Home Blog Page 713

A Little glooq Stretches Your Green Reach and Advertising Dollars Via Email

6

glooq email campaign marketingEnvironmental activists and business people working on green technologies take note: a small application called glooq can be fitted into your email message to help generate eco awareness and sales. It takes a simple email message and turns it into a marketing campaign.

Think about how many more people know about your new wind turbine company or nature conservation project since you’ve built the website and added a link in your signature. Well glooq, in a simple way, takes all that you’ve built and helps you spread specific and meaningful messages to the people who are already reading your emails.

When challenged to generate donor dollars for a non-profit organization, two advertising execs based in Israel built glooq to take advantage of the power of employee emails (See one of the partners Elad Schneor pictured here).

Normally companies hate it when workers spend too much time communicating online. But glooq’s Schneor, originally from the UK, saw it as a way to enlist the organization’s 5,000 employees into marketing worker bees, without them having to do a thing. 

Are Muslim Women Ready For Bamboo Hijab and Chadors?

15

hijab women bamboo clothing eco muslim dress photoYou may not believe it, but the green stuff many people have growing as a decorative plant in their garden may become one of main fibers for manufacturing clothing, linens, curtains, and other fabrics that are presently being made from cotton (a very wasteful pant), and various synthetic fibers.

Presently a number of fashion designers and manufacturers are becoming interested in this plant –– bamboo –– that can grow in many types of climates and needs little or no attention. And some Muslim women’s clothing sites like ArtiZara already think bamboo-based head coverings are a good idea.

Green Prophet thinks it is an interesting plant for farmers in the region to cultivate since it can easily be grown in places like the Hula Valley in Israel, marshy areas of southern Iraq, along the Nile river in Egypt and Sudan, and other places as well.

All the positive environmental aspects of the plant itself will obviously be beneficial, and even clothing like the chador, khimar, jilbab or kameez garments Muslim women wear. See an example here from ArtiZara.

Naomi Tsur Is Sustaining Jerusalem From the Inside Out

1

naomi tsurNaomi Tsur

The city of Jerusalem is steeped in history, stretching back to before the Bible’s King David ruled the city. Today it is a major center for the three major monotheistic religions — Judaism, Islam and Christianity, who all hold Jerusalem near and dear.

But whether you are on a spiritual quest, pilgrimage, or have decided to make Jerusalem your home, there is no denying its importance from a historical, religious, cultural and political point of view. But the city needs a vision.

That vision, at least in the green sense, is now being inspired by Naomi Tsur, a new deputy mayor of Jerusalem, who heads planning, environment and preservation.

She has been working as an activist for 13 years spearheading campaigns to keep Jerusalem of Gold, green, and was recently elected to the new position in politics.

Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Train To Cut Through Heart of Precious Nature Reserve

train jerusalem environment photoIf all goes to plan, passengers will not get to see the beautiful Yitla Stream, or what is left of it, on the train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. As Green Prophet’s James has written, the scenery is pretty much the best reason to take the train.

Construction plans at present include a 144-metre bridge over the mini- canyon in the Jerusalem Hills known as the Yitla Stream. Local people and environmentalists want instead a tunnel link under the Stream in order to keep the habitat intact.

Israel Railways has been working on a new high-speed train link between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv via Ben Gurion Airport for the past six years. Some of the western part of the track close to Tel Aviv and the airport has been built, but the stretch through the Jerusalem Hills is still on paper.

The most controversial plan is that for a bridge to link tunnels at either end. The Nature and Parks Authority, along with the Society for the Protection of Nature have been leading opposition to the planned bridge.

“In the morning or in the afternoon, I come down here and then quickly climb that ascent there – and that’s my heart widening,” says Eyal Arad, resident of the nearby village Nataf over a late afternoon coffee on top of the gorge cliffs, metres away from where the bridge is supposed to be built.

Arad has been hiking here for the past seven years, out of 21 years of living in Nataf, and doing what he can to protect it.

Going On A Water Cequesta

0

cequesta logoIt’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it: cleaning up wastewater from industrial and agricultural operations, that is.

A young Israeli company Cequesta is now open for business and has taken on the task of making America’s and the world’s waterways and businesses a whole lot cleaner. From cheese factories (yes even organic cheese factories!), to cowsheds, to automotive plants, to hotels, to private mansions, Cequesta is now forging ahead in a number of environmentally friendly directions by creating complete units that can, for example, recycle 70 percent of a building’s wastewater.

Architect Gil Peled Strives for a 'Carbon-Free House' in Stephen and Rebekah Hren's Book

351

Carbon emissions from the building environment are globally one of the major contributors to climate change. On average up to 50% of all carbon emissions are related to domestic use of energy – our household consumption.

How then will our personal conduct have any influence on the global climate?

The answer to that is it all adds up. As is the case in the current global economic crisis, the “butterfly effect” also works on carbon emissions, hence accumulations of local reductions will have a positive global impact. So we are not alone in reducing our carbon-footprint as you will be able to read in this book: ‘The Carbon-Free Home’ by Stephen and Rebekah Hren.

The authors have gone through several phases in their attempt to live in a carbon-free home and have gained many valuable insights they share from their experience.

Many of the eleven chapters not only include the technical nitty gritty but also personal stories which make reading this book more enjoyable. Some insights are quite remarkable and the authors also bravely admit their mistakes. One was moving out of the city only to find that their daily commuting cancelled out any carbon reductions they may have made in their green country house. They realized that ultimately moving back to the city and retrofitting existing houses is the preferable solution.

What's Next for Israel's Green Movement – Meimad?

3

green-movement-meimad-logoOfer Kot, #10 on the Green Movement – Meimad’s list of candidates for Israel’s Knesset, spent election day in February handing out the movement’s fliers to people at voting stations – as they were on their way out.

When asked why he was giving election fliers to people who had already voted, he replied: “To get people ready for the next elections.”

The Green Movement – Meimad, a collection of people with an exceptionally strong record of environmental activity in Israeli society, did not make it into the Knesset this time – although they came close. However, according to Daniel Orenstein, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Technion’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies and the man behind the movement’s “Unofficial Blog”, the Green Movement – Meimad is just getting started, and is already planning its campaign for the next Knesset elections.

Fridge Voyeurism in Tel Aviv

5

fridge-voyeur-israel-photo

Are you an organic food addict? Or do you insist on eating food that grown locally, but pesticide-ridden, to spare food miles (or to serve an ideology?)

As food production is a major source of greenhouse gas pollution (Read: Global Warming), eating locally, and consuming less meat is one way we can do our part.

Following a worldwide trend, where people are opening up their fridge to show people what’s in their fridge (and on their palette) today I will expose myself and show you what’s in mine. It feels a bit like opening my underwear drawer to strangers, but here goes:

fridge-voyeur-tel-aviv-photo

CONTENTS (Door on right): Bio eggs, butter, organic strawberry jam, milk, mustard, sundried tomatoes, pomegranate concentrate, goat’s milk yogurt, V8, tehina, capers, guava juice, orange juice, batteries (not for eating!), coconut juice, goat’s yogurt, and the old Canadian maple syrup (thanks Mom!).

SOURCE: There are a number of imported items here like the V8 from North America and the juice from Egypt. The jam is from the United States. Phoeey on me, but it looked so good. And the pomegranate concentrate, I think is from Turkey, while syrup is from Canada. All the milk products are produced locally and bought at Eden Teva market or local non-organic shops. Milk costs about $1.50 a liter in Israel (non-organic), the organic yogurt about $3 a bottle.

fridge-voyear-photo

CONTENTS: (from top to bottom, left to right) organic lentil sprouts, organic goat’s cheese, chessick fruit, soft regular white cheese 5%, organic red cabbage part of a weekly CSA veggie box delivery (choose from a list of CSAs here if you live in Israel); more cheese including a Rockfort goat’s cheese, Syrian dates, spicy lettuces, cabbage, parsley, green onions, carrots, leaks, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, and spinach.

SOURCE: Vegetables come from an organic farm, which delivers a box of whatever’s in season, once a week. Some of the cheese is from Eden Teva market, a health food store in Bnei Brak; some cheese is from Arab supermarket on the corner nearby my house.

Reducing food miles is important to me from an environmental perspective. I try to eat locally produced food, and things which are in season.

fridge-voyeur-israel

CONTENTS: It being Passover in Israel means that a lot of the bread products you might see here other times of the year have been cleaned out, eaten or burned, as per Jewish custom. Moving on, there is some sort of white fish, hamburger organic and regular, rice (stored in freezer to keep the bugs out), and a strange kind of sheep tail fat (bottom right) for making a Bukharian food known as Osh Pollo.

It is wrapped like that because someone (on their request) was supposed to “smuggle” it to the US where no such sheep tail fat can be found. It stays frozen in the meantime. (As a once a week meat-eater, Osh Pollo is very yummy and highly recommended.)

SOURCE: The frozen products come from Eden Teva Market, a health food store, a regular grocery store, and the sheep tail fat, a local market. Normally you won’t find so much meat in the freezer, as I tend to buy it when I want it. I have no idea how much meat costs per kilo, because I buy it so rarely. The organic hamburger, enough to feed 4, cost about $25 for the box, times 2 what you see above.

Want to know more about fridge voyeurism? Read this past Green Prophet post on a fridge in Jerusalem.

 

Turning A Cement Truck Into Giant Soil Cleaning Technique

4

lego-cement-mixer-photo

Byproducts from the electronics, fuel, chemical and defense industries can be far from benign. Toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead can seep into our food chain and cause cancer. And if found in the soil, these dangerous materials can render parks off-limits and real estate worthless.

For environmental, health and financial reasons, new solutions are needed to help clean industrial chemicals from America’s soil.

Now, an innovative Tel Aviv University soil-cleaning technique, which turns a cement truck into a giant mixer, may change things for industry and environmental specialists. Prof. Amos Ullmann and Prof. Neima Brauner of TAU’s Faculty of Engineering and Prof. Eliora Ron of the Faculty of Life Sciences, in cooperation with Israeli researcher Dr. Zvi Ludmer, are working on a new cleaning agent that binds to and whisks dangerous materials away from the soil, leaving desirable minerals intact.

“My colleagues have developed a system that literally washes the soil,” says Dr. Michael Gozin of TAU’s School of Chemistry. Their top-secret formulation, now in the early stages of research and development, will make it possible for truckloads of contaminated earth to be cleaned in a cement mixer. The compound not only leaves life-sustaining nutrients in the soil, but it’s also biodegradable and environmentally safe

El Salvador Copies Israel's National Forestry Model To Combat Environmental Destruction

3

tree-planting-israel-woman-jnf-photo

There is only one nation in the world that has a net gain of trees over the past 100 years. While other countries, developing and developed, have been actively harvesting and lobbing trees down in the name of progress, Israel’s national organization the KKL-JNF (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund) has made it a national priority to plant trees in Israel, and to look after them.

Decades before tree planting became a hippy’s dream summer job in Canada, and a responsible thing to do for the environment, Israelis were already making it a national priority, calling on Jews from the Jewish Diaspora or people who wanted to support the Holy Land, to donate money to help plant trees.

That’s why today around the hills of Jerusalem, there are forests planted by nations from all around the world, such as the US, Canada and Mexico. Even America’s Kennedy Family visited Jerusalem and planted a living monument, trees in the name of past President John F. Kennedy, there. The Yad Kennedy monument, outside of Jerusalem, overlooks the very spot where the trees were planted, the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest.

Over the years, Israel’s KKL-JNF foresters have earned international acclaim for the work they do. They select drought hearty-species to cope with the arid land in Israel. And due to their expertise in forestry and fighting forest fires, Israel’s KKL-JNF has a number of cooperation projects with countries all over the world, including Australia and Spain.

Can't Take The Heat of Global Warming? Rafael Reuveny Says Ecomigration Drastic Measure to Survive Climate Change

3

eco migration africa photo

Why would a prominent Israeli-born professor at Indiana University decide to change his research emphasis from economics and political science to climate change and ecomigration? And to move from Israel to the United States?

Ecomigration is not an entirely crazy idea, and some western people have already started planning and moving to the most suitable locations for the best post-climate change scenario. 

Perhaps the answer to this professor’s career switch lies in what may be our eventual destiny on this planet, especially in light of global warming and climate changes.

“This is an absolutely rational way to do things,” said Reuveny, who moved from Israel to Indiana with an eye on environmental concerns. “When it comes to climate change, we tend to forget about it being better to be safe than sorry and say it is not going to be a problem,” he said in a recent Washington Post story.

Israeli Government Starting To Address Water Crisis With Low Flow Faucet Aerators

7

watering grass photo

A few weeks ago I posted that Israel’s water crisis is so bad that water might be rationed soon. I also mentioned that part of the problem Israel has had with addressing its growing water needs has been due to the insufficient handling of the Israel’s water plan by the government. Since my post, both stories have developed further.

Counting on Lightning to Predict Hurricane Intensity

0

lightning-weather-vane-photoHurricanes are Earth’s most deadly storms, causing tremendous devastation and loss of life around the globe every year. There is some evidence that the number and intensity of hurricanes may also be changing as a result of global warming.

Until now hurricanes had been somewhat a mystery, due to them spending most of their lifetimes over the tropical oceans, where few people live, and few measurements are available to study these monstrous storms.

However, recent advances in global lightning detection systems have allowed scientists to remotely measure the electrical “pulse” of hurricanes from thousands of kilometers away.

In a paper to appear on 6 April in Nature Geoscience, Prof. Colin Price or Tel Aviv University, together with Prof. Yoav Yair and Dr. Mustafa Asfur of The Open University of Israel, have discovered a surprising connection between lightning activity and hurricane intensity. They’ve also, as we’ve reported earlier, been able to use the “flash” to predict the flood.

Green Your Holiday

0

seder-plateWith the holiday season around, kids underfoot, family everywhere, now is actually the perfect time to do some greening. Collect the kids and do some projects to recycle throwaways. Also, with everyone around it’s a good time to discuss how to make your lifestyle more efficient and green.

Exploring Human Apathy In The Film 'The Age Of Stupid'

age of stupid film poster trailer photo

‘The Age of Stupid’ is an ambitious new Independent British green documentary.

As a fellow filmmaker and activist, I salute director Franny Armstrong and her dynamic team for the passion and vision shown in creating this film, pulling together funding from diverse and various sources, creating the ‘Not Stupid’ brand and the big campaign that is promoting the film.

I’ve been following the film’s progress over the last few months as the team prepared for its launch (which was held in a portable solar cinema in London recently), got politicians and ‘green’ celebrities on board, launched YouTube teasers, a ‘Not Stupid’ campaign to advance the issues raised by the film, and enticed supporters with Franny’s frantic and funny emails from her film-related travels and hectic life. Finally I got to see it this week in Cambridge, UK, and a Q&A with campaign co-ordinator, Daniel Vockins, followed the screening.

The plot, or small plot around which the core of the film hangs, centres on the archivist (played by actor Pete Postlethwaite), who in the year 2055 has created a archive of humanity in a tower in the sea