Literally, postal.  It was quite a pleasant surprise when we found out that in 1975 Israel came out with stamps encouraging civillians to protect their environment.  Not only was the message beautiful, but the stamps were pretty darn good looking too.
Designed by Israeli artist and sculptor Eliezer Weishoff (whose monuments and other creations are an [...]

Read Full Post »

Zalul, the non-profit marine NGO, has released it’s 2008 State of the Sea Report. Yesterday a press conference was held at Cafe Masada in Tel Aviv with over 20 members of the press gathering to hear the latest news about the state of Israel’s Mediterranean Sea.
This year was a wake-up call to the public and the [...]

Read Full Post »

Over the past few months, we’ve seen a lot of Prophecies about eco-tourism all over the Middle East. There are dozens of eco-travel options in Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Yemen.
There is also, however, a very special opportunity for eco-tourism right here within our own borders – and those of our neighbors. [...]

Read Full Post »

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 lot [...]

Read Full Post »

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 anthropologist in [...]

Read Full Post »

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 Jonathan Shapira (a [...]

Read Full Post »

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 investigating a [...]

Read Full Post »

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 a year [...]

Read Full Post »

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 [...]

Read Full Post »

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 [...]

Read Full Post »