By SHARON UDASIN 04/26/2011 02:38 US-Dutch solar energy firm GiraSolar in talks with Turkish partners over plant expected to provide 100 megawatts of energy. Talkbacks (1) An American-Dutch solar energy firm, GiraSolar, is in talks with anonymous Turkish partners to build Europe’s biggest – and Turkey’s first – solar energy plant and mass produce solar […]

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Terrorists blew up the pipeline carrying gas from Egypt to Jordan, disrupting, again, the supply a few days ago. The last time this happened, the country had to resort to other forms of energy, notably diesel and heavy oil. That came at a high cost, which makes one wonder whether the country is capable to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 04/29/2011 02:38 Officials hope Guangzhou partnership will lead to future development of a regional electric-car network. Israeli-owned electric car infrastructure company Better Place signed an agreement in Tel Aviv on Wednesday with officials from China Southern Power Grid Co. to open a battery switch station and joint education center in Guangzhou, China, […]

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Statistics indicate 55% increase in recycling bins across country, including in Arab communities. Environmental Protection Ministry promises to expand plan by 2013 to over 15,000 bins Yael Darel Published: 05.05.11, 08:42 / The recycling revolution led by the Environmental Protection Ministry is on a roll: Statistics published by the Ela Recycling Organization indicate a 55% […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Scores of Jordanians took part in a sit-in on Thursday to protest against the construction of a military academy in Bergesh Forest, charging that the project “is executing one of Jordan’s few forests”. Held in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, the sit-in is part of an ongoing campaign by […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/01/2011 23:58 Bank Hapoalim gets the top honors for second year in row. The businesses in the Tel Aviv 100 Index of the Israeli Stock Exchange were deemed only 35 percent transparent in their socio-environmental policies for 2011, a corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting firm announced on Sunday. The firm, Ramat […]

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May 03, 2011 01:34 AM (Last updated: May 03, 2011 01:34 AM) By Omar Brousky Agence France Press AJDIR, Morocco: Revered as the “king of the forest” in Morocco, the native cedar tree is under increasing threat from illegal logging – a crime which also threatens the country’s main water reserve. In the Ajdir forest, […]

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Forty years of wandering from bad decisions to neglect have done terrible damage to the lowest place on earth. By Shuki Sadeh Short-term thinking. Unthinking optimism – “everything will work out.” Putting off hard decisions, selling national assets for peanuts, and first and foremost, of course, a lack of governance. These are the factors behind […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – By the end of this year all the Kingdom’s aquifers will be linked to a system which evaluates the behaviour of underground basins and the quantity of water pumped from them, a government official said on Tuesday. The country’s three main basins, Amman-Zarqa, Azraq and the Jordan Valley, have been […]

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By Hana Namrouqa YARMOUK NATURE RESERVE – Visitors to the Yarmouk Nature Reserve can now enjoy panoramic views of the Yarmouk River, Golan Heights and Lake Tiberias from a new hiking trail which winds through forests of deciduous oaks. Located in the northwest of the country, the reserve is Jordan’s newest eco-tourist destination with over […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Ministry of Environment is distributing thousands of flytraps and insect-repellent trees in the Jordan Valley to curb the spread of domestic flies, a nuisance to area residents and tourists. The environment-friendly methods are being implemented under a campaign launched in January to address one of the main environment and […]

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The Animal Welfare Law was passed 17 years ago, but the Agriculture Ministry, which also represents farmers, has done little to enforce it. Now the environment minister is petitioning to take over protecting friends both furry and flavorful. By Shlomit Tsur A particularly cruel death is meted out to 11,000 baby chicks each day in […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Monday announced the end of the bird-hunting season across the Kingdom and called on hunters to abide by regulations. Hunting of all types of birds, particularly wild pigeons and chukar, is banned from early May and until early June to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 04/26/2011 23:11 New rules extend hours when construction is banned, bar noisy gardening equipment and soon, blaring car alarms. A series of amendments to the 1992 Abatement of Nuisances Law go into effect on Wednesday, which will increase the hours in which construction is banned and will also introduce additional regulations – […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/04/2011 03:26 Gilad Erdan praises project, says, “There is nothing cleaner than bicycles”; over 30 stations already active. Tel Aviv-Yafo has joined a host of European cities by initiating a bike rental program within its borders – allowing commuters to hop on and off at locations scattered throughout the municipality. The initiative […]

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There is talk about amending the current legislation on the protection of environment, and that is indeed good news. The circle of those calling for tougher legislation on the protection of environment is getting larger, and that is encouraging, but the focus seems to centre on toughening up penalties for violations of the existing guidelines […]

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Report — American Near East Refugee Aid Cremisan, Beit Jala – Today, ANERA signed a contract to install sewage collection pipelines for Beit Jala’s Cremisan area. The project is being implemented by ANERA under the Emergency Water and Sanitation and Other Infrastructure (EWAS II) Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). […]

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By Hana Namrouqa ZARQA – Dilapidated water and sewage networks in Zarqa Governorate will be revamped by 2015 to achieve a regular water supply and end flooding of wastewater, officials said on Monday. “Tenders for sanitation projects worth JD130 million will be floated later this year, in addition to the allocation of JD60-JD65 million for […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 04/21/2011 23:21 Plant should be completed by 2013; the natural gas to power the plant will be supplied by Egypt’s East Mediterranean Gas company. Construction of Israel’s largest privately-owned power plant has gotten under way this week, piloted by Scottish-based construction firm Wood Group GTS at an Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Co. site […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Eco-tourism in Jordan is expanding and attracting more visitors, with more than one million tourists visiting the Kingdom’s diverse nature reserves and protected areas last year, officials said on Tuesday. Around 975,000 tourists visited the Petra National Park in 2010, while 500,000 visited the country’s nature reserves last year, according […]

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