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Solar panels and saving money at home

How would you like to save money by no longer paying electric bills? There are several ways in which this can be accomplished. The first option is to go completely off the grid, and choose not to use electricity of any kind. This may not be suitable for the average person and will definitely not […]

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Yinchuan Exhibition Center: Islamic Design in China

One of the best kept secrets in the world of architecture seems to have leaked… in China. Long celebrated in the Middle East for its climatic awareness and passive efficiency, traditional Islamic design reflects an astute awareness of nature. Mashrabiya screens create privacy and shading while permitting daylighting and natural ventilation. Traditional building materials such […]

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Efficient Lighting Through History

From the Hebrew Hannukah to Peak Whale Oil, Brian uncovers an illuminating story of how our lighting is becoming more efficient. Each December as nights grow long, people of the Jewish faith celebrate an ancient miracle of efficiency. In our oil-soaked, electrified age it is difficult to understand what it meant for the Maccabees to […]

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A Dedicated Green Roof Research Center Opens in Israel

Green roofs have become a widespread phenomenon over the last few years but very little research has been focused on perfecting the practice in the Middle East, where high temperatures and dwindling water resources have prevented widespread uptake. But that is all set to change as a new center dedicated to researching the efficacy, ecology […]

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How Arab World Buildings Use Energy (Infographic)

Tunisian buildings are the most energy intense in the Arab world.  Carboun has released a powerful infographic which details how energy is consumed in the Middle East. Using data received from personal contributions, the World Bank and the International Energy Agency, founder Karim Elgendy has mapped out energy use by country in each of the […]

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Teaching Old Planes New Energy Efficiency Landing Tricks

A simple change in operations gives aviation an environmental win-win-win. Continuous Descent Arrival (CDA) is an aircraft operating technique in which arriving planes descend in a relatively straight line to the runway. In conventional descent, an aircraft drops in a stair-step manner, requesting control tower permission to descend to each new lower altitude, with portions of […]