Dog's Wellness Advisor

In about two months, Israeli company Oggii is expected to launch a pilot commercial release of a chip for monitoring  dog’s movements to measure its overall health.

In the $55B US pet market Oggii is taking the guesswork out of optimizing dog longevity by creating a combination of a noninvasive collar-mounted chip and an application addressing such issues as nutrition, health monitoring, and fitness; personalized recommendations are delivered to help dog owners make informed decisions across key longevity factors.

Blood pressure or heart rate cannot be used as reliable indicators of canine health. The Oggii chip correlates pet movements with possible problems such as ticks, skin allergies, seizures, arthritis, poor joints, brain damage and even ear infections, which account for 30 percent of all visits to the vet.

Using patented complex algorithms, the chip detects a variety of patterns like walking, running, sleeping, drinking, playing, head shaking, etc. This information is collected and analyzed over time.

There are some conditions, such as heartworm or cancer, that Oggii cannot detect directly, but it can alert a pet owner that something is wrong. For example, cancer usually manifests itself in particular movement patterns and lower activity levels.

The system compares movements of the dog to itself over time, to other dogs in the “cloud” connected to and using the Oggii chip, as well as to averages and expected behaviors in the dog world at large.

Visits to the vet are costly, so pet owners usually postpone until conditions have developed in more serious ways. Using a $30 Oggii chip could save dog owners money, and the dog unnecessary suffering.

One of the biggest challenges veterinarians face is the patient being unable to say where it hurts and give other relevant history. The Oggii chip can provide this information.

There is no need to charge the long-life battery. It is simply replaced after a year when the battery drains.

Other companies have floated similar solutions, but they cost $100 to $150 and only measure movement. When these other systems collect data, there are no clear action items for pet owners to take.

In Oggii’s case, the coin-sized chip is worn on the collar and from there it transfers information via a zero-energy Bluetooth 4 technology to an owner’s cell phone up to four times a day. This information then goes to the cloud, where it works its magic to let the dog owner know if his or her pet might be sick.

Designit, Europe’s biggest brand innovation company, has partnered with Tel Aviv-based Oggii. Financing comes through angel investors, as well the incubator TheTime. The company was founded in 2011 and will seek additional financing sometime in next year.

Oggii is also conducting negotiations with such companies as PetSmart, Walmart, and Procter & Gamble.

Source: Israel21c

Domino's Pizza Goes Vegan in Tel Aviv!

Kosher dietary laws prohibit combining meat and dairy, a combination often found on pizza, especially the meat lover's variety.

But Tel Aviv is quickly becoming the vegan capitol of the world, making it an ideal location for Domino's Pizza to launch their newest offering--vegan pizza.

The $20 pizza comes with soy cheese and an assortment of vegetables, but no animal products, which is just what Israeli customers crave. The vegan pizza concept first conceived in Israel by a group called Vegan Friendly, which boasts of a 30,000 strong membership in Israel. They wanted good pizza but without the meat or dairy and approached Domino's with their idea.

A vegan diet is not only cruelty free for animals but also most beneficial to the environment. The zeal for veganism is so strong in Israel that an American food franchise had to launch their idea outside of America--in Israel, where the worldwide vegan revolution seems to be picking up the most speed. 

Read more about it here.

Off to have a vegan midnight snack, till next time!

J

Going Dutch

Israel signed a collaborative agreement to install Applied CleanTech’s revolutionary Sewage Recycling System (SRS™) in a Dutch wastewater treatment facility (WWTP) and a Dutch paper mill.  The initiative brought together a host of Dutch organizations, companies and governmental bodies: Agentschap NL, Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier, Israel Innovations, Aa en Maas Water Board, KCPK (Center of Competence Paper and Board), Stowa (Organization of Applied Research in Water Management) and TNO (Applied Research Center).

Applied CleanTech’s Sewage Recycling System (SRS™) changes the concept of how wastewater is treated. It creates recyclable materials by converting the bio-solids into Recyllose™ – a new sterilized product based on cellulose extracted from the wastewater, which is automatically packed into a reusable commodity and transported to paper, construction, plastic and energy industries. This process reduces over 50% of sludge formation, cuts up to 30% of WWTP operational costs, and significantly increases the WWTP capacity. Please read our earlier post about Applied CleanTech and its groundbreaking process.

According to the collaboration agreement, Applied CleanTech’s Sewage Recycling System will be installed for a test period in early 2014 at Aa en Maas Water Board municipal WWTP at Aarle-Rixtel followed by the industrial process water treatment at a leading paper producing company Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier. Assuming the outcome will be successful as expected, all parties hope to expand the collaboration throughout the Netherlands. The implications could be tremendous. If implemented throughout all WWTP’s in the Netherlands, the resulting savings in wastewater treatment operational costs could accumulate to millions of Euros, alongside the enormous environmental benefits.

Job Rosenhart, Energy Advisor for Dutch Industry at Agentschap NL, noted that his agency viewed this cooperation as strategic due to the cultural compatibility and complimentary needs and abilities of both peoples.

Source: The Jewish Press

Growing Forests in the Desert

About Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF)

KKL-JNF was established in 1901 to serve as trustee in the name of the Jewish people over the Jewish lands of Israel. Here are the highlights of its activities today:

• Developing accessibility at the recreation sites for the physically disabled
• Developing international research partnerships on water and forestry issues. Today, there is cooperation with the American and Australian forestry administrations,  regional governments of the states of Alberta and Manitoba in Canada, and with the forestry organizations in Spain, Italy, Greece and other Mediterranean countries.
• Healing the scars inflicted on forests by harsh climate, fires, and war
• Raising public awareness of environmental concerns and protection of nature

Revolutionary Bone-Growing Treatment From Israel

A revolutionary treatment that speeds and simplifies bone re-growth in pets has been developed by the Israeli company RegeneCure.

The unique artificial membrane produced under the trade name BoneCure is the only solution of its kind on the market. It comes as a small sheet (150, 200, or 350 millimeters in thickness) that can be cut to size. This sheet is rolled by a veterinary surgeon into a sleeve and anchored with bolts or sutures, encasing the space where lost bone should grow. BoneCure’s thin membrane is made from the same artificial materials used to coat slow-release aspirin. Designed to disintegrate over time and loaded with a positive charge, BoneCure encourages new bone cells to “sit” on its surface. Small perforations in the material allow growth factors to pass in and out of the area where the bone should grow, preventing unwanted tissue from entering the future bone zone.

BoneCure has been shown to require only one surgery where the current standard procedure would normally involve two.  It also reduces the chances of severe infection. That is welcome news, considering that about 5 to 10 percent of all severe bone fractures end in infection and more time under the knife. The new treatment can create accelerated bone growth 43 percent faster than without it, meaning eight weeks rather than five months of healing time. The regenerating membrane product could aid in cases where broken bones are not knitting as they should. The membrane draws in the stem cells with its positive charge and reboots this process.

Learning to use BoneCure does not involve complicated tutorials or training sessions. Complete instructions on how to set it in place are available for veterinary surgeons on the company website.

Two hundred pets in the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Germany and the UK have been treated with BoneCure.

RegeneCure built its technology based on pending patents licensed from Yissum, the tech transfer company of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and from Hadasit of Hadassah Medical Center, also in Jerusalem. The company of eight, founded in 2010, is based in Jerusalem.

Source: Israel21c

Israel To Partake in 'International Cleanup Day'

Israel is gearing up for its annual “Cleanup the World Day,” set to take place on September 9th.

Led by Keren Kayamet LeYisrael and the Jewish National Fund, about 200,000 volunteers are expected to take part in Clean Up Day in Israel this year, with the cooperation of regional and local councils, government bodies, and schools.

Stretching from the Negev to the Galilee, Jews, Arabs, Christians, Bedouins, and Druze will all join in educational activities held throughout the country.

This unique day will provide activities for all sectors of Israeli society to interact with one another and the environment.  For the first time, absorption centers for newly arrived immigrants from Ethiopia will also take part in the day's activities, a program made possible thanks to the support of Jewish National Fund in the United States. 

Throughout the several locations of Cleanup Day, the volunteers will receive environmentally informative preparatory instruction, free transportation to and from cleanup sites, a special cap, T-shirt and gloves, and garbage bags in 3 colors for the different types of recyclable materials: organic, paper, and plastic.

Source:   Arutz Sheva

Do You Aerosol?

Aerosols are everywhere. Aerosol containers squirt, spray and lather. Some even give lifesaving bursts of medicine. They are extremely popular because they dispense the product so steadily and easily. More than three billion aerosol cans around the world use a standard cylindrical metal canister with the contents under extreme pressure (between 8 and 12 atmospheres, about 3 times higher than the pressure inside car tires).

You too most likely have a few aerosol containers in your home. Go on, count them, we’ll wait…

Yes, aerosol containers are great! Unfortunately, they are not good for the environment. Here is why:
1.    The container has to be cylindrical in shape and made of metal to withstand the high internal pressure applied to its outer walls. Currently, almost all extruded aluminum aerosol packaging is made from virgin aluminum slugs.
2.    If there are still contents within the aerosol can, it cannot be recycled. Instead, it is processed as household hazardous waste.
3.    Aerosol canisters present potential hazard during the packaging step in manufacturing as well as during their use by consumers because their contents are highly pressurized and capable of explosion if heated or otherwise mishandled.
4.    While aerosol containers no longer contain chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), these vessels are pressurized with one of several volatile hydrocarbon propellants, such as carbon dioxide, propane and butane.  These propellants are “greenhouse gases” that contribute to global warming and smog formation.

Israeli startup GreenSpense invented a new alternative, propellant-free continuous dispensing based on nanotechnology. Thanks to this novel design where the eco-sleeve squeezes the product inward rather than outward, the need for a metal canister is eliminated. The packaging can be made from any kind of material, including plastic, biodegradable materials or recycled cardboard. An aerosol container equipped with the eco-sleeve can have just about any shape –– not just cylindrical.

GreenSpense packaging is easy to implement in today’s filling lines. It reduces manufacturing and transportation costs associated with the propellant-related safety requirements compliance.

GreenSpense launched its eco-sleeve this year in Paris at the Aerosol & Dispensing Forum. The company was founded in 2011 in the Misgav Trendlines incubator. Some $750,000 has gone into development so far, and the final product is expected to be ready by the fourth quarter of this year.

Dream clients include L’Oreal, Gillette and Beiersdorf, the company that owns Nivea. PepsiCo has also expressed interest.

Sources: Israel21c, GreenSpense, Best In Packaging

I Spy

Every time I come across one of these stories, I am at a loss for words…

The latest Israeli spy saga was reported by REUTERS on 07/26/2013. Turkish authorities detained a bird on suspicion it was spying for Israel, but freed it after X-rays showed it was not embedded with surveillance equipment. The kestrel aroused suspicion because of a metal ring on its foot carrying the words "24311 Tel Avivunia Israel", prompting residents in the village of Altinayva to hand it over to the local governor. The bird was put in an X-ray machine at a university hospital to check for microchips or bugging devices, according to the Milliyet newspaper, which carried a front-page image of the radiogram with the title "Israeli agent".

Turkey is a frequent target of animals spying for Israel. Just a year ago, BBC reported on vigilant peasants from south-eastern Turkey who captured yet another Mossad operative (dead, unfortunately). Who, you ask?  A common European bee-eater, whose corpse was found in a field with a metal ring around its leg stamped "Israel". This migratory bird had caused alarm after locals mistook it for an Israeli spy. Villagers called the police after deciding its nostrils were unusually large and may have carried a microchip fitted by Israeli intelligence for spying.  It was taken to government experts for examination and declared safe.  At one point a counterterrorism unit became involved in the case.

And just 6 months before that, multiple outlets carried a story reported by Al Weeam, a Saudi newspaper, about the suspected secret agent - a vulture - equipped with a GPS locator and a ring tracing it back to Tel Aviv University for a study on bird migration. Scientific practice notwithstanding, Al Weeam and bloggers all over the Arab world were certain: This vulture had been spying for the “Zionist cabal.”

A month before that, South Sinai Governor Muhammad Abdel Fadil Shousha blamed the Mossad for recruiting a shark and using it to ruin tourism in Egypt.

And a little earlier, Ma’an News Agency closely associated with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority reported that  Israeli settlers in the West Bank were engineering wild pig attacks to prevent Arabs from making use of their harvest.

And before that, there was Iranian police smashing squirrel spy ring, poison-resistant giant rats released by Israel to drive Arab residents of Jerusalem out of their homes, and many more blood-curdling stories of severe animal abuse and endangerment.

You say “Insanity”, I say…

Foie Gras No More

The Knesset passed on its preliminary reading a law that would forbid the import and sale of foie gras that is widely condemned by animal rights groups because of the cruel practices farmers use to produce it.

The law would complement a 2003 High Court decision that ordered the Agriculture Ministry to actively enforce a ban on foie gras production, which entails the force feeding of geese and ducks. Since 2006, the Ministry has been consistently enforcing the production ban, but importing foie gras for sale in Israel was still legal. The new law will completely ban the item from supermarket freezers and restaurant menus.

Foie gras is a spread based on goose liver fat and is considered a delicacy in several European cuisines. Animal rights, environmental groups, and consumer groups have long complained about the methods used by commercial foie gras producers, who force-feed geese in order to develop fattier livers, allowing them to "harvest" more fat and produce more foie gras.

MK Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid) who proposed the law said in a statement attached to it that "Israeli society decided years ago to stop the force-feeding of animals, in order to put an end to the torture of animals that this leads to. We should thus also ban the sale of foie gras. It is our responsibility to protect the helpless. Banning the sale of this item is a matter of logic and basic fairness - not to mention the Jewish legal requirement to prevent the suffering of animals, which Israel, as a Jewish state, should embrace as well".

Fifty nine MKs voted in favor of the law, while ten were opposed. The law will now be sent to the Knesset Control Committee in order to prepare it for its first reading.

Source: Virtual Jerusalem

Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center

Noah’s Ark

Religious or not, I am sure you know the story. Noah's Ark is the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative (Genesis chapters 6–9) by which Noah saves himself, his family, and a remnant of all the world's animals when God decides to destroy the world because of mankind's evil deeds.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is an ark of sorts due to its unique mission of being a “genetic bank” for critically endangered species — particularly where their natural environment is disappearing – to ensure that they do not become lost to us forever.

One of the latest rescue undertakings at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is saving the blind prawn Typhlocaris Galilea. These three-inch-long transparent creatures are not especially cute, nor do ecosystems depend on their survival, but the Israel Nature and Parks Authority approached the zoo to help keep the species alive through a dedicated behind-the-scenes breeding program.

The prawn is found in a remarkable habitat: It lives in one chamber of an ancient Roman cistern in a forgotten city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Water from the chamber doesn’t flow in or out directly, but seeps through the clay bottom, and then into other sections.

Described first in 1909, the blind prawns are now critically endangered because the only place they can live is in the En-Nur pool, where groundwater drilling and pumping has leaked foreign water into their environment, changing the composition and temperature.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo created a little windowless hut to limit the prawns’ exposure to light, and the water is carefully balanced with just the right amount of salinity and dissolved gases they need in order to thrive. Someday they may be able to be returned to their native habitat.

There are many other breeding and conservation efforts at the Jerusalem zoo. Zoologists there have done remarkable work with Persian fallow deer, believed to be extinct until the 1950s when a few were found in Iran and brought to Israel to be bred. Also once native to Israel, the deer decades later are now back in the wild in the north of Israel and in the Jerusalem hills.

The European otter, also a threatened species, has been bred successfully at the zoo as well as the sand cat, the Negev tortoise and the Griffon vulture.

The zoo was also the first in the world to breed captive Asian elephants using artificial insemination.

Recently, Israel’s nature authority and zoos have had to deal with an influx of gray wolves entering Israel from the north. It appears the animals are fleeing troubles in surrounding Arab countries, such as Lebanon. Wolves, among them the gray wolves, are critically endangered and hunted in their native lands.

Nicole Wexler, development director for the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, argues that only zoos can accomplish this species rescue work.

 “Today the world’s natural habitats are so threatened that without zoos these animals aren’t going to be preserved,” Wexler says. “We participate in both local and global programs to save animals and it’s important work as a whole.”

Source: Israel21c

Green Post-Harvest Treatment

Pimi Agro CleanTech, Inc., Israeli developer and marketer of environmentally friendly alternative solutions for post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables, announced its first commercial order for SweetGuard™ to a U.S. customer, which will utilize SweetGuard™ in the post-harvest treatment of sweet potatoes. SweetGuard™ enhances the sweet potatoes’ bright appearance due to its cleaning effects.

This milestone first order follows two years of development work and extensive customer engagement, resulting in an environmentally friendly product that effectively improves the appearance and color of sweet potatoes. SweetGuard has the added benefit of also preventing decay of sweet potatoes which may occur during storage and distribution.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, in 2010 the United States produced approximately 1.1 million tons of sweet potatoes, with a production value of $478 million. Pimi’s proprietary and green CleanTech approach also means that there is less exposure to harmful chemicals which is good news for consumers. Pimi successfully markets SweetGuard in Spain and in Israel and negotiates further orders of SweetGuard with several U.S. sweet potato packers.

In January-February 2013, Pimi performed a large-scale commercial trial of CitruWash™ treatment with Sun Pacific - one of the biggest suppliers of fruits and vegetables in the United States. The trial was carried out in Sun Pacific’s citrus packing house in Maricopa, CA, one of the biggest Clementine packing houses in the U.S. The purpose of the trial was to demonstrate that CitruWash™ was more effective at reducing micro flora load on citrus surface. The trial was successful and clearly indicated significant advantages of utilizing CitruWash™ on citrus fruits in comparison with other current treatments and materials.

CitruWash is formulated to clean citrus on packing lines and is intended to replace soap and chlorine that are currently used as cleansers in citrus packing lines, prior to fungicide treatment. Good cleaning practice reduces the surface dirt and soil and by that reduces micro flora load prior to waxing the fruits with fungicides that prevent mold contamination during their storage, transportation and shelf life.

The results of this trial could lead to wide commercial adoption and implementation of CitruWash by leading U.S. citrus packers.

Pimi Agro CleanTech was established in 2004, and it focuses on developing environmentally friendly solutions for extending storability and shelf life of vegetables and fruits. Pimi’s technology platform is based on a unique formulation of environmentally friendly Stabilized Hydrogen Peroxide (STHP), which decomposes into oxygen and water. As part of a sustainable agriculture platform, STHP products have worldwide patent protection and provide a cost-effective solution for growers and consumers who want to reduce residue chemicals in their fruits and vegetables.

Source: BusinessWire

Wild Animals To Cross Safely on Ecological Road

Wild animals in Israel will soon have their own corridor to safely cross one of Israel's busiest roadways.

Israel's plan to upgrade the thoroughfare between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv comes with a package deal for animals--a safe crossing built by workers as an ecological corridor, making Israel's Route 1 one of the greenest highways in the country. The upgrade to Route 1 will improve traffic for humans while allowing safe passage for animals. Many consultants, landscapers, environmentalists, and architects participated in this project.

All in all, the corridor is expected to be 70 meters wide, allowing for herds of animals to cross without difficulty.

Read more about it here.  A win/win for Israelis AND animals!

Am a bit inspired, so off to go feed some seagulls at the beach, till next time! J

Defense Against Gaza Terrorism: Trees

To protect Israelis living near Gaza, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is using the latest technology. But the army is also going back to a decades-old, low-tech solution: defensive forestation.

The tactic is based in the simple concept of reducing terrorists’ accuracy by blocking their view. Defensive forestation was a common technique from the first years of the modern state of Israel to the 1960s.

Trees were planted close together near military or civilian buildings in order to make it harder for terrorists to aim, and to provide some cover from fire.

Gaza terrorists’ escalation in attacks on southern Israel in recent years led the IDF to bring back the program. The military is now working with the Jewish National Fund and other organizations to plant thick mini-forests around frequently targeted sites a short distance from Gaza.

On Thursday, trees were planted near the town of Netiv Haasarah in southern Israel. The trees are still small, but are expected to be large enough to provide cover within 2-3 years.

Source:  Arutz Sheva

Gazelle Urban Nature Park in Jerusalem

This month opens a new chapter in Jerusalem’s efforts to “go green”.  After a decades-long fight to keep developers away from the site, Israel will finally get its first wildlife nature park located within a city, and Jerusalem will have preserved a precious open space in its urban heartland.

Gazelle Valley is about 64 acres of choice, undeveloped land and is the largest open space left in Jerusalem proper. It is named for a herd of gazelles of the subspecies Gazella gazella that live in this area, bounded by urban development.

The land, once planted with kibbutz-owned orchards that supplied fruit to Jerusalemites during the War of Independence and the Arab siege, is now slated to become the city’s premier nature initiative. Funded in part by the Jerusalem Foundation, it will be built in stages over the course of the next 10 years.

The park will be divided into three sections. The smallest parcel, about 12 acres, will be used strictly by the gazelles as their natural habitat. Another 32-acre section is designated for picnic grounds, while the remaining 15 or so acres will act as a barrier zone between the other sections. This is where a visitors’ center will be built.

Stage one of the plan, expected to be completed by next August, will include reorganizing the valley’s natural core with new plantings, increasing the surviving gazelle herd from four to 15, and building the first of two promenades.

The second stage will focus on two streams that run through the valley. Plans call for reorganizing their banks to create five water ponds that will be accessible to both gazelles and humans and also act as a barrier between them.

Stage three will see the building of the visitors’ center and other structures; stage four calls for a second promenade with street-level observation points; and the last stage envisions a second visitors’ center.
The Gazelle Urban Nature Park will remain open to the public during all phases of construction and there will be no admission fee.

As the first urban nature wildlife preserve in Israel, the Jerusalem park could pave the way for other initiatives throughout the country that promote urban nature as a resource for leisure, education, tourism, research and culture.

Source: Israel21c

Israel Bans Animal Tested Products

2013 is turning out to be a great year for animals in Israel. Companies who test on animals in the making of cosmetics or cleaning products won't be selling their products in Israel after January 1, 2013.

Israel already banned animal testing within the country in 2007. This latest ban widens the scope to companies that import their products into the Israeli market. Israel's ban follows that of the EU, which passed in 2004, precluding companies that test on animals from selling their products in EU member nations.

Hopefully, the US and the rest of the world will soon follow the lead of Israel and the EU!

Read all about it here.

I'm off to enjoy some cruelty free skin care products, hope everyone had a great weekend and a happy new year!

J

3,000 Trees to be Planted in Memory of Newtown Victims

More than 2,000 people have donated funds to plant a grove of more than 3,000 trees in Israel in memory of the victims of the Newtown shooting.

Hadassah has raised over $61,000 toward the planting of trees honoring the 26 victims of the Dec. 14 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The trees will be part of the Beersheva River Park, a 1,700-acre water, environmental and commercial area being constructed by the Jewish National Fund in Israel’s desert city.

The idea for the Newtown grove grew from a request made by Veronique Pozner, whose son, Noah, was the only Jewish victim of the shooting at the Connecticut school. Pozner said memorial contributions could be directed toward the planting of trees in Israel.

The president of Hadassah, Marcie Natan, said her organization decided quickly that it wanted to honor all the victims of the massacre, not just Noah.

“Everybody was so affected by the massacre and wanted to do something to express their solidarity with the families,” Natan told JTA. “Each of us have had the experience of non-Jews who have found it very meaningful when a tree is planted in the Holy Land. We felt no one would be offended by this and we thought it would be a very appropriate way to honor the memory of the victims.”

The trees will be planted in a section of the park that Hadassah already had committed to populating with trees. At $18 per tree, the gifts in memory of the Newtown victims thus far are enough to cover more than 3,300 trees.

Source: JewishPress

May these trees serve as a living tribute to the adults and children murdered so senselessly in Newtown, CT