With its lavish six-star hotels and glitterati reputation, Dubai has quickly risen to fame as a tourist paradise. But now that fame might be heading towards infamy, as sewage including excrement and the contents of septic tanks has been pouring onto Dubai’s tourist-filled beaches. Doctors are warning bathers that they run the risk of contracting […]
Kids on bikes cruise past Azrieli towers. A couple of years ago I read a book called Carfree Cities, which put forward a very convincing case for reducing the use of private cars in the city, and set out a whole series of design alternatives which, according to author J.H. Crawford, would obviate the need […]
In a few hours Jews in Israel will start the annual holiday Yom Kippur, and a day-long fast. It is by default, the greenest day of the year in Israel. For more than 24 hours, starting at sunset tonight, Jewish people will not only refrain from eating, but driving, shopping, wearing leather (and body lotion), […]
About 500 bodies wait submerged in a Philippine ferry –– ironically named the Princess of the Stars –– until divers and authorities feel it is safe to proceed. The ferry capsized en route to Manila in June after being hit by a typhoon, killing an estimated 750 people. Only 56 people survived the accident, while […]
Earth Future is a collection of very worthy short stories. It is immediately clear that Guy Dauncey is not writing from a literary and imaginative viewpoint: he is really telling us stories about how the world could be, using some real social tools and shifts, and in one or 2 stories, how bad the world […]
If you live near a school, then you know what 8 am and afternoon pick up times mean for the environment. With all of those parents driving their individual children to and from school, the carbon emissions associated with getting elementary, middle, and high school students to school can be pretty detrimental. Not only is […]
Volunteering is a great way you can raise your awareness during the US National Pollution Prevention week. Can we honestly ask others to make changes if we are not working ourselves? It’s not always easy to volunteer but there are many different levels and degrees of involvement one can take. In three easy steps you […]
It’s National Pollution Prevention Week in the USA this week. This is a great time to assess your wasting habits. Where can I waste less (which inevitably means save too) Share ideas with friends. Start a campaign!
Image credit Keetsa Tons of soot is being released into the air annually as forest fires rage from California to the Amazon to Siberia and Indonesia. Climate scientists have generally assumed that the main effect of smoke on climate is cooling, as the floating particles can reflect some solar energy back to space as well […]
Literally, postal. It was quite a pleasant surprise when we found out that in 1975 Israel came out with stamps encouraging civillians to protect their environment. Not only was the message beautiful, but the stamps were pretty darn good looking too. Designed by Israeli artist and sculptor Eliezer Weishoff (whose monuments and other creations are […]
Zalul, the non-profit marine NGO, has released it’s 2008 State of the Sea Report. Yesterday a press conference was held at Cafe Masada in Tel Aviv with over 20 members of the press gathering to hear the latest news about the state of Israel’s Mediterranean Sea. This year was a wake-up call to the public and […]
When I was growing up whenever we would go to a park or on a camping trip, my parents would instill in me the importance of leaving the area where we had just been cleaner than how we had found it. This is probably one of the most influential ideas from my parents that has […]
It’s one thing to be a polluter and another to have the chutzpah to not pay your fine. According to Haaretz, Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is having such a hard time collecting fines that they are now issuing a tender to help collect and handle debts totaling NIS 60m. It’s a sad story, really, […]
For two days this week, at Jerusalem’s Conference Centre, the first Jerusalem Environment and Nature Conference took place. You can read a preview post here. For this Green Prophet correspondent and greenie, it wasn’t the dull political speeches and pontificating that mattered (all of the politicians who showed up, spoke and left immediately, kindly donated […]
Things are really hotting up this week in the great debate about air transport being the big nasty in terms of pollution and climate change, as well as the social impact of airport expansion. Firstly, Virgin Airways, of the entrepreneurial Richard Branson type, unleashed its first test flight of a plane using bio-fuel from Heathrow. […]