In American colleges, being part of “Greek” culture means that you’re part of a fraternity or sorority (and, by extension, that you usually engage in lots of drinking and debauchery).  In Israel, this has been lost in translation.  Like, really lost.
As of Friday, November 28 being part of “Greek” culture in Israel will mean participating [...]

Read Full Post »

I love the rain. It cleanses the city. Everything looks and smells clean and fresh. My biggest problem, though, with the rain is that so much of it goes to waste. With Israel’s future rain forcasts in question waiting for rain can be nerve-wracking. And when it finally comes, so much of it goes to [...]

Read Full Post »

We’ve seen that environmentally conscious tourism is becoming more than a buzz word, what with government initiatives stepping in, and the various alternatives in eco-tourism that Israel now offers–including Kazakh yurts!
Australian-born tour guide Zel Lederman customizes personal tours for groups and families with Israel Travel Company: Israel Off the  Beaten Track, including tours with environmental [...]

Read Full Post »

Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is a longtime advocate of sustainability and environmental peacebuilding in the region.  Fresh off the pages of Time Magazine, where FoEME’s directors were recently named Heroes of the Environment 2008, FoEME is hosting a conference next week as part of the Pro-Aquifer project.
Over the past two years, the [...]

Read Full Post »

When a small group of Jews arrived on the shores of Ottoman-ruled Palestine in 1882, they named the sand dunes they purchased to build their new homes Rishon LeZiyyon – the First to Zion.
Never mind the poor soil fertility, lack of water (or the fact that Petach Tikva, aka “Opening of Hope”, was the first [...]

Read Full Post »

Far be it for this Green Prophet to disavow her love of the city of Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv has almost everything - the beach, museums, great food, interesting architecture, a happening nightlife…  But also, of course, traffic congestion, waste, pollution, an overdose of concrete, and the improper collection of rainwater, to name a few.  [...]

Read Full Post »

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 [...]

Read Full Post »

Shari Arison, Israel’s wealthiest citizen, took advantage of the International Water Congress in Vienna to formally announce Miya. The new company aims to make a profit on cutting back water losses.
Miya says one third of the world’s drinking water is lost through leaky pipes. CEO Booky Oren, a former chair of Israel’s national water [...]

Read Full Post »

From September 20-27, a delegation of European environmental journalists, policy makers (ie World Bank and EU parliament), energy and climate change specialists, and activism leaders are coming to the Middle East to explore Israel’s environmental issues, policies, and clean technology.
The whirlwind tour will take these leaders to Hiria (Tel Aviv’s rehabilitating garbage dump); they will [...]

Read Full Post »

In this guest post Lea Aharonovitch, a Senior Product Manager at Answers.com, shares her expertise.
Among other things, I’m a usability expert. Usability is the level of friendliness and ease of use of products and interfaces. Products should be easy to use, designed clearly, and fit the user’s needs.
Often companies design products without considering usability, and [...]

Read Full Post »