Abu Dhabi’s New Market “The Souq” Harkens Us Back to Disco Days

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Everything old is new again in Abu Dhabi’s Central Market “The Souk” where developers are inspired by the emirate’s  not-so-distant past. Kinda crazy that the 1970’s can be viewed as olden times, but in the rapidly developing United Arab Emirates, thirty years represent radical transformation. Nestled in the base of the Emirate’s new World Trade Center […]

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Why Earth Hour Still Matters

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March 23 at 8:30 PM marks Earth Hour. Will you switch off? Writing for Slate magazine, Bjorn Lomborg argues against what he believes to be the futility of Earth Hour. But Mr. Lomborg’s inability to see the value in such collective environmental efforts makes a compelling case for why we need them. As I pointed out […]

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Celebrating International Women’s Day in the Middle East

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Yemeni women receive award for their role in bringing solar energy to Yemen This year’s International Women’s Day not only illustrates the numerous issues facing women, but also celebrates the many achievements women have made worldwide – including those pertaining to environmental or green projects in the Middle East. While well-known personalities are often highlighted […]

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IRENA Produces Free Global Renewable Energy Atlas

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It’s a sea-change for a region so linked to the hydrocarbon,  but new clean energy initiatives are heating up the Middle East. Thanks to the 2013 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (we were invited to), some new development partnerships between United Arab Emirates renewables company, Masdar, and both the Jordanian and French governments were formed; Greenpeace released Jordan’s […]

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Jordan and Masdar Ink Clean Energy Deal

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There’s a lot of mingling afoot at conventions, and news of resulting hook-ups (including those we made there) at last week’s Abu Dhabi World Future Energy Summit are starting to hit the press. Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company and host of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) has signed a framework agreement with Jordan to help […]

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Will Dark-sky Ecotourism Spread to the Mideast?

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Israel’s Negev Desert, Jordan’s Mount Nebo, Medaba and Wadi Rum are a few dark sky destinations for stargazing. Paris is known as the city of lights. So is Medina Saudi Arabia, Be’er Sheva Israel and Las Vegas, Nevada. We shouldn’t overlook Baltimore Maryland, Varanasi India, Quanzhou China and Milford Pennsylvania. Each of these cities is also […]

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