On a sunny Saturday afternoon in mid-February, a small group of New Yorkers—beekeepers, environmentalists, and a handful of honey aficionados—huddled together in an empty SoHo office building for a local honey-tasting session. If this had been Portland or San Francisco, it wouldn’t have been a notable event—just a harmless gathering of honey connoisseurs. But in […]
Shai Zakai: Self portrait 4X2 m. photograph on canvas purchased by the Ministry of Environment. Since nature can’t speak for itself, Israeli environment artist Shai Zakai has appointed herself as the human moderator. For more than a decade she’s been working as an ecological artist, to communicate and record humankind’s impact on our fragile world. […]
(Snapshot of the WWF coral map of Qatar and UAE coral reefs). With worrying reports of coral death globally, with global warming to blame, it’s heartening to hear that Arab nations, who are more known for causing global warming, are now working to protect coral reefs. Mapping the reefs to know where to install underwater […]
“So Hiram, King of Tyre, gave King Solomon timber of cedar and timber of cypress according to all his desire.”-Book of Kings vs. 24 A recent article by Ahmed Khatib in the Lebanese Daily Star emphasized the dangers of climate change and global warming to Lebanon‘s remaining cedar groves, which have been a historic national […]
I have to admit I thought they were fighting a losing battle. Despite the justice of their cause, it seemed that the odds were stacked well against the rightfully outraged Israelis who set up camp at the unspoiled Palmachim Beach just over a year ago. Equidistant from the coastal cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod […]
Several Middle Eastern countries are competing to have their natural treasures listed on the new “Seven Wonders of the World” online competition. Some friendly competition for a change? The Lebanese are lobbying that their majestic cave complex will make the list. The Jeita Grotto (pictured above), sits in a river valley near Beirut, and is […]