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Meet Your Garden's Best Friend, The Earthworm

Green Prophet Guest
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Meet Your Garden's Best Friend, The Earthworm

earthworm earth worm compost pileAn ode to the earthworm: An earthworm farmer in Israel praises the beauty of the earthworm. Time to grow your own?

The earthworm is one of mankind’s best friends. Hard at work 24/7, this lowly creature makes it possible for human and plant life to exist. Without the earthworm over here in the Middle East, we would have little to eat, our world would be flooded by snow and rain, and environmental pollution would be greater than it is today.

The earthworm is a natural tiller and a prodigious earth mover. Making its way through the soil it churns the earth, loosening the subsoil and creating microscopic tunnels that allow water and oxygen to reach the root systems of plant life. As they burrow, the earthworm mixes and sifts the soil, breaking up clods of dirt and burying stones.

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Is Willie the Grey Whale Lost or Looking for Club Med? (VIDEO)

Maurice Picow
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1

“Extinct” grey whale sighted off Israeli coast, 8,000 nautical miles from home. Lost or making a comeback thanks to global warming? (In the above video, Israelis taking the video are calling for Willie to show his/her tail.)

Sighting any kind of whale in the Mediterranean Sea is a novelty. But when a whale sighting turns out to be of a grey whale, said to be instinct in this part of the world, then this event is something that has many scientists excited as well as baffled.When this whale was seen off the Israeli coastal city of Herzliya, it really created a buzz since the species has been extinct in the North Atlantic since the 17th or 18th century.

The whale, said to be a mature adult measuring around 12 meters or 39 feet, is now mainly found in the North Pacific Ocean. It may have swam across the “Northwest-Passage” between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, due to the amount of ice there being less now due possibly to global warming.

How it got into the warmer waters of the Mediterranean is matter of speculation; but those studying the habits of such sea creatures say it may have been looking for warmer waters to calve in, like they normally do off the Baja California coast. And the Mediterranean, being warmer, may have confused this individual who was already a bit off course.

After all, Tel Aviv, Beirut or Gaza City are not exactly La Paz Mexico.

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The Limits of Growing Biofuel Crops on a Desert Island

Russel Cohen
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The Limits of Growing Biofuel Crops on a Desert Island

Quick, name the scarcest natural resources in Israel. I’m sure that “land” and “water” would feature prominently in most people’s answers.

Israel is, to all intents and purposes, a “desert island’, with finite – very finite – natural resources. Not your romantic desert island, and not an island geographically, but rather politically. Not a desert entirely, but dominated by arid lands, and with much of the rest what might be considered recovering or rehabilitated. Some of that is again under threat from various forces, mainly driven by economic and political factors, population growth and lifestyle.

So, while there have been few serious proposals for converting Israeli agricultural production to bio-fuel crop production, would it in theory make sense to ever do so?

Not if one applies the understandings shared by noted German economist Hans Werner Sinn in this Jerusalem Post article. The president of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research was visiting Israel last week to give the D.B. Doran Lecture on Population, Resources and Development at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lecturing about the problems of land use for biofuel.

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Israeli Food Chemist Answers Nutrition Questions Online

Miriam Kresh
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Israeli Food Chemist Answers Nutrition Questions Online

Fresh-fruit-and-veg
Is olive oil really the healthiest fat, and why? Is it true that red wine has healing properties? And – must we (groan) exercise every day, really?

These simple questions deserve good answers. We know that organic food from sustainable sources is best for you and the planet. Now you can also hear Dr. Zohar Kerem of the Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment questions about healthy eating, online.

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Abu Dhabi Aims to Halt the Practice of 'Flaring' Natural Gas

Ira Moskowitz
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Abu Dhabi Aims to Halt the Practice of 'Flaring' Natural Gas

Natural gas flaring

The Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO), an offshore division of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), aspires to become the first in the Gulf region to end the “flaring” of natural gas, the UAE-based daily The National reported this week.

The World Bank describes gas flaring as “the process of burning-off associated gas from oil wells and hydrocarbon processing plants either as a means of disposal or as a safety measure,” and notes that it  is now recognized as a major environmental problem, contributing some 400 million tons of CO2 emissions worldwide.

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The Israel Defence Forces Looks to Hybridize Its Jeeps

Karin Kloosterman
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The Israel Defence Forces Looks to Hybridize Its Jeeps

IDF israel army jeep jordan riverAn IDF jeep posted at the Jordan River, West Bank. Image credit Green Prophet

The Israel Air Force is doing it (with solar panels), and now the IDF, Israel Defence Forces will save carbon emissions as it looks to buy hybrid Jeeps. Haaretz newspaper reports that the IDF is now testing the hybrid Ford Escape to see how it performs, and that the force is not making the switch out of environment concerns. They want to save money on gas.

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Si, Si! Spain Looks to Build Solar Thermal Plants in Egypt

Karin Kloosterman
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0
Si, Si! Spain Looks to Build Solar Thermal Plants in Egypt

Egypt temple sun god photoAncient Egyptians built temples to the Sun God Ra. Time for this African nation to reclaim its glory and time in the sun, with solar energy deal? Image via mrs_logic

Maybe it’s the product of the recent MENASOL solar conference in Cairo that Green Prophet attended. Now, Bloomberg news is reporting that Spain’s largest solar-thermal power plant builder, Actividades de Construccion y Servicios (ACS) is looking to Egypt to meet the world’s carbon-free energy demands.

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Eco-Jews Study Sustainable Living on "Hava ve Adam" Farm in Israel

Green Prophet
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3

Coming for a 5 month internship, learn more about the students and people from the ecological and organic farm, Hava ve Adam (Adam and Eve) Ecological Farm outside Modi’in, Israel. They grow their own food, use compost toilets, sleep in geodesic domes. The whole nine yards.

::Hava ve Adam website

Egypt Fines Russia for Cleaning Oil Bilge in Red Sea

Maurice Picow
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Egypt Fines Russia for Cleaning Oil Bilge in Red Sea

oil bird gulf spillThe tragedy of it all- why should they have to suffer? A Russian oil dump in Egypt raises more red flags in Middle East about oil spills and drilling practices.

The giant Gulf of Mexco oil spill is now more than two weeks old and although intensive efforts are being made to “cap” the well, it is still spewing 5,000 barrels of oil (950,000 liters) per day into the Gulf.  The three companies being held responsible are British Petroleum BP (who drilled the well), Transocean (who own the equipment, including the drilling platform), and Halliburton (who serviced the well, including making safety inspections). The environmental damage already done is feared to even surpass the giant oil spill on Spain’s ‘Coast of Death’ in 2002, and the Exxon Valdez in Alaska.

Now the Xinhua News Agency reports that the Egyptian Environment Ministry decided to a Russian ship after it dumped its oil waste into the Red Sea, causing an oil slick that stretched over 1 km off the coastal city of Ras Ghareb in eastern Egypt. An Egyptian chopper spotted the vessel in April. It hoisted the flag of Russia while it was dumping oil waste into the sea water. An Egyptian court has decided to seize the vessel until the fine is paid, the report added.

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Celebrate Shavuot at Vertigo Eco-Arts Village, A Great Alternative to All That Cheese

Karen Chernick
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1
Celebrate Shavuot at Vertigo Eco-Arts Village, A Great Alternative to All That Cheese

vertigo eco-arts village photo

Celebrate an alternative and dance-themed Shavuot at Vertigo Dance Company’s Eco-Arts Village. [image via: avinatan]

If you’re a vegetarian (or a vegawarian), Shavuot may be one of your favorite holidays.  During Shavuot you traditionally eat dairy (and lots of it), so the main meal is a vegetarian.

But if you’re lactose intolerant, that’s no fun at all.  Luckily, there’s more to Shavuot than eating a lot of cheese (and cheesecake).  For the third year in a row, the Vertigo Eco-Arts Village will be hosting a special two-day Shavuot Hagiga event packed with yoga, dance performances, a Shavuot picnic, Tikkun Shavuot (the traditional study of excerpts from the beginning and end of the 24 books of the Jewish Tanakh), Tai Chi, and workshops.

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Masdar City: A Diversion from the Crucible of Climate Change

Dr. Yosef Gotlieb
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Masdar City: A Diversion from the Crucible of Climate Change

Masdar City built on the profits of oilBuilt on the profits of oil, should Masdar hold the mantle of energy leadership for the world? Yosef asks.

According to the Masdar City website, the undertaking is intended to be Abu Dhabi’s “multi-faceted response to the challenges facing a sustainable future.” The city, intended to house 50,000 residents in a kind of technosphere designed to invoke a time-venerated Arab city. The enterprise is aimed at making Abu Dhabi “a global leader and hub for the research of renewable energy and sustainable technology.”

While initiatives aimed at advancing a sustainable future are to be applauded, there is something disturbingly off about the context in which the Abu Dhabi oil state seeks to claim the mantle of energy leadership and sustainable practice. 

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Solar Power Plants in Italy and the US, Built by China and Israel?

Nick Katz
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3
Solar Power Plants in Italy and the US, Built by China and Israel?

solar power suntech israel electric photoSuntech, the world’s biggest maker of polysilicon solar-power modules from China looks to pair up with Israel Electric Corp on solar-power plants. Image via Suntech

Catalysed by the World Expo in Shanghai perhaps, the previous solar deal between Heliofocus and Sanhua, and/or linked to the $35 million deal between Suntech and Israel’s SBY Israel and China may be aligning on the solar front.  Bloomberg business news is reporting that economic ties could get a whole lot warmer between China and Israel: Suntech, the world’s largest crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules is expected to join Israel’s government-owned electric company Israel Electric Corp to develop solar projects and innovative technologies to boost solar panel efficiency. Israel Electric’s senior VP Yakov Hain said that the two groups are looking to coordinate research to develop solar technologies, and to collaborate on the design and construction of power plants – utilizing existing technology.

As business with the EU weakens, Israel looks to the East and hopes to attract Chinese investment.

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Calling all Young Architects and Grad Students to Join ECOWEEK 2010

Tafline Laylin
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0
Calling all Young Architects and Grad Students to Join ECOWEEK 2010

ecoweek2010-athensYoung Israeli and Palestinian Architects Are Invited to Join World Renowned Architects for a Week of Green Building  Lectures,  Site Visits, and Workshops.

With cooperation from Friends of the Earth Middle East, Hebron Polytechnic, and the Porter School for Environmental Studies (among many others), the International Non-Profit Organization ECOWEEK has announced that from July 25th to August 1st, young architectural professionals and graduate students in Israel and Palestine will be able to flex their green building muscles.  Joined by other international students and led by renowned architects from around the world, participants will have the enviable opportunity to learn about the best green practices in the field.

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MENA Cleantech Sees 'Existential Need' for CSP in Middle East and North Africa

Ira Moskowitz
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3
MENA Cleantech Sees 'Existential Need' for CSP in Middle East and North Africa

Ibn al-Haytham, as one of the forefathers of solar technology

At the MENASOL conference in Cairo last week, MENA Cleantech’s Samer Zureikat cited this 11th century scientist, Ibn al-Haytham, as one of the forefathers of solar technology. (Image via orientpix.com)

I was sitting behind Samer Zureikat, the CEO of MENA Cleantech, at the MENASOL solar energy conference in Cairo last week when one of the speakers declared that CSP (concentrating solar power) is not economically competitive for large-scale generation of electricity. It was clear that Zureikat disagreed: He shook his head from side to side in disbelief and began chuckling.

Later he would admit that he is indeed “obsessed” with CSP, and explained that he prefers to use the active form “concentrating” instead of the passive “concentrated” – “because that’s what you’re actually doing.”

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Emefcy Raises $5 million For Commercial "Green" Sewage Treatment Pilot Plant

Lisa Damast
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0
Emefcy Raises $5 million For Commercial "Green" Sewage Treatment Pilot Plant

Emefcy-Lagoon-Wastewater-TreatmentEmefcy technology uses bacteria that can produce electricity from wastewater, such as this lagoon. Photo courtesy of Emefcy

Globes is reporting that Israeli sewage technology company Emefcy has raised $5 million for a commercial pilot. Founded in 2007 Eytan Levy and Ronen Shechter, Emefcy‘s main product, the MEGAWATTER system aids the management of wastewater by reducing energy consumption by applying microbial fuel cells. The cells feed on the wastewater and can produce electricity or hydrogen.

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Renewables hit 5,149 GW in 2025 as the world edges away from oil shocks and fossil-fueled conflict

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“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”

What Is Liberty HealthShare, and Should I Learn More?

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Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.

Zentera drops “ethical wool” claim after peta exposé into zq-certified farms

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The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.

Fresh Fava Bean Soup, A Vegan Springtime Recipe

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Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.

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