Father of "Green Revolution" Leaves Behind Big Questions

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Plant pathologist Norman Borlaug, 95, died this Saturday, raising questions about the legacy of industrial food in the Third World. In 1970, Borlaug received a Nobel Peace Prize for averting famine through bringing fertilizers, pesticides and new plant strains to countries like India, Mexico and Pakistan. But environmentalists argue that his plant engineering only delayed […]

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A Miserable Walk Through Amman

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According to the blog 360East, Amman is about to adopt a Bus Rapit Transit system and make plans for installing light rail, two important steps to break Amman’s 30-year love affair with the private car. Having lived in Amman in summer 2006, I can attest that buses are a mess. They are very cheap but […]

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Iraq Begs Dry Neighbors For Water

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With the regional drought carrying on for its third year, Iraq is in a water bind as its rivers dry up. Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reports that Baghdad has urged Istanbul and Damascus to release water so that residents of southern Iraq don’t flee of thirst. The problem is that they are suffering from water […]

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Friends of the Earth Middle East Joining Forces with 350.org to Organize Climate Change Protest

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5kg1oOq9tY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.350.org%2Fmission&feature=player_embedded#t=97[/youtube] Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is an Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian environmental organization that has been doing a lot of good since 1994.  The organization focuses on promoting cooperative efforts in order to solve communal environmental problems in the Middle East and improve relations between the people in the region. Now they […]

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2009 World Water Week Honors Young Turkish and Israeli Innovators

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World Water Week, an annual meeting in Stockholm about the world’s most urgent water-related issues, took place this year between August 16-22.  Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brought together water experts, practitioners, decision makers, and global leaders in order to come up with solutions to international water crises. It also recognized […]

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Jordan Water Company Organized Water Festival for Kids, With a Focus on Conservation

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Last week we heard about the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) going into private homes in Amman and installing water conservation devices, but now they’ve gone straight to Jordan’s youth. Aiming to raise children’s awareness of the importance of water conservation, the Jordan Water Company held its first ever children’s water festival in Amman last Tuesday.  […]

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Green Ramadan Org Plans to Focus on the Environment During Ramadan

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A new NGO, known as Green Ramadan, plans to make Muslims and non-Muslims more aware of protecting the environment. Daniella touched on the new Ramadan project earlier.  Meanwhile the organization is so new that its website, www.greenramadan.org is still in the development stages. Yet, the message being given will hopefully bring a new awareness among Muslims, […]

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Lebanon Farmers Market Makes Food Not War

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Although Lebanon’s Christian and Muslim communities live in an uneasy balance, a trendy farmers market has helped bring the nation’s diverse groups together to sell traditional food. According to Agence France-Presse, 47 families sell fruit, vegetables, preserves and bread in Beirut’s Souq El Tayeb, the first farmers market in the country. Chef and TV personality […]

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