Butternut squash is still in season. Try stuffing it with quinoa, the seed that the pre-Columbian Native Americans called “mother of the grains.” With its nutty taste and high nutritional protein levels (not to mention amino acids and minerals), quinoa’s a super-food. Nowadays you can buy it in health food stores and supermarkets everywhere.

Like rice, quinoa cooks up light, yet satisfies hunger. Get it organic if you can, and wash the grains before you start cooking.

Put the quinoa to soak for half an hour in water to cover, then drain it and rinse it briefly again, till there are no more “suds”. These suds are caused by bitter natural substances, saponins. It’s nature’s way to repel birds and insects in the field. Unfortunately saponins also repel people at the table. Quinoa tastes good only if you rinse it before cooking. Once rinsed and ready, its characteristic nutty taste comes through for you to enjoy.

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Quinoa

Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1  butternut squash

2 tsp. olive oil

salt, pepper, cumin, and ground coriander seed – a few pinches of each

1/2  cup raw quinoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cilantro or parsley – or wild edibles like nettles or chicory

1 small onion

4 halves of sun-dried tomatoes, put to soak in 3/4 cup  plus 1 Tblsp hot water

The water from soaking the tomatoes

more salt and pepper to taste

2 Tblsp. olive oil for sauteeing

optional: Parmesan cheese to grate over the finished dish

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 F – 190 C.

Start by washing the quinoa as advised above. Set it aside to drain.

1. Cut off the end of the squash. Slice it in half. Remove the seeds. Cut most of the flesh out.

2. Rub 1 tsp. of olive oil into the cavity of each half. Drop pinches of salt, cumin, and coriander over the halves, and rub the spices in. Grind some fresh pepper over them.

3. Put the squash halves to bake, cut side up. They will need about 20 minutes.

4. Put the dried tomatoes in a small bowl and rehydrate them in the 3/4 cup hot water. Allow them to soak 5 minutes.

5. Remove the tomatoes from the water and save the water. Put the tomatoes aside.

6. Cook the quinoa with the 1/2 tsp. salt and the water from the tomatoes. Just put it all into a small pot over a low flame, cover, and let it steam till it’s done – about 15 minutes.

7. Chop the flesh of the squash.

8. Peel and dice the onion.

9. Rinse the cilantro or parsley and chop it up. 10.  Scissor or chop the tomatoes up coarsely.

11. Sauté the onions in a little olive oil, till they’re golden.

12. Add the chopped squash to the frying pan and cook, stirring often. The squash and onions should cook up within 15 minutes.

13. Add the chopped cilantro or parsley and the tomatoes.  Stir. Cook till the greens are wilted.

14. Tip the contents of the frying pan into the pot where the quinoa cooked. Stir everything up well. Taste, and season if needed. You may like to drizzle a little more olive oil into the mass.

15. Remove the squash halves from the oven and let them cool slightly so you can handle them. At this point, the flesh should be tender and slightly charred.

16. Spoon the stuffing into the squash shells. Mound it up. The dish is now ready, but a generous amount of Parmesan cheese grated over the stuffed squash puts a great finish on it.

If the squash has gotten cold, just pop it back into the hot oven for a few minutes.

Eat it with a soup spoon for scooping out the filling and the flesh of the squash.

Enjoy!

More Green Prophet seasonal recipes:

• Creamy Eggplant Soup
• Preserved Lemons
• Majadra – Lentils and Rice

Nissan’s new Leaf electric car model may be about to roll off the company’s production lines, but it will be a while before it will be available in Middle Eastern markets, according to the company’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn. The Leaf, hailed by Nissan as a totally electric and emission free vehicle was featured in a previous Green Profit article I where Mr. Ghosn said that “the Middle East is not a prime target for electric vehicles.” Mr. Ghosn made these remarks during a press conference in Abu Dhabi, where he launched a jazzy new 4 X 4 model called the 2011 Nissan Patrol SUV, which according to the Nissan CEO seems to have the kind of “qualities” that customers in Middle Eastern countries are more interested in:

• such as a 5.6 liter V8 gasoline engine
• an advanced AC cooling system designed to keep the car’s occupants pleasantly comfortable in the hottest weather conditions
• a state-of-the-art media and entertainment system that can play all the latest downloaded music hits
• internet linkage and WIFI wireless service to all the world’s security and commodities markets

Ghosn’s press conference was covered by international media correspondents, including those from Abu Dhabi’s The National in which he added that “not a lot of governments in the Middle East came to us and said they were interested” in providing the necessary infrastructure needed for electric powered vehicles to be successful.

The reference to the word “infrastructure” seems to say it all as Mr. Ghosn is aware that since most countries in the Middle East as still classified as being developing or underdeveloped, there is simply not the interest or the infrastructure necessary to support a type of car where its lithium-ion batteries have to be either recharged or exchanged every 160 km.

On the other hand, Mr. Ghosn and his marketing strategists believe that cars like the Nissan Patrol 4×4, which is hailed as having an 18 km per liter fuel economy as the company’s best option for locations where oil is still relatively plentiful and electricity for electric car “recharging posts” is not.   We say smaller cars are a better option, not 4×4s!

Nissan plans to concentrate on the US, Japan, Europe, and the UK for the Leaf’s best market potentials. The car’s first production run will be 500,000 vehicles, less than one per cent of the company’s global market output. At the 2010 World Future Energy Summit held last month in Abu Dhabi, delegates detailed plans in other countries to make the purchase of electric vehicles easier.

Ghosn hinted his company’s marketing strategy vis-à-vis the Middle East when he said: “we will concentrate on countries who are not major petroleum exporters and who are concerned with their CO2 emissions.”

Although not mentioned in The National, there is one Middle Eastern country where the infrastructure for electric cars may in place sooner even than countries like the US and Europe. In Israel, which is often excluded from Middle East talks and opportunities due to political interests is where the development of electric cars, and the battery recharging and exchange stations necessary to support them is already being worked on by Better Place.

The electric car company hopes to make its vehicles brand synonymous with Israel like the Jaffa orange. And a major investment might make that happen: funding for more than $350 million  from the international banking consortium HBSC went through recently.

A considerable amount of the technology to has gone into developing the Leaf has actually come from Better Place, which has signed agreements with Renault Nissan, and which recently launched a test drive and electric car education facility in Israel.

From MIT’s Technology Review:

Nissan has been working with a company called Better Place on a strategy for extending the range of EVs. The idea is to build battery swap stations along major highways. Drive in and a simple robot takes out your car’s depleted battery and inserts a charged one, and you’re quickly on your way again. Nissan demonstrated one version of a swap station in May.

GM’s Volt Vs Renault-Nissan’s Electric “Better Place” Edition

Better Place Tests Batter Replacement Technology in Japan

Israel Railways Teams Up With Better Place to Refuel Electric Car Commutors

If you live in the Middle East, like I do, you’ll notice one of the most irritating habits you can’t escape is smoking. Cigarettes, pot, hookah pipe. Either you fight it or join them – something I did after being a virgin non-smoker for a whole 27 years. I used to wage campaigns against my parents and scream with outrage when they smoked around me. At age 27, when most people want to stop, I started smoking cigarettes. One or two a day. The habit was later fed after dating a chain smoking man (advice: never date smokers). I’ve since quit both the guy and the habit, but does my old habit (or choice of partners) make me stupid? Probably, according to a new study from Israel.

We already know how cigarette butts pollute the ground and beaches, and how the smoke influences our quality of life and that of our children, and we gnerally think that people who smoke despite numerous health warnings and the increased risk of cancer do so because of social and economic reasons. Perhaps it’s a matter of irresistible peer pressure or maybe they simply don’t know any better? Not so, finds a new Israeli study that links smoking to lower IQs.

Dr. Mark Weiser from the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel found a direct correlation between the number of cigarettes a smoker inhales and his IQ. People with lower IQs are the ones who tend to be smokers and the heavier the smoker, the lower the IQ.

“It was really quite a straightforward study,” says Weiser, who compared the cognitive test scores of male adolescent smokers and non-smokers. “We looked at cross-sectional data on IQ and smoking cigarettes, and looked at people’s smoking status and their IQs,” he tells ISRAEL21c.

Some media reports distorted the findings of the study that appeared recently in the journal Addiction, and reported that smoking actually damages your IQ, but Weiser says this is not likely the case, and it’s not what he and his colleagues found in their study.

“It’s very clear that people with low IQs are the ones who choose to smoke. It’s not just a matter of socioeconomic status – if they are poor or have less education – and because of that do less well on IQ tests. And that’s really the story,” he says.

Peer pressure tactics that are smoking hot

What the study does show, however, is that there could be a new intervention approach for health specialists at schools and in institutions where young people and teens are at risk for smoking. People with lower IQs could be targeted for specialized programs, helping them to kick or avoid the habit altogether.

The results could also be used to pressure friends and colleagues to quit smoking. If smoking means you have a lower IQ, this could be information one might be unwilling to advertise. Weiser agrees that “perhaps” this may help to convince smokers to give up the habit.

As a scientist, he sees his study as something that adds another piece of the puzzle to a larger group of studies ongoing around the world. Some scientists are testing the hypothesis that on average, people with lower IQs tend to make poorer decisions regarding their health. These are people who may be overweight, will abuse drugs more often and will exercise less to improve their health status, explains Weiser, who examined a cohort of 20,000 Israeli military personnel in his study.

Weiser and his colleagues found that 18-year-old men who smoke a pack or more of cigarettes a day were likely to have an IQ score that on average is 7.5 points lower than that of young men who choose not to smoke.

Unlike other studies that correlate health and IQ, the researchers did not include people who suffer from any major health problem, since these people are weeded out during army selection. This is one of many health-related studies based on the data collected by the Israel Defense Forces before, during and after recruitment.

Family status data not relevant

In the recent smoking study, the researchers found that 28 percent of the new recruits smoked one or more cigarettes a day; about three percent admitted to being ex-smokers, while 68% of the young men had never smoked.

Even after examining socio-economic data, including the level of education of the recruits’ fathers, the researchers found that the men who smoked showed a significantly lower IQ score than their non-smoking counterparts did.

An average IQ for a smoker was found to be about 94, while non-smokers averaged around 101. Interestingly, the researchers point out that a steady drop in IQ levels corresponds to a greater number of cigarettes smoked per day. Those who smoked more than a pack a day had IQs of around 90, for example. An average intelligence IQ score is described as one in the range of 84 to 116.

Even in studies of brothers, where environmental factors growing up can be assumed to be similar, the researchers found consistent results: The non-smoking sibling achieved a higher IQ than did his smoking brother.

The researchers conclude: “The IQs of adolescents who began smoking between ages 18-21 are lower than those of non-smokers. Adolescents with poorer IQ scores might be targeted for programs designed to prevent smoking.”

(This study was first reported on ISRAEL21c – www.israel21c.org) Karin does not have an official IQ number to report, but it’s probably 7.5 lower than the average.

More ungreen news on smoking:
No Ifs, And Or Cigarette Butts
Cigarette Cones – So You Don’t Butt Out on the Beach

This coming Monday, March 22nd will be International Water Day, a time (almost like New Years) for countries to reflect upon their last year of water usage and make resolutions for the year to come.  This is especially important in the Middle East, where water is frighteningly scarce.

International Water Day is an initiative that came out of a 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and has since been celebrated every March 22nd.  The theme changes every year, with the theme this year being “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”

Here’s how this year’s theme is defined: “UN-Water has chosen Clean Water for a Healthy World as theme for World Water Day 2010. The overall goal of the World Water Day on 22 March 2010 campaign is to raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity.”

So how does Israel fare within the global mission to preserve water?  Sometimes well, sometimes not so well. 

On the up side, the Israeli Knesset recently appointed an Investigative Commission to determine the causes of Israel’s water crisis and submit findings and recommendations.   Organizations such as the Jewish National Fund (JNF) have also gotten involved, and have pioneered many water saving solutions.  JNF has built 205 reservoirs to date with a combined capacity of over 66 billion gallons of recycled and flood water, increasing Israel’s water supply by 12%.

Click here to view the embedded video.

On the other hand, it is hard to ignore certain trends of water waste such as the annual summer water fight in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square.  Held every summer for the past five years, hundreds of Tel Avivians gather in the square to fling water balloons and squirt water guns at each other in order to cool down from the intense heat.  (Check out the clip above.)

Regardless of what’s going on with the country you live in, though, nothing should stop you from taking measures on your own to save water.  Here are some of our Green Prophet water-saving tips:

Drinking Water

Say Goodbye to Bottles

A Leaky Faucet Can Save You Money

Your Toilet May Be Overflowing… Without You Knowing It

Is Your Shower Efficient?

Use a Bucket

Washing Dishes

A new super-sex protein jock shake “A Breakfast of Champions” for fruit flies and mosquitoes to make them better lovers, and mercenaries of their own race?

Writing from the beach in Panama City, Florida during Spring Break this new research from Hebrew U seems to ring true: that “males with the muscle,” get the chicks – in both the human and insect worlds. According to a new study at an Israeli university, researchers have uncovered a new sustainable pest control technique using “super-sexed” (but sterile- sorry guys) male insects to copulate with female ones. The approach, the researchers hope, will help the agri business use less chemicals, such as DDT, used since early in the last century to control crop pests or carriers of diseases.

Their trick? A Breakfast of Champions jock drink.

Pest resistance is up, even with the use of nasty chemicals, and they have a serious effect on human health. That’s why we eat organic. However, this approach has led to the evolution of resistance to pesticides and has severely negative impacts on human health and the environment.

Prof. Boaz Yuval at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is now working on upgrading an old approach, known as the sterile insect technique. Useful against several dozen insect species, he is rearing million of insects that compete with or who eat the problematic and usually invasive pest.  

The males will have sex with the female insects, but being sterile means that no baby insects will result. The sterile insects, are weaker than their “sexed” counterparts making this method not so effective in the long-run. Nature isn’t that stupid! To counteract, Prof. Yuval has developed a super shake just like the ones jocks drink when pumping iron.

A high energy protein drink

Prof. Yuval has found that feeding males on high protein diets significantly improves their sexual performance and that bacteria residing in fruit flies are important, and that the factory reared flies lacked the bacteria found in wild insects.

A super-sexed fruit fly. Credit: Roi Caspi for Hebrew University.

With this information in hand, Yuval and his colleagues are formulating a high-protein, bacteria enhanced “breakfast of champions” which will be provided to males before their release, and significantly improve their sexual performance when released in the field. He thinks that this approach can be applied to a variety of plant and animal pests, as well as to organisms that transmit human disease, thus making an important, organic and environmentally friendly approach to pest control.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they are giving out free samples of this stuff to the beach party-ers in Florida next year.

Image via Kaganof

Use the wrong kind, and they can make you toss and turn in your sleep. That is why this post is dedicated to making sure that your ‘pillow talk’ –– and pillows –– includes words like, green, clean and sustainable.

Conventional pillows typically contain petroleum chemicals that release volatile organic compounds into the air in your home.  Fire-retardant, non-iron, moisture-resistant pillows are made from compounds that are bad for your health and bad for the planet. Not to mention that many synthetic pillows make great incubators for dust mites, one of the leading allergens that are irritating to lungs, particularly in people with asthma. Yuck.

There are alternatives that are natural-filled and appealing to all personal pillow preferences. When you are choosing, don’t just consider what goes in the inside; make sure it is covered in organic cotton too. Below is a list of popular option, available from many vendors via the web. We’ve personally tested all four, and can vouch for the pros and cons. If readers know where to purchase any of these in the Middle East, we ask you to share this information in the comment section.

• Natural Shredded Rubber
  A byproduct of the rubber tree, this renewable resource is sometimes called latex. Great for people with allergies and chemical sensitities, these pillows offer firm support. They may take some getting used to and some sleepers don’t like the smell that new pillows give off. Make sure to avoid synthetic rubber.
• Wool Fiber
  Choose pure virgin wool. Its many benefits include breathability, flame resistance, moisture absorbency, and bacteria/dust mite resistance. They also maintain temperature during hot or cold climates. Drawbacks: these pillows may be too firm for some, and they can flatten out over time.
• Feathers/Down
  Pillows made from duck or goose feathers and/or down, and very comfortable, and come in a variety of qualities and price points. The higher the down content, the softer the pillow but higher the cost. May not be firm enough for all sleepers, or appropriate for people with allergies. They also need to be regularly ‘fluffed.’
• Buckwheat Hull
  Buckweat hull pillows conform to the contours of your head and neck. They offer excellent insulation during summer and winter climates, and generally are reasonably priced. It may take some getting used to as they are ‘noisy’ when you turn in your sleep. They also need to be replaced, and don’t control for odor as well as some other options.

Greening your bedroom is a personal choice that must take budget and comfort into consideration. It may not be feasible for everyone to replace their entire bedroom and bedding with organic, health-conscious products, which is why we recommend starting with your pillow.

As for the next step, we suggest sleeping naked. It’s as natural as the day you were born, and makes breakfast in bed all the more fun. Stay tuned for more ways to make your sex life green, and your green life sexy. Or read our past post on Greening Your Bedroom.

All over the Middle East, many old and often historical buildings are being torn down in order to “make way” for new, modern ones. This trend is especially true in cities like Cairo, Egypt and Tel Aviv, Israel, where the quaint and classical architecture of the “colonial period” (which also applies to India) is often forced to give way to glass faced skyscrapers which even though are claimed to be safer in the event of earthquakes and other natural disasters are less sustainable in regards to keeping them cool in summer or warm in winter.

This issue was expressed in an article in Treehugger where they reported that older styles of architecture, built before the “thermostat age” we live in now, had to be constructed to enable people to cope with the climate they lived in – particularly in regions where people experienced extreme changes in temperature during various times of the year.Many Middle Eastern countries have buildings constructed in a manner known as Islamic Art and Architecture, which involves using arches, thick walls and small windows to keep out the sun’s heat in summer, and warm the occupants during the colder winter months.

Although Islamic architecture also incorporates earlier Romanesque and Byzantine styles, the main purpose was durability and protection against the elements as well as beauty to the beholder. We’ve talked about countries such as Saudi Arabia are now incorporating the sustainability of Islamic architecture into newer structures such as the recently competed KAUST University in which the buildings themselves have been constructed in order to screen out a good deal of the heat that is generated by the hot Arabian sun; making the internal environment  more sustainable for the students.

But the main idea in preserving older buildings is simply to use them and not tear them down for the purpose of constructing a new, less sustainable one.

An example of efforts being made to preserve older styles of architecture can be seen today in Tel Aviv, Israel, where parts of the inner “core” city are being preserved and designated as historical areas. Tel Aviv is one of the few cities in the world where the architectural ideas of Sir Patrick Geddes are being designed as World Heritage sites by the UN organization UNESCO.

Geddes’ unique “White Building” architectural styling was used in construction of buildings in Tel Aviv during the period from 1930 to 1948, and utilized the principles of large balconies, thick walls with small windows, and white paint to reflect the sun’s heat.

During Tel Aviv’s 100^th anniversary celebration last year, a lot of mention was made about the city’s unique “White City Architecture” and efforts being made to preserve it.

Mention was also made, however, of the construction of many new high rise buildings, many of 40 stories or more, that have been built recently, often at the expense of older, perhaps more sustainable buildings.

While the new, glass exterior skyscrapers certainly look nice, they require a lot of energy to heat and cool them that in the long run is counter-productive to the environment. We might all take a lesson from people such as Geddes, and make more efforts to preserve and restore the older buildings, instead of replacing them with news ones. This idea is especially relevant from an environmental point of view. And to quote what was written in the above Treehugger article: The greenest brick is the one that is already in the wall.

::TreeHugger

Articles about sustainable Middle Eastern architecture:

Tel Aviv’s 100^th: Sustainability and Beyond

Saudi Arabia’s KAUST University Designed as a Model of Environmental Sustainability

Hassan Fathy: the Middle East Father of Sustainable Architecture

Like many of Dubai’s projects The World, which will exacerbate shoreline erosion and habitat loss, and Burj Dabai, reputedly the world’s tallest building, are flashy and expensive.  They are also divorced from the United Arab Emirates’ environmental hazards such as scant freshwater supply and desertification, and though undeniably clever, their eco-footprints are questionable. Timelinks, a consortium of urban planners, scientists, and architectural designers, has designed another less-than-sensible solution to the UAE’s environmental and urban crises.  They call it the Ziggurat.

In ancient Babylon, ziggurats were towering structures built with mud brick and with diminishing squares.  The towers resembled pyramids in shape but were built with stairs such that it was possible to move between levels.  Central to society, each tower included a special addition at the summit, which was probably designed to serve the gods.  The best preserved of such ancient ziggurats is in Iran’s Khuzestan province, and was built for the Elamite King Untash-Napirisha.

Should it ever evolve from design to reality, the modern Ziggurat would be no less monumental than ancient ziggurats.  The base of the tower city will be 2.3 square km, and one million people could call it home.  According to Timelinks’ website, this project “will provide a harmonious, ecological, and safe environment.  Ziggurat is a city where people, nature and modern technology unite to harmonize family, work, and entertainment.”

The design’s most phenomenal claim is that it will be “carbon neutral,” and will exist entirely off the grid.  Though it has been difficult to obtain specific information, “water evaporation, steam, solar energy, wind turbines, and hydroponics” are among the city/building’s features that will render it self-sustaining.  Residents will be able to enjoy artificial lakes and parks and water channels, and could even participate in urban farming.  Security will be ensured by biometric facial recognition, and cars will be a thing of the past.  To get to work, residents will hop into what looks like a cable car that moves horizontally, vertically, and at 360 degrees, keeping their commute to 15 minutes maximum.

World Architecture News reports that Martyn Kramer – the Managing Director of the International Institute for the Urban Environment – believes that the city/building is “viable from a technical point of view,” though he does question whether living in a machine will be comforting for its residents.  Not only that, but is it really healthy to squish one million people into such a relatively small area?

Although it is both admirable and necessary that designers and scientists seek solutions to the problem of open space, we hope that the consideration of psychological health, as well as ecological and economical health, will trump self-aggrandizing design.

More on sustainable building:
Greater Amman Municipality Introduces Recycling in Amman
AGRAme, Honeywell, and Biofuel Projects in Dubai
Rethinking Climate Change Under the Middle East Sun

Global issues concerning green agriculture and energy sustainability have raised many viability questions during the early 21st century. Collaborate efforts of world leaders, non-profits, and research institutes have made great achievements in the area. Units like the CGI and Doug Band tackle Haitian Rice Crop Sustainability through the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), while also manipulating emission reduction in the San Francisco Bay Area of the USA. Although, the US isn’t the only one playing their role!

Organizations like Ultra Green Middle East tackle issues like water treatment/purification, waste-to-energy and establish LEED eco-friendly buildings. Subsequently, continued success of green initiatives within the Middle East has led us to some of the greatest agricultural innovations yet.

One of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai is home to one of the largest agribusiness events within the region, AGRAme. Held in the Dubai World Trade Centre from March 29 to 31, the agribusiness show covers five closely connected sectors including:

1) agribusiness

2) poultry and livestock

3) fishing and aquaculture

4) horticulture and floriculture

5) machinery and supplies

One of the major issues with green agriculture lies in the ideology of harvesting the bi-products (oil) of plants as biofuel. The premier demonstration at the event will be technology introduced by Honeywell that converts the oil from salicornia plants, commonly known as samphire (Haute Cuisine), into biofuel.

These seeds are known to have nearly double the oil content of soya beans. They are harvested to make vegetable oil, or processed to provide agro-fuel. The remains are used as food for livestock. Goutam Malhotra, Exhibition Manager for AGRA Middle East states: “Industry experts have long advocated continued investment in relevant technology and equipments to increase the region’s ability to produce food locally and reduce reliance on imported produce.”

In the end, the renewable energy will ideally be utilized for aviation.

Meanwhile, The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project in Abu Dhabi will also incorporate fish farming and a mangrove plantation. Held by the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, this will demonstrate the practicality of using saltwater agriculture to yield fuel. The project will fashion an ecosystem comprised of fish ponds, salicornia fields and mangrove swamps.

As these institutions and organizations like Masdar, Boeing, Etihad Airways, and Honeywell continue to fund and execute great sustainability projects like the items above, we’ll be sure to see great things in upcoming AGRAme shows. With advances in alternative energy and environmental technologies, global organizations support green movements, consequently making the earth a cleaner, greener place to live.

::AGRAme website

This guest post is written by James Garver, a left wing writer and follower of all things progressive and green.

The sun makes us old and wrinkly, but in Israel getting some “sun” through your pension plan can make you green. Without the possibility of buying green bonds, many Israelis wonder how they can invest in solar energy (it’s a question I’ve asked to people in the government), and now by subscribing to Migdal, a major insurance broker and holding company, some of your pension plan will be diverted to making good energy: Migdal just invested $30 million in Sunday Energy. 

According to a Globes report this week, Migdal invested NIS 100 (about $30 million) in Sunday Solar, an Israeli photovoltaic company which aims to be a solar power plant producer, much along the lines of BrightSource and Solel.

Focusing more on the implementation of solar power than revolutionizing the industry, Sunday Energy has been busy over the last couple of years signing contracts with cities, companies and even boutique wineries.

Terms of the new deal will mean that Migdal will own 10% of Sunday Energy, with an option for 10% more. Migdal is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under (TASE: MGDL), so even if you don’t live in Israel, you can still invest in the company.

In talks since 2009, Sunday’s CEO Kobi Dinar (who I’ve interviewed in the past said, “Migdal’s entry as a partner in Sunday is a strategic milestone toward implementing Sunday’s vision of turning Israel into a global center of excellence in solar energy. I believe that Migdal’s entry is an important step, not just for Sunday, but for the Israeli solar energy industry.”

Sunday has been in the solar business since 2007and aims for creating solar power plants globally, according to Dinar.

::Globes
::Migdal website

More on Sunday and the Israeli solar market:
Sunday Builds Large Plant on Damaged Desert Land
The U.N. Asks Israel to Use More Solar Power
Sunday Energy Helping to Produce Israel’s First Solar Powered Wine
Ormat and Sunday Solar Power Up in $195 Million Deal