With its Mediterranean climate Syria is a natural home to the olive tree (read about the history of the olive tree here). It is ranked 5th in the world in production of olive oil, behind Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia, with a share of 4.6% of world production. This makes the olive sector one of […]
(Working on the organic goat farm at Kishorit, the largest organic goat farm in Israel that sells its “fair trade” milk to Harduf, the largest organic food supplier in Israel.) People born with mental deficiencies, or those afflicted later in life, are usually handed the short end of the stick. Facilities to accommodate needs and […]
Global warming and climate change, which we know is threatening the majestic cedars of Lebanon, is now having a serious effect on water resources in Turkey. The situation is getting so bad that is really hard to believe that Turkey is the same country that only a short time ago offered to sell water to […]
Earlier this year, we saw members of the Lebanese group IndyACT trek out into the snowy wilderness to protect Lebanon’s snow from catastrophic climate change. This week IndyACT members, along with their friends in the Association for Forest Development and Conservation (AFDC) were back in action, putting the heat (so to speak) on decision-makers to […]
Do you ever get the feeling that every time you close your eyes, someone in Europe is doing something brilliant for the environment? Well, the residents of Vauban, Germany live in a suburb where most streets are off-limits to cars and the shops are mixed in with housing. The town’s 5,500 people are packed into […]
(Images: Solar concentrator – presents advanced technology for the concentration of solar radiation and various applications of its energy. The Solar Park’s Evaporative Cooling Tower – this exhibit shows how to cool a large space, based on the principles of natural ventilation, evaporative cooling and solar power.) How does a rural educational community located in […]
(Israeli hightech entrepeneur Yossi Vardi delivers a TED Talk about the dangers of blogging for men. An inconvenient truth called Local Warming.) It could be something out of the worst nightmare of a Woody Allen flick like “Everything you wanted to know about sex but are afraid to ask.” But there may be truth in […]
During the week of May 3, 2009, Israel’s two biggest cleantech stories were about a BusinessWeek feature, which provided an overview of the sector and the attention it is drawing from the international investment community, and ZenithSolar’s technology, which Shimon Peres stated can [indirectly] “help fight terror.” Other stories included B-Solar raising $3 million, Leviathan […]
I noticed a drip coming out of the base of my kitchen sink faucet. It was only a few drops, so I procrastinated. Over time it grew more and more. I thought: “it’s just a few drops, it can’t be too bad.” Finally I went out to the store to get a new faucet. When […]
Ever since American talk show host Oprah Winfrey announced that her website www.oprah.com would be giving away coupons for free chicken dinners, KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants around America have been literally inundated with people coming with coupons in hand for a free chicken dinner, including two side dishes and a farm biscuit. The […]
As mentioned earlier this week on Green Prophet, Beer Sheva’s new mayor Rubik Danilovich has big plans for this city of 200,000 on the northern edge of Israel’s Negev desert. He hopes to rebrand Beer Sheva through hiring a major architect to introduce common planning language, street furniture and greenery. (Above: One of Beer Sheva’s trademark […]
When it comes to organic and environmentally conscious dining, Tel Aviv definitely has a reputation for getting with the program. The white city (which is currently celebrating its 100th year) already has a vegan burger joint, organic hummus, organic falafel, organic coffee shops, and an environmentally friendly food festival. We realize that dining out has […]
(Thousands of Christian pilgrims get baptized in Israel’s Jordan River every year. Are they risking their lives by immersing in the polluted waters?) It’s the highlight of any Christian’s trip to Israel – a dunk in the Jordan River, the way Jesus did it thousands of years ago. But with increased pollution in Israel’s waterways, […]
As the Green Prophet’s resident suburbs commentator, I read with interest this week that part of newly elected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s economic plan includes privatizing the Israel Lands Administration. The ILA was established in Israel’s first Basic Law (1960) as the keeper of the land of the Jewish people. To date, 93 percent of […]
Syria, a country whose authoritarian government has often been rife with corruption and human rights violations, has again reshuffled its cabinet as President Bashar al Assad attempts to deal with a number of problems his country now faces. With the economy being one of the top issues, some of the first “changes” appear to be […]