Controversial Red-Dead Sea Canal on Hold – But why?

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Last month Green Prophet wrote about the controversy over the so-called “Peace Canal” or “Peace Valley” lauded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his recent trip to Israel. A huge man-made canal carrying water north from the Red Sea was envisaged as the centrepiece of the joint Israeli-Jordanian initiative, backed by claims of breathing life […]

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Is Israel's Bottled Water Polluted?

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As a thirsty greenie living in Israel, I try to avoid buying bottled water, and instead have recently purchased a very cool stainless steel water bottle – made in the US by Klean Kanteen. But sometimes it’s difficult to avoid buying some water in plastic bottles – although after reading this story, I will think […]

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Eco Tourism in the Middle East: Syria

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Now that we’ve toured Lebanon, Jordan, and even Iran, let’s make an online eco-visit to Syria. Since Syria has not yet experienced a wave of mass tourism, its sites are still well preserved and relatively undisturbed. That, combined with the fact that Syria has a wide variety of landscapes ranging from forests to beaches to […]

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Close the Fridge

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When I was a child growing up I was indecisive. It would take me whole minutes of peering into the fridge to decide what to eat. My grandmother used to chide this practice saying: “Don’t pray in front of the open refrigerator!” Orthodox Jews can take up to twenty minutes in their silent prayer on […]

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Tel Aviv Puts Jaffa Skyscraper Plans on Hold

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Photo by Dan Keinan, Haaretz. A modernist skyscraper was built with no connection to the existing urban context, and plans for a row of similar towers threatened to destroy the character of the historical city center. This so outraged the residents of the area that they managed to bring about a complete ban on skyscraper […]

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Zalul's Protecting the Lachish River

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Sea pollution closes the beaches in Bat Yam. (Credit: Zalul Environmental Association) For a long time now, Israel’s water resources haven’t been getting the respect they deserve. Out of the 16 rivers that flow into the Mediterranean Sea, all 16 are polluted – many to the point that you wouldn’t even let your dog go […]

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Organic coffee in Tel Aviv

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Tel Aviv, for those who haven't had the pleasure of visiting the city, is a city of coffee drinkers and cafes. (Some would say bums and people who don't work in the middle of the day... but we say coffee drinkers and cafes.) It is not unusual to step out in the middle of a work day and spot people happily sitting out on sidewalk cafes drinking some form of coffee drink.

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Pack Your Lunch

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Most aluminum foil is thrown out after on use. It’s a shame since it can be reused again and again without losing quality. Other alternatives are to use waxed paper, which can then be composted. Or tupperware, which is ideal or reusing.

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