Seasteading: utopian floating cities or safe haven for western pirates?
The Seastead Institute and its branch projects aim to build a new society free of government ties, on the water.
sustainable cities
Refugees code their way to assylum
A new project by the City of Tel Aviv is offering a coding course to selected refugees, giving them a jumpstart to a new career path. And in my eyes a chance to influence the machine.
How can air filters control indoor pollution?
One Particle at a Time: An Examination on How Air Filters Can Control Indoor Pollution
Arab Emirates wants to colonize Mars
Build a “mini city” on Mars? A project being conceived in the United Arab Emirates plans to construct a human settlement on the Red Planet within the next 100 years. These plans are a result of environmental studies made at Abu Dhabi’s on-going sustainable Masdar City environmental project which also studies the wrath of global warming and its […]
Want to live on Mars? Gala dinner in LA unveils first opportunities to eat like a Martian
If you could move to Mars, what would your house look like? Would you eat from your local hydroponic Martian farm, drink wine from the Martian vineyard and eat meat cultured by vegetarian butchers? Mars architect Vera Mulyani is building the first Mars City, on Earth, and is pretty sure your future home on Mars, […]
Mysterious Stonehenge-like rock found in Israel leaves more questions than answers
We’re so caught up in present politics that a new and mysterious message from ancient governments of the past, might be telling us something. A new underground Stonehenge-like arrangement of rocks has been found in Israel – the first for the Middle East. It is believed to be more than 4,000 years old. Older than […]
6 best Middle Eastern cities to visit for a staycation
In these days, when jet setting around the globe is becoming less popular due to environmental concerns, it’s worth remembering there are lots of fascinating destinations right here in the Middle East. Try a staycation! Just a couple of hours on a plane can take you to cities full of breathtaking sights, fascinating historic buildings and museums full […]
How to grow an olive tree in a container
Don’t have a garden? You can still own a fruiting olive tree, grown in a container. A sunny balcony and the right climate are the essential things; that, and time. Italians have grown fruit trees in containers for centuries, keeping them protected in special sheds during the winter. Come spring, the trees are wheeled out […]
World Food Day Rally Slams Chemical Giant Monsanto in Amsterdam
World Food Day, commemorated on October 16 is an annual event whose purpose is to find ways to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in various parts of the world. Green Prophet was there.
Finding Peace In The Little Aya Sophia Mosque, Istanbul
I recently spent a weekend in Istanbul, one of my most beloved cities. My hotel was based in Fatih, the run down section of the old town, and it overlooked the Little Aya Sofya mosque – also spelled Sophia, or Sofia. The morning before I flew, I thought it would be the perfect moment to […]
Zakaria Café Returns to Sustainable Lebanese Roots
At the heart of Beirut, Zakaria counters corporate cafe culture with art and heritage As larger coffee and restaurant chains take over the streets of Beirut and other Lebanese cities, smaller, local cafes are abandoning their businesses as they are faced with too much competition. Walking away from the scene is not only a coffee shop […]
How Richard III Helps Green Burials
Remains of Richard III as found under Leicester parking lot. Multi-level burial may have prevented this from occurring Photo: Washington Post As human populations increase, finding greener ways to bury the dead are ranging from sea burials to more simple land burials such as those practiced by Jews and Muslims. Even more bizarre ways of disposing […]
Proposed Tel Aviv SkyTran Project is “Up in the Air”
Situated above the treeline, SkyTran commuter pods will not interfere with normal traffic: Photo illustration by NASA/SkyTran Developing economical and green urban transit systems have not been easy. This includes such planned transit innovations as the commuter pod transit system being planned for Abu Dhabi’s carbon neutral Masdar City and a new commuter light rail line […]
Gardening For Fruit With the Kids At Home
A few months ago together with three enthusiastic family kids I started a gardening experiment: growing fruits out of the seeds we collected from fruits we ate, just planting it in the backyard. We used tomato, watermelon and melon seeds, the kids even made signs for each. Though all seeds sprouted, the watermelon seedling was first […]
10 Ways Abu Dhabi Leads The Arab Gulf’s Green Revolution
Abu Dhabi’s stellar efforts to raise green performance across industry sectors position that Gulf state as regional leader in both conceiving sustainable solutions, and more critically, setting them in action. There are some more famous projects like the multi-million dollar zero-energy city Masdar. But this is just the tip of the bucket. Read on for […]
GreenBo Planters Help Your Patio Garden Grow
Looking to build a city or vertical garden in a cramped space? These designer planters from Israel grow deep, and are good for carrots and tomatoes. Gardens growing on your patio or deck can get a facelift this year with a new planter from Israel that just won a prestigious design award. The Greenbo concept […]
Tel Aviv Goes on Bike Impounding Rampage
Bikes blocking traffic or crosswalks are being impounded in Tel Aviv. From the first time I visited Tel Aviv more than a decade ago, up until today so much has changed in the way the city’s residents accept cycling. Back then if you rode a bike you were either a migrant worker pushing fabric rolls […]
Tel Aviv and Beirut Are Most Expensive City for Expatriates
Beirut overtakes Abu Dhabi and Dubai, becoming the most expensive city for expatriates in the Middle East region, after Tel Aviv According to Mercer’s latest Cost of Living survey Tokyo has become the world’s most expensive city for expatriates, pushing Luanda, Angola to second place while Karachi, Pakistan is ranked as the world least expensive […]
Environmental Health Courses Not In Best Medical Schools: New Study
Air pollution is one of many environmental factors that impact public health. But doctors aren’t learning about this, finds new Israeli study. According to a new study by Israeli medical students, doctors in the United States, Israel and Europe are receiving inadequate environmental health education. The study, titled “Our Health and Environment,” was sponsored by […]
Is Urbanizing the Solution to Israel’s Housing Crisis?
Forest in central Israel, as seen from Ein Karem Some architects and economists are proposing Israel solve its affordable housing crisis by turning central Israel into a “megacity,” similar to Hong Kong, and moving the nation’s lush nature reserves and agricultural lands to the Negev and the Galilee. Supporters of this solution insist it would […]
Egypt’s Toshka New Valley Project: A Failure of Planning or a Failure of Implementation
Manufactured landscapes and Toskha, a planned city to create a second Nile Valley in Egypt The Middle East is no stranger to construction failures. This page on Arabia Business gives an almanac of such failures. What is interesting about this list is the presence of some substantially big names. Failure of mega construction projects in […]
Greenwashing the Brotherhood
Surprisingly they are inspired by Hassan Fathy: we interview Egypt’s Brotherhood’s Think Tank on Environmental Policy – A Green Prophet Exclusive The Muslim Brotherhood estimates that 70 percent of Egypt’s agriculture might be affected by pollution. And in a while they will probably be in charge. It’s time to ask them how they’ll remediate this. […]
Lebanon’s ‘Weak State’ Supports Construction Boom, Environmental Bust
An interesting report published at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East institute by Waltraud- Frommherz-Hassib called “No Plan?…. Money rules” (links to PDF) reveals alarming issues concerning the lack of regulation of construction practices in Lebanon that are undermining the quality of life its people and are steering the country towards an environmental and urban […]
Green Prophet’s 11 Eco Heroes of 2011
Our VIP list of 11 environment heroes for the Middle East 2011. If you don’t know these people already, now is the time to start. Top heroes are from Israel, Turkey and Iraq. The year 2011 has been a year like no other in the Middle East. We’ve seen protests against corruption, people have taken […]
Alon Tal Paints a Picture of Israel’s Environment Wrongs and Rights (INTERVIEW)
Joshua interviews Israel’s most influential and accomplished environmentalist, Dr. Alon Tal. Where is Israel at in terms of environmental protection? Get the scoop here. Israel has introduced several environmental protections in the last few years, but many problems remain. Although massive social protests swept Israel over the summer, environmental issues were not at the fore. […]