Award-winning architect Salma Samar Damluji speaks to GreenProphet about her mud architecture work in Yemen and why Dubai’s property development mentality is ruining the Middle East The Middle East may be a fascinating place politically but architecturally, it’s on its last legs. Years of corruption and poor governance mean it’s slowly becoming one of the […]
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 […]
Tafline in Dubai shark market: “Sharks piled up in the back of a truck along with a spade and rebar.” The locals are proud to pose with their dead sharks, rays, and barracudas. Many of them will even open the shark’s mouth for dramatic effect. “Picture, picture,” they said repeatedly as Jacques Van Wyk, a […]
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 […]