The pressure for environmentally friendly energy solutions on the globe is now more than ever. With an increased demand for energy supply comes an equally high demand for sustainability and environmental responsibility. In 2013 the Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report that said global energy use will grow by 56% between 2010 […]
It flies over mountains and through valleys, taking in the vast landscapes and diverse wildlife beneath it. Only this isn’t a bird, it’s a drone. They’ve had some bad press and the public has been slow to embrace them but after the final of what’s been dubbed “The World Cup of Drones,” things might be […]
Bahrain, in the Middle East is one of the most wasteful nations on earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) 2014 Living Planet Report (download the PDF here), published recently. Bahrain as the ninth worst offender in terms of the environmental impact it has on the planet, per head of population. But Bahrain is not lonely among […]
The United Arab Emirates is home to the world’s tallest building, Burj; it’s over-run by McMansions a la Arabia, and the Emirates don’t hesitate to create artificial islands out of extravagant shapes like planet earth. Now a humbler approach that mimics western trends: a cargo company in the UAE has put together 42 shipping containers […]
HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (left), HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Security Advisor for the UAE and Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council visit Masdar City’s 10 MW PV plant in 2011. Proponents of environmental reform (renewable energy, greener economy) are racing […]
Mohammed Kanoo’s portraits aim to tease out our biases about the Middle East. Above is US President Barack Obama. In his solo exhibition Fun with Fen (fen is Arabic for “art”) currently on display at Dubai’s Meem Gallery, the Bahraini artist Mohammed Kanoo depicts international celebrities dressed in traditional Arab costume. Kanoo’s digitally enhanced photographs are […]
Sleek, green and probably expensive; GM’s extended range ELR will soon be coming off assembly lines The love for expensive and unique cars in many parts of Middle East is something we love to cover, including such models a white gold Mercedes sports coupes running on biofuel, and a white gold Bentley said to actually […]
Petrol and electricity are considered birth-rights, even God-sent in the Arab world. How can this reality compete with the use of renewables? Grid parity, the point when the cost of power generated from renewable energy resources become equal or cheaper than conventional power costs, is around the corner for many countries. In the Arab world […]
In October 2010 Panasonic Marketing Middle East (PMM) announced the ‘Eco Ideas Declaration’ to become the number one green corporation in the Middle East and Africa region. With over a dozen eco lifestyle and business projects underway, Panasonic is well on its way.
Little is known about them in the west, but the world’s only vegetarian mammal in marine waters is under serious threat in the Middle East. Dugongs, or sea cows, believed to be the source of mermaid legends, are threatened with extinction within 40 years, and an arsenal of measures, from replacing fishing nets that trap […]
Know of a sustainable lifestyle spot in Abu Dhabi? Help the Abu Dhabi Eco-Chicks pinpoint it on their green map. The Abu Dhabi Eco-Chicks, a “group of educated, empowered and eco-minded women,” has been busy hosting Green Drinks, green Iftar dinners, and doing all sorts of green activity. Now they are reaching out to the […]
Professor Daniel Esty lectured United Arab Emirates officials (and others) about environmental sustainability at Yale University last week. Members attending Professor Daniel Esty’s lecture: “Green to Gold: Environmental Sustainability in a Changing World” at Yale University last week included a who’s who of United Arab Emirates officials. The event was attended by H.H. General Sheikh […]
Don’t swat the wasp! Insects are important links to the food web and deserve protection status too. As the world begins to pay closer attention to the importance of preserving biodiversity, more has emerged about the Middle East’s wild side. Hundreds of birds flock through the UAE en route from Africa to Asia, while conservation […]
Masdar’s CEO acknowledges oil and gas are finite, yet the energy provider continues to exploit UAE’s natural resources to fund renewable projects with the same quest for fame and fortune that kept us glued to oil [image via GDS Digital] Given its celebrity status and our skepticism of its real sustainibility, we at Green Prophet […]
Despite facing issues such as water scarcity and pollution at poisonous levels, the Middle East is still sending mixed message about climate change. Image of Mideast and earth Courtesy of NASA. There is a constant debate in green circles over whether the Middle East is really taking climate change seriously. Some days the Arab world […]
Although dust could fill up the Gulf in the next 20-40 years, according to scientists, at the moment it feeds the food chain. [image via treehugger] Whether from nearby construction zones puffing up plumes of dust and contaminating homes, or a sweeping sand storm, dust permeates every crevice of Middle Eastern life. But recent research suggests that […]
Treating wastewater and encouraging water efficiency balances high cost of desalination in water-scarce countries. To some, desalination plants are the Middle East’s holy grail. Israel’s IDE launched its 3rd such plant, and Bahrain has joined the fray with theirs. However, it is no coincidence that in the last year alone Israel has also experienced a […]
Green babies are being born all over the UAE. Coming soon to a hospital near you? [image via: Gulf News] When it comes to setting green patterns, there is no doubt that it is better to create eco-friendly habits early in life. No different than other forms of education, or even good habits such as […]
Abu Dhabi tells its residents not to pollute the environment by abandoning their cars. [image via: k.a.r.e.n] We’ve heard of personal cars causing all kinds of pollution – air pollution, noise pollution… But abandoned cars polluting the streets and parking lots of a city? That’s taking pollution to a different level. And the Municipality of […]
Abu Dhabi City Municipality teaches its employees how to reduce consumption on Paper-Less Day. [image via: hunflickr] Generally known worldwide as bureaucratic, red tape repositories for paper forms, municipalities do not have the most eco-friendly reputation when it comes to paper consumption. (In fact, some environmentalists may claim that all those paper forms are wasteful […]
Get your green drinks on in Abu Dhabi tonight with the Eco-Chicks and other eco folks. If you happen to be passing through the One to One Hotel in Abu Dhabi tomorrow night around 6:30pm, you may stumble across an Abu Dhabi Eco-Chick organized Green Drinks event. Green Drinks is a loosely organized (yet widely […]
Dosier’s fearlessness of the science of construction sets her apart from her peers [image courtesy of flickr] We were so intrigued by Professor Ginger Dosier, the Architect at Sharjah University who grows bricks by combining sand, common bacteria, calcium chloride and urea, that we decided to dig deeper. Some architects, like those at Geotectura, develop mindbending […]
Dubai Metro works on expanding ridership and cutting down on personal vehicle usage, adding three more stations last week. [image of one of the Dubai Metro stations via: PakistanHousing] The Dubai Metro system, which already carries over 100,000 passengers a day, expanded to three more stations last week in an attempt to increase ridership even […]
Foster+Partners, architect firm, claim projects like Masdar City are sustainable. Are they? Meet Foster + Partners: one thousand employees work in their twenty-two offices scattered around the world. Their employees hail from 50 nations, which diversity they say leads to “creativity, innovation, and motivation.” They are the people behind projects such as Masdar City that […]
The rich folk from the United Arab Emirates are known for their over-the-top cars and wealth. Like gold-plated mercedes. Faux or real, the oil-rich Arab countries, even when they make green initiatives do it in such a bombastic way, counter-intuitive to the gentler, earth-friendly approaches most of us Green Prophets would stand behind. But all […]
