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My Dream for an Organization that Helps the Homeless and the Environment

Karen Chernick
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8
My Dream for an Organization that Helps the Homeless and the Environment

homeless people garbage middle eastKaren ponders the possibilities of a new social idea to help the homeless and the environment.

Walking down the street this morning, watching a homeless man rummage through the trash for recyclable bottles and cans, I had a dream.  A dream of an organization that helps the homeless while helping the environment.  A dream of an organization with a twofold social and environmental conscience.

What if there was an organization that encouraged the way that the homeless scavenge for recyclable goods?  Though fueled by economic necessity, their actions nevertheless help the environment and should be encouraged.

This could be done in many ways.  Through creating, for example, a one-stop recycling center and soup kitchen where homeless people could bring the cans and bottles that they’ve collected and receive double the normal worth of the returned deposits.  And while they’re there, it would be nice if there was a hot meal waiting for them free of charge, as well.

Or what if there was a way for homeless people to borrow small carts so that they didn’t have to carry around all those bottles and cans in bags slung over their backs?

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Israeli NGO Tevel B'Tzedek Helps Rectify Environmental Damage in Nepal

Karen Chernick
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5
Israeli NGO Tevel B'Tzedek Helps Rectify Environmental Damage in Nepal

Tevel b’Tzedek, an Israeli-based non-governmental organization, defines itself as being “dedicated to creating a new generation of Israeli and international Jews engaged in social and environmental justice by offering them a direct experience of the developing world through study and service internships.”

One of their most recent service internships, in the Dunwa Rai fishermen’s community in Nepal, brought 6 young Israeli and American Jews to help 30 local men and women rectify a polluted river situation.  The ecology of the river that the community had fished in for generations was disrupted, and so together all the volunteers dug a pool.

The Tevel b’Tzedek volunteers included a former officer in the Israeli army, an artist from Tel Aviv, and a recent graduate of UC Berkeley in Anthropology.

The project also developed an agricultural education center, and is bringing irrigation, fish farming (aquaculture), a vegetable nursery, greenhouses, bio-gas toilets and more to “a population whose struggle to improve their agricultural yield will mean the difference between whether they will be able to stay on their ancient lands or be forced to migrate to inner city slums.”  The project, then, achieves social improvement through environmental sustainability.

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Sunday Solar to Build Large Solar Array on "Damaged" Negev Land

Maurice Picow
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20
Sunday Solar to Build Large Solar Array on "Damaged" Negev Land

Israeli solar energy innovator Sunday Energy has been chosen to construct a solar energy panel array in a section of the country’s Negev desert region, according to an article in Globes financial news.

The 5 mw installation will be constructed together with Moshav Yad Natan in a 120 dunam (42.5 acre) area where the land as been designated as “damaged” or non-usable due to either extensive agricultural use or from erosion. Cost of the project is estimated to be around $26.3 million and will include photovoltaic (PV) solar panel arrays, engineering facilities and water reservoirs to supply the water needed to supply steam for the turbines that will generate the electricity.

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Eltel Networks Smart Meters A Good Example for Middle East Countries to Follow

Maurice Picow
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7
Eltel Networks Smart Meters A Good Example for Middle East Countries to Follow

A “Smart Meter” vs The Old Standby

Many experts articles dealing with energy talk about saving energy costs using systems currently in operation.  Such is the case of a Finnish company Eltel Networks who have entered into an agreement with a large Finnish energy company Fortum  to supply more than half a million of these energy saving electricity meters to homes in this Nordic country of 5.4 million people.

The project is the largest of its kind in Finland and will be carried out by 2013. Eltel will start the installations of new smart meter boxes in 2010. The idea of installing these special electricity monitoring devices in businesses and private homes is hoped enable people to save a substantial amount on their electric bills, which can be quite high during Finland’s long and extremely cold winters.

The project is estimated to cost around 120 million Euro and will provide Fortum with real-time intelligence that will revolutionize both the customer relations and operations of its power grid.

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World Future Energy Summit: Wean UAE and Other Countries off Fossil Fuel Reliance

Maurice Picow
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18
World Future Energy Summit: Wean UAE and Other Countries off Fossil Fuel Reliance

world future energy summitMasdar City: What Renewable Energy Should Strive For

When the 2010 World Future Energy Summit opened this week in Abu Dhabi, one of the primary goals of this year’s conference was to find more ways to rid the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries off their dependence on petroleum as a major energy supplier.

The four day conference opened Monday, January 18 in Abu Dhabi’s convention center, and is being hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted renewable energy and sustainability initiative.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Masdar’s CEO on the Go Green blog says:

“Abu Dhabi has always strived to be an open global platform for collaboration to promote the adoption of renewable energy and climate change mitigation. With the growing success of the World Future Energy Summit and the International Renewable Energy Agency in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming the renewable energy hub for both businesses and governments.”

Green Prophet covered last year’s event (the WFES for short), as well as events leading up to this year’s Summit; and all indications show that this year’s conference will be even better, with more than 100 speakers (some of them heads of state) and 3,000 delegates.

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Five Edible Wild Plants You Can Pick Yourself

Hannah Katsman
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27
Five Edible Wild Plants You Can Pick Yourself

Cape SorrelI’d always admired people who eat wild vegetables.  No water gets pumped and no gas is drilled to get those plants to the market. But as an immigrant without a horticultural bent, I needed guidance. Fortunately I had expert teachers:  Green Prophet’s own Miriam Kresh, and Sarah Melamed, who writes Foodbridge. Miriam has taught me about both wild and cultivated plants over the years, and I recently went on a nature hike with both Sarah and Miriam.

I finally feel confident enough to identify some plants that I can collect and eat.

Today I’ll share five easily available, edible plants. In Israel, look in any green spot a lawnmower won’t reach.

My children, being natives, have known about the one above for a long time. It’s called a chamtzutz or a chamtzitz, and the long stems are tangy and juicy. In English it’s known as cape sorrel.

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Make almond blossom liquor with arak or vodka

Miriam Kresh
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8
Make almond blossom liquor with arak or vodka

almond blossom

White Almond Blossoms Make A Unique Liqueur

All over the Mediterranean and Middle East, wild almond trees in fields and along highways are becoming clouds of pink and white blossom. They’re the first to bloom at winter’s end. Although rain and dark skies may return a few more times, tentative sunshine warms our faces, and we catch the delicate flowery odor of almond blooms as we stroll under the trees. Our short winter is drawing to a close.

Almond blooms fade away quickly once they have fallen off their branches, but there is a way to preserve their sweetness: make a liqueur. If you live in Israel, it might be ready for this year’s Tu B’Shvat Seder.

First, choose only from trees that have white blossoms. Those are the trees bearing sweet almonds. Pink flowers indicate trees bearing bitter almonds, which contain prussic acid. We don’t know if bitter-almond flowers are toxic as well as the fruit, but better take no chances and stick with the white sweet-almond blooms.

1. First, collect as many white almond blossoms as you can. (Pink almond blossoms are bitter and not suitable.) Spread them out on a clean surface. Check them for insects.

2. Fill a small jar with the flowers – a clean, dry, mayonnaise jar will do – and then pour arak or vodka on top till the flowers are completely covered. Add a tablespoon of sugar and stir. Replace the lid on the jar and put it away in a dark place for two weeks. If you can’t gather a lot of blossoms at once, just cover what you have with arak and continue gathering, adding more liquor and a little sugar each time, till your jar is full.

3. After two weeks, strain your liqueur and enjoy a sip. It’s exquisite.

You can use roses or lemon geraniums flowers, or any sweet-smelling edible flowers instead of almond flowers. Mint, basil, or thyme flowers, or a mixture, are a good base – if you can get enough of them.

More on trees and Tu B’Shvat:
Plant Some Shade
Eco-Rabbi: TuBishvat and the Receiving of the Torah
Celebrate Tu B’Shvat, New Year’s For Trees, Now Jewish Earth Day

Abdulla Carries Natural, Organic Textiles in the Heart of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Rachel Bergstein
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9
Abdulla Carries Natural, Organic Textiles in the Heart of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

abdulla-natural-products-textiles-istanbulOn a recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey I found myself in a tree-hugger’s wonderland amidst the bustling labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar.
In the heart of this Middle Eastern market, Abdulla Natural Products boasts a wide variety throws, blankets, covers, and shawls, as well as a full line of hamam products, or special towels and washcloths used in Turkey’s infamous baths.  The textiles are 100% natural:  linen, organic cotton, silk, as well as sheep, cow, and goatskins.

Additionally, Abdulla carries organic olive oil and olive oil soaps, honey, and pomegranate syrup, all produced locally and naturally in Turkey (a country which, by the way, is one of the world’s largest growers of organic cotton).

Metin Tosun, Abdulla’s founder and proprietor, opened his boutique shop about 15 years ago.  The original concept was a sort of Turkish delicatessen, where he intended to sell a wide array of local Turkish handicrafts and gourmet foods. 

But as he traveled the countryside searching for quality products, he encountered many small textile producers complaining about their lack of business.

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Abuse of Circus Animals in Lebanon Challenges Lack of Legal Framework

Maurice Picow
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19
Abuse of Circus Animals in Lebanon Challenges Lack of Legal Framework

circus acrobats chinese cirque de soleilMore western countries are banning circuses with animals, and allow only humans to perform. Can Lebanon and the Middle East change their passion for this cruel form of entertainment?

The circus came to town in Beirut Lebanon; but will have to leave in a hurry after it was discovered that animals brought to participate in the events had been terribly abused. As we reported last week on Lions, Tigers and Bears in Lebanon (thanks to the Media Line), a small circus which brought a number of animals into Lebanon to perform there, were subjecting a lion cub and 4 other lions, three tigers, some snakes and a number of domestic animals to very cruel conditions, including keeping them in small, cramped cages, depriving them of adequate food and water, and (in the case of the lion cub) actually de-clawing it and not providing proper veterinary medical attention.

In fact, the poor lion cub, had not only been de-clawed, but was kept in a small, filthy cage, without medical attention to its swollen paws, which had become infected.

The problem reached a stage where the animals should have been confiscated and sent to  a zoo or similar facility where they would receive better treatment. But the laws being what they are in a country that is being increasingly influenced by Islamic Law, in which animals and other aspects of the environment are supposed to receive better treatment, all that could be done was to order the animals’ owner  to leave Lebanon within 24 hours.

Lebanese Agriculture Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan declared the circus illegal and ordered its immediate closure after animal welfare campaigners alerted his office to the circus’s mistreatment and incorrect paperwork.

As said by Jason Mier, Executive Director of Animals Lebanon to The Daily Star:

“I would have preferred for the animals to be confiscated and the minister indicated that’s what he would have preferred to do, but the legal framework just isn’t there.”

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Miya Water Makes $30 Million Investment in Brazil Firm To Cut Water Loss In Cities

Maurice Picow
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4
Miya Water Makes $30 Million Investment in Brazil Firm To Cut Water Loss In Cities

water main brazil flowersFlowers in Brazil won’t hide leaky pipes forever.

Israel already has made great strides in the area of water loss prevention technologies, especially with companies like Arad Technologies (their drone plane that detects leaks) and Leviathan Energy.

These kinds of technologies get another push in the market:  MIYA, (pronounced me-ya) a municipal water loss prevention company, held under the umbrella of the Arison Investment Group, just bought controlling shares of the the Brazilian water technologies company Bureau Brasileiro Ltda (BBL), reports Globes.

The investment made was worth NIS 100 million (about $30 million USD today). The interest in Brazil is for MIYA to get a foothold in the Latin American market. Brazil is an excellent place to start since it’s known worldwide for its investments in the environment in areas such as biofuels and transportation.

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Masdar, Boeing, Etihad and Honeywell to Establish the UAE’s First Biofuel Research Project

Karin Kloosterman
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9
Masdar, Boeing, Etihad and Honeywell to Establish the UAE’s First Biofuel Research Project

Partners shake hands on a new seawater-desert biofuel system to be located in Abu Dhabi.

This news in from Dubai: The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Boeing [NYSE: BA], Etihad Airways and Honeywell announced at at press conference today that they will establish a major research and demo project in Abu Dhabi dedicated to sustainable energy solutions. To be called the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project (SBRP), the project will use integrated saltwater agricultural systems to support the development and commercialization of biofuel crops for aviation and other uses.

According to the press announcement, the SBRP will undertake research projects that combine the arid and saline-rich environment of Abu Dhabi with innovative saltwater farming practices. The Masdar Institute will host the SBRP and provide laboratory and demonstration facilities both within and outside of Masdar City. Another positive reason to visit this innovative city if you get a chance.

“This project will for the first time demonstrate the commercial viability of using integrated saltwater agriculture to provide biofuels for aviation, and is consistent with the overall vision of Abu Dhabi to achieve a 7% target of renewables by 2020,” says the provost of the Masdar Institute, Dr. John Perkins.

Talk about “Airliner biofuel Wars” – Airbus just announced a biofuel project with Qatar Airways.

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Israeli Minister Heads to Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy IRENA Meet

Karin Kloosterman
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18
Israeli Minister Heads to Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy IRENA Meet

uzi landau israel photoIn an historic move, for the first time Jerusalem sent an Israeli cabinet minister to Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates.

With no diplomatic ties with Israel, National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau said that he did not meet with any Emirati officials while at the newly established International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), reports AP. The bold move means that maybe, just maybe, environmental concerns will eventually outweigh political problems, even if the UAE didn’t officially support Landau’s visit.

With Israel as a member state, “special arrangements” had to made to allow the Israeli into the UAE. In a phone interview from Abu Dhabi, Landau said: “They had to do it since they committed themselves to making it possible for all member states, with or without relations, to participate in the agency’s activities.”

And confirmation from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry agreed: that allowing Israelis and other individuals with no diplomatic ties to the UAE was “part of obligations in hosting (the agency) in the UAE.”

Established around a year ago, IRENA was set up to promote sustainable energy in the Middle East and the rest of the world. It’s the first ever international organization of its kind to be based in the UAE.

::AP

Read more about IRENA on Green Prophet:
Masdar City Is Home to New International IRENA Group
IRENA Convenes In Sharem, Sinai

Celebrate Tu B’Shvat With a Tu B’Shvat Seder

Karen Chernick
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12
Celebrate Tu B’Shvat With a Tu B’Shvat Seder

Tu Be shevat

Tu B’Shvat (the Jewish new year holiday for the trees) happens in late winter.  This means that many people are gathering dried fruits and nuts (in a squirrel-like fashion), but it also means that others are planning a Tu B’Shvat seder or meal.

What is a Tu B’Shvat seder?

The tradition of the Tu B’Shvat seder began during the Middle Ages, when the holiday was celebrated with a feast of fruits.  It was later adapted by mystic kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria of Tzfat into the form of a seder (or meal) in which the fruits and trees of Israel were given symbolic meaning.  The idea of this seder was that eating ten specific fruits and drinking four cups of wine in a specific order, while reciting appropriate blessings, would bring people and the world closer to spiritual perfection.

Today many religious and secular Jews celebrate this tradition.  American organization Hazon, which works to “create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and a healthier and more sustainable world for all” has made the holiday preparations a little easier for us by creating a download-able manual for hosting your own Tu B’Shvat seder.

Hazon suggests planning your seder months (or even a year) in advance.  But if you’re reading this now… chances are you want to throw something last minute together.  Have no fear, this is totally within the realm of possibility.

Here are some easy steps that you can start to take to organize your very own Tu B’Shvat seder:

Choose a location for the seder (try to choose one that is accessible via public transportation)

Invite guests (preferably in a paper-less way, such as Facebook or Whatsapp)

Plan your menu and be sure to include fruits, nuts, and wine (whenever possible, choose local, organic food items; if you’re looking for creative fruit-dish ideas, start off with Hamutal’s Plum Buckle recipe)

Print Tu B’Shvat haggadot from the Hazon website (preferably on post consumer recycled paper).

Read more about Tu B’Shvat:
Celebrate Tu B’Shevat, New Year’s for Trees, Now Jewish Earth Day
What To Do on Tu B’Shvat
Plant a Tree for Tu B’Shvat… Online

Biofuel Project for Qatar Airways and Airbus

Maurice Picow
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17
Biofuel Project for Qatar Airways and Airbus

biofuel qatar airlinesWill Qatar’s air buses be biofueled?

The Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar, together with Qatar Airways, Qatar Science and Technology Park and Petroleum Company have started a new biofuel project to power commercial airliners, including large ones such as Airbus.

As noted in a Gulf Times article, along with Qatar’s own air transport and technology concerns, the Emirate has also enlisted the cooperation of the giant European Airbus consortium to be a partner in this venture, which will work towards a sustainable Biomass to Liquid (BTL) aviation fuel.

We’ve already noted some promising bio-fuel projects taking place in and around the Middle East, including one taking place out of bacteria from a salt lake in Iran using the microalgae, Chamydomonas. Another project, involving a company named MME New Diesel, will help provide a “bio-link” between Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinians.  Biofuel can be good for the environment and peaceful cooperative endeavours. 

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Celebrate Tu B'Shevat, New Year's for Trees, Now Jewish Earth Day

Karin Kloosterman
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9
Celebrate Tu B'Shevat, New Year's for Trees, Now Jewish Earth Day

planting trees israel kklNew Year’s for the Trees, is about to be celebrated in Israel and by Jews everywhere. Some people like to plant trees, like this family.

Over in the Holy Land, and the Jewish Diaspora, Jewish people are stock-piling dried fruit and nuts to welcome in one of four different new years celebrated each year. Starting at sundown January 30 (15 Shevat on the Jewish calendar), Jewish people around the world will say happy new year to the trees.

Known as Tu B’Shevat (or Tu B’Shvat), as tradition goes, to celebrate this Jewish version of Arbor Day in style, the trees in Israel rent a DJ and disco ball and go to the desert to dance trance all night long. Well… not really…the trees do not celebrate at all. The onus is on the people.

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