Cleantech and Green Living from the Land of the Prophets
Posted in Business & Politics on Dec 2nd, 2008
The Kingdom of Jordan may be about to finalize a mega-deal with Shell Oil for the extraction of oil shale on 22,000 square meters of land–almost one quarter of the country. Some 40 billion tons of shale oil are believed to exist in the central and southern regions.
Natural Resources Authority (NRA) Director Maher Hijazin told [...]
Posted in Travel & Nature on Nov 27th, 2008
The lush marine habitat by Aqaba Beach in Jordan is among the richest in the world, attracting thousands of visitors per year. But the popularity of the beach is also its downfall: In just 20 minutes, divers recovered more than 150 kilos of garbage from the waters of the reef, including plastic cups, cans, and [...]
Posted in Business & Politics on Sep 18th, 2008
There are few environmental topics in the Middle East more controversial than the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal to revive the Dead Sea, which has the potential to cause lasting damage to the composition of the sea’s ecosystem.
The multinational organization Friends of the Earth Middle East (FEME), who are working to build a peace park [...]
Posted in Business & Politics on Sep 8th, 2008
As the population of Amman, capital of Jordan increases, so does the amount of trash produced per day. The most recent estimate is that over the summer, the amount of garbage produced daily in Amman will increase to 750 tons.
In an effort to stem the tide, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) in cooperation with the [...]
Posted in Business & Politics on Aug 31st, 2008
In a press conference held last week the Jordanian Minister of Environment, His Excellency Khaled Irani, announced the launch of a Jordanian initiative called “Eco-Cities of the Mediterranean Forum 2008” to be held at the Ministry’s premises this coming October.
When explaining the reasons for initiating the regional conference, Irani said:
Our region’s energy, water, air and [...]
Posted in Business & Politics on Aug 4th, 2008
The alarmingly fast decline of water levels in the Dead Sea have resulted in numerous plans to bring sea water from either the Mediterranean or Red Sea to replenish the water in what has often been referred as the world’s lowest level body of water.
The Dead Sea’s main water source, the Jordan River, has reached [...]
Posted in Travel & Nature on Jul 27th, 2008
Buckle your (cyber) seatbelts and prep your imaginary passports, because this week we’re continuing our green journey. After eco touring other Middle Eastern countries - such as Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Israel - we’re off to pay a green visit to Yemen.
Yemen, like other countries in the region, has a variety [...]
Posted in Travel & Nature on Jul 13th, 2008
Now that we’ve toured Lebanon, Jordan, and even Iran, let’s make an online eco-visit to Syria. Since Syria has not yet experienced a wave of mass tourism, its sites are still well preserved and relatively undisturbed. That, combined with the fact that Syria has a wide variety of landscapes ranging from [...]
Posted in Travel & Nature on Jul 6th, 2008
As part of our ongoing virtual eco-tour of the Middle East, this week’s cyber journey is to Iran. Iran is a little further off than Jordan and Lebanon, but it is also an intriguing spot. And thanks to some information provided by Mohammad Memarian as a response to a Green Prophet post [...]
Posted in Cars & Transportation on Jun 23rd, 2008
Israel. Another week, another delegation of foreign politicians. This time it’s the French President Nicolas Sarkozy gracing our shores and as I write this he is dining with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, at his official residence ten minutes from my flat. Apart from the usual topics that concern foreign dignitaries in the Holy Land [...]
Join our fan club!
