These are no ordinary pyramids. When built, eight orbiting solar-paneled pyramids surrounding one larger “earth” will generate enough energy to power 250 Abu Dhabi homes. For months we’ve been teetering at the edge of our seats waiting to learn who will win the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition. Finally, our waiting is over. […]
Remarkable “junk” cathedral is built by one man with a ton of faith. Have you ever got down on your knees and promised your creator that if you got that groovy green job, or if these natural stimulants improved your libido, or if that horrible bout of encephalitis went away, you would do something amazing? […]
Two award-winning companies – Aldar Properties and Enviromena – team up to solar power an Abu Dhabi school. ALDAR Properties is one of the largest real estate development, management and investment companies headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Their development portfolio includes hotels, marinas, schools, gulf courses, estates management, and theme parks. They are the people behind […]
The winner of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) will be announced at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) next week. Throughout 2010 we featured several remarkable entries to the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition that inspires energy as art. Making music with the sun was one such entry, and when Abu Dhabi […]
Known as the “Corniche Police,” these cousins have transformed Ras al Khaimah’s urban park. Despite their numerous environmental faux-pas, like the RAK global warming park, the UAE must be credited with its moments of genius. The latest campaign in Ras al Khaimah to clean up the Corniche is one such example. A popular park among […]
This building is designed to accommodate residents, commercial activity, and clean the Mapocho River. Is this what the Jordan River needs? Despite valiant efforts by Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and other worthy organizations, the Jordan River is in a perilous state. This 156 mile long river is ecologically essential to Israel, Jordan, […]
If you’re looking to rest your laurels somewhere warm and eco-friendly, why not consider Tunisia, the world’s most egalitarian Arab nation. Tunisia is the Arab world’s best secret. Not only does it boast high home ownership, high literacy, and good health care coverage, but it is so egalitarian that the First Lady boasts they don’t […]
The Princess worries that her ancestors would be horrified at our present waste of resources. Perhaps the new Dutch embassy in Amman would placate them? Jordan’s HRH Princess Samaya evoked traditional Arab values at the grand opening of the Dutch Embassy’s new Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certified building in Amman yesterday. Pointing […]
Everybody wants a greener Cairo, but residents don’t trust the government’s compensation plans. The Egyptian government can’t consistently strongarm elections and beat certain citizens to death and then expect its constituents to fall down with gratitude when their first serious green plan is rolled out. Especially when thousands of people will be pushed out of […]
A UAE facilities management company and a Swiss non-profit have teamed up to create the UAE’s first carbon-neutral bus. Just this week we learned that Gulf countries are considering ending oil subsidies and that an Eco-Playbus is tooting around Bethlehem, showing some signs that the Middle East is moving towards a more sustainable future. That […]
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 […]