Roshan’s reflection situates the Houston Ismaili Center within a broader discussion about architecture as diplomacy — where aesthetics, faith, and geopolitics intersect. Her words challenge readers to question whether “green” design and grand symbolism can coexist without transparency and accountability.
The 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture honors seven projects from Bangladesh to Iran that blend sustainability, cultural heritage, and community empowerment — from flood-resilient homes to the revival of Egypt’s historic Esna — showcasing how design can tackle climate, social, and urban challenges with beauty and purpose.
Greenland glacier cut up for ice in Dubai. Green-icing at its best.
Jordan is cleaning up its act, at least in terms of laundry detergent, with a project entitled Concentrate for the Environment. The voluntary, industry-led initiative aims to reduce the negative environmental impact of powdered laundry soap. Seems the soap industry excels at greenwashing; this looks like corporate cost-shaving spun into environmental (fool’s) gold.
After being on the air for just a few weeks, “The Green Man” TV show has been temporarily shut down due to allegations of bribery and greenwashing. It is funded by an Israeli chemical company. A new environmental television show called “The Green Man” debuted just a few weeks ago, hosted by well known Israeli […]
This Foster & Partner’s project completed in 2004 is green and deeply respectful of its environment – why did they change their design approach? In 2004, Foster & Partners completed this gorgeous Chesa Futura apartment building in Switzerland using a combination of modern modeling tools and ancient construction techniques. Situated on the edge of a […]
A Jordanian oil shale company owned by Shell is funding university courses on the environment As a global oil and gas company, Shell has a murky history not just environmentally but politically. Yesterday we commemorated the death of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa who was murdered for his campaigns against oil companies – and particularly Shell […]
Ford offers up another $100,000 to get green initiatives in the Gulf and Levant rolling. Applications are due 10 September, 2011. After writing a visceral post about environmental organizations that accept money from large corporations, in protest of greenwashing, Arwa interviewed the Emirates Diving Association, who explained their decision to accept $10,000 from Ford. One […]
Dubai’s Giant Pearl is starting to make its significant presence known. The mammoth Dubai Pearl construction project in Dubai was one of the few to survive the economic crash. Now the fruit of three and a half million man hours of work is beginning to rise above the rest of the city’s large, mostly empty […]
The Dead Sea Works would have the public believe that it is saving – not destroying – the Dead Sea. Greenwashing campaigns have become abundant in recent years as the green trend has been growing in popularity. With greater environmental awareness among the public over the past decade or so, businesses attempt to attract positive […]
We speak to the Emirates Diving Association about why they accepted funding from the gas-guzzling car manufacturer Ford Motors The Emirates Diving Association (EDA) based in Dubai has been working hard over the last couple of years to protect the marine environment, collect data to track changes in coral reefs in the United Arab Emirates […]
We speak to the Lebanese eco-campaigner Wael Hmaidan about corporate funding of green organisations in the Middle East and finding solutions In a previous post, I posed some questions about green groups in the Middle East receiving funding from not-so-green corporations. Is it a good thing if they are working together to protect nature? Or […]
From climate events to marine conservation projects, it seems that green organisations in the Middle East are happy to take money from not-so-green corporations It goes something like this. A green organisation is set up with the good intentions of sorting out some environmental injustice be it pollution or marine destruction. That green and very […]
Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry threatens to enforce their will in Palestinian territory, where the plans for Rawabi are not as green as Palestinian/Qatari developers profess. Israel’s excess extraction from the Jordan River (as well as other factors) could soon kill it altogether with serious ramifications for Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians. There is no question that one […]