It’s so easy to be tempted to get that take-away cup when you are on the run. But every time you feel terrible about the plastics in our waterways, rivers, seas and bodies, this about this infographic below. Because the cost of styrofoam cups adds up! Our advice. Take a cup sitting down or […]
Who says you can’t have your cup and eat it too? The maker of those chicken-like products sworn to be “finger-lickin’ good” is testing a range of 100% edible containers for takeaway coffee. Fast food giant KFC will be testing its new coffee cups in Britain this summer. Called “Scoff-ee” (a wordplay meaning “to eat […]
Frankly, we’re hoping that the above image of holiday shoppers makes you a tad uncomfortable. To enjoy holidays as greenly as possible, buy or make meaningful gifts that add to joy, not more trash to landfills. Here are 10 ways you can reduce the inevitable waste that accumulates after the last gifts are unwrapped.
Superior repair skills in developing nations mean that broken electronics can be mended and reused – a much greener alternative to recycling A couple of months ago, I wrote about the death of my laptop and my predicament over what to do with it. I had become wary of sending broken electronics to developing countries […]
Maybe blondes really do have more fun, and more fun composting too. It’s easier to get Israelis excited about blondes than about composting, but if you get their eco-attention using a blonde? That’s a different story. Atar Friedman, a beautiful young Israeli blonde with a mission, has been trying to get Israelis more conscious about […]
A new law in Israel could mandate manufacturers to take ensure their packaging is recycled, or reused. Despite its posh upcycled art installation, a quick visit to Israel’s Hiria dump demonstrates the extent to which materials that could be recycled, and should be recycled, are instead buried. There are cages available in some neighborhoods where […]
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 […]
Before its garbage situation gets out of control, Lebanon is urging citizens to Think Before You Throw. [image via: blinkofaneye] With the average Lebanese person allegedly producing 1 kilogram of waste a day, the situation is pretty trashy (especially when Lebanon garbage trucks dump into the sea). Delegates attending the launch of Lebanon’s new recycling […]
Question: What product do we buy just to throw out again? Answer: Garbage bags. New “green” products, like biodegradable garbage bags, are a hot topic. But it’s usually best to manage with fewer products instead of buying more, even if they are “green.” In most cases, biodegradable bags pose less danger to landfills and groundwater and […]
These steel cans will take years to oxidize completely Let’s face it everybody: recycling, or the lack of recycling that is, is one of the biggest environmental problems this planet faces after climate change. This situation is a very acute one here in the Middle East, as noted in some previous Green Prophet articles such […]
The greater Tel Aviv area has made it’s trash mountain, and now it has to be seated and entertained in it. A 50,000 seat amphitheater is currently being planned for Hiria – the former site of Israel’s largest garbage dump. We guess you could say that the park is being re-purposed or recycled into an […]
Located in the northern part of Israel, in the western Galilee, Kfar Vradim is in an area surrounded by greenery. But this summer, the town decided to go greener. Starting last week, the town council of Kfar Vradim put a decision about trash into effect. In an attempt to encourage their residents to recycle more, […]
Every day, Israeli stores and supermarkets give away 14 million plastic bags, which is more than twice the size of Israel’s entire population. While plastic bags may be handy for bringing back food from the shuk or transporting a cold beverage down to the beach, the question is, why do plastic bags have to be […]
As you sit in front of your computer now, reading the latest from Green Prophet, we challenge you to hark back to all of your former computers, printers, phones, batteries… you name it. Could you say where they are right now? Unless you’re a pack rat, you probably got rid of them when they stopped […]
Green events are filling our social calendars this week – first there’s the Green Drinks event in Tel Aviv tonight (at 8pm at Gilda Bar on Achad Ha’am in Tel Aviv), and on Wednesday, the Heschel Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a sustainability conference held in the Tel Aviv Port. Don’t worry, they’re […]
With the gift holidays officially open now is the time to reconsider gift giving, especially now with the current economic crisis! First, do you really need to spend so much on gifts? Be thoughtful, instead of spendful! It will make you feel so much more appreciated than stressing over credit-card bills for months. Can you […]
Are you sick of that sick taste from water bottles? It’s great to refill your bottles again and again, but they end up tasting bad. For water storage it is better to use glass bottles rather than plastic bottles. They can be used repeatedly without the aftertaste caused when repeatedly using plastic bottles. Just be […]
Many companies now offer to send a bill via email instead of it’s snail contemporary. Call your bank, phone company and others to see if you can make the switch. You’ll be surprised, some offer discounts and insentives to make the switch! In Israel, Orange now offers such benefits. Looking to green your life? Find […]
We’re now just over a week into Ramadan, and hopefully those of you that are fasting have settled into a comfortable routine. For any of you that may still be trying to find your way, though, we thought we’d do a bit of research into the best ways to keep your eating healthy and earth-friendly […]
Every ton of paper, roughly 200,000 sheets, that is recycled saves approximately 17 trees. The average school tosses 38 tons of paper each year, the equivalent of 644 trees. When you buy notebooks and paper think green and spend a couple extra to get recycled (it’s not always more expensive). Raise the awareness in school, […]
The shuk floor on a regular Friday in early August (photo: Daniella Cheslow) One of the best things about most major Israeli cities is the shuk, the giant outdoor food market where bright vegetables sit in precarious piles and entire alleyways are devoted to freshly butchered meat and refrigerated cases full of fish, sometimes even […]
Once you buy clothing if you have chosen well you are going to want to keep them for a while. Nothing wrong with wearing a shirt more than once… Even if your job depends of fashion. Take care of your clothing and it will mean less waste, and more money in your pockets. Green living […]
For some there is nothing more rewarding than a new item of clothing. Nothing wrong with that. Right?! You’re thinking: “those greenies won’t let me have any fun!” It’s true, being green can seem oppresive. But it’s really about attitude. Nothing wrong with a nice shiny new article of clothing, but if it sits forever […]
More often than not the bigger package is the better deal. Don’t believe me? Check for yourself. Even in Israel where it is harder to find the “supersavings” in a regular supermarket the bigger package will more likely give you bigger bang for your buck. The eco-benefit is that you’ll be saving on packaging as […]
Instead of relying on the paper and styrofoam cups that are provided at work, bring your own mug. Some coffee shops will make your beverage straight in a mug brought from home. The less disposable you use, the less that ends up in the landfill. Check out other landfill solutions.