Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: naama

Two years ago last month Israel and Hezbollah went to war.  To some in the outside world, and many Israelis, the 33-day battle was seen as an Israeli defeat.  Just last month Israel agreed to exchange Hezbollah and Palestinian prisoners (considered by Israel to be terrorists) for the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers whose capture in 2006 sparked the original crisis.  Immediately following the exchange, Hezbollah celebrated in the streets of Beirut showing off its power.

Seen by some in the outside world as the end of a once-legendary reputation for avenging the deaths of Israelis killed by terrorists, this most recent trade has drawn considerable criticism to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (six months before the 2006 war, Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke, and his authority was immediately transferred to Olmert, then Israel’s Vice Primier and Sharon’s protégé).  Still, some see Hezbollah victorious on the propaganda front but not the Israel/Lebanon border.

For the past two years the Israeli Knesset has investigated the handling of the war against Hezbollah, including the establishment of a special commission.  Recently announcing his resignation in September, Olmert never really recovered politically from the war with Hezbollah.  And while the future of Israel’s military dominance in the Middle East may face additional challenges from Hezbollah and more recently Iran, the overall political turmoil in the region has eclipsed some very important and seemingly unnoticed significant Israeli advances on a non-military front, namely the environment. (more…)

photo credit: .magullo.

Biking is the preferred mode of transportation for 39 percent of the Beijing population, and with the upcoming Olympic influx, more bikes will hit the narrow hutongs of the Chinese capital than ever before.

To promote this transport option, Beijing launched public education campaigns to encourage walking and bike riding and upped bike rental availability. While one source (from the Wall St Journal) reports over 100 new bike rental locales, another (from newindpress.com) totals 200 bike rental venues overall, most near subway stations and hotels to provide city-wide rental and easy-return services.

Without a doubt, biking has been the preferred mode of transport for environmentalists, but mainstream organizations in the US are encouraging their employees to also take the bike lane—and providing incentives for those who do.

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