It was once a subject that some employers would have never breached. Now, it has become the new normal and for many of us, our homes feel as though they have become our permanent office space. Of course, while it has the obvious (pajama) benefits, there are some practical considerations that are starting to become […]
Every home should feel like an eco oasis, and it can be done by saving energy. Here's how it can be done.
What does Walt Disney World have in common with the ancient Middle Eastern cities of Jerash and Jerusalem? In each of these places we’ve found glaring examples of wasted energy in the form of high wattage outdoor lights switched on during the brightest hours of sunny days. The radio program “This American Life” once aired […]
Solar energy panels are an important investment for planet earth, but also for residential homeowners that want to cash in on attractive feed-in tariffs. Homeowners that invest in solar energy can feed the power they generate back to the energy grid and in time make money after their initial investment in panels is paid off. […]
Israeli start-up Sensibo is convinced it can uptick your air conditioner’s IQ. They’ve created a mobile app (with associated hardware) that allows you to control your air conditioner (AC) from anywhere.
Smart phone developers aren’t just devising novel ways to deliver information about composting and how to save energy (like 5 green apps that can save the planet). They are helping us run our homes.
Online and remote controls for smart energy solutions for heating, cooling and office space lighting. About 20 percent of the operational expenses in office buildings, schools and hospitals goes toward energy — HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and electricity. Usually a default temperature is set for all year round, and the HVAC system and […]
Situated above the treeline, SkyTran commuter pods will not interfere with normal traffic: Photo illustration by NASA/SkyTran Developing economical and green urban transit systems have not been easy. This includes such planned transit innovations as the commuter pod transit system being planned for Abu Dhabi’s carbon neutral Masdar City and a new commuter light rail line […]
The Dubai government’s Emirates National Oil Co (ENOC) has stopped supplying subsidized gasoline to gas stations in neighboring sheikdoms in the United Arab Emirates. Hit hard by the property crash, the once high-flying Dubai government is now penny pinching. Even at the risk of destabilizing the region – in the same way that rising food […]
Istanbul’s incandescent Bosphorus Bridge will join iconic structures around the world in turning off its lights for Earth Hour this year. For the past four years, Istanbul’s majestic Bosphorus Bridge has been lit all night long by an LED display that consumes electricity at a rate of 90 kilowatts. (That’s roughly 400 megawatt-hours per year, […]
20 Israeli cities will be participating in this year’s annual lights-out Earth Hour. Following an initiative that began in Australia in 2007, Israeli cities (spearheaded by Tel Aviv) have observed Earth Hour for the past few years. Earth Hour is a global movement that urges individuals, businesses and governments to support action on climate change […]
Before leaving that (non-CFL) light on after you leave the room, you might want to take a look at the Story of Coal. In the routine of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget about the ramifications of our actions. When stopping by the supermarket on your way home from work to pick up some […]
Israeli design couple Mey and Boaz Kahn create the coolest network of hollow tiles based on two ancient Middle Eastern heat-beating concepts. The Hebrew language demonstrates the extent to which ancient Jews valued or, more accurately, revered nature for its life-giving properties. My favorite example of this sacred interconnectedness is the word for rain, which […]
Food spoils quickly in the heat and releases harmful methane gases. Hannah provides 10 green tips for keeping your food safe. Summer is coming to a close in some parts of the world, but here in the Middle East we’ve yet to see a break from soaring temperatures. But people and animals aren’t the only […]
Despite the UAE’s bad “eco-rap,” Summertown Interiors is helping to boost the region’s environmental ethos The UAE has been getting some rather bad press recently about their lack of environmental awareness. First, it emerged that only 1 in 25 Emiratis walked anywhere on a weekly basis and then that they throw away around 500 tonnes […]
Sun tea is nature’s equivalent of the crockpot… minus the electricity. We each have our own way of dealing with the Middle East’s harsh sun and humidity during the summer, especially in August. For some it’s sun dresses, for others it’s catching the breeze by the beach, and for some it’s a popsicle. If none […]
Saudis, Kuwaitis and Emiritis experience summer blackouts, despite being oil- and gas-rich. Lack of infrastructure and change in lifestyle to blame. With temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius or 112 Fahrenheit more the a few countries in the region are struggling to keep up with people’s needs to keep cool in the scorching summer […]
Reducing overall energy consumption allows more leeway during crippling heat waves across the Middle East. We are all feeling the heat (not just Iran). And though we are cautious about assumptions that global warming is contributing to these higher temperatures, we can’t deny that we are spending a little more time under our fans and air-conditioning […]
Israel-based design team creates an LED lamp packed with Lycopene and powered completely by tomatoes. Yum. When it comes to energy-saving and eco-friendly design, we’ve seen some pretty nutso stuff already on Green Prophet. We’ve salivated over Hasadna’s ice cream spoon chandeliers, envied Merav Feiglin’s TrashLights, been impressed by Studio Mesila’s upcycled wood laminate lamps, […]
By taking into account embodied energy, Catherine and her husband half the energy required to build their home. In her recent Ted talk, Catherine Mohr encourages us to look at the bigger picture when discussing and analyzing green stories. Whether we weigh the benefits of a LEED certified project against the energy required to ship […]
The Israeli Electric Corporation, otherwise known as Hevrat HaHashmal, has agreed to participate in what are known as feed-in tariffs for electricity supplied by independent private suppliers. It’s part of Israel’s bid to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. Feed-in tariffs apply to electricity that is supplied by renewable or “clean” sources such […]
We couldn’t miss this one for the world: last night about 20 professional cyclists put the pedal to the metal and powered the Balkan Beat Box free concert at Rabin Square. Thousands of people (and dogs) of all ages took part in seeing the show. The show to celebrate Earth Day couldn’t run on people […]
Green Design – From Theory to Practice (see preview post here), a major international architectural seminar took place this week here in Jerusalem, bringing together leading experts from the worlds of architecture, design, and integrated studies. Despite the recent war in the south, all but one of the international practitioners came, and by doing so, […]
Industrial and municipal waste doesn’t go away when we flush it down the drain. It takes an enormous amount of energy for treatment plants to process it, while massive environmental and financial costs go into disposing of the leftover sludge. Now, two Israelis are about to change the way we look at wastewater, by turning […]
In this guest post Lea Aharonovitch, a Senior Product Manager at Answers.com, shares her expertise about the green sides of usability. Among other things, I’m a usability expert. Usability is the level of friendliness and ease of use of products and interfaces. Products should be easy to use, designed clearly, and fit the user’s needs. […]