We are undeniably in the thick of beach season. Deeply tanned French tourists with gold colored sandals and other stylish accessories line the beaches, the smell of sunscreen is in the air, and the plywood percussion of matkot (paddle ball) is the reigning summer symphony. Unfortunately, all of this beachy goodness comes with a whole […]
Last week we talked with Jesse Fox, urban planning expert and Treehugger veteran. This week’s Prophet in Focus is James Murray-White, a composting environmentalist with the eye of a filmmaker and the soul of a poet. James grew up in a green village outside Cambridge, UK, and has donned the roles of both actor and […]
Introducing Chava Shaked, who shares her adventures in Israel’s blossoming cleantech scene. What started off for me as a business, became a vibrant hobby and fascinating exploration into the world we live in. This is the case with many of the people I’ve met at the Cleantech Israel meetup. Founded by Gene Dolgin and […]
A new solution addresses the problem of water loss and promises farmers “more crop per drop” A part of the global food crisis is the inefficiency of current irrigation methods. More irrigated water evaporates than reaches the roots of crops, amounting to an enormous waste of water and energy. Tel Aviv University researchers, however, are […]
Last week I took a tour of unrecognized Bedouin communities in the Negev/Naqab, similar to the one that James did with Rabbis for Human Rights. This tour was fascinating because of its subject matter, but also because I was introduced to an extremely cool organization called Lifesource, one of the sponsors of the tour. Barely […]
I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I didn’t know that cigarette butts were an environmental issue. I’m also not a smoker, so I never gave it much thought. But Hanan Shteingart – co-founder of “Eretz Lelo Bdalim” (Country Without Cigarette Butts) and anti-cigarette butt activist extraordinaire – recently brought our attention to this […]
Israel’s water crisis has been in the news a lot lately. We have all heard how low the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) is, and seen suggestions on how to save water this summer. Although it receives much less media coverage, water scarcity has also become a major issue in the Palestinian Territories. This past […]
Bottled water is pretty evil, no matter what way you spin it. Essentially what happens is that a company is pumping water from our aquifers (the place from where the water in your pipes comes from) bottles it (another bad) and then sells it to you at a premium. The water that comes in your […]
Anyone who has ever experienced Bedouin hospitality will know that the kettle is always on in a Bedouin home: brewing either the strong bitter coffee, or a special infusion of sweet tea, brewed with desert herbs. If you delve a bit further, you will hear that although the Bedouin know all about life and survival […]
Every Israeli knows what the Sea of Galilee’s (a main source of Israel’s drinking water) red line means. It’s bad. It means Israel is running out of water and we’re all in trouble. So when the Israel Water Authority came out with a campaign about two weeks ago saying that Israel’s water levels were deteriorating […]
Sea pollution closes the beaches in Bat Yam. (Credit: Zalul Environmental Association) For a long time now, Israel’s water resources haven’t been getting the respect they deserve. Out of the 16 rivers that flow into the Mediterranean Sea, all 16 are polluted – many to the point that you wouldn’t even let your dog go […]
Last week, God took care of the waste in the camp. This week Moses hits the rock. The Israelites had been traveling in the desert for roughly forty years, and Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, dies. After Miriam dies suddenly the People of Israel lack water. Commentaries explain that in Miriam’s merit a […]
Leaders from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority concluding talks in Tokyo yesterday with the announcement that they plan to start building an agro-industrial park in the Palestinian Territories by next year. The agro-industrial park could provide jobs for up to 6,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. According to Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, the […]
Last week, I visited the town of Umm El Fahem with staff members from Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME). FoEME is a trilateral Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian environmental organization that brings environmentalists together to work on issues of shared regional concern. As the Summer 2008 FoEME intern, I am assisting with the Pro-Aquifer […]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrvOH7VmZRE[/youtube] China is interested in Israeli clean technology. Here’s a video capturing some of the more interesting companies at Israel’s latest cleantech expo: on water, recycling and green building. Most of the companies showcased were all about valves and pipes, but the video points out a few hot innovators.