Treehugger blogger Jennifer Hattam writes about environmental issues in Turkey and the greater Middle East. Following a long career with Sierra magazine, Jennifer Hattam packed her bags and moved to Turkey. There she writes about environmental issues for Treehugger (including Turkey’s plans to install nuclear power plants despite the Fukushima disaster in Japan) and the […]
A new condom company, Love Begins with L., epitomizes the heart and soul of ecosexuality. Founded by independent photojournalist, Talia Frenkel – whose work with the Red Cross exposed her to the plight of women in Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East – the message behind the product is simple:
Turkey has a critical role to play in a clean energy future, says former vice president Al Gore. But when is it going to start taking that role seriously? The unusual political identity of Turkey — a stable, democratic, Islamic country — serves as inspiration for democratic reformers in the Arab world. Its government is […]
The Arab region holds the densest concentration on earth of countries seeking to generate nuclear electricity for the first time. Rola points out the dangers. Over the last few years, while talk of a nuclear power ‘renaissance’ was spreading globally, Middle Eastern and North African countries have been rushing to jump on the commercial nuclear […]
Souvenirs of the recent revolution are already on sale in Tahrir Square In recent weeks, Green Prophet has reported on concerns for MENA regional eco-tourism after visitor numbers slumped over concerns about safety, and on worries that the conflict in Libya could damage the country’s stunning historical remains. But plans to promote Middle East and […]
Is now a good time to announce uranium sales to an unstable region like the Middle East? At a time when many nations are sharply curtailing nuclear power plans in response to the Japanese nuclear crisis, Australia’s government is formalizing the first steps towards selling uranium to the United Arab Emirates, in a deal being […]
People around the world eat the penises of bulls, sheep, and goats, without a quiver. Keeping to the theme of eating all the animal that began with our post on lamb’s testicles, we now present our readers with another idea to get used to. Penis meat is eaten and enjoyed in the Middle East, Latin […]
Internationally-acclaimed dance Ido Tadmor does an enigmatic dance for the Dead Sea at Kalya Beach. (image by Inbal Marmari) Becoming one of seven natural wonders can have enormous benefits for tourism, though competition is steep. Among the 28 candidates for the present campaign are the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos, and the Grand Canyon. Scores […]
Checking for radiation in Japan. Wouldn’t happen if a solar power plant is damaged. Japan’s situation involving its damaged nuclear reactors is heading into “critical mass” following more reactor failures from last week’s mega earthquake and subsequent tsunami tidal waves. Worries about this kind nightmarish scenario happening elsewhere, especially in the Middle East has been […]
Another Chernobyl in the making? Does the Middle East need this risk? Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami waves in Japan have left that entire country in a state of shock, and power outages – even in the country’s capital, Tokyo. The 8.9 magnitude quake, the most massive Japan has ever experienced and the 7th largest […]
Apples have long been hailed as a pop culture super food and aphrodisiac. Nutritious and delicious, apples now have more promising benefits to impart: increasing lifespan by up to 10%. Research published in ACS’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports that, “consumption of a healthful antioxidant substance in apples extends the average lifespan of […]
In the deserts with the best solar insolation in the world, dust and drought are also the greatest enemy. GlassPoint is pioneering the solution – put the solar in a Glass House – only after an attempted sale in Middle Eastern oil fields. Instead of merely being just another solar CSP company, GlassPoint is now […]
This desolate part of Libya contains some of the world’s most unique primitive rock art The civil war now in progress in Libya is threatening everything there – especially the country’s historical sites that go back more than 3,000 years. The somber news of what is happening there was conveyed by what was the last […]
This female Bald Eagle may be saved – but what about others? Bald Eagles, longtime American symbols of strength and independence, are now fighting for their very survival in Canada due to their main food source, chum salmon, being scarce due to pollution and over fishing. Chum salmon are salmon which after fighting the river […]
Turmeric isn’t only a spice: it may be an effective boost for anti-cancer drugs. Bright yellow turmeric root, a well-loved spice in the Middle East and Asia, has been used for centuries in folk medicine to relieve inflammation. Medicinal spices have been reviewed on Green Prophet here. To relieve internal inflammation in the digestive tract, […]
Fresh, green fava beans appear in the Middle East for just a few weeks. Eat them as they are or accent another vegetable with them. Those fat, ungainly-looking pods conceal a fleeting vegetable delicacy: fresh fava beans. Maybe it’s a good thing that the season for them is so short – it makes the work […]
Thanks to a recent decision by Israel’s National Infrastructure Minister, Tourists heading for Ramon Crater won’t have to compete with unsightly transmission lines. As we push to exploit the Negev desert’s ubiquitous solar energy, we inevitably have to deal with evacuating said energy. Typically that involves unsightly transmission infrastructure: towers, lines, transformers, and more. Israel […]
Eco-tourism in Lebanon can do a lot to bolster local communities, if it gets off the ground. While attempting to move away from its scarred past, Lebanon has created a not-so-sustainable tourism industry with its focus on Beirut’s bars and beaches. The formerly lethargic tourism ministry is now trying to re-focus the market’s interest elsewhere […]
Thorns and thistles make delicious eating if you know know Middle-Eastern ways to cook them. Snooping around the open-air market in my town, I was glad to see thistles and thorns piled up on the wooden stands. (See our post about Israeli open-air markets.) Spiky artichokes and bristly cardoons, to be exact. If you’re looking […]
A new US report demonstrates that climate change and a variety of other factors could destroy all of the world’s coral reefs by 2050. Coral reefs are more than just a pretty place for divers to pass their time. They are absolutely essential to the proper functioning of international marine ecosystems, and to the communities […]
This story makes our hearts sing! Taking the threat of plastic bags seriously, Abu Dhabi is preparing for the 2013 total ban with a plastic-free weekend. Residents of the United Arab Emirates use 11.6 billion plastic bags every year. That’s 11.6 billion camel-killing, toxin-oozing, non-biodegradable bags that choke our water ways and blight beautiful places. […]
The Suraya Foundation seeks funds to launch a radio campaign to convince governments, non-profits and ordinary citizens to root out reckless driving. Engineer and entrepreneur Mohd Shahnawaz started the Suraya Foundation in memory of his young sister whose life was snuffed out by a reckless driver. Others might have shrunk in despair, but Mr. Shahnawaz […]
Dubai’s Director Of Transportation is among the first recipients of a compressed gas engine vehicle. Starting with just five vehicles initially, the Dubai municipality plans to eventually outfit 500 vehicles with compressed gas engines with technical assistance from Compressed Gas Technology (CG Tech), The National reports. By burning a combination of petrol and natural gas, […]
Out of the frying pan…are uranium reserves to run out in a decade? In its haste to free itself from oil-powered electricity, during the Arab oil shocks of the ”70s, France switched to nuclear energy. It had been vulnerable in its dependence on the Middle East, and moved to nuclear to free itself of the […]
Speakers from Israel, Jordan, and Palestinian Territories will converge to make enviro-peace in this Ted-inspired event. The Guardian emphasizes the importance of cross-boundary cooperation in order to solve the pending water calamity that could grip the Middle East in a near-permanent state of discontent and suffering. No stranger to such challenges, Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians […]