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 […]
Will Abu Dhabi’s municipal plan to “beautify” old souqs forever alter its cultural flair? Not long ago I described my hometown in Virginia, where humble wooden houses were replaced with giant McMansions. In that same town, there was an old woman who sold ice-cream out of a tiny little house on the outskirts of Great […]
As both a cultural and natural marvel, if Wadi Rum’s candidacy as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is approved, sustainability will be easier to achieve. Concerned organizations have taken huge leaps towards preserving Jordan’s culture and wild heritage. The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature have set aside an additional nine protected areas in […]
The first Arab country to create one, Morocco’s new charter provides a blueprint for environmental protection and sustainable energy production. In a first for the Arab world, the Moroccan government announced a National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development, becoming the first African country to launch any such ambitions. It is part of the country’s […]
Alice Miller claims that by denying the right to open a public ecological pool, Israel’s Health Ministry is also preventing a way of life. In Israel, where language and tradition are deeply rooted to nature, the shift away from the materialistic status quo is spreading. Several kibbutzim around the country are demonstrating that with a […]
Syria’s building its environmental research infrastructure one Masters at a time In addition to de-congesting its markets, albeit at the expense of certain locals, and improving local and foreign knowledge about Syria’s extraordinary biodiversity, the country appears to be taking important steps to educating their public about environmental issues. Often the unsung heroes spend their […]
As populations surge and climate change destroys existing crops, seed and gene banks prepare us for potential food-shortage emergencies. As we learned when fires raging through Russia destroyed wheat crops, countries all along the food chain, including Egypt, feel the pinch, though climate change is not all that puts at risk Israel’s tomato, cucumber, and […]
Rabbi Ian Pear believes that public institutions should take the lead in generating environmental awareness. The relationship between ecology and worldwide religions has taken center stage recently. Islamic leaders are speaking out and two traveling Americans found all manner of environmentally aware Muslims in their country. Also, if it ever lifts off, the famous “Ground […]
Iran’s high fatality rate is usually attributed to cultural attitudes towards road rules, and poor safety facilities. Driving cars can be a hazardous affair. Traffic congestion can make the mildest person tear out their hair, or at least abandon them altogether for public transportation. And in cities where public transportation is sketchy, some people may […]
Gentle artists and prophets inspired by nature offer a cure against environmental destruction This post takes its inspiration from two different stories. One by Mike Shanahan, an environmental journalist whose work we admire, and another published in Al MasryAlyoum. The first proposes that incorporating religious principles into our daily lives will heal our relationship with […]
Think of Israel and high tech, and the first word that pops into most minds is…Intel. Since setting up shop in the country in 1974, Intel Israel has been responsible for developing the Pentium and Centrino chips which power most PCs around the world. But in the future, if you put together Intel and Israel, […]