Cooped Up With Vertigo

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Members of Vertigo dance troupe in Israel have set up a dance studio in old chicken coops on Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed Hey. In most places it’s a 1958 Hitchcock movie, or a word to describe a dizzy sort of feeling, but in Israel, Vertigo is a world-renowned dance troupe that was founded in Jerusalem about […]

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Robert Upton’s Philosophy of Planning and the Middle East

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“How Do We Want to Live?” asks England’s Former Secretary-General of the Royal Town Planning Institute Robert Upton at an urban planning conference in Israel. Whereas Colombian planner Oscar Diaz (who we interviewed here) was practical and sited specific planning examples at the anniversary conference at the Technion-Israel’s Institute of Technology,  England’s planner Mr. Robert Upton’s […]

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Do You WANA Green The Middle East? A Forum Report from Jordan

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WANA, a North Africa and West Asia forum recently convened in Jordan to discuss the environment, a green economy, sustainable development and the revival of Hima, an Islamic environmental conservation practice. The West Asia – North Africa WANA Forum is a long-term initiative that brings together decision-makers, civil society orgs, religious leaders, researchers, business owners, […]

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Investigating the Business and Cultural Ties that Bind Israel to China

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The Israel-Asia Center gives Green Prophet a podcast transcript of their interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel. Lots can be gleaned about China’s sustainability vision from the interview. The Israel-based Israel-Asia Center recently conducted an interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel, Zhao Jun, on what the World Expo means for China, the challenges […]

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Oscar Diaz and Colombia’s sustainable cities

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Mr. Oscar Diaz Inspires Israeli Planners to Build For People, Not Cars. We promised to bring more news from the Technion-Israel’s Institute of Technology, where the Center for Urban and Regional Studies’ 40th anniversary conference was held yesterday, 3rd June 2010.  After brief greetings from representatives of The Center for Urban & Regional Studies, the […]

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SolarEdge Disrupts Solar Tech

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Disruptor: In the past week SolarEdge has announced partnerships to distribute its technology across Australia and Europe and has been named a Red Herring 100 Winner. Known for its high costs and lagging efficiency, the solar energy field has been one to watch for many but one to take advantage of for very few. New […]

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Going Against the Grain of Synthetic Fabrics

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In a world of synthetics and polyesters, fabric merchant Bilal Abu-Khalaf sells hand-woven silks, cotton and gold-threaded cloths from his Jerusalem shop. Some cloths can wait 45 years before being sold. In the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem’s famous Old City bazaar, shopkeepers are busy selling trinkets to tourists, synthetic t-shirts and plastic souvenirs made […]

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Yael Uriely Shows Us That Good Things Come in Upcycled Shapes, Colors and Sizes

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Yael Uriely’s Dvarim Tovim (or “Good Things”) fabric jewelry line is made of vintage and upcycled materials. Good things don’t always come in shiny, new, plastic packages.  Sometimes, according to Yael Uriely, they come in upcycled, vintage packages that bring us back to previous eras revisited.  Yael’s line of fabric jewelry, Dvarim Tovim (Good Things) […]

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The Center For Urban & Regional Studies 40th Anniversary Conference

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Oscar Edmundo Diaz and Robert Upton Are Expected to Share Urban Planning Pearls With Israel [image via Technion-Israel Institute of Technology] Before globalization,  ideas and technology ambled across the oceans and progress piddled along.  Now cooperation happens in seconds.  Microseconds even.  And though not all ideas are equally useful,  there’s no question that when great […]

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