Early April in Northern Ontario, Canada and finally a few dry spots to test the MoonCool e-bike. This was my first attempt at putting together and riding an e-bike.

The post Starting spring on MoonCool’s ebike appeared first on Green Prophet.

Make your bike so ugly so that it's never stolen again.

The post Make your bike ugly and theft-proof appeared first on Green Prophet.

Are you looking for a fun and healthy activity to enjoy with friends or family this fall? Bike riding is in season every season, especially if you visit some of the best trails and paths along the coast.

The post Best Coastal Bike Rides for the Fall appeared first on Green Prophet.

I did the best part of my growing up in Toronto, a cold and somewhat bike-crazed city. It’s there where I met a champion bike courier from Berlin and had my first long-distance love affair when he moved back to Germany. Joern, god bless his heart, used to deliver love letters by international courier! The […]

The post Beirut bike messengers deliver groceries and parcels by cycling appeared first on Green Prophet.

Now there is a good reason not to buy an electric bike: the Copenhagen Wheel from the Senseable City Lab can make you go hybrid with the switch of a tire. In a sense, it turns an ordinary hilly city such as Jerusalem and Amman into flat cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Consider this: Bicycles are […]

The post Copenhagen Wheel is like a dynamo rocket booster for bikes! [video] appeared first on Green Prophet.

Bertini Derailleur racing bikes like this one were used by Israeli cyclists in the Rome 1960 Olympiad Bicycle riding, including bike sharing in Tel Aviv and traveling by bike in the Middle East have been popular topics that Green Prophet writers have enjoyed sharing with their readers. Those living in urban areas, where bike riding is […]

The post Israel’s First Bike Museum in Converted Chicken Coop appeared first on Green Prophet.

There’s been a huge jump in Tel Avivians riding on two wheels in the last decade. When I first visited Tel Aviv about 12 or 13 years ago I was one of the only cyclists on the road, along with a few other nuts, and the African immigrant workers hauling around skeins of fabric in […]

The post Fourteen Percent of Tel Aviv is Biking to Work or School appeared first on Green Prophet.

Bikes blocking traffic or crosswalks are being impounded in Tel Aviv. From the first time I visited Tel Aviv more than a decade ago, up until today so much has changed in the way the city’s residents accept cycling. Back then if you rode a bike you were either a migrant worker pushing fabric rolls […]

The post Tel Aviv Goes on Bike Impounding Rampage appeared first on Green Prophet.

Izhar Gafni makes a bike from cardboard for $9. Engineers told Izhar Gafni that a cardboard bike was impossible. But he went ahead and made one anyway. An ardent cyclist and skilled mechanic, Gafni found a cardboard bicycle taking shape in his mind. American engineers he consulted solemnly nay-sayed, but he couldn’t let go of […]

The post Cardboard Bike from Israel Makes Cycling Even Greener appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jerusalem’s light rail may be a great way to encourage the use of public transportation, but why doesn’t it allow bikes on board? Four months ago the much anticipated Jerusalem light rail was launched after years of construction.  (The future of the Tel Aviv light rail has yet to be seen.)  The new light rail […]

The post Cyclists Protest Ban on Bikes Aboard Jerusalem’s Light Rail appeared first on Green Prophet.

Are you lyrical about your two-wheeler? If so, contribute to a literature project on the humble bike It seems that the majority of people serenading the magic and innocence of cycling are American and European males. In a bid to change this, professors Elamar Schenkel, Alon Raab and Jinhua Li are asking writers from the […]

The post Contribute! Call for Cycling Literature From The Arab World appeared first on Green Prophet.

Could a bike sharing system work in Beirut? Bicycle sharing has become all the rage in certain cities in the past few years, ever since the Parisians got the trend going with the Vélib’ shared bike rental system approximately three years ago.  In the Middle East, Nicosia implemented a bike sharing system a few weeks […]

The post Is Bicycle Sharing Coming to Beirut? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Prophet’s own Green Sheikh posing with a mime. Could the Caracas model of street miming reign in bad Middle East drivers? Drive anywhere in the Middle East and you are taking your life in your hands. Whether you are in a car, bus, train, or just walking on a sidewalk or riding your bike, […]

The post Mimes Point the Way for Safer Driving appeared first on Green Prophet.

Israeli bikers are hoping that the new year brings them greater cycling convenience and safety. The Israel Bike Association isn’t a quiet or a shy bunch – they make their opinions about the importance of urban cycling known through naked protests and the like. Which is why it is not surprising that they protested the […]

The post Israeli Cyclists From All Over the Country Marked Green Transportation Week appeared first on Green Prophet.

Before the 25th of January no more than 150 cyclists could pedal together without attracting police authorities’ attention. In Cairo, Inji El Abd from Cycling for Change, talks about a revolution for bikes. Che Guevara had his motorcycle and they had their bicycles: Revolutionaries on wheels went from all corners of Cairo to Tahrir Square to demand […]

The post Time For A Cycling Revolution and “Critical Mass” In Cairo appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Prophet’s Arwa on her decision not to drive a car and the social stigma that comes with it… Maybe it has something to do with my love of trains and car-induced travel sickness as a child, but I can honestly say I’ve never aspired to driving a car. Hitting the open road or whizzing […]

The post How To Live A Car-Free Existence appeared first on Green Prophet.

New algorithms make bike sharing more efficient. The environmentally-friendly concept of  bike-sharing is taking over European cities like Paris, and Tel Aviv is about to get its own too –– although that’s been in the works for several years. Bike sharing, if you haven’t experienced it allows a subscriber to “borrow” a bike from one […]

The post Bike Sharing Down to a Science appeared first on Green Prophet.

The post Cycling for Peace as Israeli Arabs, Jews and Bedouins Kids Get Free Bikes and Clubs appeared first on Green Prophet.

Everything’s dead at the Dead Sea; even bikes that get left behind. It’s pretty shocking when you are out there to see for yourself how this world’s natural wonder is shrinking year by year. It makes you want to scream. Here are some pictures from my visit to the Dead Sea about 6 weeks ago. […]

The post "Petrified Bike" Metaphor for a Shrinking Dead Sea? appeared first on Green Prophet.

During the week of August 16, 2009, researchers from Ben Gurion University began taking steps towards commercializing their cheaper method of reverse-osmosis desalination to clean dirty groundwater. GreenProphet covered Taga’s hybrid bicycle and baby stroller in one and Globes reported on plans to install solar energy systems at Ben Gurion Airport. For these stories and […]

The post Taga Hybrid Bike-Stroller and 8 Israel-related Cleantech Headlines, Week of August 16, 2009 appeared first on Green Prophet.

Beer Sheva, the long-suffering capital of Israel’s Negev desert, just broke ground on the biggest shopping mall in Israel. Like the other seven malls of Beer Sheva, this $180.5 million complex will continue to suck business out of the dilapidated but walkable Old City. Unlike the others, this one claims to be green. Architect rendering, […]

The post Beer Sheva Getting 100,000 Sq. Meters of Greenwash appeared first on Green Prophet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNqEkIjLxdc[/youtube] Around two weeks ago, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation decided not to support a bill that would encourage bike riding as transportation.  The bill would have mandated the inclusion of bike trails in urban plans, allow bikes to be taken on intercity public transportation (like trains and buses), and pave the way for […]

The post Tel Aviv Cyclists Use Their Hot Bodies to Protest the Naked Truth About Urban Cycling in Israel appeared first on Green Prophet.

We’ve posted here before about a Walk About Love, a hike for Israel and a bike ride to benefit Israel’s environment. This October, get a more regional view through Peace Cycle, a bike trip from Amman to Jerusalem. While the rough terrain and stunning views will certainly be rewarding, Peace Cycle’s main purpose is activism […]

The post Peace Cycle Takes Bikers Through West Bank appeared first on Green Prophet.

When it comes to transportation around Tel Aviv, there are a number of alternatives to driving a car. For longer commutes, riding public transportation with Dan or Egged buses helps reduce the amount of pollution. For shorter commutes, there is the option of going by foot or the ever-popular bicycle. While the bicycle provides a […]

The post Anywhere You Go FreeGo, Electric Scooters in Tel Aviv appeared first on Green Prophet.

Do you ever get the feeling that every time you close your eyes, someone in Europe is doing something brilliant for the environment? Well, the residents of Vauban, Germany live in a suburb where most streets are off-limits to cars and the shops are mixed in with housing. The town’s 5,500 people are packed into […]

The post Vauban, the German Suburb without Cars appeared first on Green Prophet.

A couple of months ago we wrote about how the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is investing millions of shekels towards developing clean, green, eco-friendly cycling tourism.  That’s great, but how can we make green transportation part of our everyday lives – and not just something we enjoy on the weekends or on vacation?  How can […]

The post Cicleta Sprint Bicycle Messengers Take Over Tel Aviv appeared first on Green Prophet.

No. 3 on Mayor-elect Nir Barkat’s winning list, Naomi Tsur is going to be spearheading any changes the city makes to beautify the city in the near future. Formal head of SPNI’s Jerusalem office and founder of the Sustainable Jerusalem, a coalition of 60 environmental groups is now going to tackle those same issues but […]

The post Will Naomi Tsur, Jerusalem Mayor Barkat’s Top Environmentalist, Green Jerusalem? appeared first on Green Prophet.

You first heard it here on Green Prophet a few months ago – the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is spearheading initiatives to promote eco-friendly, green bicycle tourism.  You may also remember that it announced in August that it would be allocating 100 million shekels towards developing the field (which, ahem, is not the number that […]

The post Israeli Ministry of Tourism to Invest 20 Million NIS in Promoting the Cycling Tourism Industry appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a few hours Jews in Israel will start the annual holiday Yom Kippur, and a day-long fast. It is by default, the greenest day of the year in Israel. For more than 24 hours, starting at sunset tonight, Jewish people will not only refrain from eating, but driving, shopping, wearing leather (and body lotion), […]

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Who ever said that there’s no nightlife in Jerusalem? When it comes to pubs and clubs, Tel Aviv surely has the edge by a long way. Israel’s Sin City is also more bike-friendly with its tree-lined cycle paths and flat topography, but anyone bold enough to take to Jerusalem’s streets at night on two wheels […]

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When you were kids, did you have that cool attachment on your bike – a dynamo – that powered your bike lamp with no battery?  All the kids who had them would go whirring by in the dark, the dynamo spinning against the side of the wheel, and their lights glowing brighter and brighter, the […]

The post Power Your Own Workout. GO, dy-na-MO! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Israel’s tourism industry has made some serious changes recently.  The Ministry of Tourism announced a few months ago that it was going ‘green’ for 2009, stating that it had a plan that included “environment-sensitive planning and development; preservation of the cultural and social heritage; developing tourism and new jobs in agricultural areas and the periphery […]

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Bicycles are becoming trendy here in Israel, and as a result the government has been spearheading initiatives to promote this eco-friendly, congestion-fighting trend. What’s more, bicycle tourism is becoming increasingly popular as well, as bikers savor the open green spaces that Israel has to offer. Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has just announced that the government […]

The post Israel’s Ministry of Tourism Dramatically Expands Bicycle Tourism Industry appeared first on Green Prophet.

Combine DIY eco-tourism with Israel’s new wine industry this Passover: Israel’s Ministry of Tourism offers a website chock full of great ideas. The latest is a biking tour between the vineyards and wineries between Jerusalem and Israel’s Northern Negev. Although the ministry maps out an itinerary you could follow (which we’ve included here for your […]

The post Cycling Through Israeli Wine and Biblical History appeared first on Green Prophet.

Previously famous for harboring a fledgling prophet in her guest bedroom for a weekend (and for cooking amazing, veggie-licious meals), our friend Debby is putting the pedal where her mouth is, and will be biking 300 miles from Jerusalem to Eilat to raise money for worthy green causes–the Arava Environmental Institute in southern Israel and […]

The post Biking Through Green, For Green appeared first on Green Prophet.

Hot on the heels (or should that be, ‘wheels’) of the news that bicycle use is on the rise in Tel Aviv, the municipality in Israel’s second city has just announced that it is launching a ‘pay and ride’ bike rental system.Last week, Green Prophet reported that bike use in the city shot up by […]

The post Get on yer bike in Tel Aviv appeared first on Green Prophet.

Being such a small place, you’d think Israel would be a simple place to get around on less than four wheels. But, alas, this is not the case since it’s cities and roads continuously choked with traffic. So it’s reassuring to hear that more Israelis are swapping their polluting automobiles for the most eco-friendly, not […]

The post Pedal power appeared first on Green Prophet.