A model of Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. A playground for foreigners or ecological nightmare? Looking at this gigantic real estate project, one might wonder if there will ever be an end to all of the monstrosities that being erected on every piece of available land in the United Arab Emirates and other parts […]
In a previous article dealing with eco tourism, Green Prophet o whet your desire to do some “eco-touring” of the Middle East, where there is a lot to see – both from a positive as well as a negative standpoint. Today we feature 7 ‘must-see’ locations from an eco-tourism point of view. So let’s put […]
(Lebanese fishermen in southern Tyre clean their catch. Photo from AFP.) Southern Lebanese fishermen say their catch has slumped from 88 pounds a day in the 60s and 70s to a measly three or four-pound daily take because of aggressive dynamite fishing, overfishing and pollution. According to a report published by AFP, the Lebanese marine […]
Built from plastic bottles the de Rothschild heir sails his boat to show plastic island and marine pollution. David de Rothschild is no ordinary person; and certainly no ordinary adventurer. And his next adventure is something probably only the very rich could dream to do: The son of Britain’s Evelyn de Rothschild of the famous […]
Those of you who have been to Egypt’s eastern Sinai coast can vouch that even though the area is quite lovely, it’s also quite dry – from a freshwater standpoint. An American desalination company, Energy Recovery Inc (NASDAQ: ERII), is now changing this fact by installing a very unique desalination plant in Sharem al Shiekh […]
Few building projects have received as much attention and fanfare as Dubai’s Burj Dubai 800 + meter skyscraper, that including its top tower will be the tallest building in the world. A few weeks ago, I posted an article about the Burj tower, which when completed will contain residential and business properties selling at $3,500 […]
Dubai’s mega developmental projects, including several artificial islands complexes, are beginning to cause a number of environmental concerns. The artificial islands, which when completed will contain large numbers of residential and commercial properties (including vacation resorts) are already having their effect on marine life in the Persian Gulf. One particular project, The World, encompasses three […]
Masdar City, a unique and innovative commercial and residential project underway in Abu Dhabi, is being promoted as the first carbon free community in the world. Begun in 2006, and conceived by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, the entire project will eventually house some 50,000 people and 1.500 businesses supplying environmentally friendly products, the […]
Following on the heels of the much publicized Masdar City, the first carbon emissions free city in the world, Dubai (which likes to do everything in larger than life scale) has announced its plans to build the region’s largest solar power plant. According to the Gulf News, the plant, as announced by Ali Bin Abdullah […]
You have to hand it to those United Arab Emirates Gulf states. Their futuristic projects are simply something out of a popular science fiction novel; and 25 years or so ago, they definitely would have been. Just look at the towering Burj in Dubai, artificial islands, or their wind-powered rotating skyscraper to get a taste. […]
(Zero S electric road bike goes from 0 to 50 km/hr in just 2 seconds, and can maintain speed for 2 hours on single charge). It looks like an ordinary street or dirt bike when you used it or load it onto your pickup truck to transport it to a track (go to this website […]
It seems that the Emirate state of Dubai is continuing to construct projects that are not only grand but totally unique as well (see its wind-powered skyscraper here). Not only do they have world’s first indoor snow ski slope, the world’s most modern and advanced airport, and most luxurious hotel The Dubai Atlantis (with “Bridge” […]
(Palm Island in Dubai) A couple of weeks ago I was in New Orleans with my parents at the annual craziness known as Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras. Besides the excess of everything I saw there including waste, and the nasty black eye I sustained from a large set of beads being thrown on my […]
Imagine being able to place an entire farm, complete with crops and livestock, in the same space as is required for one of today’s modern urban skyscrapers. A Columbia University professor, Dickson Despommier, has been involved in such a project that could turn a 30 story glass faced building into a vertical agricultural enterprise capable […]
Last month, I had the unexpected pleasure of visiting Abu Dhabi and Dubai, two of the seven tiny kingdoms that together make up the United Arab Emirates. I was there to cover the World Future Energy Summit, an international conference on renewable energy technologies. This was my first visit to the Emirates, which have a […]