The little bee is a big deal. One third of our diet depends on honey bees as they are essential pollinators of our major crops, like strawberry, zucchini, blueberry, apples, cherries, and cucumbers. According to a study published in 2010, “although (...)
As Egypt enters the peak of summer, there is a shadow economy that few dare to discuss: “Seasonal” or “transactional” marriages between Egyptian women and wealthy men from Arab Gulf countries. These marriages, which often involve women below the (...)
Egyptian authorities should investigate the conduct of security forces at demonstrations, the international human rights watchdog Amnesty International said in a statement released on Thursday.
Protests that broke out on Tuesday night and continued (...)
Ahmed is an 18-year-old student wearing a plaid shirt and waterproof-gelled hair. He's walking in Mohandessin, an upscale neighborhood in Cairo. He is convinced he is the look-alike of Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny, who, before being attacked by (...)
Last week, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a full report on renewable energy to analyze the role of renewable energy resources and technologies in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The findings (...)
Last week, the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement launched the Muslim Philanthropy Digital Library in Cairo, the first library of its kind in the world.
In partnership with the American University in Cairo and the Women and (...)
Harmony between man and nature and respect for indigenous cultures is the philosophy inspiring the work of Gabriel "Gaby" Mikhail, an Egyptian eco-architect, wildlife photographer and creator of “Egypt's wilderness”, the country's first natural (...)
In less than fifty years, Cairo, a city originally designed to host about 5 million people, has reached 20 million inhabitants.
Kattameya/New Cairo district, Sheikh Zayed City and 6th of October City district, located in the East and the West of (...)
A garbage segregation campaign started five years ago to convince Cairenes to separate their waste has seen mixed results so far, one year after the project began.
In June 2010, the NGO Spirit of Youth began the campaign, funded with US$1 million (...)
The renowned German architect and urban planner Albert Speer Jr., son of the main architect of the Third Reich's Albert Speer, held a conference yesterday at the Goethe Institute about sustainable urbanization in Cairo.
Albert Speer Jr. founded the (...)
Don't hesitate if a friend invites you to sit on a “tire sofa.” Hide your surprise when spotting a light bulb turned into a vase on the nearby table, or even if the barber invites you to sit on a less-than-welcoming Frankenstein chair that results (...)
The protection of the environment is usually considered one of the least important concerns for traditional mass tourism. But "eco-tourism" gives an eco-responsible answer to the increase of tourists flow while preserving the natural and historical (...)
Norman Finkelstein, an American political scientist who specializes in the Holocaust and the Israel-Palestine conflict, is in Egypt for the first time today for a lecture at the American University in Cairo.
Finkelstein's political and scholarly (...)
Growing up, we were often encouraged to eat all our food until the last crumb, by parents who would constantly mention the thousands of starving children elsewhere. These exhortations have apparently had little effect in reducing the amount of waste (...)
Egypt is a country that has been historically blessed with two seasons instead of four. Every year, summer would linger for about nine months while winter would refresh the atmosphere for the remaining months.
But the impact of climate change has (...)
Whenever anyone refers to green architecture, spectacular and space age buildings come to mind: Twelve West in Portland with urban wind turbines installed right on site, selected among the top ten green projects of 2010 by the American Institute of (...)
People around the world are celebrating International Earth Day in an effort to encourage respect for the planet and raise awareness of the importance of daily “green acts” to preserve the environment.
Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April (...)
“A Thousand Gardens in Africa,” an initiative started in 2010 as part of the “Terra Madre” project, encourages individuals to rediscover local soil and traditions. It is promoted by the Slow Food organization in support of sustainable (...)
Countless women actively participated in the 25 January revolution, which seemed to signal a major shift in women's role in Egyptian society. But activists say there is still a long way to go toward eradicating gender inequality, starting with (...)
Turning Herodotus's epithet on its head, some have recently claimed that “the Nile is the gift of Egypt,” adducing historic rights to the Nile's water. But what happens when the Nile's water becomes an endangered resource?
In the past few decades, (...)
World Water Day, which is celebrated today, aims to raise awareness among communities, governments and individuals on the importance of water.
The annual celebration is coordinated by UN Habitat as per a recommendation by the United Nations (...)
In the words of Nelson Henderson, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” It is an invitation to action, that sounds particularly significant today -- World Forestry Day -- which has been celebrated (...)
The American University in Cairo on Sunday hosted the panel conference “Political Strategies on the Transitional Constitutional Period: Before and After the Referendum” as part of the Tahrir Dialogue Discussion Panel Series. Under panel discussion (...)
As part of life gradually returning to normal, the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo has resumed its activities. It has scheduled a series of movies on mafia and corruption.
The first, "Brave Men" (original title "Galantuomini"), was screened on 7 (...)
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on 27 February announced the suspension of the bilateral friendship treaty with Libya, a co-operation agreement signed in 2008 by leader of Libya President Muammar Qadhafi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio (...)