Farming the sun from hot climates to Europe? This is the plan of DESERTEC. Today we speak with Oliver Steinmetz. Oliver’s a co-founder and volunteer board member for the DESERTEC Foundation, a small NGO founded in 2008 to promote the DESERTEC concept of supplying clean energy from desert regions to regions with less sun, like […]
Do you love artichokes? We do. Here’s a healthy recipe perfect for the Middle East. It’s springtime, and the markets of the Middle East display piles of these artichoke thistles with the succulent hearts. The hot climates of North Africa and the Middle East produce a fantastic variety of vegetables that are easy to stuff […]
Though lacking the resources that have enabled richer Arab states, and the UAE in particular, to play a leading role in promoting renewable energy, Syria is also looking to boost its involvement in this field. This week, the Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST) in Damascus is hosting an International Conference on International […]
With a mantra to “design like you give a damn,” Sinclair has transformed thousands of lives. Whether to save governments billions of dollars in mutual conservation efforts or to share information about the harmful effects of meat, great things happen when people get together to achieve a common good. Few people know this better than […]
You can cycle through the Middle East, with some advance planning: ie burka coverings for women going through Saudi Arabia, and special VISAs for Syria. Image via Tyson Manering while cycling through Jordan. Bicycle touring enthusiasts interested in going on biking tours of the Middle East are now discovering that this sport is not just […]
The demand for Jerusalem stone comes with a social and environmental cost We have applauded Jerusalem’s living building, and we have drooled over delicious vegan dishes offered by Eucalyptus Restaurant in the Khutzot HaYotzer artist’s quarter. But nothing defines the city’s visual character more definitively than the prolific presence of Jerusalem stone.
[youtube width=”560″ height=”400″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H65o8uSmKz8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]A totally redundant and ungreen invention automates Middle East meat cutting. We were fooled by Grist yesterday and the news that McDonald’s meals won’t compost for 1,000 years, but this meat-cutting robot, a donor-robo looks like no joke. Designed by Turkish engineers, your Middle East street meat will never be the same, boast […]
New disturbing news about the McDonald restaurant chains that have found themselves in practically every Middle Eastern country except for Syria and Iran: With plans to set up a worldwide composting program, the Mc-company canned its plans after learning that its food scraps simply will not decompose. Well, not for the next 500 or 1,000 […]
Green Prophet has reported on the research of Dr. Salit Kark a couple of months ago. I went on to interview her, and here’s a story about our conversation and her research that aims to save billions in conservation efforts in the unique Middle East region. An Israeli researcher is playing a leading role in […]
Every day is a beach day in Morocco. In a smart move, the country unveils its plans to solar-ize the nation. Image via joaomaximo Countries in the Arab world are starting to wake up to the potential of solar energy, especially those with no known oil reserves. Morocco is the latest to announce its intentions […]
Is Masdar City a beacon for Middle Eastern development? It may take another 10 years to find out. We have been skeptical of Masdar City and Foster+Partners, the architects responsible for the emergent eco-city’s design, but BBC reporter Tom Reap’s recent article paints a compelling portrait of this dubious venture. Although projected building costs are […]
Foster+Partners, architect firm, claim projects like Masdar City are sustainable. Are they? Meet Foster + Partners: one thousand employees work in their twenty-two offices scattered around the world. Their employees hail from 50 nations, which diversity they say leads to “creativity, innovation, and motivation.” They are the people behind projects such as Masdar City that […]
While the final votes were being counted in the Iraqi elections this week, a three-day conference was held in Kuwait to discuss efforts to repair the environmental devastation inflicted by a previous Iraqi regime nearly two decades ago. In retreat from its seven-month occupation of Kuwait that triggered the Gulf War of 1991, Saddam Hussein’s […]
Imported garlic looks beautiful, but locally grown is healthier. Contaminated garlic from China was a scandal in the late 1990s and up till 2009. Fueled by anger over tainted pet food, toothpaste, and medicines from China, health-conscious consumers were outraged at the huge quantities of cheap Chinese garlic that were being “dumped” – sold for […]
Miriam continues the fourth part of her series on medicinal herbs from the Middle East. To keep things simple for this series, we’re only considering the medicinal properties of dried seasonings. (See parts I, II, and III here on Green Prophet.) Some herbs don’t amount to much when dried. Basil, parsley, and coriander leaf, for […]