Sewage on the streets of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, left more than 120 dead and questions about the country’s green credibility very much open to debate. Photo: Reuters. We’ve covered the recent Hajj 2009 to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Abrabian government’s desire to make future Hajj pilgrimages more environmentally friendly. All these efforts may […]
A water conference in Jordan was a call to arms in Arab world to fight water insecurity. Photo: Water tanks on the roofs of buildings in Madaba, Jordan. There are people in over 17 Arab countries living well below the water poverty line of 500 cubic metres annually, said Arab decision makers from around the […]
If you know water issues in the Middle East, then Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of EcoPeace, Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) will need no introduction. Bromberg, with his Palestinian and Jordanian colleagues won a Time Magazine environment hero award in 2008 for their work at FoEME, a regional organization that brings together Jordanian, […]
If you’ve been following Green Prophet, you’ll know we’re running a water series on Israeli water experts. And we love the idea of hydro-diplomacy. Hoping for some sustainable changes in the water sector for Israel and its neighbours, we’ve partnered with the Strategic Foresight Group to interview those people and organizations at the heart of […]
Plastic bottles (in Hebrew and Arabic) wash up on the shore of the Red Sea in Sinai, Egypt. In this region water and pollution knows no boundaries. How can Israel be part of the change? Is Israel a water hog, unjustly siphoning aquifers from its neighbours? Does it take more than its share? Or does […]
A “Hope Tree” planted outside Sea of Galilee incites eco-awareness in Israeli kids and public. Israel’s only freshwater body of water, the Sea of Galilee (known locally as the Kinneret) is about the only thing every Israeli can agree needs to be repaired. Every year the water line sinks lower and lower, as more water […]
Beirut, the “Paris of the Middle East,” is pouring raw sewage into Mediterranean Sea. It’s not just the Sidon garbage dump that’s polluting the Mediterranean Coast of Lebanon. Irrelevant Combinations blog shows airplane view pictures of raw sewage being dumped into the sea off the coast of Beirut. Although the weather outside may be frightful […]
Want to read the most popular green stories of 2009 on your favourite Middle East environment blog? Read on. Every blog and news site does it as a way to gain perspective: Whether you’ve celebrated the Muslim New Year more than a week ago, or the Jewish New Year a couple of months ago, our […]
“Water is energy. If you give me the energy I will give you water.” Eli Ronen, chairman of Mekorot. Photo via Olivier Fitoussi /FLASH90. It is almost mind-boggling that Israel, a country with such a dearth of fresh water resources, has become a leader in water technologies. That is, until you learn about Mekorot. Most of […]
Some companies like Tal Ya are making the most of dew in irrigating farmers’ fields. Others like EWA are squeezing water out of thin air. Although this comes at an enormous cost of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Passive solutions that happen with nature’s help are what we want. Faced with an extremely dry winter […]
After around two months of international phone calls, this Sunday and Monday Green Prophet hosted a whirlwind two-day (20-hour) seminar on environmental blogging in Madaba, Jordan. Thanks to the good efforts of Volunteers for Peace and the Masar Center, nearly 20 Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli writers and activists met for the first time and learned […]
Blogger Azul looks at the use of solar thermal energy for heating Jordanians’ water. Here’s an example of a solar heater on a roof in Jordan. If you’ve been following Green Prophet, you’ve been enjoying the posts from our Environment Blogging Workshop in Madaba, Jordan. Jordanian blogger “Azul” talks about the simple solar solutions Jordanians […]
Here at Green Prophet we are concerned about the current water shortage. Today we’re sharing 12 water conservation tips for the kitchen that can impact the Middle East. 1. If you use a dishwasher, always fill it completely and choose the fastest setting. 2. When washing by hand, soak to soften the residue, then scrub […]
During the week of December 13, 2009, Israel’s solar energy field suffered a major setback and it was announced that IDE is set to build the biggest desalination plant in Israel. At the Copenhagen summit Israeli President Shimon Peres emphasized the importance of cooperation between all the countries in the region to work together to […]
Every week, observant Jewish people read a section of the Torah. This week, our in resident Eco Rabbi looks at Parshat Miketz. Okay, this week’s parashah is a no-brainer. Seriously, how can an Eco-Rabbi NOT talk about Parshat Miketz? The parashah which contains the solution for dealing with famine… Parshat Miketz opens with Pharaoh, King […]