We applaud Dubarch’s steps towards sustainability, but is a 70 hectare 5 star resort in no-man’s-land a good idea? The Tourist Development & Investment Company of Abu Dhabi (TDIC) started developing a resort in the vast and uninhabitable area outside the capital called the Empty Quarter. Architects Dubarch designed what will be a high-profile, luxury 5 […]
This beautiful eco-lodge is chiseled into the side of Wadi Rum’s dramatic red sandstone walls. Chad Oppenheim’s design for an eco lodge in Jordan’s desert is absolutely breathtaking. Also called the Valley of the Moon, Wadi Rum resembles a martian landscape with its high red sandstone and granite walls. The downside is that this beauty […]
An Israeli architect designed an Olympic stadium that could travel the waterways from country to host country. Every four years a new country has the honor of hosting the Olympic Games – an international event that fosters transboundary competition and good will. But such events also wreak havoc on the environment in which they are […]
Bedouin women from Israel are getting a name for themselves at the furniture fair in Milan, where their home-spun woolen rugs are on proud display as a prized example of high-end sustainable design. The Eindhoven designers BCXSY teamed up with SIDREH, the non-profit organization behind Lakiya Negev weaving to create these one-of-a-kind products.
This Japanese-style resort and spa attempts to add value to, rather than subdue, its natural surroundings. My stepmother always says about life that there is no such thing as perfect, that there are only degrees of imperfection. So it is with green building. Foster & Partners are among the world’s most evolved architectural firms, but […]
After ten years in Israel, what is Ikea’s regional legacy? When the Swedish affordable home furnishing company, Ikea, came to Israel ten years ago, it filled a void. The store filled the need for a more approachable, affordable place for Israelis to furnish their homes and experiment with interior design. Former Ikea Israel CEO Dov […]
“When you truly ‘listen’ to the material you will find so many possibilities!” says Aya Tager of her green designs. Lots of designers, including designers living and working in the Middle East, like to play with trash. Lebanese fashion designer Ziad Ghanem likes to play with trashed clothes, and lots of Israeli designers are rethinking […]
“The city is not the problem, but the solution,” says architect Jaime Lerner. Throughout history, philosophers have been dreaming about the utopian city. The current age is faced with environmental challenges, and so many of today’s thinkers are dreaming of the sustainable utopian city. Mayors, visionaries, academics, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers and architects will all gather […]
Yiuco may be the Middle East’s greener Etsy. Etsy, the global online store, has enjoyed great success due to the fact that it enables individuals to buy handmade, unique items from other individuals around the world with the click of a mouse. It has even spurred what some people are calling the “Handmade Revolution” by […]
MADEO does the leg work for you when it comes to tracking down cool gifts for your eco-trendy friends. You know the scenario: it’s your cool eco-friendly pal’s housewarming/birthday/holiday party/fill-in-the-blank party and you are short one fabulous/original/aesthetic/environmentally-considerate gift. You want something creative yet functional, like a cool hanging wine glass rack or a funky bread […]
Ecoist: an individual that lives a modern, eco-minded lifestyle. (Don’t forget chic.) When it comes to upcycling discarded products or industrial scraps, designers often turn to making fashion or home accessories. They are fun to make, and allow people to feel creative and less wasteful in their accessory choices. Here on Green Prophet we’ve already […]
Galit Begas’ plastic bag shoes Well known for its innovative and high level of forward-thinking in the arts and design, Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design can be proud of its creative students. Proud enough to show their designs off to the world, which is what they will be doing in April when they […]
We’ve seen billboards turned into handbags, now they’re being upcycled into placemats. Chew on that. The ubiquitous billboards that we routinely see during our everyday lives are made out of PVC, some pretty nasty stuff. Due to the nature of billboards being hung outdoors and subjected to weather, they are made of out a fairly […]
Reuse conference brings designers and entrepreneurs together, showing that reusing is eco-friendly, fun, and profitable too. The concept of reuse is not new to Israel. Over the past few years it has seen “Reuse” exhibitions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as the emergence of several upcycling, sustainable designers who have brought fun and […]
Reconciling nature and fashion with a new generation of biodegradable shoes. We’ve seen some pretty interesting shoes on Green Prophet, such as these tongue shoes from Israeli designer Kobi Levi and these nature-friendly vegan shoes, but we would never have thought about sprouting new life from smelly worn shoes. OAT Shoes from the Netherlands did, […]