What happens when Norman Foster and Steve Jobs get together? The City of Apple, of course. Recently my macbook perished on the coast of Kenya. It was a terrible moment. All the images, music and words accumulated over four years flashed before my very eyes. There was no light to be seen, only a dark, […]
The third annual Green Awards were distributed last week at the Four Seasons hotel in Doha, Qatar. Qatar Today and its partners handed out the 2010 Green Awards last week. Leaders from all sectors of society attended the event, which was held on November 27th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, including high ranking […]
Middle East cities started “compact” and dense but now suffer from the same problems as the west. Tehran’s recent Smog Holidays show’s us something is wrong in Middle East cities. “Is compact urban growth good for air quality?” The research conducted by Brian Stone, Adam C. Mednick, Tracey Holloway, and Scott N. Spak in 2007 […]
Ohalo College of Katzrin brings sustainable development studies into the ivory tower. The world of academia and environmental activism do not always go hand in hand, and academics are notorious for their detachment from the real world. But some universities and colleges are an exception to this generalization. In fact, Tel Aviv University held a […]
Since the hype clearly failed, Masdar and Foster and Partners have turned to the nuts and bolts of building a sustainable city instead. Masdar and Foster and Partners (F&P) have eaten several servings of humble pie in the last few months. After a barrage of criticism related to the costs and failed expectations of Abu […]
Masdar students will soon be able to take a break from their hot, clean energy studies for a workout and a swim. Despite widespread criticism leveled at its organizers (which has simmered down since reaching its zenith with a New York Times article earlier this year), the Masdar City project plods on. Still in the […]
Does new crackdown demonstrate a gradual shift in Egyptian environmental policy? The Red Sea Governorate is cracking down on illegal, unsustainable development in Hurghada, Egypt, where 200,000 citizens are custodians of one of the earth’s most unique marine ecosystems. Though challenges to its coral reef system and overall health are numerous – including tourism and […]
Eva Ramos relies on 15 years of sustainability experience to lead Abu Dhabi down a greener path. With so much media criticism leveled at businesses and governments for their failure to incorporate more sustainable practices, it’s helpful to ensure that a path to achieving sustainability is clear. And so far, it isn’t. Ever tried changing […]
As the media and residents continue to unleash frustration at Beirut’s lack of healthy public spaces, the Green Party deftly moves in with solutions. After an era of uninhibited urbanization, Lebanon’s Green Party is politicizing Beirut’s absence of “green space.” Tel Aviv has Hayarkon, Cairo has Al-Azhar, and Dubai has the Ras al Khor Wildlife […]
For the very first time, UN World Development Information Day was observed by a conference in Israel. Since 1972, the United Nations has observed World Development Information Day every year on October 24th (which coincides with United Nations Day). The goal of this day is to concentrate global public opinion on international development problems and […]
A 21st Century Bionic Pioneer, Melissa Sterry talks to Green Prophet about built environments that embrace the volatile new world order. Melissa Sterry makes our spooky future full of increased flooding, stronger hurricanes, and severe drought look like a playground. By applying Resilience Theory, Biomimicry, and Living Architecture principles to every aspect of building, she […]
Israeli design couple Mey and Boaz Kahn create the coolest network of hollow tiles based on two ancient Middle Eastern heat-beating concepts. The Hebrew language demonstrates the extent to which ancient Jews valued or, more accurately, revered nature for its life-giving properties. My favorite example of this sacred interconnectedness is the word for rain, which […]
GE’s Nabil Habayeb connects growth and sustainability without a second thought. Is that still the best model? General Electric has long maintained a presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In addition to setting up an Ecomagination headquarters at Masdar City, GE has recently helped connect Turkey’s electricity backbone to Europe through smart […]
Before calling its tourism industry sustainable, Israel should first solve its Dead Sea problem. When Israel was invited to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) earlier this year, dissident voices condemned the move, citing its dubious human rights record. Israel’s contribution to science and technology sealed its inclusion in this elite group […]
Global Architecture Development circumvents heat and building codes with this house in Southwest Turkey. There’s all kinds of things you can do with roofs: in the Middle East, we like to party on the roof – that’s for sure, and you can lease it to farmers and electricity generators if you have enough space. You […]
With insufficient arable land of their own, Arab countries are farming in Sudan to secure their food future. Early last year Karin reported on a troubling trend – a neo-colonial land grab occurring in Africa: Britain, Sweden, Germany, and South Korea have all usurped fertile African land in order to develop various agricultural pursuits. Then […]
Kathleen Rogers and the world wide web have revolutionized citizen environmental activism. Since 1970, Earth Day has pivoted grassroots environmental activism in a powerful way, uniting the global community with global concerns. Numerous other campaigns have also emerged, providing untold opportunities for ordinary citizens to voice their insistence on a cleaner, safer, and saner future. […]
For the first time in history, Israeli architects who designed Tel Aviv’s Port took best design at the European Biennial of Landscape Architecture Awards. The port of Tel Aviv had been an abandoned concrete pile for years before Mayslits Kassif Architecture turned it into one of the most hopping spots in Israel’s seaside city. Every […]
Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry threatens to enforce their will in Palestinian territory, where the plans for Rawabi are not as green as Palestinian/Qatari developers profess. Israel’s excess extraction from the Jordan River (as well as other factors) could soon kill it altogether with serious ramifications for Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians. There is no question that one […]
With too much brilliance to choose from, judges of last week’s 72 Hour Urban Action Competition in Israel awarded two first prizes. It is less cumbersome than we’d like to believe to give densely packed urban centers a sustainable facelift. This was demonstrated last week during the 72 Hour Urban Action Initiative that tasked 120 […]
Teams have 72 hours to re-design an urban area in a pretty crumby satellite city in Israel. It’s guerilla urban architecture. We’ve all had the same thought: it’s been built, we’re stuck with it. This ugly urban mess we have created is here to stay and there’s nothing we can do about it; may as […]
If your design or project has serious green mettle, why not enter the Global Green Awards? We may have our fair share of not-so-eco maniacs in the Middle East, but we also have a powerful body of concerned citizens who realize that the success with which we develop sustainable options in every aspect of life […]
American engineering student Laura Stupin spends her first week on Masdar’s Mothership. Never mind the trumped up press releases that claimed for Masdar a zero carbon, zero waste, car-free city, or the derisive press that followed. And forget the original ambition to complete such unrealistic goals by 2015. Fast-forward instead to October, 2010, just over […]
More green wisdom from the United Kingdom: this week Clare unravels the many reasons to celebrate and cherish woodlands. Anne Frank found solace in the giant Chestnut tree that stood outside her home, while a Moroccan activist risked arrest to protect a precious stand of Cedar trees. And in Israel, to the outrage of Omer’s […]
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority paves the way for sustainable building in the increasingly “green” emirate. Although green building codes have existed in the United States, Australia and elsewhere for a while, the same phenomenon has only recently been adopted in the Middle East. Israel’s first eco-tower aspires to incorporate, and Intel has already achieved […]