While green funds in Israel have recently taken a dive, the general consensus seems to be that it still pays to invest in green in Israel. According to Haaretz, Google seems to think so, too. While the multi-billion dollar empire is reportedly interested in a number of Israeli cleantech companies, the only one which we know they have their eye on is Ormat–a world leader in geothermal energy.
One week a year, every year, Hebrew books get their chance to shine.
A tradition that began with modest book stalls on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv in 1926, Hebrew Book Week has since grown to enormous dimensions and every municipality and book store in Israel finds a way to celebrate the event.
Usually, this celebration includes the discounted sale of lots and lots of new Hebrew language books. Books are a great form of entertainment because they don’t require electricity, but on the other hand, they require lots of energy and resources to produce. In light of that fact, we would like to propose some alternative ways to celebrate this great national tradition.
To be perfectly honest, I received the news about Al Gore coming to Israel to collect a $1 million prize for his achievements in raising environmental awareness with a dose of skepticism. Does Al Gore really need more money or recognition, especially when there are so many committed, homegrown environmentalists in Israel, many of whom are so under-appreciated? Wasn’t his movie just a glorified Power Point, containing no significant new insights? And even if Gore is a relentless activist today, where was his sense of commitment when he was working from the White House?
However, after pondering it over a little, it became clear to me just what an enormous impact Al Gore has had on environmental awareness in Israel.
Although it is difficult to image today, with discussion of environmental issues so mainstream and widespread, it was only a couple of years ago when environmentalists were considered an obscure special interest group in this country. I remember being told by a distinguished professor in Tel Aviv University a couple of years ago that the environment was a “luxury” issue, which only the well-off could be expected to care about.
All of that has changed during the past year or so.
Come on, who hasn’t always wanted to say that? And now you can, because an Israeli researcher with a flair for electricity-centered solutions has discovered–wait for it–a bacteria that produces electricity.
Tel Aviv University Professor Avi Kribus, who until now has been best known for his advances in solar energy, discovered a bacteria that generates electricity in the process of photosynthesis.
What’s the next challenge for the World Trade Center’s chief engineer?
Designing solar-powered houses in the Negev desert that can be built from scratch in nine weeks? Unlikely, but true.
Hy Brown is a man on a mission. Originally driven by the will to find a constructive response to the terrorists who felled his creation in Manhattan and the chronic shortage of inexpensive housing in Israel, the REAL (Renewable Energy for Affordable Living) Housing company was born last year (on 11 September, no less). Partly constructed from discarded shipping containers, the houses will be built with energy-conserving insulation as well as solar panels, Brown told me on the two-hour drive from Jerusalem to Ashalim, 40km south of Beersheba, where the first REAL home lives.
The lonely pilot house in the desert could be the first of many if the fledging company can get investors to help it match demand. Watch this space.
How many times have you gotten up to go to bed wondering what you had gained from that extra hour or three of television watching?
Rather than sitting through a TV programme you’re not really enjoying, why not go to bed and get some extra sleep. It has been found that 42% of people worry about lack of sleep and fatigue. And save energy while you’re at it…
For two days this week, at Jerusalem’s Conference Centre, the first Jerusalem Environment and Nature Conference took place. You can read a preview post here.
For this Green Prophet correspondent and greenie, it wasn’t the dull political speeches and pontificating that mattered (all of the politicians who showed up, spoke and left immediately, kindly donated their hot air to warm the conference attendees who shivered in fierce air-con), but the networking opportunities (as well as the great lunch!) and the chance to hear about some of the environmental campaigns being waged around the country by local activists.
(Israeli winemaker Golan Flam inspects his wine)
This is a guest post by Israeli wine expert Richard Sheffer from Israel Wine Direct. Last week he talked about the connection between wine, man and the land. This week he talks a little more about the history of wine:
In spite of what some Californians believe, wine was not born in Napa Valley. In fact, the eastern Mediterranean, of which Israel is a part, is the birthplace of wine. The very first thing Noah did when he got off the ark was to plant a vineyard. Wine figures prominently in the Bible and was widely used in the region both privately and as a part of the ancient Temple ritual. Wine in fact provided a major export industry for ancient Israel.
Archaeologists have discovered sealed vessels of wine on sunken ships in the Mediterranean Sea right off the coast. And ancient stone “gats” (Hebrew for wine press) sit amidst current grape vineyards in today’s Israel. So, we know that wine has been made in and around Israel for thousands of years. (By the way, I understand that a 30-minute plane ride from Israel on the island of Cyprus, they’ve discovered wine artifacts more than 5,500 years old!).
Those of you who watched Al Gore receive the Dan David Prize last night, either on television or online from Tel Aviv, probably missed one very important thing. He was wearing cowboy boots. (We have proof – check out the footware we pictured above). This, of course, officially makes him my new favorite environmental hero.
With his subtle Southern drawl and cowboy boots, I’d take Gore over John Wayne any day of the week and twice on Sunday. And judging by last night, so would most Israelis.
In addressing the audience and prize laureates at the Dan David Prize ceremony last night, President Shimon Peres made this clear when he said that “Al Gore has many titles. I will not repeat them. Al Gore is a dear and good friend of the State of Israel.”
Related: New York Climate Week
During his prize acceptance speech, Gore called on those concerned about the environment to demand of politicians to make a change to renewable sources of energy, such as solar power. What we need, Gore said, is “sufficient political will. But as the people of Israel know, sufficient political will is a renewable resource.”
Sad, but true.
Gore will be making the opening lecture tonight at a two-day conference at Tel Aviv University called Renewable Energy and Beyond where, hopefully, he will convince others of the need to quit our dependence on fossil fuels. Topics to be discussed at the conference include the connection between global warming and geopolitics, Israel’s road to energy independence, and business opportunities for sustainable energy.
See more on Gore:
Al Gore To Receive Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University Tomorrow
Al Gore to Visit Israel
Dr. Isaac Berzin, founder of Greenfuel Technologies, was recently profiled in Ha’aretz. Berzin, a Ben-Gurion University and MIT-trained chemical engineer, and Boston-based Greenfuel Technologies have developed a revolutionary technology to produce biofuels from algae that are bred on gases emitted by power plants.
Time Magazine included Berzin in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Fortune Magazine also published a flattering article about the company, which has raised tens of millions of dollars in venture capital. Just last week the company raised another $13.9 million from Access Private Equity, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Polaris Venture Partners.
We’ve been a little overwhelmed by American visitors in this tiny country lately. Earlier this month we were visited by President George Bush and now, for a completely different reason, Al Gore will be visiting Tel Aviv.
And what a reason.
In a gesture of respect and admiration, the Dan David Foundation (which is headquartered at Tel Aviv University) will be awarding its annual Dan David Prize to Al Gore, among other distinguished recipients such as Amos Oz and Tom Stoppard.
The Dan David Prize annually awards 3 prizes of $1 million each for achievements having an outstanding scientific, technological, cultural or social impact on our world. Each year fields are chosen within the three Time Dimensions – Past, Present and Future.
What is microfinance? How does it work? What kind of potential is there in Israel for microfinance projects to succeed?
The Microfinance Club, a project created by third-year Interdisciplinary Center students Misha Nataf, Gilli Cherrin and Simon Seroussi, in collaboration with international NGO PlaNet Finance, will answer these questions and discuss opportunities for new microfinance projects in Israel this week.
According to the Microfinance Club, awareness of microfinance as a tool for poverty reduction and small business creation is almost nonexistent, despite the fact that microfinance programs worldwide have benefitted some 100 million people to date in developing and developed countries.
An Israeli company has discovered that bottling the beta-carotene goodness found in carrots (and other orange vegetables and fruits) is beneficial for skin and hair. “Yes To Carrots” is a two year-old company, based in Israel, that is now hitting the international scene.
Their secret: a combination of beta-carotene, which is said to have anti-aging properties, and minerals from the Dead Sea. And another bit of goodness: the products are free of paraben, a preservative chemical which has been linked to cancer.
Could nature ever obliterate all our traces? How would it undo our monumental cities and public works, and reduce all our myriad plastics and toxic synthetics back to benign, basic elements?
Alan Weisman: ‘The World Without Us’ 2007
Halfway through reading this enthralling book, I realized I was looking at the world in a new way. I was taking time to examine and even chart the progress of weeds bursting through the cracks in the pavement. Weisman’s detailed and wide-ranging research makes his readers that aware and curious about the world around us, that every part of nature, particularly those parts we generally ignore or suppress, becomes absorbing in the context of the book.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=oZLw_QINf-E[/youtube]
Everyone knows how terrible plastic bags are. They take hundreds of years to biodegrade, pollute our landfills and waterways, and most plastic bags cannot be recycled (only 5% of plastic bags are actually recycled). To add insult to injury, it is cheaper to produce new plastic bags than to recycle existing ones.
The Council For A Beautiful Israel has something to say about that. They’ve come out with a campaign that asks us to reduce our consumption of plastic bags as much as possible or, at the very least, to use One Less Bag.
Have news to share? Renewable energy news, architectural, artificial intelligence, biotech, sustainable design ideas, eco-architecture, green travel?
Email us: [email protected]
Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!
© 2007 to 2026 Green Prophet, All Rights Reserved