“Green Our Transportation!”
Green Course , the only nation-wide student environmental organization in Israel is organizing a demonstration this coming thursday. They are protesting the unreliability of the current public transportation.
Archive by category Business
Greening Local Politics
Municipal elections will be held across Israel in November, and here in Jerusalem the current incumbent, Uri Lupolianski, will be challenged by Nir Barkat and Arcadi Gaydamek. While Jerusalem is always hotly contested for many reasons, this year a coalition of green groups has launched an initiative to get the environmental agenda high on each[.....]
Israeli Scientists to “Freeze” Global Warming
“At a time when steadily increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, coupled with the acidification of the ocean’s waters, precipitate the ongoing process of global warming, the importance of following long-term changes and trends in aquatic photosynthesis increases dramatically,” say Dr. Ilana Berman-Frank and Prof. Zvy Dubinsky, of Bar-Ilan University. This is important since about 50% of[.....]
Israel’s Water at the Mercy of Heaven?
It seems that we’ve been too spend-thrifty with our water and it’s all running out. By the end of this year, if we do not do something drastic the water levels will become so low that our natural water sources will become polluted. What is our government doing towards a solution? “By the end of[.....]
Making Light of Trash
We all know the saying: one’s mans trash is another man’s treasure. Embarrassing as it was in my younger years, my father was a collector and seller of other people’s trash and today makes a living from it. He calls it curbside shopping. It might be in the genes, because I too have a penchant[.....]
The Green Vote
When looking for the next candidate for whatever office we look at whether the candidate is good for us. What are his/her ideal? Is s/he a good manager? Does s/he understand micro and macro finances? … oh yeah, and is s/he good for the environment? Environmental organizations launched a campaign yesterday to evaluate candidates according[.....]
Greenpeace, Israel, Chernobyl and Thoughts on Nuclear Power
At the beginning of my teenage years in Canada, I remember my mother talking in hushed tones about Aunt Hana, who suddenly and mysteriously starting feeling strange aches and pains in her body. Doctors couldn’t find a systemic cause for her ailments, until she traced back dates to when she was last in Poland visiting[.....]
Weekly Prophecies: The Roundup
Check it out: A solution to all that trash. Do the words “business” and “green” sound antithetical to you? Read on. Now you can wear your favorite banner advertisement on your purse. Forever. Claudia waxes rhapsodic about a new organic restaurant in Tel Aviv. It’s all about the buckwheat dumplings! Here’s what we bet is[.....]
Dead Sea Canal Peace Project…Let it Flow
There has been much talk about water shortage, eco-energy, peace and the drying up of the Dead Sea. Here’s a solution, long talked about and now may solve all of these (and it might even cover up that embarrassing bald spot on the top or your head! – well no.) “Together with President Shimon Peres[.....]
The Politics of Water: Study It Dead or Red
World Water Day is every year on March 22. Here at Green Prophet, we love writing about water, probably because water issues are such a big deal in the region. Now at Tel Aviv University, water and politics has become an international course of action. The following is a news item about a new undergrad[.....]
Weekly Prophecies: The Roundup
The week began with a battle for high ground in Florentine. But that’s a skirmish compared to the bitter battle for the beach. Because nothing says “bitter” like a cause-centric Facebook group. Winding up the wind power. But what about the birds? Mega-supermarket chain Supersol gets a clue and goes green. It’s kind of like[.....]
Rain’s Quantity and Quality
We’ve had several rainstorms this year but it seems that they are not enough. This winter’s meager rainfall has done nothing to replenish shrinking Golan Heights streams or the mountain and coastal aquifers, and concern is growing again for the country’s water supply. “Cute little trickles like this will not save Lake Kinneret,” Yeruham Kantman,[.....]
Water, water everywhere: Whales
In the 3rd of this series of water-related posts, following on from our recent post (which you can read here) on the sad death of a whale off the coast of Ashkelon, we look at the pioneering activism of the sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who exist under the directorship of Captain Paul[.....]
The Battle for Israel's Palmachim Beach
It’s only February and the beach is already a hot topic in Israel, but alas, for all the wrong reasons. Work has got underway in the last few weeks to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on a virtually untouched part of Palmachim Beach, which lies midway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod. It[.....]
15 Cities Pledge to Cut Back on Emissions
Fifteen of the largest cities and towns in Israel have signed an international environmental resolution to cut down on greenhouse gases emissions, joining 800 local governments worldwide. The pledge is to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020. It will be interesting to see how this resolution is enforced. While there’s a lot of talk about[.....]
Al Gore to Visit Israel
Israel has lured climate Change evangelist Al Gore to the Holy Land. Come May, Gore is expected to drop in at Tel Aviv University to collect a $1 million in prize booty awarded by the Dan David Foundation. It is reported that Gore will donate all the prize money to a good environmental cause. ::ISRAEL21c
Bangkok Officials Investigate Israeli Water Technology
For years it has seemed that Israel and Thailand were enjoying a trade agreement that should keep both sides happy: we send Thailand our pushy and notoriously litterbug tourists, and they send us their illegal workers to scrub floors for half price. But it seems that Israel has something else to offer Thailand in addition[.....]
Jerusalem of White
Jerusalem, the Holy City for three religions, is often known as Jerusalem of Gold due to the yellowy-pink stones from which the buildings are cut. Until the winter that is. We’ve had heavy snowfall in the city this past 24 hours covering it in white and leaving schools, businesses and buses at a standstill (check[.....]
New “Green” Curriculum in Beit Shemesh Schools
Kids in Beit Shemesh schools–religious and secular alike–will soon be learning about environmental issues. A new initiative on the part of Sviva Israel, a religious environmental NGO, is bringing discussion of ecological topics into the classroom. In particular, kids will learn how to recognize their “ecological footprint” and be encouraged to tread lightly with some[.....]
Israel Number One In Middle East According to Yale and Columbia Environmental Performance Index
Israel was ranked #1 in the Middle East on Yale and Columbia’s 2008 Environmental Performance Index, a system which consists of variables that relate to environmental health and ecosystem vitality. But in comparison to the rest of the world, we’re #49.
Liquid Assets at Israel’s Watec Conference
Here is a video recap of Israel’s recent WATEC (water technologies), conference. We were there this past November, and collected tons of notes and brochures on clean technology and innovation you’ll be hearing about in the near future.See also the story on Israel21c.::WATEC
Be Vewy Vewy Quiet… I’m Hunting Smokas
The beginning of this year opened up a new hunting season, hunting smokers! According to Haaretz smokers beware! They’re out to get you! “It seems that no law has ever been enforced in Israel with such speed and efficiency. An army of municipal inspectors invaded cafes and bars, as did dozens of activists and volunteers[.....]
Tel Aviv Billboards Up Again? That Didn’t Take Very Long…
Barely two weeks after advertisers were forced to cover up billboards along Tel Aviv’s Ayalon highway, as a prelude to taking them down altogether, the powers that be have decided to allow the billboards after all. After the signs were ruled illegal by no less than the High Court of Justice, Israel’s wise lawmakers, led[.....]
Scaaary Air Pollution Video of Haifa
Well it’s not that scary, and a bit naive, but it does beg the question: what’s really happening in Haifa? Israeli guys that we know say that the best looking girls in Israel are from Haifa.Could it be an interesting mutation from all the pollution?Nature’s little joke?
Can Only The Rich Save Our Planet?
Finance Minister Ronni Bar-On has presented, today, the proposals of the committee on green taxation to the government. The proposal suggests a sliding-scale taxation model based upon how good the car is for the environment. A car will be given “green points” from 1-100 based upon how bad, or good, the car is for the environment. Based[.....]
Cheesy Green Police Video
We have never seen these “green police” in action, but we’d like to believe that they exist, if only in our dreams. This video is a cheesy commercial for Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry police, and what they will do to you if you pollute. Watch out! It’s in Hebrew, which makes their Cops-esque slogan sound[.....]
A Spiritual Danger: Have A Nice A**
It was neat to see the billboards are off of Ilan Pivko’s tower, in Tel Aviv today. The Ayalon Highway is pretty much free from all of the billboard clutter. In light of Ilana’s post yesterday, we thought we’d post this little ditty that we wrote for Heeb Magazine this summer, before they canned their[.....]
On Becoming a Green Fellow
The Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University is looking for a few good green men and women. Think you have what it takes to become a fellow? The school is seeking fellowship candidates for a potential faculty position. The fine folks at Porter have sent us a note that they are advertising[.....]
Environmental Energy Resources Says Waste Not…
Environmental Energy Resources, Ltd. (EER) is using Israeli-developed technology to set up Romania’s first plasma waste treatment facility. The system was developed by scientists at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, and the claim is that it can handle radioactive and medical waste as well as the more conventional kinds. Cost of the project: $30[.....]
Review of ‘Grizzly Man’
It wasn’t that long ago when wild beasts roamed the earth. Lions, tigers, woolly haired mammoths and even elephants traipsed over the changing ecology of the Middle East up to the start of the early 15th century. Lions remain as the roaring yet watchful emblem of Jerusalem. Now humans are the wild beasts that dominate,[.....]
Big Green Gathering
Better known as the centre for three world religions, Jerusalem is increasingly becoming the focus for environmental activities and innovation. The start of 2008 will see the city hosting the launch of the Forum on Judaism and the Environment, a new initiative to bring together professionals, organisations and activists working in the field of Jewish[.....]
Religious Powers Help Cut that Carbon!
In a recent interview with this writer, Professor Pinhas Alpert, head of Tel Aviv University’s department of Geophysics and Planetary sciences, stated that “winters here in Israel are becoming warmer, with much less precipitation annually, and these extreme temperatures, at the minimum and maximum ends of the scale, also show a greater fluctuation between them.”Thats[.....]
Prophet of the Week: Alon Tal
“Israelis are tremendously committed to the environment. We can move mountains if optimism motivates us.” Alon Tal founded the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED) in 1990 and has been working in public interest advocacy ever since. In 1996, he founded the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, an advanced academic center where Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian,[.....]
Tread Lightly
I want to share with Green Prophet a great site that encourages participants worldwide, not only here in Israel, or in the UK where it is based, but every computer-using sentient being anywhere, to cut down their energy output: be it water, waste, or carbon in general … and monitor their own reduction levels, and[.....]
Stanley Fisher: Greening The System
Greening is great! The best part is that when you green, you are not only taking a positive step towards rebuilding our environment, when done right there is great potential to save time and money as well. One of the major goals of greening is to reach a higher level of efficiency. How can[.....]
Salon Mazal for Anarchists, Idealists and Ecologists
A long time ago, when we were more idealistic, we spent an afternoon at Salon Mazal. Feeling like an anthropologist, we studied the people who were hanging out there: self-named anarchists, squatters, Arab rappers, earth-lovers…you-name-it. (You can read the story here). Anyway, it turns out that Tel Avivian anarchists are not so scary after all.[.....]
Will a Greenhouse Gas Bill in Israel do the Trick?
Memos, agreements, bills, pacts, hand-shaking…we’ve heard a lot of talk about Israel and its intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The latest episode is yesterday’s announcement that MK Ofer Paz-Pines (Labor party) has submitted a bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Israel.
Upcoming Events: Business and Environment Conference
We’ve just learned that a national conference on business and the environment will take place in Kfar Maccabiah in Ramat Gan on January 21 – 22, 2008. Organized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the conference is described as “a meeting ground between business and the environment and creating mutual integration and growth, both economically[.....]
Middle East Environment Peace Challenged In Israel
Ever try hugging a cactus? That’s why treehugger types are having a harder time in the Middle East. It’s a bit sad that environmental awareness in the Middle East is years behind that of Europe and the US. But then again, have you ever tried hugging an olive tree or cactus? Although it may be[.....]
Let’s Just Blame Israel…
We not only made it to the list of top Earth-Hackers of 2007, we also made it to spot 25 of Discover Magazine’s list of Top Science Stories of 2007! A team of Israeli atmospheric scientists from Tel Aviv University explored the influence of intense lightning storms from East Africa on the world weather patterns. They discovered that “More than[.....]
Israel’s Arava Institute on CNN!!!
The Israeli environment school, the Arava Institute, works to train young Israelis – Jews and Arabs alike – on developing a sustainable Middle East. Its graduates are going out into the world and making a big difference, for the environment and in politics. It’s the first model to bring Arabs and Jews together on behalf[.....]
Greening the Old City Walls–Literally
Four days ago and in honor of the shortest day of the year, the Jerusalem Municipality covered the lights illuminating the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City with green filters–with the result that as we are writing this, the walls are glowing green against the night. Why green? Apparently this special lighting, which was inaugurated[.....]
Hebrew Union College Students Green Their Cafeteria
The other evening we were chatting with a friend from Hebrew Union College, which is located in the heart of Jerusalem’s city center. She told us that the HUC students have taken the initiative to stop using disposable coffee cups and cutlery, in an effort to make their daily meals and beverages more eco-friendly.
Feel Better with Herbs of Kedem and Ancient Hebrew Medicine
Now you can feel connected to our ancestors in Ancient Israel, through the unique herbs of the Judean Desert. Ancient historians have described the export of ointments from the Judean Desert throughout the Roman empire and beyond, at least until the 2nd century BCE. Now the modern company, Herbs of Kedem, has revived the historical[.....]
Locals From Rishon Fight IKEA
A day out at the IKEA store in Netanya is a national pastime in Israel. While we don’t mind an outing once and a while to the superstore, we’re cautious about buying furnishings from there. Firstly for the quality issue and secondly because the business shuts out our smaller home furnishing stores in Israel.Big box[.....]
The Jewish National Fund Meets An Inconvenient Truth
Everyone and their mother is doing it. Talking about global warming, that is. Stumbling around the net, we bumped into this YouTube video sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, which links nicely to our last post on tree planting in Israel.
Zenith Solar’s Light of a Thousand Suns
Deep in the heart of the Negev Desert, there is but one natural resource: the sun. David Faiman from Ben Gurion University has found a way to use solar energy to concentrate the light of a 1,000 suns. Using reflective mirrors made from silicon, David has built a series of mirrors that concentrate the penetrating[.....]
