An Israeli smart water company has been named one of Bloomberg’s New Energy Pioneers for 2013. Israel-based Whitewater provides utility and industrial companies an efficient way of managing and monitoring water quality. The company received the Bloomberg recognition last week at a New York ceremony, along with eight other innovators. The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit was the sixth annual gathering of its kind, aimed at honoring “game-changing companies in the field of clean energy technology …More

Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Haifa’s Technion recently made an interesting observation while studying the coral outside the resort city of Eilat. For one half an hour each day, the coral colonies appear to nap. “During the day the coral uses the photosynthesis to generate its food, and during the night it goes through respiration like other animals,” said Uri Shavit, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Technion. “Just before sunset when the level …More

A coalition of 130 environmental groups nabbed top honors Monday night at the 10th annual Green Globe Awards, held at Ariel Sharon Park, the site of the former Hiriya landfill. Life and Environment was awarded Israel’s top environmental prize at the ceremony, which featured seven awardees and one "black globe" designee--a less coveted distinction. Life and Environment won top prize for their efforts to convince the government to abandon a controversial planning reform which would have had dire, long term …More

The weekend before Earth Day, Captain Sunshine became the first Israeli to make CNN’s “The Next List.” Boston born Israeli Yosef Abramowitz, better known by his solar superhero moniker in Israel, was featured in a 30-minute profile tracing his life and green accomplishments, which aired on the American network on April 20. According to the show’s producers, “The Next List,” hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, profiles “innovators, visionaries and agents of change from around the …More

Israel honored Earth Day today with a slew of activities to highlight the Jewish state’s efforts toward green living. Israeli singer Ivri Lider headed an event in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, which was powered entirely through renewable energy. Last night, businesses and homes also participated in “Earth Hour,” turning off lights for a full hour to respect the day. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat took part in the observance, overseeing the shutting down of city lights at the Old City …More

Thirteen years ago, the navy launched an investigation into the wide scale pollution of the Kishon River. Now new findings, soon to be published by the Environmental Protection Ministry, claim that a nearby naval IDF base was one of the sources of the river’s contamination. "I was here 12 years ago with the Shamgar Commission in an effort to map the enormous pollution that occurred here," Yuval Tamir, a former naval officer who heads up an organization to help support naval officers impacted by cancer after …More

Adolph Hitler is perhaps one of modern history’s most infamous vegetarians. A self-proclaimed animal lover, during his reign of terror the Nazi leader enacted a number of humane animal laws and environmental legislation. These statutes limited suffering of slaughtered animals and restricted animal experimentation. The Nazi preservation laws also promoted organic farming and helped conserve the nation’s forests. Recent research uncovering the Nazis’ so-called ‘green’ past, has also …More

World Food Prize Laureate and Israeli-American scientist Dr. Daniel Hillel is helping to inspire the next generation of sustainably minded scientists and scholars. During a three-day residency at the University of Delaware this week, Hillel plans on discussing his time spent researching and living on a Negev kibbutz as well as his innovative micro-irrigation system that helped transform and modernize agriculture in arid lands worldwide. Dr. Hillel, who now conducts research at Columbia University-Earth …More

A new design project will see shipping containers transformed into an innovative bridge in Tel Aviv. Called the Ecocontainer Bridge, the plans have been put in place by Yoav Messer Architects, an Israeli firm that focuses on bio-friendly constructions. The project seeks to cut down on the 800,000-plus shipping containers that are thrown out each year. The current plans for the bridge feature a colorful design that will link Ariel Sharon Park and a main thoroughfare into Tel Aviv. The bridge will measure 525-feet …More

Two models of a new series of miniature vehicle have landed in Israel, set to take part in a trial for environmentally friendly urban transport. The trial is hosted in conjunction with the Kfar Saba Municipality, and the Renault makers of the Twizy electric car have high hopes that their two-seater will fit the bill for clean, affordable personal transport for Israelis. The vehicle is approximately 7.5 feet long, and can go up to 28 miles per hour. Kfar Saba has been trying for years to partner with an electric …More

Captain Adiya Hazani is a company commander in the Kfir Brigade. He is responsible for an area covering Jenin and Tulkarem. When Cpt. Hazani received a call that a group of Palestinians in the area were stranded in a flood, he and his men were ready to help. He agreed to answer a few questions about his life-saving rescue work. How did you hear that Palestinians needed your help? I received a call from the IDF Coordination and Liaison Administration that Palestinians were stranded, and that a number were …More

This month, ground was broken on Israel’s first urban nature reserve. Planned to open in phases over the next 10 years, Gazelle Valley in Jerusalem will provide a protected space for gazelles and other wildlife as well as a refuge for tourists and locals in Israel’s largest and most densely packed city. For years, the prime real estate has been the focus of an intense political battle as developers and environmentalists fought over plans to convert the open space into apartments. In March 2012, …More