UAE high school students have a chance to flex their eco-blogging muscles for Green Prophet’s writing competition. Green Prophet is launching a blogging competition for green-minded UAE students. In order to encourage students to think about environmental issues in the Emirates and the role that they play in improving them, we are inviting students from across […]
After four years, the O-14 is finally complete, and is as righteous as it is “holey.” Dubai has been eclipsed recently by a host of exciting developments in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. In part, this is because the splashy Emirate was forced to adopt a […]
Irina Forster is one of 186 new professionals qualified to oversee building projects according to the Estidama Pearl Rating system. Rola questions – with good reason – whether Arab governments are sincere about sustainability. While certain of them such as Qatar and Abu Dhabi are making some effort to reconcile their fossil addiction, others continue to […]
Notice that there are no lush gardens? No towers of glass? This is how to build in the desert. Modern humans have always wanted to make their presence known, from the earliest cave drawings to opulent Ottoman architecture. Although we occupy but one of billions of galaxies, our ego knows no bounds. In the desert, […]
ECOWEEK is at it again, this time looking for green building solutions to Tantur, a theological school based in Beit Jala. ECOWEEK unites budding, newly-minted, and established architects from around the world to sketch modern solutions to enduring challenges. Earlier this year, ECOWEEK – founded by Elias Messinas, an Israeli-Greek green architect – arranged lectures […]
With too much brilliance to choose from, judges of last week’s 72 Hour Urban Action Competition in Israel awarded two first prizes. It is less cumbersome than we’d like to believe to give densely packed urban centers a sustainable facelift. This was demonstrated last week during the 72 Hour Urban Action Initiative that tasked 120 […]
An interview that is supposed to shed light on Masdar’s real progress does little more than reorganize the project’s rhetoric Following a recent New York Times article that at once lauds and mocks the infamous Masdar Project, and a new Masdar Institute student’s claim that she feels like she is “living on a spaceship,” Middle […]
Social housing can be eco-friendly too, in Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia [image courtesy of seir+seir] Syria says no to plastic bags, Lebanon is pushing for more sustainable transportation, and Tunisia makes good shakshuka. But what do these three countries have in common? They are all participating in the So’Eco program under the auspices of the […]
The third “Think Green” conference, held in Amman this week, encourages green buildings and sustainable communities. [image of an apartment building in Amman via: Sezgin Aytuna] We heard about Jordanian Queen Rania’s activities earlier this week, and now we will hear what HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan has been up to. For the past […]
[youtube width=”560″ height=”425″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB2yceJvSI0[/youtube] We’ve covered the work of the Israeli Arab eco-pioneer Hussein Tarabeih before for his work on solar power in Palestinian schools. Green Prophet’s own James has created a short film exploring the new TAEQ (Towns Association for Environmental Quality) Environment Centre, in the town of Sakhnin, Northern Israel. It includes an interview with […]
Abu Dhabi to build new green city in Middle East. It sits in the middle of a harsh, barren desert, sweltering in searing heat. It has no clean water, its sea is polluted and there is no topsoil, just a covering of sand. It is also the biggest per capita consumer of fuel, massively reliant […]
As part of its long bid for European Union membership, Turkey has announced that 74 pesticides are off limits because they are poisonous. The Hurriyet Daily News reports that the EU has a list of 135 illegal chemicals, and Turkey is working on the others. This is part of several environmental moves afoot in Turkey, […]
Jordan’s capital city, Amman, will soon have a spectacular landmark: the Sanaya Twin Towers, which will tower more than 200 meters over the city and will be the country’s tallest landmark. The project, which means starlight in Arabic, comes with a $300 million pricetag. It was begun in July, 2008, and has required the removal […]