Based on two Middle Eastern concepts, of the clay jara and the mashrabiya, the ecooler is one of the friendliest examples of cooling I've ever seen, and so much more beautiful than the big lump of whirring metal we call the "air-conditioner."
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 […]
We understand the impulse to stay cool and protect blood and brains from cooking, but it is wise to exercise caution in order to ensure a lasting electricity supply for everyone while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.
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 […]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ylk1zXMSTs[/youtube] 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 […]
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 […]
A usability experts dissects the problems of automatic flush toilets and why we need to think about the environment in design.
During the summertime if you put your shades (trisim) down in the morning it will help keep your house cooler for the rest of the day. And don’t just use shades for your house! With the right name-brands you too can be cool as your protect your eyes…
We had just settled into a quiet cottage near the Dead Sea. Despite the intense heat outside our windows, we were still excited about getting out to float in the mineral-rich salty water. My friends had their swimsuits on and were just out the door. But wait a second, I said. All the lights are […]