I’ve had about 6 bikes stolen over the years in the city,  and then later when my ugly little Ukrainian throwback got stolen, possibly “removed” from my street, it got me thinking about the best strategies for keeping my bike safe and sound.

Writes Rick Polito, author of a bike guide writes: “Nature is a master of disguise. The tiger swallowtail caterpillar starts out as a bird dropping to discourage hungry birds…having an ugly bike doesn’t mean having a junky bike. A bike thief may see the gem under the Krylon, but he also knows he can’t sell it as quickly as the tricked out speedster at the other end of the bike rack.”

When I buy shiny new bikes, I take care of them. I bring them in my house, I buy them a good lock, they feel safe and secure to drive… but after my last new metallic purple street bike got stolen, I imagined it was time to buy the ugliest bike I could get my hands on. Certainly no thief wants an ugly bike. It turns out they do, but it takes longer for the ultimate act to take place.

Some tips to “ugly” your bike:

1. Remove any flashy stickers or brand name labels from your bike.

2. Buy second hand so the bike already looks worn.

3. Repaint it with a cheap matte black or army green spray paint. Don’t be modest with the paint. Over-spraying is a good thing. Not on the gears, chain, or brakes though. 

4. Decorate it with ugly stickers, possibly a car air freshener, or fake animal fur.

5. Attach a milk crate or a rusty rack for carrying stuff.

6. Fake rust your bike with modern spray paint from the hardware store.

7. Tear a hole in your saddle (when it’s raining cover with plastic bag).

8. Add some duct tape to the frame.

9. Consider adding some streamers or spokey dokeys.

10. Visit U-G-L-Y Your Bike, a great how-to guide that offers step-by-step tips to keep your “first class ride” from the hands of thieves.

Tip: buy it ugly new. Here are some fugly e-bikes you might want to try.

The post Make your bike ugly and theft-proof appeared first on Green Prophet.

Intel’s massive buyout of Israel’s driverless car innovator and electronic sensor company Mobileye may finally give the driverless car concept the attention it so well deserves. Intel, whose computer chips and semiconductor technology is found in nearly every personal computer, appears now to be very serious about being involved in the driverless car concept.

Prior to the March 13 press releases by both Mobileye and Intel Corp, experiments in driverless car technology have been carried out by companies such as Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors, Uber’ self-driving taxi tests, and by software search engine giant Google.

So far, experiments using driverless car technologies have had mixed results, with test cars “struggling” when approaching bridges and when dealing with complex road work and environmental challenges.

Mobileye, an advanced technologies company based in Israel, was founded in 1999 with the aim to develop what it refers to as ‘vision-safety technology’ to make cars and roads safer, reduce traffic congestion and save lives. Mobileye helped develop devices to enable cars to “sense” approaching obstacles like other vehicles, pedestrians; and even walls and other obstacles in parking lots.

This resulted in what is now known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)  that are now
commonplace in many new cars. These systems have been used for years in taxis in Israel.

As stated by Ziv Aviram, CEO and co-founder of Mobileye: “Drivers are responsible for 93 percent of road accidents. We have an epidemic of the modern world, and in some sense, we’ve become indifferent. There is a remedy that will save a million and a half lives and 50 million injuries a year, and therefore the autonomous car trend has caught on and can’t be stopped. It won’t be stopped.”

Once installed, Mobileye’s vision sensors literally view the road ahead and warns the driver in real-time of approaching road dangers.

So why would a computer chip giant like Intel want to invest so much money, $15.3 Billion, in a company like Mobileye? The answer: Intel wants to be a partner and major game player in the development of driverless cars. The future of this technology appears to be well worth such a large investment from Intel’s point of view. There is also much more at stake than only having cars with artificial intelligence sophisticated enough to drive themselves.

Mobileye’s advanced vision systems are already in use in many late model cars today. This will hopefully help reduce the number of road accidents on major streets and highways. These vision systems alone gave Mobileye a total revenue of more than $358 Million in 2016; a gain of over 47% over the previous year.

With Intel and Mobileye joining forces in such a big way, it shouldn’t long before the driverless car concept will be commonplace in large American, European and Asian cities; especially with taxi companies like Uber.

Read more about self-driving cars and electric car technology:
Google goes for awesome driverless car concept
Driverless Tesla electric car will test run on Israel’s Better Place grid
Will GM make electric cars the right way?

The post Intel’s massive Mobileye buyout heralds bright future to driverless car technology appeared first on Green Prophet.

Considering all of the technological advances made in bicycles, cars and trains; the humble wheelchair hasn’t advanced very much since the first one was invented for King Philip II of Spain in 1595. An Israeli startup SoftWheel is about to change that with a bike and wheelchair wheel that is more comfortable and more efficient.When an unfortunate accident left Gilad Woolf  with a broken leg and dependent on a wheelchair, the farmer had first hand experience of how uncomfortable wheelchairs can be for the millions of people who rely on them for everyday transportation indoors as well as outdoors.

In fact, this varied terrain is one of the factors contributing to wheelchair discomfort and inefficiency. A wheel designed for the smooth floor inside a house or a public building is completely inappropriate for traveling on a rocky field or bumpy road.

Daniel Barel, the CEO of SoftWheel, told the Jerusalem Post that his company’s new suspension technology is an integral part of the wheel that is selective and symmetric.

It remains static on standard floors or smooth pavements but shifts to an active response mode when the wheel encounters obstacles. The wheel’s hub symmetrically expands or shrinks to absorb the transmitted shock.

This active suspension preserves more of the forward motion energy that would normally be lost as the suspension allows the wheelchair to bob and sag. It also allows the wheelchair to ride over curbs and bumps that might have stopped traditional wheelchairs, giving users better access to places where ramps haven’t yet been installed.

Watch the video to see Softwheel’s “Acrobat” wheel in action:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNE4YvxEwc8[/youtube]

The new company has financial backing from the RAD BioMed Accelerator group and is in collaboration with the Ziv-Av Engineering group. They are initially designing these wheels for wheelchairs, city bicycles and aircraft landing gear but the company says the technology would be used for other wheeled vehicles.

This is not to be confused with the Israeli designer Ron Arad and his Soft-Wheel invention from 2011. He’s invented, though probably not for commercial reasons, a bike wheel that will never go flat. See below.

::Softwheel 

The post Softwheel uses inner suspension arms to re-invent the wheel for bikes and chairs [video] appeared first on Green Prophet.

Previously stalled for economic reasons, the double track rail tunnel would provide a crucial link between Europe and North Africa, according to Morocco World News.

ECOSOC recently convened in Geneva to discuss this and other initiatives, and the submarine rail was promoted by African and European supporters as an economic and even social boon for both countries.

Europe, crippled by austerity measures and other financial woes, could penetrate and uplift the African market, which would in turn provide Morocco with a fiscal boost.

More than any other North African nation, Moroccan has gone to great lengths to make the country favorable to international investors.

Widespread architectural, infrastructural, and energy development projects are under way, though not always to the benefit of the country’s rural population, and the €10 billion transportation project would continue this push to become a world player.

The submarine railway would extend from Punta Paloma in southern Spain to Punta Malabata, which is just east of Tangiers. Albeit longer than another proposed route, this waterway west of the Strait of Gibraltar is said to be the most shallow.

At the end of its annual meeting, ECOSC drafted a resolution calling on the Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commissions for Africa and Europe to explore the project and report back.

This takes place just half a year after Spain ditched the Desertec project designed to create a renewable energy link between the two continents, so these plans shouldn’t be taken as firm until the lights are switched on.

Still, if the project does lift off, it could be completed as soon as 2025.

:: Morocco World News

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High performance sports cars, including the  gold Mercedes sports coupes burning blends of biofuel are not exactly on most people’s minds as being environmentally friendly. But these are the kind of cars loved by the wealthy and extravagant men of the Middle East who like to show off their assets. Even electric sports cars, such as those made by Tesla Motors  and which have had a slow start in regions like the Middle East still have to rely on fossil fuel fired power stations to supply the electricity needed to recharge their lithium battery packs. A new Israeli-made body composite material will be making hot rods all the more rideable (in the green sense).

America’s love for fast, sporty cars, has been romanticized for nearly 60 years by the two seater Chevrolet Corvette model, which first appeared in the late summer of 1953. Since then, America’s most loved domestic sports car has undergone more than six generations of design changes; and it’s original molded fiberglass body has been enhanced with more up-to-date types of synthetic composite materials and plastic moldings.

The car’s engine has also undergone a vast number of changes; and new 6 and 7 liter engine versions, which are designed to run on mixtures of gasoline and ethanol, no way resemble its original 235 cu. inch straight 6 cylinder engine which burned only top premium leaded fuel.

Chevrolet’s newest version of this car, the 2014 model, will be lighter than recent predecessors, and will incorporate lighter synthetic fiber and plastic molding materials into its body and a new “hydroformed” aluminum frame.

Some of the plastic material to be used in the car is being designed by an Israeli plastic company Plasan, located in Kibbutz Sasa in Israel’s northern Galilee region. In addition to making special armor for military vehicles, including those used by the US military Plasan has now been called on by GM  to design body parts for the 2014 Corvette model to reduce the car’s body mass and make it stronger.

The Corvette Stingray name, discontinued in 1976, will return for versions of this car as well.

Plasan’s technology will be found on the C7’s front fenders, doors, rear quarter panels, and the rear hatch panel that were all made with the lighter-density sheet molding compound than the car’s previous generation,” according to ISRAEL21c.

A lighter Chevy Corvette is still not a good answer to turning this car into something green; but a slightly lighter weight may result in better fuel savings, which is something this type of car surely needs.

Read more on sports and fast cars, including electric ones:

Speed Sisters Arab Women are top Ranked

Fisker Karma Owner Aims to Debunk Fire Hazard Stories

Abu Dhabi’s Sold Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious “Green” Development

The Middle East Can Only Drool Over Tesla Electric Sport Roadsters

The post Plasan Greens Chevrolet’s 2014 Corvette Body appeared first on Green Prophet.

Thousands of readers were enthralled by the cardboard bicycle from Israel and the Egyptian scientist who discovered a way to generate biofuel from plastic. McDonalds finally succumbed to international pressure to drop pink slime from their menu, and The Shard by starchitect Renzo Piano, which was financed by Qatar, was finally inaugurated in London. Hit the jump to see these and other stories that captivated our readers in 2012.

1. Cardboard Bike From Israel Makes Green Cycling Easier

Nobody, least of all inventor Izhar Gafni, could have predicted the popularity of Israel’s $9 cardboard bike. Perfected after a series of false starts, this extraordinary design made from recycled cardboard can handle everything that would seem impossible – including moisture and weight. Gafni and his partner became so popular they had to hire someone to respond to all the email inquiries they received from every reach of the globe. And now they’re working on commercializing the product, along with cardboard wheelchairs for Africa.

2. Are ESL’s a Mercury-Free Replacement for CFL Lights

In 2012 we brought on a new science writer Brian Nitz, who wrote this fantastic piece about ESL’s and CFL lights, and our readers hung on every word. “If only there were a light bulb as efficient as a compact fluorescent light (CFL), but without the ghastly green light and brain-eating  toxic mercury,” Brian wrote before proceeding to complete a thorough analysis of Electron Stimulated Luminance (ESL) lights. The popularity of this post revealed to what extent our readers are concerned to reduce their energy consumption, but not to the detriment of health.

3. Biofuels from Plastic for Young Egyptian Scientist

Just 16 years old, Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad from the Zahran Language School in Alexandria discovered a new catalyst that facilitates the conversion of plastic into biofuels. As soon as news of this hit the blogging world, Faiad became an international sensation. This is due in part to the context in which her inspiring story came to light. Egypt has spent the last year lifting its head over a wall of socio-political problems such that basic goods and services have been neglected and the economy has tanked. The country needed good news and so did you – our readers.

4. Dead Dugong With ‘Tears of Blood’ Found in Egypt

People aren’t suffering Egypt’s transition alone. With opportunists keen to exploit Egypt’s all-time sluggish regulatory environment in order to make a fast buck, a host of new developments are being planned without any of the necessary environmental oversight. Nowhere is this more true than the Sinai Peninsula, which has long been a haven for foreigners, and the Red Sea is suffering the consequences. Recently a dead dugong that was discovered quickly became a symbol of the tragedy that has befallen Egypt’s wild creatures.

5. Renzo Piano’s The Shard Inaugurated

As Europe and the United States continue to battle severe economic problems, Gulf nations are quietly building up their economies on the back of fossil fuel sales. Qatar has cast a particularly wide net. In addition to developing several projects back home, such as the solar-powered World Cup stadiums, the emirate stepped in to finance Renzo Piano’s controversial pyramidal structure in London. The latest tallest building to dominate Western Europe, the tower is 1,016 feet tall and 95% of it is owned by the government of Qatar.

6. Abu Dhabi’s Electric Superbus

Probably more than any other Gulf nation, Abu Dhabi has surged ahead with a host of sustainable initiatives. Masdar continues to grow from strength to strength, forging connections with forward thinking progressives across the globe in order to make the emirate more resilient to climate, energy and hydrological challenges, and various government agencies have implemented other initiatives. However, the emirate tends to add a touch of extravagance to just about everything it does, which is certainly true of the electric Superbus – a 15 meter long luxurious commuter vehicle that was certified as road legal this year.

7. Pink Slime

Nothing hooks readers better than a title like Pink Slime, and so it should. Used for years in fast food chains as a meat enhancer, ammonium hydroxide is also said  kill e-coli bacteria – a common problem when using meat scraps to create meat patties. When news broke alongside a series of disturbing images of a pink foam substance, outrage ensued and McDonalds and other restaurant chains were forced to find an alternative.

8. Cooking Pans That Kill With Color

Slightly less inspirational than the cardboard bicycle, this story from Israel caused all kinds of drama. An Israeli consumer protection show called Kolbotek alleged that ceramic cookware may be damaging to health as it may contain lead and cadmium, which cause a number of serious medical problems such as brain damage and cancer. One company in particular – Neoflam – was signaled out and subsequently filed a law suit against the TV show.

9. Underwater Hotel Plans Revived in Dubai

Dubai has pitched a slew of insane projects over the years. Some have soared, like the Burj Dubai, while others have yet to reach fruition. We thought the The Water Disqus Hotel (WDH) would inevitably fail, but the plans have been revived and the project’s new investment team has received exclusive rights to build in all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Which means that in time, wealthy residents of Dubai and other Gulf countries could soon spend the night underwater looking at whatever pretty fish are left to see.

Thanks for reading folks! Happy 2013 from all of us at Green Prophet.

The post Top 9 Eco Stories From the Middle East in 2012 appeared first on Green Prophet.

Like Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, Lebanon has been beset with energy shortages recently –  a crisis that will escalate as demand grows alongside an ever-expanding population. Sidestepping these constraints and taking advantage of almost year-round sunshine, the Transportation Ministry has installed 766 solar-powered street lights on a 10km stretch of relatively unpolluted highway in Hermel. Some residents are grateful and excited about the $1,072,000 project, but others are skeptical.

Green Highway

Ahmad Shahin, an engineer from the Union of Hermel District Municipalities told The Daily Star that they have been asking the transportation ministry for street lights for a long time in order to improve safety not only at night, but also during foggy weather. Eventually the ministry came back with a proposal to install the solar-powered lights designed to reduce gas emissions and costs.

The Union accepted this proposal and the ministry oversaw construction of the lights. It is uncertain which company supplied the bulbs, solar panels and other equipment, but they are required to guarantee the products for one year under the terms reached between them and the transportation ministry.

A solar panel crowning each light collects and stores solar energy produced during sunny days. When the sun goes down or when fog settles in, a lightbulb automatically switches on. They each run for up to 12 hours a day.

Cutting corners

Installed on the Baalbek-Homs highway from the old Bekaa train station to Hermel, and on the 5 kilometer stretch between Bekaa and Al-Qaa, the new lights improve visibility without undue environmental destruction.

Although Nizar Dandash, the head of the League of University Professors for the Protection of Environment, believes this project – the largest solar installation commissioned by the Lebanese government – is a step in the right direction, past experience has generated criticism that the equipment used is substandard and will require costly maintenance that the municipality can scarcely afford.

Nonetheless, the union’s head, Mustafa Taha, told the paper that they will take responsibility for any maintenance costs going forward.

Recently a Lebanese goat farmer subverted municipal energy shortages by setting up his own solar panel that has allowed him and his family to connect with the rest of the world. It seems that finally, finally Lebanon is catching on to the reality that solar isn’t just a passing phase. It makes good business sense, as long as no corners are cut.

:: The Daily Star

Image Credit: Highway Light Trails, Shutterstock

More on Greening Lebanon:

Lebanese Goat Farmer Goes Solar, Subverts Gov’t Apathy

Sleek Prefab LoftCube is the Ultimate Home for Nomads

Greenpeace Lebanon Rocks the Boat With Underwater Expose

The post Lebanon’s Largest Solar Project Lights up a Green Highway appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jerusalem’s light rail may have been up and running for months already, but some residents believe that cycling is still the best way to get around.

In the fall of 2011, Jerusalem finally got its much anticipated light rail (after years of construction).  The light rail was intended to offer a comfortable and eco-friendly means of transportation to Jerusalem’s residents, but some of them – especially those who ride bikes – think cycling is better (and protest the fact that bikes are banned aboard the light rail).  In order to remind Jerusalem that cycling is still a great way to get around, Cycle Jerusalem has organized a Bike to Work Day to take place next week.

Participants can join Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, companies, and institutions that will be biking to work on Sunday, March 25th.

Bike to Work Day will be held just a few days before Festigalgal – a Jerusalem Bicycle Festival also organized by Cycle Jerusalem. 

Festigalgal will include a bike ride that begins in the morning, a bike circus, musical performances, and activities for the whole family.  (Bike rentals will be available on location.)

Bike to Work Day and Festigalgal are only two of the cycling events organized recently by Cycle Jerusalem.  The organization has also put together a Critical Mass ride and a cycling protest of the bike ban aboard the Jerusalem light rail in recent months.

To read more about these events visit the Cycle Jerusalem website (in Hebrew).

Read more about cycling activism in Jerusalem:
Critical Mass of Cyclists to Test Jerusalem’s Bike Paths
Cyclists Protest Ban on Bikes Aboard Jerusalem’s Light Rail
The Cycling Nightlife in Jerusalem

The post Jerusalem Mayor to Join “Bike to Work Day” Next Week appeared first on Green Prophet.

Public transportation shuts down completely on the Jewish Sabbath across Israel, but now Tel Aviv (Israel’s secular capital) wants to allow buses within the city on Saturdays.

It’s a bit of a paradox: Saturday is the one day that Israelis universally have off from work, but it is also the only day that public transportation doesn’t operate.  And so if you are a secular Israeli without a car (for either financial or ecological reasons), there is no way for you to get around and enjoy your day off.  (In Tel Aviv you can still take advantage of the city-wide bike sharing system, but that’s not always practical.)

The reason for this weekly public transportation hiatus is religious.  The Jewish Sabbath is designated as a day of rest, and Orthodox Jews observe it by abstaining from driving or riding in motorized vehicles, using electricity, and conducting monetary transactions, among other things.  Which is fine for Orthodox Jews, but Tel Aviv is largely secular and its residents would like an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to get around on the weekends.

The issue recently came to the forefront when the Tel Aviv Municipality voted 13-7 in favor of adding buses on the Sabbath on February 20th.  It is not entirely up to the municipality, however, and the Israeli Transportation Ministry must now approve or reject the decision.

The Transportation Ministry has already told local media that the Tel Aviv Municipality’s decision violates the “status quo” of the balance of power between the religious and the secular regarding public domain issues.

Tamar Zandberg, a member of the Tel Aviv City Council, said that “it should have happened years ago, but because of political arrangements it was taboo and no one would discuss it, which is absurd.”

Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, feels differently and wrote to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai that “this decision taints the history of Tel Aviv, which was founded 103 years ago as the first Hebrew city.  [The vote is] a severe blow to the sanctity of Shabbat – a day of spiritual uplifting and rest for all workers.”

The decision has neither been approved nor rejected yet, and it remains to be seen whether buses will grace Tel Aviv’s Saturday streets.

:: Forward

Read more about public transportation around the Middle East:
Fast Forward Asks, “What is the Best Mode for Public Transportation in Lebanon?”
Public Transportation Takes Flight in Dubai
Public Transportation Day 2008: Still Stuck in Traffic

Image via: zeevveez

The post Public Transportation on Tel Aviv’s Sabbath: Ecologically Smart or Defiling Religious Law? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv.

Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity.  Though not equipped with an international airport, it does receive domestic flights since the only alternatives are to drive yourself (which takes about six hours from Tel Aviv) or take a public bus (which takes even longer).

The Israeli Cabinet is hoping to improve public transportation to this popular destination and approved the construction of a new railway line from Tel Aviv to Eilat this week.  The train would shorten the travel time to a speedy two hours.

The 350 kilometer railway line would be used by both passengers and freight cargo, and the project will hopefully begin operations five years from the start of construction.

Alternatives for financing the project are being considered by a team chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Harel Locker.

Of the project, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Tel Aviv-Eilat railway line, which will shorten travel time to two hours, will change the face of the country.”

“For 63 years,” he continued, “there has been talk about linking up the periphery to the center, but nothing has been done.  The railway line and Israel’s natural gas resources can forge strong links in the economic, energy and industrial fields.”

Read more about Eilat:
Eilat to Host Major International Energy Conference
Israel’s Eilat Region Could Be Middle East’s Clean Tech Beta Site
The 2010 Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Conference Looks to Carbon-Free Energy

Image via: Britrob

The post New Israeli Railway Line Approved Between Tel Aviv and Eilat appeared first on Green Prophet.