Falafel oil fuels Tel Aviv Earth Hour concert

Earth Hour powered by falafel oil, Tel Aviv
Earth Hour powered by falafel oil, Tel Aviv

Okay, so officially… Earth Hour was a few weeks ago and despite the fact that many other Middle Eastern cities participated, Israel was caught with its pants down.  And yes, it’s probably true that instead of powering down, they were powering up to watch an important football match between Israel and Greece.

But it’s also true that Tel Aviv celebrated Earth Hour last year in a big way, with a large gathering in Rabin Square, by turning off all of the lights in City Hall and the Azrieli Towers, by soliciting the participating of Israeli President Shimon Peres, and by bringing a free bio-diesel and human cyclist powered concert to the masses.

Chances are, many Tel Avivians probably just showed up for the free concert.  But if they were out in Rabin Square listening to the concert then that probably meant that their lights were off at home, right?  Mission accomplished.

And so even though it’s a little belated, Tel Aviv will be celebrating Earth Hour again this year – this time on Earth Day eve (Thursday, April 23rd).  The full day’s worth of festivities have already been described by Karin, but for those out there who may need something like a free evening concert to lure them out of their electrically lit apartments and away from their TVs and computers… keep reading.

The nighttime festivities will begin in Rabin Square at 6:30pm tomorrow with a countdown and many musical performances.  The performers will include Asaf Avidan, Balkan Beat Box, and Shlomi Saranga and will be powered – of course – by biodiesel created from the excess oil of local falafel stands and human powered energy created live by cyclists near the stage.  (Check out one of Balkan Beat Box’s live performances from 2007 in the video clip above.)

At 8:00pm, the lights will finally be turned off for a full hour.  Even if you can’t make it to Rabin Square, feel free to turn (or dim) your lights in solidarity.

Get excited by reading about last year’s Earth Hour celebration::
Putting the Pedal to the Heavy Metal
Tell Me It’s Hot, Tell Me It’s Cold: Tel Aviv Earth Hour Concert 2008
Lights Out for Tel Aviv

 

Karen Chernick
Karen Chernickhttps://www.greenprophet.com/
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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