Inspired by the Green Kindergarten initiative made by the Israeli government, I dug up this story I’d written earlier in the year on a unique environmental education center called The Greenhouse: Magical kingdoms and secret gardens don’t necessarily have to stay in the realm of fairy tales any more, proves an Israeli initiative – The […]
In a special ceremony, held in Bar-Ilan University earlier this month, some 48 green kindergartens located in the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, central and southern districts of Israel were certified “green.” An additional 34 kindergartens were certified earlier in the month, on December 3 in Haifa, 8 of which came from the Arab sector, reports the […]
Collecting everything but the kitchen sink, and well, maybe even that, Israel gets its first municipal center for “recycling and rational resource use,” announces the Ministry of Environmental Protection last week on Christmas Day. (Do they mean “national” or “rational?” We’re a little confused. Maybe lost in translation?) Moving on –– Located in Haifa, the center […]
Israelis are notorious for their love of gadgets. Well, at least Israeli men are. And Israeli kids. It’s a pretty true stereotype that Israeli elementary schoolers had their own cell phones way before cellphones were widespread in the US. Hand an Israeli kid pretty much any electronic gadget and they’ll figure it out in less […]
If you don’t, perhaps you know someone who does? Save your old t-shirts. If cut & sewn into long strips connecting them into one big ball of “yarn” they can be crocheted or knitted into heavy afghans, blankets, bedspreads, lap covers, rugs, or clothing, such as hats, scarves, or shawls and ponchos. Guaranteed, that you’ll […]
There are so many wonderful things that you can do with odd household throw-aways. Be creative and think outside the box, or INSIDE the box in some cases… Cereal boxes can make stylish and colorful bookmarks. Use empty tissue boxes to store extra plastic bags. Ever find that your chips get crushed? Pop them into […]
With everyone going back to school over the next few days, now is a good time to connect with parents from your children’s school. Find out who has children in grades above your child and see if you can get their old books. There are also many book stores which will buy and resell used […]
One of the best ways to reduce your waste is to reuse it. If you want to get rid of something, perhaps there is someone else out there that would treasure your rejects. When reading the news keep your eyes open for community events which give such opportunities. None in your neighborhood? Organize one! It […]
Junktion: Tel Aviv design studio founded in 2008. Lovers and joiners of what the city dwellers classify as junk. Junktion, one of Tel Aviv’s newest and most fabulous reuse design studios, tries “to create a meeting point with what the city has already classified as junk.” In taking everyday objects out of context (such as […]
We’ve heard of environmentally conscious Israeli designers doing some pretty crazy stuff with paper. Green Lullaby makes EcoCradles out of cardboard paper, Amit Brilliant turns used paper wrappers into wallets, and Erez Mulai transforms wasted paper into wastepaper baskets. While we think these designers are great and love their work, none of them has reinvented […]
Clever design, whether environmentally friendly or not, is something that everyone can appreciate. Who doesn’t love a passport case made out of map shower curtains, or a pencil sharpener that looks like an alligator? But we think that environmentally friendly design is almost always clever by default, because it reuses existing materials in creative and […]
Have your Naot (leather sandals and shoes) gotten dirty? To clean leather shoes, rub with banana peel (the inside of the peel), then wipe and buff with a cloth.
Recycling cans and bottles can be annoying: they clutter up your home, they smell if you don’t wash them out. But a little bit can go a long way… The average American drinks 216 liters of soft drinks each year. In soda cans that the equivalent of 648 cans a year. If you would cash […]
In the spirit of using every possible material available and avoiding waste, Israeli designer Zohar Yarom has found a creative and functional purpose for furniture fabric samples. She makes handbags out of them. After receiving degrees in design from the Bezalel school in Jerusalem and Parson’s in New York, Zohar founded her own ZY design […]
I know it sounds crazy, but composting is a great way to green your life, and it’s a lot easier than it sounds. But most important, it significantly reduces the damage we are doing to our environment. Most of the junk that goes into the garbage can be composted products like egg boxes and shredded […]