With GMO beets likely to hit the US market, and their sugar to reach global markets, savvy eco-conscious consumers are going to have to pay extra attention to finding organic, non-engineered beets. One prevailing assumption about GMO foods is that if one country bans them, her citizens are safe. But a statement from Wenonah Hauter, […]
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Alternative energy investors and innovators can meet n’ greet in Doha, Qatar March 16 and 17. Networking is a fact of business life. But in the Middle East, where numerous developments are incubating, exciting projects that could transform how we source and use energy in this region, conferences are no longer the droll small-talk affair. […]
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From an average B to a C cup in 50 years: Is our modern lives making our breasts bigger? Britain’s Daily Mail reports that women in England have larger breasts than even a generation ago. Women (and men) are getting fatter, but obesity alone does not account for most of the increase: Women are exhibiting […]
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Can commercial monstrosities like these in Mecca cause political upheaval in Saudi Arabia? The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always had its share of enemies. This is especially true in these times, when both the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Al Qaeda terrorist organization have both expressed great interest in replacing the monarchy there […]
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Qatar has chosen a building that is both shaped and acts like a cactus as their latest superstar project. With an area of less than 12,000 km2, Qatar bounced onto the world scene when FIFA announced its decision to award the 2022 World Cup to that country. Because it is exceptionally hot during the summer […]
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It started with cotton and oil: the Middle East oppressed now seek freedom and a future. image via AP The autocratic rule now being challenged in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East has its roots in the state system that developed in the region during the twentieth century. This system is based on […]
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Abu Dhabi leads the Gulf Region in environmental innovation. This time, a desert forest irrigated with treated wastewater. Last year we were somewhat alarmed that the UAE had ambitions to plant one million trees. Even though the carbon sponging benefits are potentially enormous, the water required to keep said trees alive might have overwhelmed the […]
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Considered a huge upset in the architecture world, Ehrlich firm wins bid to build the new UAE Parliament Building. Foster & Partners have a solid footing in the Middle East, with Masdar City and other popular projects under their belt. And Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid is a celebrity who inspires red-carpet treatment wherever she goes. […]
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How green is your fodder? Turns out, in the UAE, not so green. A new program aims to change that. In order to combat the dual challenge of desertification and regional water shortages, the United Arab Emirates are experimenting with myriad innovations. The latest encourages local farmers to switch to a different variety of fodder. […]
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Arizona solar energy “modules” may work well in the Middle East The American state of Arizona has much in common with many parts of the Middle East; especially with the same number of days of available sunlight for generating solar energy. A more practical way to make solar energy available to the general public has […]
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If Mirdif City Center Mall is “green,” the emperor must have been wearing clothes. Given the choice between a LEED certified building and one without, we’d be nuts to take the first. Issued by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED certification and its equivalent in the Middle East – such as the Qatar […]
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Archaeologists in Fujairah at working against the clock to save the UAE’s precious rock art. Without an historical record, our future would seem shallow. A future sans identity. A future that lacks the benefit of hindsight to inform important decisions. Because ancient relics – fossils, petroglyphs, and architecture – shed light on our origin, they […]
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This Imperial Eagle is one of several species in Turkey that face extinction. Birds accustomed to breeding and rearing their young in healthy wetlands are being pushed out as lakes dry up and agricultural and industrial activity take precedence. And reptiles. And mammals. Even humans are being displaced as accelerated drought and fire sweep through […]
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Two award-winning companies – Aldar Properties and Enviromena – team up to solar power an Abu Dhabi school. ALDAR Properties is one of the largest real estate development, management and investment companies headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Their development portfolio includes hotels, marinas, schools, gulf courses, estates management, and theme parks. They are the people behind […]
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Once ignorant youth wished they were forced to watch documentaries in school, so moved are they by their new eco-knowledge. Surrounded as they are by the glittering trappings of excess, where materialism appears to pave a golden path to happiness, convincing Dubai’s youth to care for their environment might seem like a colossal challenge. Not […]
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