Refrigerators and freezers account for about a sixth of all electricity use in a typical home. Over- or under-crowding makes the fridge work harder to maintain its optimal internal temp around 37 degrees F. This means that you should throw out all that junk that piles out in your fridge, but if it gets empty fill your fridge with bottles of water and freezer with ice trays. This way you can throw a cocktail party and keep your energy usage down.
We at Green Prophet have been charting the rising popularity of organic food in Israel for some time now.
One of the biggest suppliers of free-range organic eggs in Israel is Givot Olam, a Jewish farm located in the West Bank.
While you’d think that politics and food don’t mix, there are some who disagree.
If you love the moving image as much as us here at Green Prophet, and believe in its power as an agent of change as well as information and entertainment, here’s advance notice of the 5th ‘Eco-Cinema Festival’, which opens tomorrow night at Jerusalem’s Cinemateque on Hebron Road.
Opening with Israeli director Uri Rosenwaks new film, ‘Garbage Country’, previewed in a Green Prophet post here, the festival contains a wonderful variety of films all with an environmental message, ranging from angry polemics to the fun and the frivolous. Short films, longer documentaries and animations, from all over the world, feature across the 5 day festival; some selective highlights we have picked out below.
They say hope floats. Israel’s premiere environmental architecture firm Geotectura has certainly taken this statement to heart. Joseph Cory a designer at Geotectura, has worked with an aerospace engineer, to develop floating solar balloons capable of collecting solar energy in crowded cityscapes and places where large solar panels are not a viable alternative. They hold potential for disaster-stricken areas as well.
Filled with helium and coated with a space-age fabric made from photovoltaic solar cells, this project called SunHope is a promising low-cost system that could collect solar energy with less environmental impact than other traditional solar energy solutions.
Nachalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv is famous for its weekly market of local, handmade arts and crafts – a market that is very environmentally friendly.
But it is also home to some of Tel Aviv’s hippest bars and restaurants.
For the sixth time, these restaurants and bars are getting together for the annual Nachalat Binyamin Food Festival which will take place from May 13-22 and offer gourmet dishes and special cocktails at discount prices. Diners will be able to enjoy entrees for 35 NIS, boutique wines for 25 NIS, and refills and tapas galore.
They can also enjoy their guilt free conscience, because this year the festival is going green.
(Image credit: Micah Vaadia, winemaker at Galil Mountain)
After reading and enjoying Green Prophet’s post on biking the Israeli wine scene, Green Prophet was kind enough to invite me to guest blog a short series of posts about the re-emerging Israeli wine phenomenon and about what’s new with organic winemaking in Israel.
I blog about wine from Israel and I own a specialty importer focused on introducing Americans to boutique wines and winemakers from Israel called Israeli Wine Direct.
First of all – who really cares about wine? There are a lot of other things we might drink, so what makes wine a food with a message for us?
And in a country where we can find hundreds and even thousands of wine brands in even a basic grocery store, who really cares about wine from Israel?
Not long ago Eli Cohen, the founder of Ayala Water and Ecology, was invited to New York City to propose solutions for cleaning the city’s sewage using plants in an environmentally friendly way. He’s already got a number of sites working in Israel and hopes to raise money to build a pilot plant in the US.
Searching around the globe high and low, Cohen seeks out water plants that have the natural ability to digest sewage. The plants he finds also clean air and soil in a natural way.
According to research by the Department of Energy shade trees can reduce the need for air conditioning by 7% to 40%. If you have a garden, plant a tree. It can decrease the energy you need to cool your space but also provide a place to hang a tire swing, not to mention the offsets.
If you don’t have a garden plant vines in a window box. They grow nicely over security bars. This way you can disguise the ugliness and give yourself beautiful flowers as well!
While plastic awnings offer a basic shade solution, they lack the natural benefits that trees provide in terms of air circulation and ventilation.
One of the key advantages of trees is their ability to facilitate airflow through their branches and leaves. Unlike plastic awnings, which block airflow and can create stagnant pockets of hot air underneath, trees allow breezes to pass through, creating a cooling effect. The movement of air through a tree’s canopy helps to dissipate heat and humidity, making the shaded area feel more comfortable even on the hottest days.
Additionally, trees can act as natural air purifiers, filtering out pollutants and allergens from the air. As air moves through the leaves and branches, particles such as dust, pollen, and pollutants are trapped, improving air quality in the surrounding area. This is especially beneficial for individuals with respiratory issues or allergies, as it can help to reduce symptoms and improve overall well-being.
Read Also: 5 tips for reusing air conditioning water
Moreover, trees play a crucial role in regulating microclimates within their vicinity. By providing shade and cooling the surrounding air, trees help to create a more stable and pleasant outdoor environment. This is particularly important in urban areas, where the urban heat island effect can lead to higher temperatures and increased discomfort. Trees can help to mitigate this effect by shading pavement and buildings, reducing the absorption of heat and lowering ambient temperatures.
In terms of functionality, trees offer several advantages over plastic awnings when it comes to airflow. The natural shape and structure of a tree’s canopy are optimized to maximize airflow and ventilation. The leaves and branches are arranged in such a way as to allow air to move freely through the canopy, creating a gentle breeze underneath. This natural ventilation system helps to keep the shaded area feeling fresh and comfortable, even on still days when there is little wind.
Furthermore, trees provide shade not only for people but also for buildings and other structures. By shading rooftops and walls, trees help to reduce solar heat gain and lower indoor temperatures. This can significantly reduce the need for air conditioning and ventilation, leading to energy savings and lower utility bills. In contrast, plastic awnings only provide shade to the areas directly beneath them, without offering any additional benefits to surrounding structures.
Chemical burdens in our homes is an issue coming more and more to the forefront of news every day, yet more information comes to light about the threats posed by so many chemicals in our everyday products, from baby bottles to nursery furniture.
A while back I wrote about Nursery Madness and the huge amounts of money we put out on new furniture. As eco-minded parents and financially thoughtful, best to go with second hand furniture or even co-sleeping options.
This recently took on a new twist.
This Green Prophet is a little skeptical about Shai Agassi’s electric car and bold claims, but she is impressed by the range of companies in the portfolio of Israel Cleantech Ventures (ICV).
Consider companies such as Aqwise for cleaning municipal sewage using bacteria, plastic beads and a special aeration system; or Metrolight, a company that has created a new breed of electronic ballasts that is saving money (and energy around the globe), including IKEA in Israel. There is Emefcy, an Aqwise founders’ spinoff, CellEra which is creating new fuel cells, and Citrine Renewable Energy in the area of landfill biogas treatment. Taking a breath ICV also funds solar company Pythagoras.
The batteries that you throw out today end up in landfills and incinerators. From here they eventually leak into the environment and can end up poisoning you tomorrow.
Find out where the closest place for you to recycle batteries is. And if you use rechargeable batteries you will not only reduce the circulation of dangerous chemicals but you can potentially save lots of money as well.
The time is nearly here! The long awaited electric car will soon reach the masses: Project Better Place has presented its prototype electric car today. The smog may start clearing soon, we will see how quickly it catches on.
Project Better Place commissioned a survey, which claimed that one in every six Israelis said that they would buy an electric car.
This is some advance publicity for a film I haven’t yet seen, but it comes from a highly talented Israeli director Uri Rosenwaks, who made ‘The Film Class’ (2006) about the black Bedouin tribes of Rahat two years ago, which I highly reccommend as an illuminating portrait of a fascinating and little-known part of society, or society within a society.
If you are feeling equally sore (as we at GP are) about the amount of trash left behind this week after Independence Day in Gan Sacher in Jerusalem, at the beach and in the forests, this film may show a lighter side to littering, or fire all us environmentalists up even further.
‘Garbage Country’ (2008) premieres on cinema screens this week at the Jerusalem Cinematecque’s ‘Eco-Cinema’ Film Festival.
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is currently undergoing a massive renovation of its structures, but it emphasizes renewal in more ways than one. As part of the program geared towards children at the museum – which includes an imaginary prehistoric cave, water activities, and a special library – the Israel Museum’s Youth Wing offers a special recycling workshop.
An old computer these days isn’t necessarily useless. It doesn’t work like it used to, but it may still have a function in your life, saving you resources, time and money –– plus all the environmental benefits of not having all the nasties in your computer end up in landfill, and endangering other people’s lives.
Green Prophet has scoured the web for some tips and has compiled a list of things you can do to extend the life of your computer. Score extra points with your friends –– these tips will not just turn you into a recycling champion, but possibly a tech-geek as well.
1. Downloading Tool
Popular downloading software such as eMule, Vuze or BitTorrent employs a download queue, meaning it can take days, possibly even weeks before you are able to download successfully. Time to put your old computer to use, while keeping your new computer free for other tasks. Use the old machine as a round-the-clock downloading device. When the downloads have finished, transfer them to your new computer with a mobile memory stick (disc on key).
Burning your files, movies and music to DVDs and CDs is so passe and so 2006.
2. Build a Poor Man’s Media Center
The older computer can be hooked up to your TV and stereo allowing you to see your downloaded films on a larger screen with high quality digital sound. If your old computer is a clunker from the 90s it probably won’t work well, but if only 3 to 4 years old, it should have enough strength to power your needs. A wireless keyboard and mouse is recommended.
3. Children’s Computer
Kids love messing around with computers (with sticky fingers!) and your old machine might be more than enough for them. You can teach them piano using a special keyboard; if your kids are in the age range of two to five buy them a Comfy keyboard, which comes with games and teaching software. Old computers work well in this incarnation, even if the computer is really rusty and the games advanced.
4. A Network Server
Create a local network between several computers using your older computer. This can help organize the flow of information between computers and connect all the computers to the Internet. Perfect for the home or office, connect using software such as NetLimiter, which gives a certain bandwidth to each computer, along with firewall software. This frees up memory in the newer computers.
By mod’ing your old computer into a “Smoothwall” firewall, you can rest assured that villains will have less chance of sneaking into your precious files and resources.
Consider using an old machine to host your website.
5. E-Mail Server
In business especially, keeping information private and confidential can be the utmost of importance. The old computer can be turned into an internal e-mail server to prevent emails meant for internal communication from leaking to the outside world. Not a simple task, there are some guides online that can show you how to do this.
6. Print Server
If more than one computer needs to be connected to the printer, consider turning the old computer into a print server. Always running, it can print out a job even if other computers are switched off.
Life Hacker has a great tutorial on how to do this.
We do recommend computers that are not in use at night to be switched off to save power.
7. The Computer Lab Rat
So you’ve always wanted to tinker with the newest and best computer languages or programs, but are afraid to muck up your new computer. How about using your old computer as a “lab rat” for trying a C++ test, C#, Javascript, Python, or other coding languages. Maybe you want to play around with Linux (free open source software platform), or Ubuntu but don’t have the energy or guts to set up a dual boot setup on your healthy new computer.
If your mother is like ours she is addicted to sending the latest beer commercials, powerpoint presentations of waterfalls from around the world, and animated jokes to all of her friends, obviously leaving her computer (which you’ve just fixed) vulnerable to viruses and spyware. Invite mom over on the weekends to download email files until her heart’s content. If there is going to be an “infection” it might as well be on the old computer.
8. An Audio Center
Your old computer can pump up the volume. Using Linux (which you have now learned), connect some decent surround sound speakers into a Creative Labs Audigy sound card and annoy the neighbours using MMS.
9. Fax
Some people are stuck in the eighties and still insist on working with faxes. It’s unavoidable and a waste of paper, but what can you do? Instead of losing business, or buying a machine you will rarely use, turn the old computer into a fax machine. Connect it to a telephone line with a modem and set up the fax software that comes with Windows XP.
10. Spare Parts
Some people make their business collecting spare parts from computers and building new ones with all the pieces — one of our Dad’s friends does this for a living with computers our Dad finds. Consider stripping out some of the old parts in your computer to mod your newer one. A hard disc, an optic disc or the old computer’s internal memory may be reusable if compatible with the new motherboard. Or consider buying a container for your old hard disc and turn the old standard disc into a mobile one. The container will need to be a strong aluminum box, a supplier of current and have a USB converter. *Make sure you don’t electrocute yourself in the process.*
11. Help Cure Cancer
Connect your old PC to a worldwide network and server farm by joining a distributed computing organization. Computer geeks, via the internet, connect hundreds and thousands of computers together to use combined CPU power to create a supercomputer. This new powerful tool is put to work as a “number cruncher” –– finding possible cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or it keeps itself busy searching for extraterrestrial life. See Folding@Home, Boinc or SETI. Once you get it up and running, you’ll be able to disconnect the monitor and access remotely if necessary. See this Tel Aviv University project, as well.
12. A Poor Man’s TIVO/Kodi
With very little effort, you can mod your old PC into a digital video recorder (DVR). This method gives you more flexibility than what your cable company provides, and you’ll avoid the monthly fees. Clean out the old computer first, reformat it and install Windows XP. Then buy a video capture card, a TV tuner card, and invest another $100 (NIS 350 or more) on a bigger hard drive. Record your TV shows on the newer hard drive. Some software will let you zip through the dreaded commercials.
13. Donate to Charity
There are groups and associations around the world that are happy to collect old computers on behalf of schools and other charities. A Computer for Every Child in Israel upgrades 60 to 70 percent of the computers they receive –– the rest serve as spare parts for existing computers.
The old machine can also come in handy for typing and keyboarding practice at schools. Because let’s face it, how many of us are writing by hand these days? Keyboard practice is essential until they can make a computer that can read our minds.
Before you do give that old computer away, be sure to clear out all the vacation pics in Miami and the emails to all your true loves over the years. Clean up with CCleaner and execute a defrag.
14. Arts and Science Projects
Ever looked inside the “guts” of your computer. What makes it tick? These machines (when handled with care) can be used in “dissection” classes for learning how to assemble and fix computers. And then the terminals can be turned into fancy aquariums.
15. Recycling
If your redundant PC has really had it, with no chance on earth to be put to good use elsewhere, make sure you donate it to a company specializing in recycling electronic waste. In Israel, see Rerouting Deadly Electronic Waste.
For Tech Geeks
For the extra extra geeky ones in the crowd, see more ways to “mod” your old computer here. And of course, consider buying a Mac, because they never seem to die.
Want to explore more ways of greening your life? See:
Green Prophet Green Guide to Your Living Room
Green Prophet Green Guide on the Bedroom
Green Prophet’s Green Guide to the Kitchen
Green Prophet Green Guide to the Bathroom
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