Climate change predictions for the Middle East, like other arid regions of the world, are alarming. In an area known for its water scarcity, rainfall is expected to decrease even further in the near future, spelling disaster for the functioning of unique ecosystems — hotspots of biodiversity and rich genetic fodder for essential crops. To […]
Today there are a dizzying variety of wildflowers blooming across Israel, welcoming the months of spring. Fifty years ago some of these plant species were on the verge of extinction. With the help of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and the Nature Reserves Authority, the 1965 campaign to publicize the law […]
This little critter, the common red worm, is a natural organic composting machine Composting for improvement of houseplants and gardens and made in your backyard or even in your own living room is a subject covered frequently in Green Prophet. Composting equipment can cost as little as ten dollars for a vegetable compost bin or […]
A new seed treatment could stop the use and need for GMOs. Even though organic agriculture and sustainable farming practices are on the rise, feeding a hungry world demands that commercial farmers rely on genetically engineered (GMO) seeds to boost production and fend off diseases. But environmentalists fear that GMO crops are a sort of […]
Pungent and bittersweet, garlic is no stranger to Muslim cuisine. Check out what makes it eco-holy and why a clove a day is a needed health top-up.
Early morning on a Saturday in May I headed out on my routine weekend nature trip into the desert. My visit was to a desert area in Sharjah that is approximately 25 kilometers away from Sharjah City and is an area I have been frequenting now for a few years. My trip goals were two-fold: […]
Tomato sprouts growing with AC water: waste not want not! Another hot summer is now upon us and most people in the Middle East that have them are running their air conditioning units at full blast. Many people may not realize that their AC units are also producing large amounts of “run off” water that […]
In addition to paper and plastic, now Israelis will be able to recycle their garden and windowsill plants too. When redesigning one’s garden, sometimes perfectly healthy plants get tossed out in the shuffle. The plants are not sick or anything, but simply do not match the new landscaping theme of the garden. These carbon dioxide […]
The world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, was given the ultimate green burial. Read more on how Muslims bury the deceased at land and sea.
Vegan-friendly lip enhancers? CollPlant makes an animal-free collagen, using tobacco plants. Advocates of vegetarianism often point out the detrimental effects of raising livestock on the environment. One frequently cited study is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, showing that livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of […]
Listed as one of the oldest trees in the world, the Iranian cedar of Yazd, is dying. The oldest living Iranian creature, a cedar tree in Abarghu (or Abarkuh) near Yazd in center of Iran, is about to die. There are different opinions about the real age of this famous tree considered a symbol of […]
In the alien and isolated landscape of the Socotra Island, just off the coast of Yemen, biodiversity is in a struggle for survival Declared an UNESCO world heritage site in July 2008, the Socotra Archipelago which is located in the northwest Indian Ocean is home to some of the rarest species in the world. According […]
Pauline discovers in her review of “Uses & Abuses of Plant-Derived Smoke” that there is more to plant-based smoke than meets the eye. Read on for details. You’ve heard of tobacco and cannabis but what about jimsonweed or torchwood? This book demonstrates that there’s a lot more to smoke created from plant material than just […]
Reporters Without Borders is providing Mohammed Attaoui legal assistance for trumped up charges received for exposing government corruption over illegal logging. In March 2010, as Morocco hit the headlines with plans for an environmental charter and a $9 billion solar project, an environmental activist was arrested for exposing the illegal logging of protected cedar. Just […]
New Tel Aviv University research investigates anti-fungal agents in the sticky “pitchers” of carnivorous plants. Biomimicry at its best. In the tropics, carnivorous plants trap unsuspecting prey in a cavity filled with liquid known as a “pitcher.” The moment insects like flies, ants and beetles fall into a pitcher, the plant’s enzymes are activated and […]