Iconic island pays for our cans of tuna and flip flops
Your tuna is contributing to more than 80% of the plastic waste clogging up the Seychelles Islands. It would make David Attenborough cry.
plastic waste
Water purifier company takes on plastic polluters at UN climate conference
Bluewater, a world leading water purification technology and solutions leader, today called on global energy, finance and environment ministers attending the UN’s Climate Conference in Madrid to take a powerful approach to tackling water quality issues that are spurring sales of polluting single-use plastic bottles of water.
Internatonal Coastal Cleanup Day makes world beaches cleaner.
Solid and liquid waste pollution on most world beaches is an issue that appears to be getting worse; despite efforts by volunteer environmentalists in the Middle East and elsewhere to make beaches cleaner and more eco friendly. Whether it be plastic littered beaches on such places as Midway Island, caused largely by plastic wastes accumulating in the Great […]
The edible Ooho water bottle could save us from plastic
Plastic. No word assaults our sensibilities more. Plastic in the bellies of baby birds; plastic strangling marine animals; plastic leaching chemicals into our water supply. Plastic everywhere. But with Ooho, an edible water ‘bottle’ that just about anyone can make, we could get a handle on the plastic mess – at least a little one.
Recycling Plastic Bags and Bottles- a Few Easy Ways
Recyclable plastics or wastes for the dump? The choice is ours. Plastic items that usually get discarded and wind up being buried in landfills or washed out to sea are serious issues brought up during annual events like Earth Day. The seriousness of large amounts of plastic debris in the worlds seas and oceans have raised […]
Green Prophet Upcycles Jordan’s Politicians Into Hip Handbags
Laurie recycles a Jordanian political poster into a handbag. Here’s how she does it. Voting is underway for Jordan’s Parliament. I’m not running, but I have this one in the bag! Hundreds of posters are hanging along Amman roadways; a somber assemblage of Middle Eastern manhood, mostly mustachioed. No wonder there’s tension in the lead-up […]
Recycling for Earth Day
Just a few plastic containers that can be reused or recycled Another Earth Day is upon us, and for those of us living the Middle East the very origins of this ecological event have much to do a lot with fossil fuel based energy so prevalent in this region. Aside from the frequently discussed issues surrounding […]
Plastic Eco-Brick Proposal Wins Dubai Resident a UN Citizen Ambassadorship
Dubai-based Jonathan Eric Defante plastic “eco-brick” pitch won him a UN Citizen Ambassadorship. Jonathan Eric Defante submitted his “One Bottle, One Life” YouTube pitch to the United Nations as a potential solution for poor recycling performance around the world. The Filipino man living in Dubai suggested that people can build their own homes made out […]
Will Bridges of Recycled Plastic Work in Middle East?
A bridge like this of recycled plastic could also work in the Middle East A bridge from recycled plastic, and strong enough to support a car or truck’s weight? This may seem hard to believe; but after covering art from recycled socks, chairs from recycled newspapers, and even a large Christmas tree from recycled plastic […]
PET Bottles Upcycled Into Art Using Glass Blowing Techniques
PET bottles hark back to their glass bottle predecessors using traditional glass blowing techniques. Plastic bottles have pretty nasty reputations for being bad for human health and the environment. Very few people are arguing that plastic bottles (and especially bottled water) are a good thing in the long run. Some companies, such as Israeli fashion […]
Big Business Sponsors Recycling Vending Machines in Lebanon
Lebanon could get a lot cleaner thanks to a brilliant plan devised jointly by Nestle Pure, Spinneys, and Servicorp. That’s right. Nestle Pure, Spinneys, and Servicorp are planning to save Lebanon from the plastic waste that kills tens of thousands of Mediterranean creatures each year by introducing reverse vending machines to certain Spinneys locations throughout […]
The UAE’s Plastic Bag Story Isn’t Eco-Happy Yet
The plastic bag story isn’t over yet, but it’s definitely on the right track. United Arab Emirates’ residents are awash with excitement over the Ministry of Environment and Water’s moves to ban conventional plastic bags by 2013. And so they should be. Plastic bags are the bane of natural existence. They leach toxic materials into […]
Dubai’s Waste amongst the Highest in the World
UAE minister reveals that Dubai is amongst the top producers of waste in the world Dubai, which is one of the seven emirates of United Arab Emirates, is no stranger to green controversy. From justifying mega malls by certifying them green to a growing market in shark fins despite a 2008 ban, the city certainly […]
It’s The Beginning Of The End For Plastic Bags In Abu Dhabi
This story makes our hearts sing! Taking the threat of plastic bags seriously, Abu Dhabi is preparing for the 2013 total ban with a plastic-free weekend. Residents of the United Arab Emirates use 11.6 billion plastic bags every year. That’s 11.6 billion camel-killing, toxin-oozing, non-biodegradable bags that choke our water ways and blight beautiful places. […]
The Green Sheikh Rubber Stamps Cradle To Cradle Event
Green Sheik and Michael Braungart at green event in Abu Dhabi. One of the most respected environmental activists in the Middle East, no sustainability conference is complete without H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi’s stamp of approval. So it is an enormous compliment that the “Green Sheikh” attended an event co-hosted by Abu Dhabi’s leading […]
Nature: Plastic Waste Kills 100,000 Mediterranean Creatures Each Year
Tiny pieces of plastic invisible to humans is likely behind the death of thousands of Mediterranean mammals, turtles, and fish. Maurice once speculated whether the Mediterranean has a plastic waste situation comparable to that of the Pacific, an issue particularly sensitive to our favorite eco-hunk David de Rothschild. His hunch – informed by empirical evidence […]
New Machine Converts Plastics Back To Oil
This may well be one of the most revolutionary machines to hit the market, although, in a way, it couldn’t be simpler. Plastic chokes everything. Our water ways, including the Mediterranean. Camels and other animals. And given that it is made from petroleum products, it is a drain on our energy sources. A Japanese man […]
Chevy Volt Hybrids Made From BP Spill Oil Booms
Oil booms and other rubber and plastic wastes are now becoming car parts The recent 5 month oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has created a “by product” in the form of oil soaked plastic booms that will be recycled to make plastic components in General Motor’s new Chevrolet Volt hybrid car. The […]