Archive | Environment
VIDEO: Israel pavilion Korea 2012 – Sea of Inspiration – Virtual Tour
Israel Expo 2012 virtual tour – Little preview…
Green technology meets high-tech at eco-conference
A three-day eco-friendly conference helps establish business connections, create innovative ideas intended to promote environment friendly living
An unlikely partnership between the high-tech and ecology communities in Israel formed the first ever sustainable technology conference – TentTech.
The camps’ participants, who represent various disciplines such as science, technology, art and agriculture combined their talent and resources in order to build projects and develop innovative blueprints for environment friendly living.
The group’s aim is to rethink sustainability in four different domains – water, energy, shelter and communication.
The conference, called by many a non-conference, was established by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs headed by Ilan Graicer and Gilli Cegla.
Among the Israeli activists taking part in the project was Muhammad Almaki, a student from Mali who came to Israel in order to learn Hebrew so he could translate the bible into the local Mali language. Almaki presented the camps’ participants with one of the major issues the Mali people face – one water well shared by 5,000 residents.
Almaki asked some of the high-tech experts to search for the technology which could improve access to drinking water in Mali. He further asked for them to find affordable solutions for well building, rain harvesting and pumping and water purification.
One of the camp’s participants, Oranit Avidar, who works for WaterWays, a local Israeli startup seeking to find fitting solutions for rural locations lacking access to water sources, approached Almaki soon after he spoke, in effort to help him with the life threatening challenge his country faces.
The conference further held discussions concerning challenges of developing countries in the fields of water and sanitation, shelter, communications and energy.
Moreover, several discussions concerning existing global innovation challenges took place followed by possible projects and solutions addressing these needs.
Among the technological developments presented during the conference was Moti Cohen’s aquaponics prototype, which is a sustainable food production system that combines the traditional aquaculture with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment.
Source: Ynetnews.com
New app offers green consumerism tips
Environmental Protection Ministry launches new smartphone application mean to promote eco-friendly consumer behavior
The Environmental Protection Ministry launched a new green consumerism app this week, meant to promote eco-friendly consumer behavior.
The Thinking Green app, which is free, is meant to help and educate consumers on how they can save hundreds of shekels a month by simply opting for environmentally friendly products, purchases and habits.
Thinking Green offers users tips for environmentally friendly behavior at home, at work, on the road and while on vacation.
The application also offers a “test yourself” feature, which allows users to see if they were able to maximize their savings with green consumerism.
“After years of advertisers pushing for excess consumerism we are stepping up on the same platform and urging smart consumerism,” Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan said.
We will appeal to the public wherever they may be, through television, the Internet and smartphones, in order to increase the awareness to the fact that by applying small changes, each of us can both save money and help the environment.”
Source: Ynetnews.com
Electric-car buyers to get thousands of shekels in tax benefits from Israeli government
New incentive involves lowering purchase tax on vehicles that pollute less, resulting in a saving of NIS 6,000 to NIS 10,000 for car buyers.
Motorists who buy electric-powered cars and some hybrid cars are to get additional tax benefits in a bid to encourage more Israelis to purchase these greener models, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz announced on Sunday.
The new incentive involves lowering the purchase tax on certain vehicles that pollute less than standard internal-combustion vehicles, resulting in a saving of NIS 6,000 to NIS 10,000 for car buyers.
Under the new policy the tax on electric cars is being cut from 10 percent to 8 percent this year and next.
When it comes to hybrid cars, which run on a combination of electricity and gasoline, purchase tax will remain at 30 percent, but it was slated to go up to 45 percent.
Cars that run on a combination of gasoline and rechargeable batteries, which are called “plug-in” vehicles, will be subject to a lower, 20 percent purchase tax this year and next – a rate that will then gradually increase.
Finance Ministry officials say the benefits for Israeli car buyers who take advantage of the incentives are collectively worth NIS 130 million over the next several years.
Initial pro-environment tax rates were introduced about three years ago. The newly announced incentives are expected to result in cleaner air, with incidental benefits to the country including, for example, lower medical costs for respiratory illnesses.
Hybrid vehicles emit up to 50 percent less air pollution. Use of battery-powered vehicles can result in even more substantial pollution reduction, but the extent of the improvement depends on the source of the electricity used to power the cars, taking into account pollution generated at the electric power plant. Electric cars themselves, however, don’t emit air pollution and therefore result in immediate benefits in urban areas, where air pollution is a major cause of illness and even death.
Source: Haaretz.com
Israel prepares to turn off lights for Earth Hour
Some 22 cities participate in annual event beginning at 8 pm; cities to hold environmentally friendly parties, events
On Sunday, for one hour, Israelis will turn off the lights and take part in the annual Earth Hour – a worldwide event encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, part of the annual Earth Day activities. This year, Some 22 Israeli cities will be participating.
The lights out will begin at 8 pm in a gradual manner – so as not to damage the national electric grid. Tel Aviv, Yeruham and Yavne will be starting off the hour followed by Haifa, Givat Shmuel, Kiryat Yam, Yokneam-Illit, Ma’alot Tarshicha and Modi’in 10 minutes later. Other cities will continue to join in every 10 minutes.
Last year, some 700,000 Israeli residents turned off their lights in 67,000 households for one hour throughout the country, breaking a record in energy conservation and saving a total of NIS 50,000 ($13,000). This year, with the hike in electricity prices, the incentive to join in and turn off the lights will be even greater.
And while it might be dark inside, on the streets things are set to really light up. Many cities will be holding special ‘green’ events to mark the occasion. Netanya will be holding an “earphone party” with each participant receiving earphones that have been charged using solar panels.
In Eilat, residents and tourists are invited to make lampshades for energy-conserving lamps and use “sun ovens” to make pizzas, fondue and roast marshmallows in the city park. Tel Aviv will be holding the main event of the day – a major concert with some of Israel’s biggest stars, all using energy-efficient stages and lighting.
Meanwhile, Environment Ministry senior officials led by Minister Environmental Gilad Erdan will be showing a personal example and visiting high schools throughout the country to share lessons on Earth Hour and explain its importance.
Over the weekend, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and US Ambassador Dan Shapiro also showed their environmentally friendly sides when they planted trees near Jaffa in honor of Earth Hour.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Report: Plastic bottle recycling in Israel tops US, EU
Recycling data for 2011 suggest 50% of all plastic bottles in Israel are recycled; 200,000 tons of bottles recycled
A new report by the ELA Beverage Containers Collection Corporation suggests that in 2011 Israelis recycled over 50% of their plastic bottles – more than their American and European counterparts.
The annual plastic bottle recycling rates was 29% in the US and 48% in Europe.
According to the report, some 20,000 tons of bottles were recycled in 2011, and since the prices of recyclable packages in Israel carry a consumer deposit, the public has been able to regain NIS 1.04 billion (roughly $280 million) in deposit fees over the past decade.
ELA’s report noted that, in total, 77% of all beverage containers, both plastic and glass, were collected for recycling, exceeding government targets of 73%, amounting to some 600 million bottles.
The report’s segmentation said that households recycled about 41% of all beverage containers – about 300 million bottles – also surpassing a the government’s 35% goal.
ELA Chairwoman Nehama Ronen said that, “A year since the Packaging Law came into force – we succeeded in surpassing the goals set for us by the Environmental Protection Ministry.”
The cooperation further notes that in the past year 140 municipalities and regional councils nationwide installed 4,400 new recycling bins, bringing the country’s total number of recycling points to 15,000.
ELA said that the most successful recycling cities in 2011 were Kiryat Ono and Givat Shmuel, and the most successful regional councils were Arava Kfar Shmaryahu. Bnei Brak set a municipal record in 2011, going from having only seven recycling bins across the city to exceeding 400.
“As we gear to implement the Waste Separation Law in Israel, this data suggests that the Israeli public is committed to the issue of recycling,” Ronen said.
Source: Ynetnews.com