200 Beirut residents reminded others that cities can (and should) be green. Fed up with the absence of greenery in Beirut, 200 residents of the city gathered this past Saturday in a decidedly concrete Sassine Square to collectively say that they wanted to “Green the Grey”. Beirut has definitely been taking steps towards being “green” […]
“The city is not the problem, but the solution,” says architect Jaime Lerner. Throughout history, philosophers have been dreaming about the utopian city. The current age is faced with environmental challenges, and so many of today’s thinkers are dreaming of the sustainable utopian city. Mayors, visionaries, academics, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers and architects will all gather […]
How can eco-friendly transportation be improved in the suburbs? When contemplating whether to live in a city or in the suburbs, most people weigh the pros and cons of having more space or less space, being closer to better schools for their kids or having the convenience of everything nearby in an urban environment. But […]
Two more streets in center of Tehran will be changed to pedestrian streets. These two are Bab-Homayoon and Naser-Khosro streets in highly busy center of Tehran. According to Zone 12 of the Municipality of Tehran, the project for changing the function of streets will be started soon. Another part of the city that have both […]
Commuter traffic and wasteful buildings are Tel Aviv’s biggest polluting culprits, according to City Architect of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Yoav David. As one of the events surrounding the EUREKA Israel Chairmanship this week, Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv, Asaf Zamir, and Tel Aviv City Architect Yoav David spoke to visiting European representatives about the city’s efforts […]
Hey, are you gonna use that? Israeli residents may soon be able to put their banana peels to good use. Organic waste – such as vegetable and fruit peels, egg shells, pits, etc. – constitutes a significant part of any household garbage bin, but it doesn’t have to. These materials are valuable stuff, which could […]
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 […]
Palm Jumeirah Island room with a view, for “only” $200 a day Last year, at the peak of Dubai’s economic crisis, there was a massive expatriate exodus. Fearing debtors jail, many foreigners with unpaid bank loans abandoned their cars at Dubai’s airport parking lot. The New York Times described a policy of silence that forbade […]
The carbon-neutral city, Masdar, has all-but-failed. Can this urban park in Hong Kong do better? Architectural firm Foster & Partners have their stamp all over the Middle East: they had a hand in Masdar City, that ambitious carbon-neutral city plan that has turned into an embarrassment, and they are “greening” Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport. While […]
Green Prophet’s newest writer, Merhdad, explores some of the “urban” issues in giving the ancient 500 year old Bazaar of Tehran, sustainable by design, a modern facelift. Plans in a new $20 million budget call for bike paths, trams, and a strengthened infrastructure for Tehran’s beating heart. In July 2010, Nader Karami, the mayor of […]
Who to believe? That Dubai properties hasn’t paid or that Hopkins Architects reneged on their agreement? There are different species of architectural firms operating in the feeding frenzy that is Dubai. Some, such as Foster&Partners, are contributing to the country’s environmental malaise, while others, such as Studied Impact, are trying a bit harder to reduce […]
Can a city relying on oil revenue and desalination really be labeled “eco”? (Image by dislona via flickr) At first, we felt a surge of pride to learn that Muscat, Oman, is the only Middle Eastern city on Mercer’s top 50 eco-city ranking. It ranks 48, just behind Glasgow, but ahead of Frankfurt. We were […]
Despite its claim to promote sustainable urban development practices, the world’s largest, disposable Expo invites irony and criticism. The first ever world fair took place in 1851 at Prince Albert’s behest. That fair was initiated to display participating nations’ industrial prowess. The tradition continues with ever-increasing largesse, culminating in this year’s World Expo that officially […]
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denies the charges, but he is suspected of accepting $1million to push through the highly contested Holyland Project which uprooted pine forests. Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jerusalem’s former mayor Uri Lupoliansky, and senior officials in the Jerusalem municipality are accused of accepting tens of millions of shekels in […]
There are environmental triggers (hairspray! lipstick!) of common autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, a TAU researcher reports. Our immediate environment interacts with our genetic programming and can determine if we will succumb to an autoimmune disease, says rheumatologist Prof. Michael Ehrenfeld of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine, who is seeking to unravel those mysteries. […]
Karen ponders the possibilities of a new social idea to help the homeless and the environment. Walking down the street this morning, watching a homeless man rummage through the trash for recyclable bottles and cans, I had a dream. A dream of an organization that helps the homeless while helping the environment. A dream of […]
Last week Karin asked what weeds in her garden are edible. Today she finds out. With winter in full bloom in the Middle East (this is when we get rain), urban gardens come alive, whether or not you want them to. The rains and cooler temperatures invite green leafy things to sprout up everywhere. And […]
It’s easy to cultivate chickweed (a vitamin powerhouse) on your windowsill for a quick springtime salad. Karin went foraging in her backyard, but wasn’t sure which weeds were edible. One of the most prevalent edible weeds thriving now in the Mediterranean is chickweed, Stellaria media if you want to get botanical about it. Its flavor […]
Karin tries urban foraging and eating weeds from her garden. What are the chances she will live after this experiment? Taking cues from the Arab women foraging for mallows in the kindergarten in front of my house, and Miriam’s latest winter salad recipe, I decided to do a little urban foraging myself. (That’s me above […]
An ancient mosaic recently uncovered in the mixed city of Lod: Stigmatized as a crime infested, religiously divided city, residents of Lod have launched a grass-roots effort to change the face of the ancient city at the heart of Israel. Mention Lod to anyone in Israel and more often than not it conjures up images […]
Jennifer C. Daniels is a visionary and artist in Florida who poses a good question for the world today — can farms and cities intersect in this modern world? Much of what she discusses applies to life in the Middle East as well. “The increase of population – a strong argument for urban living – […]
Taga’s “transformer” bike-stroller converts quickly to match the pace and space of urban living. But one Green Prophet reader asks: Where are those kids’ helmets? If you liked reading about Taga’s hybrid bike-stroller on Green Prophet, here’s an update: Urban parents are all too familiar with the hassles of driving and parking in the city. […]
We’ve all seen them – those tall, ugly masts holding any number of cellular transmitter/receivers. Without them we wouldn’t have the modern convenience of the cell, or mobile, phone in Israel or the rest of the Middle East. Are these cell phone towers simply eye-sores, or cause for real concern? Are the NIMBY’S – Not […]
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye, or in this case, his life: A 42-year-old man, Eyal Kolovich, was killed in south Tel Aviv yesterday while riding a Tel-Aviv made Trekker electric scooter. His was a red seated model resembling the ones in the picture here. We’ve been advocating the use of […]