at IBM’s research facility in Haifa will launce a number of pilot programs both in Israel, the US and China that will use algorithms developed for the IT world to detect water leaks and ever predict possible pipe bursts, the Jerusalem Post is reporting.
Pnina Vortman, senior manager and Smarter Planet Solutions leader with IBM told the paper that they have developed a number of algorithms that could be used to prevent water loss from broken pipes, streamline maintenance and reduce general water loss.
One of the most pristine crater sites in the world, Kamil teaches us to respect nature’s superiority over our lives.
With its wealth of whale fossils trapped within what was once the Tethys sea, and the River Nile, now subdued but previously an angry god that rose and fell at will, affecting millions of people, Egypt offers an important reminder that we are subject to nature’s rules. When the rains don’t come, we struggle to grow food. When the rain comes in a fury, we lose our crops; we lose our homes. But when the next meteorite makes contact with the earth, we will be ready for it, thanks to one of the world’s best preserved craters recently discovered in the Sahara desert.
The First Phase of Tel Aviv’s first “Green” high rise to be completed in January [image via emporis.com]
Although the Middle Eastern sustainable development agenda lags behind the western world, several recent developments and innovations demonstrate that we can keep pace. Studied Impact in Dubai has designed a renewable power plant that is fit for living, and So’ Eco is spreading their green building skills,married with social equality, throughout Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
These initiatives reflect a willingness to join the global commitment to restore environmental damage while drawing urban dwellers back to the earth. Does the Azouri brothers’ eco-tower in Tel Aviv express Israel’s maturing eco-consciousness?
Do you keep an eye an the ingredients in your beauty products? Well maybe it’s time you did. Image via dreamglow pumpkincat210
Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your beauty products? It is fairly common practice to check the ingredients of food, so why is it that the same doesn’t apply to cosmetics? After all, it does go on our skin on a daily basis.
The truth is, that even if you do read the ingredients, those long chemical names probably don’t mean that much to you, but the cosmetics industry is filled with chemicals so there are a few items you should keep in mind to avoid.
“For me green living is part and parcel of being a good Muslim- it’s a spiritual requirement.”
Kristiane Backer has undergone various transformations in her life but none as big as the move from a rock and roll lifestyle as MTV reporter, interviewing the Rolling Stones and Lenny Kravitz, to an Eco-Muslimah promoting the green message of Islam.
A fateful meeting with famous cricketer Imran Khan at the pinnacle of her success in the late ’90s, drew her attention to Islam and also the realization that something was missing in her life. Inspired by the message of the Qur’an, travel to Muslim countries and the beauty of Sufi poetry, she decided to become a Muslim. Kristiane, who recently launched a campaign which highlights the Prophet’s respect for the environment, took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about what it means to be an Eco-Muslimah.
Rusted, blocked or leaky pipes? An AcousticEye can see inside pipes for swift repair.
What drives an engineer to spend sleepless nights devising solutions to life’s twisted problems? Engineer Tal Pechter, CEO at AcousticEye, transformed his kitchen into a laboratory and his body into a test specimen in his quest for a method to detect holes and blockages in pipes. His obsession evolved from his work at two seemingly unrelated places – Israel Aircraft Industries and prior to that, a sleep apnea startup.
Focused on ‘tubes’ in both jobs, Pechter was convinced that there had to be better methods to locate leaks and blockages in airplane pipes and blockages in a person’s airways, than those currently in use. In fact, there are far more similarities between Pechter’s two jobs than one might think. For example, systems within an aircraft, built with tubes and pipes, parallel the respiratory tract, circulatory and digestive systems in the human body.
A weekly Green Prophet series that looks at the Arabic “green” blogosphere and online communities.
After looking at a personal environmental blog from Lebanon , at a Syrian environmental blog that raises environmental awareness among the Syrian public, and at a personal Iraqi environmental blog, we are flying this time to Iraq’s neighbor, Kuwait. Here, we will take a little break from environmental blogs and review a unique environmental forum, which is all about birds.
Called “The Ornithological Society of Kuwait’s Forum,” this site is dedicated to birds only, and is administered by the Ornithological Society of Kuwait. It is written in Arabic and has been active since January 2008.
According to its website, the aims of the Ornithological Society of Kuwait include “bird studying, protecting, watching, and identifying for all the free flying birds in Kuwait; establish and run bird reserves in important bird areas and liaise with government officials; publish a bilingual full annual bird report to include all sightings of birds and the status of their habitat; educate the public by lectures and meetings; publish flyers, posters to educate the public for the protection of birds; and establish a library to include most important birding books and magazines.” If you’re a birder, this site is for you.
Tel Aviv’s first green hi-rise, Ohio-Israel partnership, Volkswagon and more headlines related to Israeli cleantech and the environment. Image via [nivs].
During the week of July 20, 2010, “wind prediction” company, Pentalum raised $9 million. Tensions between Israel and Lebanon over natural gas in the Mediterranean heated up and Rosetta Green and Seambiotic are partnering to develop improved algal strains for the biofuel industry. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.
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