The other evening we were chatting with a friend from Hebrew Union College, which is located in the heart of Jerusalem’s city center. She told us that the HUC students have taken the initiative to stop using disposable coffee cups and cutlery, in an effort to make their daily meals and beverages more eco-friendly.
Haaretz reported today that the tender for building a massive solar power plant in the Negev will not be given preference to Israeli companies. The article explains that, “The decision was made, among other things, to avoid the impression that the tender was written for the benefit of the only two Israeli companies who could […]
“Mending” is the theme of environmental sculptor Dani Karavan, whose massive works can be found from the barren deserts of the Negev all the way to gay Paris. And when he says mending, Karavan implies the mending of animals, plants, society and the near and far environments. Celebrating the artist’s 77th birthday is a Dani […]
Ancient historians have described the export of ointments from the Judean Desert throughout the Roman empire and beyond, at least until the 2nd century BCE. Now the modern company, Herbs of Kedem, has revived the historical use of these herbs for medicinal uses. Amazed by their extraordinary success, researchers at Rambam hospital in Haifa have […]
A day out at the IKEA store in Netanya is a national pastime in Israel. While we don’t mind an outing once and a while to the superstore, we’re cautious about buying furnishings from there. Firstly for the quality issue and secondly because the business shuts out our smaller home furnishing stores in Israel.Big box […]
(A photo from one of Dani Machlis’s online galleries) In Israel, space is limited, but it doesn’t have to limiting. Take for example Dani Machlis from Be’er Sheva. The photographer recently discovered that owning his own gallery wouldn’t cost a fortune if he built it into his own living room. Repurposing space in the home […]
A few weeks ago, we were driving our “tourist” mom from Canada around the country, when we accidentally took the wrong cut-off and found ourselves somewhere in the middle of east Jerusalem. Excited by seeing the children riding around on donkeys and the general sense of chaos, Mom commented on how very different this place […]
I was out walking about a forest around Jerusalem today and kept hearing gunshots firing off from the Arab village across the way. They’re celebrating Hajj now, said my boyfriend. And I thought of all the Muslims who must be aching to make their pilgrammage to Mecca. With so many people converging in one small […]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO-gpsHNGEw&rel=1[/youtube]Everyone and their mother is doing it. Talking about global warming, that is. Stumbling around the net, we bumped into this YouTube video sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, which links nicely to our last post on tree planting in Israel.
It’s really romantic to carve your lover’s name on a tree. But let’s admit, it’s so last century! An even more romantic gesture, to show your love for ______ [insert name/s], would be to plant a tree in his or her name. And the act would even offset carbon emissions. Rather than going on a […]
We love the Heschel Center for reminding us about their fundraiser: Hike Bishvil Yisrael – March 23-27, 2008. Israel’s outdoor scenery is breathtaking, writes Heschel, “and there is no better way to see it than with the people working to preserve it. “This is an opportunity for a unique, challenging and rewarding Israel experience and […]
There is a lot of talk these days about carbon footprints. And there is much debate over how people can reduce theirs. A carbon footprint is essentially the amount of CO2 a person leaves behind as a result of personal transportation (cars and plane), heating their homes and even putting food on their tables. That’s […]
We can’t help linking to this most recent story on Amirim, a vegetarian village founded in the 50s by Moroccan immigrants, at the top of the Sea of Galilee. The village offers guesthouses and lodging for out-of-towners and extols the virtues of vegetarianism and veganism. The village (moshav in Hebrew) is belonging to the Merom […]
Peeking inside people’s fridges is a new series being put on by the BBC, as part of their research into sustainable eating around the world. It is not a new idea, and what people are eating has been well-documented by photojournalists (The Walrus magazine) and also on the internet. You can even take a snapshot […]
Elanit collects the inner tubes from nearby garages, cleans them, cuts them up and fashions them into environmentally-friendly products, which you can use.