Jordan Environment Watch: Sustainable urbanization

Jordanian demand for hybrid cars on the rise

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:32:10 GMT

Source: Jordan Times 23-12-2009 By Omar Obeidat Authorities said yesterday there are currently no plans to levy more fees on hybrid cars as demand on such vehicles has surged recently, a trend attributed to concerns that extra charges are imminent. According to figures by the Jordan Customs Department (JCD), a total of 4,796 cars have been cleared from the free zone... [read more]

Scavengers work on waste management in Jordan

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:52:00 GMT

The role of scavengers in waste management is currently increasing in many Arab cities, but without a proper and sustainable apparatus for organization and processes of the various waste collection and separation activities. This report from the National sheds light on the role of scavengers in Amman Suha Philip Ma’ayeh, Foreign Correspondent Last Updated: November 01 Link ... [read more]

Jordanian Woman Builds an Eco-Friendly home

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:43:00 GMT

This is an interesting story that I will try to follow up on in details and illustrations later. For now, enjoy this feature Jordanian optical scientist Hanna Al-Khalili has designed and built an eco-friendly 50 square metre mud home in Wadi Seer west of Amman for a family of four.According to Al-Khalili, her “Moon House” was designed in conformance with standards established by NASA,... [read more]

Jordan launches 'green' initiative for Arab cities

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:57:00 GMT

Source: Forbes By DALE GAVLAK AMMAN, Jordan - The Jordanian government on Tuesday launched an initiative to set "green" standards for the region's cities, touted as the first of its kind in the Arab world. Environment Minister Khaled Irani said the drive will spell out minimum standards that cities have to abide by if they want to become environment friendly, including implementing... [read more]

Greater Amman Municipality to Launch Recycling Project

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:49:00 GMT

Source: Jordan Times 4 September 2008 By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN - The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will start within two months implementing the first phase of a project to sort and recycle solid waste, a GAM official said on Wednesday. Under the first phase, a total of 1,000 recycling bins will be distributed in three districts in Amman, including Wadi Seer, Zahran and Bader for... [read more]

Bin Laden to Bridge the Red Sea with the First Environmental City of 21 Century!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

It is Bin Laden in the spotlight but not the notorious Osama. This time it is Tareq Bin Laden, one of the main construction businessmen in the Middle East trying to launch a pioneering project to build the first of one hundred "cities of light" with perfect environmental standards, and bridging the Red Sea in the process. Who is reporting on this? The Economist. Jul 31st 2008 | DJIBOUTI... [read more]

Carbon Neutral City Planned in Jordan

Sun, 18 May 2008 08:44:00 GMT

This is exciting news emerging from the planners of Masdar city, the first zero carbon city in the world. In a report published in UAE's the National newspaper, a big carbon neutral city will be built outskirts of Amman that will accomodate 700,000 people. This is the text of the report, which I will be debating later. Chris Stanton May 15. 2008 The National http://www.thenational... [read more]

The Arab World gets Serious about Climate Change

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:47:00 GMT

By: Batir Wardam Few Arab cities, including Amman and Dubai took part in the symbolic initiative done two weeks ago to turn off lights in cities for one hour in an activity called Earth Hour advocated by the World Wide Fund (WWF). For many of the still evolving species of Arab environmentalists, this was a much celebrated step. All Arab environmentalists know for certain that when it came... [read more]

Public Health Boost as Jordan switches to unleaded fuel

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:55:00 GMT

IRIN news wire has published this story about Jordan's recent switch to unleaded fuel. Worthy of reading and documentation. The link to this story is here Many petrol stations across Jordan no longer sell leaded petrol after a government decision to switch to unleaded fuel in a bid to improve public health. Emissions from vehicles which use leaded petrol are believed to be harmful - especially... [read more]

Video about Masdar City

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:09:00 GMT

This is a nice video illustrating the technology and vision to be used in Masdar City, the first zero carbon and zero waste city in the world to be built in Abu Dhabi In addition, this is an insightful analysis of the Masdar city from a technological point of view http://www.dinarstandard.com/innovation/Masdar040608.htm [read more]

Conference on green property in Amman in April

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:46:00 GMT

The first conference on green buildings will be held in Amman between 22-23 April 2008 under the title "Think Green". The Conference aims to bring together key stakeholders to promote environmentally-responsible design and construction methods and solutions that foster sustainable economic development. The Conference is supported by the World Green Building Council, Ministry of Public Works and Housing,... [read more]

Noise Pollution Cripples Cairo

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:07:00 GMT

Source: AFP From blaring car horns to wedding parties, rising noise pollution in the 24-hour metropolis of Cairo has reached alarming levels, leading to hearing problems, irritability and even death. Living in the city centre, where noise levels reached an average of 90 decibels (dB) and never drop below 70 dB, was like spending all day inside a factory, a 2007 study by the Egyptian National... [read more]

Work starts on $22bn carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:40:00 GMT

Source: Financial Times By Simeon Kerr in Dubai Published: February 10 2008 Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy initiative, Masdar, has laid the cornerstone of its carbon-neutral, waste-free city, saying it will invest $22bn in the hope that the project becomes a blueprint for sustainable development around the world. Oil-rich Abu Dhabi said it was committing $15bn (€10... [read more]

Recycle your city campaign in Saudi Arabia

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:30:00 GMT

Lulwa Shalhoub, Arab News Monday 11.2.2008 JEDDAH — People in Saudi Arabia are not yet familiar with the three-curved-arrow logo that indicates that a plastic or paper container can be recycled, a recent poll by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) employees showed. To raise awareness on environmental issues, a group of environmental activists gathered recently to organize... [read more]

Tougher Environmental Codes for Construction in the UAE

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:16:00 GMT

The UAE is planning to introduce the first package of environmental protection codes in construction in the Arab World. The booming construction industry in the UAE will be environmentally regulated as of 2008. This is a news item from Gulf News By Ahmed Elewa and Marten Youssef, Staff Reporters Published November 25, 2007 Dubai: The UAE is actively seeking to upgrade its environmental... [read more]

UAE construction going green

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:47:00 GMT

There is a continuous flow of praise for the new ecological standards used by the UAE construction boom. Such innovations bring hope of upscaling and replication in other Arab countries. This is a good feature from Ethical Corporation Magazine By: Amelia Shepherd-Smith Two years after it signed the Kyoto Protocol, the United Arab Emirates is developing its own green building ratings... [read more]

Jordan to install air pollution monitoring devices in big cities

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:45:00 GMT

Good and adequate environmental information is the basic ingredient for good governance and decision making. In an effort to increase the effeciency of air pollution monitoring and evaluating ambient air quality the Ministry of Environment in Jordan will install a systemised package of air monitoring devices in big cities. This is a news report published by IRIN AMMAN, 18 October 2007 (IRIN)... [read more]

Bahrain World Trade Center shortlisted for international environmental excellence award

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:09:00 GMT

The impressive World Trade Center in Manama, Bahrain has just been shortlisted for the EDIE Award for Environmental Excellence. This is another documentation of the increasing popularity and appreciation of the sustainable building designs in some of the Gulf Countries. This is the report from AME Info The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) designed by Atkins, has been short listed for the... [read more]

Green buildings LEED eco-construction in the Arab World

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:53:00 GMT

Source: AME Info The emerging concept of green buildings has already attracted some of the biggest developers in the region, particularly in Dubai's booming real estate sector. But will the green concept impress not only conservationists, but also investors and developers who are looking for greener fortunes? LEEDing the way Some of the green initiatives in the real estate and construction... [read more]

The World's first zero carbon and zero waset city to be established in Dubai

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:09:00 GMT

It is not news anymore that the first global zero carbon and zero waste city will be established in Dubai, but I liked this article by gizmag blog as it includes a lot of technical details and some smashing prototypes. Enjoy the reading, and the photos The sleek, modern capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, will be host to what is planned as the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste... [read more]

World's top sustainable architect to design 1.25 US $ billion projects in UAE and Saudi Arabia

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:00:00 GMT

The thrust for sustainable and green urbanization in the Gulf is gaining more momentum. After a carefully designed visit of Japanese world's top sustainable achitect design giants Nikken Sekkei to the Gulf, reports of a package of projects worth US $ 1.25 billion have been recently unveiled. This is the story published in Al Bawaba website Contracts with a combined total of US$1.25 billion... [read more]

Study: The greenest skyscraper in the world is in Bahrain

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:43:00 GMT

Sustainable buildings are wittnessing high growth and momentum in many countries around the world. The concept is pioneering and such buildings will include hundreds of eco-friendly innovations. The cost of installation and maintenance will always be high until it becomes economically feasible but the technology is there and that matters. The Ecogeek blog, the world's leading blog for ecological... [read more]

Dubai most congested Arab city

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:05:00 GMT

Source: Middle East Online The booming emirate of Dubai is the most congested city in the Middle East, according to a survey released Saturday, on the eve of Dubai's launch of a controversial road toll. An average employee in Dubai spends around one hour and 45 minutes a day in commuting, according to the survey, conducted by GulfTalent.com, a regional online recruitment portal. For... [read more]

Contractors face fines for using hazardous materials in Abu Dhabi

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:11:00 GMT

Source: Arabian Business 23 June 2007 By: Angela Giuffrida Contractors in Abu Dhabi will face fines for using hazardous building materials in government projects under a new contract introduced by the Abu Dhabi government. This is the first time the emirate has included a clause governing building products in its construction contracts and will form part of the new Abu Dhabi Law... [read more]

Turning Business Green: The experience of EMS Company in the Arab World

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:01:00 GMT

Source: Jordan Business June 2007 By: Nina Robertson When Khaled Bushnaq decided 16 years ago to set up a firm that would provide technical consultancy in the field of energy conservation, most people were more than a bit skeptical. Energy conservation was almost entirely unheard of in the Middle East, and businesses were certainly not factoring energy-saving measures into their... [read more]

Eco-Architecture in the UAE

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 21:59:00 GMT

This is a mouth watering article published in June issue of the Jordanian magazine "Jordan Business" describing new ecological architecture innovations in the United Arab Emirates By: Naseem Tarawnah Without a doubt, one of the most dominant issues that plagues the world today is that of energy, or rather the lack thereof. The search for alternative sources of energy has been ongoing in various circles... [read more]

Green buildings hit the UAE

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:37:00 GMT

Source: Arabian Business Friday 1-6-2007 By: Becca Wilson Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) will use the FM Expo as a platform to inform people about its new rating system for green buildings. The system, which will be based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system developed by the United States Green Building Council, is due to be rolled out... [read more]

Dubai real estate developer establishes Emirates Environmental Group

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:23:00 GMT

Iwould like to think that this initiative is a genuine example of "corporate environmental responsibility" and not another public relations efforts. Only time and action will tell, and we will monitor the news. Sama Dubai, the international real estate investment and development arm of Dubai Holding, has put environmental protection at the heart of its development efforts by becoming one of... [read more]

Building projects put strain on potable water resources in the Middle East

Thu, 31 May 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Khaleej Times 31 May 2007 Building projects in the Middle East will unnecessarily consume over 112 billion litres of potable water over the next two years putting increasing pressure on groundwater reserves and desalination plants, said a construction industry expert yesterday. Jeff Stephenson, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Oryx, a Qatar-based construction company, was... [read more]

Jeddah to Have 50 New Public Parks

Tue, 29 May 2007 10:08:00 GMT

Arab News 29.5.2007 The Jeddah Municipality has reserved 50 undeveloped plots of land around the city to become public parks and is calling on local philanthropists to sponsor and fund the development of public spaces, a municipal official said yesterday. The lands, worth an estimated SR30 million, are being developed with the help of private investors willing to sponsor the development... [read more]