November’s Seasonal Produce
November in the Middle East offers a colorful spread of fruit and veg, including some heritage varieties.
Amman
Arab souk in Amman is treasure chests for do-it-yourselfer! Here’s my journey
Turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse (or silk scarves into a brilliant curtain) with upcycled materials sourced from your local souk. Make this patchwork curtain in under an hour and for about $10 – a little more work could turn it into a shower curtain or duvet cover. Get jiggy with junk! Here […]
A DIY hack to make your air conditioner cooler
Allergic to home improvement? Here’s an easy DIY chore you shouldn’t sneeze at. It will clean your air, increase its “coolness”, and save you buckets of money to boot. Change your air conditioner filters!
In Jordan, 33 percent standing can’t see their feet
Jordan is becoming a heavyweight on the global stage, but this is nothing to puff up about. The kingdom is among the world’s worst countries for obesity according to Oxfam’s World Food Index 2013, with 33% of standing Jordanians unable to see their feet. Over 14% of the population is also diabetic.
Broken trees from epic storm sprout public art at Jordan University
If a tree falls in the woods, it will be immortalized as amazingly clever artwork if Fu’ad Khasawneh is anywhere nearby. The Assistant Dean and his colleagues at the University of Jordan transformed the detritus of a powerful winter storm into a remarkable display of public art.
Mind-blowing Jordan trip on $20 a day (PHOTOS)
Sunday was Mawlid an-nabī, the observance of the birth of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed, but unlike Eid al-Fitr (Little Eid) or Eid al-Adha (Big Eid), Mawlid is a low-key celebration marked by a quiet focus on the prophet’s life and an uptick in eating and charitable acts.
Teens make stunning snow sculpture of Petra
When you think of Jordan’s Wadi Rum, Lawrence of Arabia and a hot and dry desert might come to mind. And Petra too. Well when Jordanian teens need to make lemonade from lemons, or snow castles from the freak snowstorm last week, they made a castle relevant to their region! Petra.
Cautionary tale when saving refugees, and the world
Cash is King. An essential ingredient of charitable giving; it greases the wheels when moving goods. A month after 4,000 hats were collected and shipped from Ireland to Jordan, they’re finally keeping some of Syria’s refugees a bit warmer. But in the end, it took money to drop the curtain on this act of giving.
Grow a Middle Eastern Beard in Under 2 Hours! [knit pattern]
I’ll bet snow-capped pine trees and ice-crusted cars don’t spring to mind when you think of the Middle East, but that’s what we’re seeing in Amman as we tuck into the second straight day of fierce blizzarding. A perfect setting to tuck in with some simple knitting.
Tafila Wind Farm in Jordan
With no appreciable amounts of oil or natural gas, Jordan, like Syria is a Middle East anomaly when it comes to its fossil fuel rich neighbours like Saudi Arabia and Israel. But new energy is blowing into Jordan. The Tafila project for the wind
Obamacare: Amman, Jordan Style
Green Prophets burn lots of calories trying to make the planet a better place, but you can’t do much do-gooding if you’re dead. I’ll share a day in my week as a cautionary tale (and offer a peek into Amman’s excellent, and sometimes culturally surreal, medical system).
Amman, Jordan Named World’s 3rd Ugliest City
My hometown of Amman, Jordan has just been slammed as one of the least attractive cities on the planet. Online travel adviser U.CityGuide posted their 10 Ugliest Cities of the World, with Amman nabbing third place. I have to concede that in the urban looks department, and as much as I love Amman, Jordan’s capital […]
Jordan’s Grassroots Efforts to Manage Municipal Trash
The city of Amman in Jordan where I live is experiencing a deteriorating level of municipal services, most notably in garbage collection and public space cleaning. The hills of the city are heaped with trash, and the problem extends to other towns and across the countryside. Even Jordan’s natural jewels are tarnished.
Kids Forced Into Garbage Sorting in Jordan
Young Syrian refugees are being forced into sex and child labor in Jordan Abdul Rahman, an eight-year-old refugee from Syria, rummages through a trash container along the side road of north Amman’s bustling Sweileh neighborhood. His sparkling green eyes stare out from his dirty, emaciated face. His bony legs appear from under torn blue trousers. […]
Futuristic Amman Airport Terminal by Foster + Partners Officially Open
A couple of years ago we questioned the “greenliness” of Foster + Partner’s new airport terminal at the Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, and now the futuristic building has finally opened. Located just south of Amman, the domed structure is designed to mimic the black folds of traditional Bedouin tents out of deference, according […]
Springtime in Paris Means Khamsin Sandstorms in Amman
Springtime in Jordan brings ferocious sandstorms and a nose-clogging meteorological phenom called “khamsin”. Grab your Michael Jackson face masks and the decongestant of your choice, close the windows tight and stockpile tissues. The dry, dusty winds of khamsin are blowing across the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa and right into your sinus canals. That image […]
15 surprising ways coffee grounds can make your life better
Coffee can have a secret life beyond your kitchen filter or your Turkish coffee pot. From compost to creative solutions. Give new life to the mountains of used grinds we toss out every week. Your favorite bean just became even better! 1. Keep your garden cat-free The jury’s still out on this: supposedly grounds spread around […]
Act Now to Help Jordan Learn to Befriend Man’s Best Friend
Animal lovers in Jordan are fighting a formidable battle to raise people’s awareness and respect towards strays and animals in general. It’s not easy being an animal in Jordan. One of our pair of mini-dachshunds escaped to the street last November and was killed in a hit and run. Distraught, we called friends asking what […]
Greenpeace Assesses Jordan’s Energy Future Without Nuclear Option
Greenpeace Jordan recently launched its first report specific to the Arab World entitled Jordan’s Energy Future (pdf link) to a packed audience of environmentalists, activists and political stakeholders in Amman. The report demonstrates Jordan’s potential to achieve full energy independence through renewable sources whilst campaigning against kingdom ambitions to develop nuclear energy. “This report shows […]
Green Prophet Upcycles Jordan’s Politicians Into Hip Handbags
Laurie recycles a Jordanian political poster into a handbag. Here’s how she does it. Voting is underway for Jordan’s Parliament. I’m not running, but I have this one in the bag! Hundreds of posters are hanging along Amman roadways; a somber assemblage of Middle Eastern manhood, mostly mustachioed. No wonder there’s tension in the lead-up […]
Arab shirt shops create sustainable T-shirts
Four small businesses, starting as street vendors, offer up made-in-Jordan artwork with heart. I’m a gift-giving locavore, preferring artifacts sourced or created wherever I happen to call home. Jordan offers amazing experiences ranging from ancient sites to eco-tours, but if you want a simple souvenir with youth appeal the kingdom falls flat. I stumbled across […]
Jordan’s Enviro-Agencies Unite!
Jordan’s Ministry of Social Development just approved the first coalition of the kingdom’s environmental protection societies. An underlying message of the Arab uprisings is that there’s strength in numbers and power in unity. The voice of Jordan’s disparate nature and environmental entities is about to change, when they join up as the kingdom’s new Environmental Societies Union (ESU). Members will […]
TEDxAmman – Mohammed Asfour’s Green Message
The chairman of the Jordan Green Building Council Mohammad Asfour tells us why nature inspires him to deliver a practical message of action If you have been keeping an eye on the green scene in Jordan, then there’s no chance that you could have missed Mohammed Asfour. As well as the chairman of the Jordan […]
Jordan and Masdar Ink Clean Energy Deal
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 […]
Why Not Use Biofuel for Heating Syrian Refugees? Green Prophet Reports from Jordan Camp
Egyptian model for the Zabaleen could help heat Syrian refugees. Green Prophet’s Joseph reports from Jordan. Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan: Walking through the vast expanse of white tents, dirt “roads” and masses of families huddled closely together for warmth, if you ask what they most need, the answer, without pause, is simple: blankets. In […]