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Sulha's Environmental Message: If Jews, Muslims and Christians can Live Together, the Environment Will Benefit too

Maurice Picow
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9
Sulha's Environmental Message: If Jews, Muslims and Christians can Live Together, the Environment Will Benefit too

sulha peace project israel palestine photo

 A year ago, James wrote an article on Green Prophet about a unique organization known as the Sulha Peace Project and its role in reconciliation among peoples of different religious faiths and cultures, which is what the word sulha or reconciliation  in Arabic is supposed to be about.  

The Sulha Peace Project was founded in the year 2000 in the aftermath of the beginning of the Second or Al Aqsa Intifada,  with the hope to find some positive ways to bring people together, including those at variance with each other (Israelis and Palestinians, in particular) in order to acquire a better understanding of issues that separate people –  and to help find solutions to achieve tolerance to live together as fellow human beings.

This led to the first Sulha gathering in the late fall of 2001,  which occurred coincidentally during the time and period leading up to three important interfaith religious holidays: Ramadan, Hanukah, and Christmas. Their environmental message is strong:

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Israel's Social Economic Academy to Lead Food Politics Course this Fall

Karen Chernick
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5
Israel's Social Economic Academy to Lead Food Politics Course this Fall

food politics israelThe Social Economic Academy, a non profit organization aimed at promoting social and economic change in Israel that opens its courses to the entire general public, will be leading a course on food politics this fall – starting in September.

The name of the course is What Are We Nourished By? and will be held at Kibbutz Revadim in south-central Israel.

The course will not be taught by a single lecturer, and will rather be taught by a variety of people with different perspectives on food – ranging from chefs, to environmentalists, to farmers, to devout vegetarians.  All of the lecturers are participating in the course on a volunteer basis.  Each class will present a new issue and be lead by a different lecturer.

Check out the course syllabus:

The Politics of Food, Ami Atinger (Heschel Center) – 9.2.09

The Ecological Footprint of the Food Industry, Eran Ben Yamini (CEO of the Green Movement) – 9.9.09

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Tooth Enamel Biomimicry Inspires Lighter, More Fuel Efficient Planes and Spacecraft

Green Prophet
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2
Tooth Enamel Biomimicry Inspires Lighter, More Fuel Efficient Planes and Spacecraft
plant sharing two women holding pots
Smile it’s free

It’s been a mystery: how can our teeth withstand such an enormous amount of pressure, over many years, when tooth enamel is only about as strong as glass?

A new study by Prof. Herzl Chai of Tel Aviv University’s School of Mechanical Engineering and his colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and George Washington University gives the answer. And it has applications in the field of green aeronautics.

The researchers applied varying degrees of mechanical pressure to hundreds of extracted teeth, and studied what occurred on the surface and deep inside them.

The study, published in the May 5, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that it is the highly-sophisticated structure of our teeth that keeps them in one piece — and that structure holds promising clues for aerospace engineers as they build “greener” aircraft and space vehicles of the future.

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How Israel's NewTECH Is Watering The Economy

Karin Kloosterman
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5
How Israel's NewTECH Is Watering The Economy

oded-distel-newtech-israel-photoWater is fast becoming the new oil. Without it, nations starve and conflicts ensue, like the piracy off the Somali coast we’ve written about. Predictions become direr as we factor in global warming. And new conflicts in the Middle East could erupt at any time over that most innocuous and life-sustaining element.

With limited resources and no cooperation from neighboring countries, authorities in Israel quickly understood that they would have to bootstrap what little water options they have, to irrigate their very dry land. Necessity spurs innovation, and along the way, Israel created an industry.

Cost effectiveness, familiarity with both the business and geographical climates, innovation, and solutions that really work, are among the factors that draw water infrastructure representatives from all over the world to meet with Israeli companies.

One of the best channels to Israeli water solutions and investments is via Oded Distel, director of the government-run NEWtech, a new initiative to help countries access Israeli water technologies. Before its establishment, contacts were usually forged at conferences, like the upcoming WATEC water conference in Tel Aviv in November.

NEWtech, which stands for the National Water Technology program, is a one-stop shop for advice and solutions pertaining to your water needs and investment goals. Read on to see more about what they do, and about some of the hottest Israeli water companies.

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Israel Ditches Historic Land Administration

Daniella Cheslow
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3
Israel Ditches Historic Land Administration

ariel-atiasHomeowners in Israel can take title to the land under their houses and apartments after the Knesset voted in early August to privatize the Israel Land Administration.

The reform passed 61 to 45, above the protest of environmentalists, Jewish nationalists and Arab parties. The law will transform the ILA, which historically controlled 93 percent of Israel’s land, into the Lands Authority. This body will sell state land, beginning with 100,000 acres and expanding to double that by 2014.

We’ve covered the land reform as it was debated; for more background, check out this post on land in Israel and this one on the last vote.

According to the JTA:

Gil Yaacov, director of the Green Course student environmental group, part of a 13-organization anti-privatization coalition, says the government’s plan relinquishes control under the cover of efficiency.

“Out of the total 800,000 dunams, 550,000 are open spaces — places that are not built yet,” Yaacov said, citing coastal areas, among others. “Once you privatize those open spaces, the government loses control over the conflict between private investment and the public interest.”

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New Biofuel Company "MME New Diesel" Links Jordan, Gaza and Israel

Karin Kloosterman
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12
New Biofuel Company "MME New Diesel" Links Jordan, Gaza and Israel

biofuel bubbles israel gaza and jordan green gas photoLast week we had news that Gaza and Israel are smoking a peace pipe for water. Now this is more news that should bring a smile to the face of every leader in the Middle East: A true regional partnership, brokered by three peace foundations – that is about to reduce biomass pollution for Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians.

Even better, it will transform biomass waste into biofuel, so that farmers and industrialists can turn a profit while simultaneously creating much-needed jobs in the region.

The idea was initiated by the Peres Center for Peace (we’d reported earlier) at an annual conference in Germany – the Jordanian-Israeli Forum on Economic Cooperation in 2008. A joint Jordanian-Israeli company, MME New Diesel Company, with technology supplied by a German company, will run the biofuel initiative.

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Turkey Plans to Dam its Sole Biosphere

Daniella Cheslow
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4
Turkey Plans to Dam its Sole Biosphere

macahel-valleyFarmers in northeastern Turkey are furious at the government’s plans to flood the verdant region with eight hydroelectric dams.

According to the Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey is scrambling to meet its energy needs, and the Macahel basin is one of 550 sites in the Black Sea area marked for dams.

The Macahel Basin was declared a UN Biosphere because of its unique honeybee species, including some of the only genetically pure Caucausus bees in the world.

The dams in Turkey are a classic example of energy needs coming up against environmental priorities, such as Israel’s newest coal-fired power plant or Jordan’s bid for nuclear energy.

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Jordanian Water Conservation Campaign Going Straight to the Private Home in Amman

Karen Chernick
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6
Jordanian Water Conservation Campaign Going Straight to the Private Home in Amman

amman jordan waterYalla Nwaffer Mai, or Let’s Save Water is a water conservation campaign launched in July by the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna), HSBC Bank, and USAID to fight water waste and create awareness about the need to conservate water in Jordan.  Jordan is categorized as the fourth water-poorest country in the world.

The target of the campaign has been to distribute and install water saving devices (free of charge) in order to reduce consumption in target areas known for consuming large quantities of water.  Since western Amman consumes over 20 percent of the city’s water allocation, the campaign focused on that region.

To date a total of 1,200 houses have been equipped with these water saving devices in west Amman neighborhoods such as Um Uthaina, Sweileh, Sweifieh, Sheisani, the Sports City area, and Khalda.  The campaign organizers originally planned to equip 2,500 homes with the devices, but then stated that the numbers had been reduced since standard houses in these target areas needed more devices than originally expected.

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Hugo Tour Fires Up the "Tour Engine" Between Cycles of Hot and Cold

Karin Kloosterman
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1
Hugo Tour Fires Up the "Tour Engine" Between Cycles of Hot and Cold

hugo-tour-engine

After 30 years spent servicing Israel’s military aircraft, engineer Hugo Tour decided to redesign a car’s internal combustion engine to make it twice as efficient.

Hugo Tour spent more than 30 years servicing Israel’s high profile military aircraft and helicopters – and advising the US Air Force, too – about what went wrong when military aircraft failed.

All that time spent in the Israel Air Force (IAF) servicing jet engines and aircraft got Tour to thinking: If jet engines, air conditioners and water heaters can achieve high rates of efficiency – above 80 percent – then why not a car’s internal combustion engine, which has an extremely low efficiency rating, at 20-30%?

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Yemen’s Economic and Environmental Problems Blamed on Chewing Gat

Maurice Picow
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17
Yemen’s Economic and Environmental Problems Blamed on Chewing Gat

yemen men chewing qat or gat photo 

They chew this stuff on a daily basis, like Bolivians and other South American mountain people chew cacao leaves. It gives people in Yemen and other Arabian Peninsula countries a mild, narcotic-like effect; and unfortunately, it is ruining the economy of Yemen due to do many people getting “hooked” on it.

What is this plant that is often seen being chewed by people in Yemen, and being grown in place of food crops in this aired country’s 3% of available arable agricultural land.

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Every Day is Like Sunday Solar Energy

Karin Kloosterman
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12
Every Day is Like Sunday Solar Energy

sunday-israel-ormatThe 1980s pop icon Morrissey said that every day is like Sunday, silent and grey. But an Israeli solar energy company has taken the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and used it for more optimistic purposes: They named their company Sunday Energy, in appreciation of the power packed into the sun.

With less than two years in the business, Sunday is already becoming an alternative energy force in Israel and setting the stage for a solar powered Middle East and other emerging markets.

After partnering with schools, wineries and global energy companies like Ormat locally in Israel, the young company is predicting sales of about $250 million from its solar installations in the next couple of years.

The plan is not to be any old solar technology integrator – bringing together photovoltaic (PV) panels, meters and wires from different suppliers to store and direct solar power from the sun. Sunday has an ambitious plan to be a power plant provider, says Kobi Dinar, the company’s CEO.

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Tigo Energy and 8 Israel-related Cleantech Headlines, Week of August 9, 2009

Lisa Damast
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0
Tigo Energy and 8 Israel-related Cleantech Headlines, Week of August 9, 2009

solar-hot-water-heater-rooftops-israel2_UMvkj_5784[1]

During the week of August 9, 2009, talk continued about plans to revive the ailing Dead Sea. Tigo Energy became a finalist  for two R&D grants from the US Department of Energy and a conceptual plan for a Globe Ecological Hub in Modiin was recently proposed. For these stories and more, check below for this week’s 8 Israel-related cleantech headlines.

Solar
1. Tigo Energy finalist in two US gov’t tenders

Electric Car
2. Shai Agassi, Israel’s Homegrown Electric Car Pioneer: On the Road to Oil Independence

Fuel-efficient Cars
3. Firing up his engine between hot and cold

Dead Sea
4. Plans to revive the Dead Sea

5. Global Warming Effects in India Hit Jordan and Israel’s Dead Sea Potash

Inside Israel
6. Globe Ecological Hub Recently Proposed for Israeli City of Modiin

7. Pioneering Israeli environmentalist, former MK Yosef Tamir, dies at 94

8. Your Taxes: Privileged-enterprise tax breaks for renewable-energy projects

Where Does Oil REALLY Come From?

Jack Reichert
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6
Where Does Oil REALLY Come From?

diatomUnlike popular belief, oil does not come from the remains of dinosaurs, rather from the silica based life-form called diatoms. Diatoms live in the top few meters of oceans and lakes and are able, unlike people, to convert sunlight into energy.

In order to remain afloat and to store the energy they soak in, diatoms create an oil substance. But in order to use this oil to fuel your car it needs to be condensed in the ground for millions of years. It takes about a 20 metric tons of these these guys to make one liter of gasoline for your car.

NATO Science for Peace Supports Desalination Water Project Between Jordan and Israel

Karen Chernick
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3
NATO Science for Peace Supports Desalination Water Project Between Jordan and Israel

desalination middle east jordan israelThe NATO Science for Peace Program and the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) recently awarded grants to researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev to continue working on a novel desalination method.  In a region where potable water sources are so scarce, these methods are crucial to water independence and reducing reliance upon imported water sources (which require a lot of fossil fuels).

The team, lead by Dr. Jack Gilron (Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research) and Professor Eli Korin (Department of Chemical Engineering), has developed a desalination method by reverse osmosis that exploits “the finite kinetics of membrane fouling processes by periodically changing the conditions leading to membrane fouling before it can occur.”

The Ben Gurion team will be working in collaboration with colleagues at the Hashemite University of Jordan and the University of Colorady in order to further develop the technology and set up pilot desalination sites in Israel and Jordan.

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Jordanian Ministry of Environment to Amend the Country's Environmental Laws within Five Months

Karen Chernick
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0
Jordanian Ministry of Environment to Amend the Country's Environmental Laws within Five Months
Jordanian Minister of the Environment, Khalid Irani
Jordanian Minister of the Environment, Khalid Irani

After reviewing Jordan’s current environmental laws and discovering that there were many loopholes that enabled violators to avoid punishment, the Jordanian Ministry of Environment has decided to amend their laws.  And they’ve decided to do it fast, within the next five months.

Jordan currently has 21 legislations protecting the environment, but since they often contradict each other it is almost impossible for a judge to issue a verdict without some kind of loophole.

According to Environment Minister Khalid Irani, “We will review the environment laws in cooperation with the European Union, as many loopholes were discovered in the laws after they came into force.”Irani added that “such loopholes affect regulations governing the issuance of and determining the value of fines, therefore the laws will be amended in cooperation with EU experts who helped draft many environment laws.”

With all these loopholes in the laws protecting the environment, the environment inevitably suffers.

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Most of the world’s marine protected areas are polluted by sewage

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Research from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland, published in Ocean & Coastal Management, found that nearly three out of four marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide are exposed to sewage pollution.

Adamah in Los Angeles wants to make Jewish climate action local, practical and spiritual

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At a time when climate anxiety can feel abstract and overwhelming, and being Jewish something people may need to hide in big cities, Adamah Los Angeles is trying something different: turning Jewish values into local climate action with dirt-under-the-fingernails practicality.

How to safely remove astroturf and plastics from your backyard

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For families with kids, pets, or anyone trying to build a cleaner outdoor space, removing old astroturf is one of the simplest ways to reduce unnecessary exposure to plastics and heat. Some past studies suggest that if kids have played on these surfaces you need to wash their hands. 

Is artificial turf bad for your health?

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Artificial turf, the green plastic stuff that is supposed to look like grass, was sold to many home-owners as a clever compromise: a green-looking surface that makes you feel homey, but which needs no mowing. It survives heavy use, and in dry places like Middle East deserts, and in California or Texas, it can replace thirsty lawns. But it is toxic.

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