Summertime can be stressful with vacation from school, children around, not to mention the incredible heat we have been having here in the Middle East. When it comes to meal times, often we find ourselves lacking the time and energy to create a full, healthy meal. Still, the benefits of home-cooking means you know exactly what you are eating, so you can control the amount of salt or sugar in your food. There are a few time saving tricks that will help you out on those chaotic days.
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With the Jewish High Holy Days almost upon us, and the Muslim post Ramadan festival of Eid Ul Fitr now here, what better way to enjoy them both than to delight in eating some classic Egyptian food delicacies, some of which have been popular since the time of the Pharaohs.

One of the most popular is a vegetable and meat soup known as molucheya; a dish so popular that many Egyptians consider it to be one of their country’s national dishes. Molucheya is made from the leaves of a leafy plant that bears the same name and is usually found only in parts of the Middle East. Not available in most supermarkets or even in many open air markets, molucheya leaves have to be sought after, and then prepared while the leaves are still fresh. … [visit site to read more]

Not long ago I took a trip to the Mediterranean Sea and was appalled that from Cairo’s city center, in the Nile river, to well beyond the pyramids of Giza lie mounting heaps of trash: litter on the side of the streets, abandoned vehicles, industrial discards, and a general disrepair characterizes this once great city.

But I was even more disturbed, returning in the evening, to discover a suffocating smog hovering over Egypt’s outlying villages. My hosts explained that although technically illegal, this smog is caused by burning rice straw, and warned that this was just the beginning. Hoda Baraka, whose photography we recently featured, confirms that Cairo’s annual Black Cloud season has returned. … [visit site to read more]

Israel may be a desert, going six months of the year without rain, but local bee populations are thriving and honey production rising thanks to a new flowering tree brought over from Australia.

It’s not a good time for honeybee populations worldwide. All over the globe bee numbers are dwindling, as hives are hit by Colony Collapse Disorder – an ailment which an Israeli company, Beeologics, claims to have now developed a vaccination for. Last winter alone, more than 36 percent of the US bee colonies collapsed, affecting honey production, and the one-third of all food production that requires pollination – from fruits and nuts to the dairy and beef cows that feed on alfalfa. … [visit site to read more]

After looking at “The Forum of the Ornithological Society of Kuwait, the Saudi Green Blog, The Oman Eco Group Blogs, the UAE Environment & Life Blog, and the Yemenite Blog for Sciences and the Environment, we are now continuing our journey through the Middle East. Today we are arriving at the Gaza Environmental Engineering Blog.

According to the Blog’s summary, it deals with environmental engineering as well as scientific news. Its aim is to “supply all the pioneers in the fields of environmental engineering and sciences in beneficial and satisfactory information concerning the fields of environmental sciences and culture.” All this is done with an environmental encyclopedia. Active since December 2009, it is written in Arabic and administered by the students of the Department of Environmental Engineering within the Islamic University of Gaza. … [visit site to read more]

Yet another Middle Eastern country is looking to wind power for a quick solution to an ever-increasing population. This time it’s Jordan, which unlike its Gulf neighbors hasn’t been blessed with vast reserves of oil and gas, that hopes to harvest the winds sweeping the desert kingdom. The Jordanian daily Jordan Times is reporting that the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals are conducting negotiations with the Greek firm Terna Energy SA over the country’s first wind power plant. … [visit site to read more]

Detoxing your lifestyle of non-green habits doesn’t have to be as dramatic as, say, drug rehab.  It can be simple and is a great way to start the new year.

Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, is only a few days away and as a time of reflection many of us may be thinking of ways that we want to change our lifestyles for the coming year.  If the words “detox” or “rehab” call to mind dramatic associations of drug rehab clinics from the movies, you’re going too far.  Invent your own mellow version of drug rehab – one that leads you to a gentler, kinder way of treating yourself, your resources, and the environment. … [visit site to read more]

We worry about the possibility of a giant trash heap floating in the Mediterranean, and about the effect that this and Israel’s new gas fields will have on marine life. We are also concerned that various oil exploration projects could culminate in accidental leaks that would have deleterious effects on the sea’s well-being. But we are mostly uncertain about what prowls on the sea floor. Our knowledge of this relatively unexplored region could deepen, though, since the premiere scientist Zvi Ben-Avraham, who is also the Israeli President’s scientific adviser, will lead a two week research mission aboard the Nautilus. … [visit site to read more]

Impress your date and reduce your negative impact on the environment with a green-ified date.

Dating can be rough. Firstly, it can be hard to find that special someone (which is facilitated, in our modern times, by some form of online dating site or one of those popular US dating sites), and secondly, it can be difficult to come up with a date that is fun for you, your date, AND the environment. The classic “dinner-and-a-movie” date often involves a great deal of wastefulness since most restaurants are major resource and food wasters. But it doesn’t have to be. If you want to flex your creative side and show off some environmental muscle, try going on a green date. … [visit site to read more]

With the help of certain enlightened individuals, such as the activists who pranced through Amman wearing lettuce to encourage vegetarianism, and Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), who have been working hard to save the Jordan river, Jordan is beginning to realize that the environment is crucial to the country’s overall survival. As a result, officials are combining conservation with tourism in order to entice visitors to explore the country’s natural beauty in addition to its history. Gemma Bowes from the Guardian takes us on a comprehensive tour through Jordan’s national parks and protected areas, making suggestions for a few  good, eco-friendly places to stay along the way.

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