A group of experts and professionals in urban development and sustainable cities praised the achievements of Dubai Municipality in the areas of green buildings, thermal insulation system, waste management and recycling and water reuse.

This came during the civic body’s participation in the “Globe 2012″ conference and exhibition in Vancouver, Canada, within the delegation that represented the Emirate of Dubai. The delegation included representatives from the Department of Economic Development, DEWA, RTA, Foreign Investment Bureau, ENPARK the subsidiary of TECOM Investments and IPIC Dubai.

The participation of Dubai delegation in this great international event is the first international initiative to exposure the achievements of Dubai and the vision of UAE in the green economy announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in last January under the slogan, “a green economy for sustainable development”.

Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality expressed his delight on the positive results of the municipality’s participation, which could spotlight its achievements and efforts to make Dubai the best place to live, work and amuse.

Yousuf Al Marzouqi, Assistant Director of Buildings Department of Dubai Municipality and a member of the delegation, received the award for the pioneers of sustainability on behalf of Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, from Dr. John Webb, CEO of Globe.

Dr. John pointed out that the strategy of Dubai Municipality to adopt green building standards, which will become binding by 2014, is considered a role model in how to create a friendly atmosphere for the business community and investors to work on future planning, innovation and leadership in the green economy.

Having thanked the Board of Directors of the Globe and presented the commemorative shield of Dubai Municipality to Dr. John Web, Marzouqi said Dubai Municipality displayed a number of programs that support the infrastructure of green economy through intensive meetings with the participating members in the delegations and presentation of short documentaries.

Marzouqi Also pointed that our participation in the special session titled “Spotlight on Dubai, “in the last day of the conference helped to introduce the achievements of civic body to a wide audience of experts and professionals in urban development and sustainable cities. The session included green building, use of solar energy and thermal insulation to save energy, waste management and recycling and reuse of more than 600 m3 of water per day to irrigate public parks and green spaces in the city.

Dubai Municipality on Thursday launched a series of activities on the occasion of World Water Day, which has been organized this year under the slogan ‘Water and Food Safety’ during 22-31 March.

A number of activities are organized in the main building of Municipality, DAFZA, RTA and Family Forum in Al Khawaneej. The activities started with the launch of an awareness exhibition on the importance of saving water, solving general water issues, sustainable management of fresh water resources, shedding light on the relationship between the availability of water resources and world food safety.

The event was attended by Eng. Salem Mesmar, Assistant Director General, Eng. Hamdan Khalifa Al Shaer, Director of Environment Department, Khalid Sherif Al Awadi, Director of Food Control Department and a number of senior officials.

Eng. Hamdan Khalifa Al Shaer said the objective of World Water Day is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

It also aims at encouraging governments, organizations, communities and individuals to engage actively in addressing the challenge of urban water management, educating the public and encouraging them to participate in environmental occasions.

“The exhibition is aimed at highlighting the efforts of Municipality in protecting the water and monitoring water quality in addition to the initiatives of private sector companies in the field of water usage rationalization and monitoring of its quality and safety. The exhibition includes awareness competitions for the staff and public, distribution of available educational publications and films and short movies shows,” Hamdan said.

“The environmental monitoring section will provide a course on the ground water protection program in the emirate of Dubai with details of its activates, statistics and results, in addition to information and presentations on water usage rationalization and related short movies and films. Food Control and Sewage Network departments will demonstrate their efforts and projects in the field of rationalization of water and recycling of sewage water,” he said.

The observation of world water day will be followed by seminars, workshops and field visits in April 2012.

Averda International, the largest environmental solutions provider in the MENA region, has recently launched new commercial environmental services in KSA. These include ROLF, REL, Skip, Vacuum Tanker and Jetting Services, which Averda will showcase at Gulf Environmental Forum (GEF), to be held from March 25-27 at the Hilton Hotel, in Jeddah.

With brand new 2012 trucks and many up-to-date features, such as load cells, Averda’s new commercial environmental service units will be equipped with GPRS systems as well as a billing system in the near future, helping to build a more capable fleet to better serve Saudi communities through innovation and technologies that drive efficiency.

With extensive local operations that serve more than 35,000 residences and cover prestigious projects such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Princess Nora University (PNU), Averda is a committed community partner pioneering the ‘green movement’ in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Averda’s scope of operations in KSA includes street cleaning; separate waste stream collections; waste transfer and disposal; source separated recyclable collections and recycled material consolidation; hazardous waste collection and disposal; medical waste collection and disposal; street cleaning services and confidential waste shredding.

“Averda has established itself as an environmental thought leader in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia where we have operations in both Jeddah and Riyadh. By launching the new commercial environmental services and participating in GEF, we are reaffirming our commitment to pioneering the latest advancements that will drive the environmental sector in the region,” said Camille Korban, Managing Director, Averda Saudi. “At GEF we will demonstrate our environmental solutions and create awareness of the initiatives that are making a difference to the way in which waste is viewed in the Kingdom and the region.”

At GEF, Averda’s stand (located at position H01) will showcase several of the services it employs in its quest to change public behavior to reduce waste footprint. These will include:

Reverse Vending Machine (RVM)
- RVMs are easy to use vending machines, which enable consumers to simply deposit their recyclable plastic bottles and cans into the machine, to be rewarded with points that can be redeemed at participating retailers across the region. They offer a pioneering perspective on recycling, and have the potential to create a significant impact on communities in terms of waste management and recycling.

Bulb Eater Machine
- A safe disposal system to crush fluorescent lamps into 100% recyclable materials, capturing 99.99% of mercury vapor released during crushing. The Bulb Eater Machine is EPA and OSHA compliant.

Averda Water Demo machine
- The Averda water demo machine demonstrates the environmental solutions provider’s residential wastewater treatment technologies. A scaled-down model, its transparent sections allows customers to view the treatment process.

Averda has operations across the MENA region and Europe, with an extensive portfolio of services covering a vast array of environmental services. With a vision to inspire people by passionately delivering solutions that cater to our environment, our communities and our world, Averda places as much emphasis on educating at all levels of society on the importance of green thinking as it does on providing innovative, technologically-advanced environmental solutions.

In support of the recent UAE announcement to ban plastic bags, and in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Water in Dubai and the support of various environment groups in the UAE, Lush Cosmetics has created a giant ‘bag monster’ to descend on Dubai shoppers for one hour on March 6th, raising awareness of the issue and encouraging shoppers to swap their plastic bags with a free, reusable, eco-friendly tote bag from Lush.

The bag monster, which resembles a walking, talking trash heap, is made of 350 plastic bags—the amount of bags an average family of four will use in just four months.

The UAE has announced that all non-biodegradable plastic bags will be phased out by the end of 2012, as the UAE gears to implement a full ban on regular plastic bags from 2013.

Why is Lush so keen to support the ban? In the UAE approximately 11.6 billion petroleum-based shopping bags are used each year and they seem to be everywhere— They litter our streets and deserts, they get caught in trees, kill wildlife and pollute our rivers and oceans. Not to mention the vast quantities of oil that is required to create them in the first place.

A person uses a plastic bag for an average of 12 minutes and yet recent estimates have suggested they can take up to 1 million years to break down in the environment.

Although biodegradable bags decompose at a faster rate they are still a strain on our precious resources. The message from Lush is simple.

“Let’s make plastic bags a thing of the past, re-usable tote bags are sturdy, stylish and don’t cost the earth. We strongly support the UAE ban and encourage all other businesses and individuals to do the same today,” a Lush manager commented.

At Lush caring about the environment is a top priority. The company is keen to urge other businesses as well as individuals to tackle waste. Lush carrier bags are all made from recycled paper. Product packaging, gift wrapping and re-useable tins are also made from recycled materials.

Over 50% of Lush products are sold to the customer ‘naked’, with no packaging at all.
All plastic bags collected and used in the campaign have been donated by shoppers and will be re-cycled at green events in stores over the coming months or sent to Recycle for a Cause in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to make clothes and bags for those in need in the Philippines.

A local organisation, Plastic Not so Fantastic, works closely on this issue has seen the impact on animals first hand during desert cleans. “We have found camels in the desert of the UAE with stomachs full of plastic weighing up to 58kg. This is fatal pollution that all of us can help to avoid” said the local organization.

• Plastic production uses 8% of the world’ s oil production. Plastic bags are toxic, non-renewable resource. Millions of barrels of oil is used to make millions of plastic bags that the UAE consume annually.
• Camels in the desert of the UAE have been found with stomachs full of plastic weighing up to 58kg (Fatal Pollution)
• 11.6 billion plastic bags are used per year (Green Prophet) - in comparison with the UK with 6.8 billion (Waste & Resource Action Programme)
• 96% of the world’s plastic is NOT recycled
• The world uses over 1.2 trillion plastic carry bags a year
• 275 litres of bottle water are consumed per person per year (Worldwide Institute) - comparison to the UK with 33 (just drinks)
• A person uses a plastic carry bag on average for only 12 minutes
• Figures for the durability of plastic bags range from a conservative 100 years, to a recent claim of one million years’
• Every adult uses an average of about 300 plastic bags per year
• Plastic waste kills up to 1 million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals, turtles and countless fish each year.

How can we start to make a Difference

• Invest in and install a water purification system and stop buying water in plastic bottles. Buy a re-useable water bottle
• Try not to buy pre-packaged food (ie ready meals). Make your own meals using fresh produce and you will cut down on packaging.
• Does your community or apartment have a recycling collection point? If not write to the management and ask for one.
• Spread the word about how damaging littering and plastic bags and bottles are to the environment - the more people we can educate the more changes will be made .
• Check the plastic bottles that you buy - if it says PET 1 it is the best grade plastic for recycling. Recycle it!
• When out shopping make sure you take your own re-useable bag with you, preferably not made of plastic. Purchase a Lush cotton canvas bag and take it with you whenever you shop. Do not use more plastic bags for carrying your purchases.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has launched a community tree planting initiative across all ports in the Western Region.

The initiative began today at Mugharrag Port and aims to raise the community’s environmental awareness along with educating students on the importance of trees to the UAE. More than 1,500 trees are planted in Mugharrag Port in the same day of the event.

The tree planting initiative is being led by ADPC’s Ports Unit and involves a number of ADPC’s community partners including Delma Fishermen’s Club; and staff from Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA), the Western Region Municipality, TDIC, Department of Transport (DoT), Abu Dhabi Police, as well as school students from Al Ruwais School, and Western Region ports users.

Commenting on this occasion, Captain Mohamed Al Shamisi, Vice President Ports at ADPC, said, “Last year, we launched a cleaning campaign for the Mugharrag Port in the Western Region, and today, we are launching this planting initiative in-line with UAE’s planting week. These environmental campaigns and initiatives are all part of ADPC’s commitment to providing the citizens of Abu Dhabi with a sustainable future.”

Also commenting on leading the planting campaign in the Western Region ports, Captain Hazzaa Al Junaibi, Harbour Master for the Western Region at ADPC, said, “ADPC is committed to support and contribute to the fulfillment of H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision to plant the lands across the UAE. Through this initiative, we hope that we were able to reach the community and increase awareness on the importance of planting trees to maintain a sustainable environment and a greener UAE. What distinguishes this campaign is that every tree will carry the name of the person who planted it.”

Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) is a master developer and regulator of ports and industrial zones.

ADPC’s core objective is to facilitate the diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy by acting as an enabler for development and trade. It will achieve this by managing commercial ports throughout the Emirate, supporting partners with their infrastructure projects and setting up new companies and joint ventures with partners who service and operate in the ports and industrial zones sector.

ADPC was created in 2006 as part of the restructuring of the commercial ports sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and given control and regulatory enforcement power over all commercial ports assets previously owned by the Abu Dhabi Seaports Authority.

ADPC strives to be at the forefront of progress in industrial logistics and infrastructure and is currently focused on creating one of the world’s largest concentrations of industry at Kizad.

Dubai Municipality, in collaboration with Ministry of Environment and Water, launched an intensive campaign to prevent the trade of minor fish in fish markets aimed at protecting and developing the fish stock.

The campaign under the title “Development and Sustainability of Live Aquatic Wealth” targets fishermen, sellers, fish product companies, shopping malls and hotels.

Khalid Sharif, director of food control department said that the campaign came implementing the Ministerial Resolution No. 16 of 2010 concerning the prevention of fishing, selling and marketing of 14 types of minor fish, in order to protect and develop the fisheries.

Saif Mohammed Al-Shara, assistant undersecretary of the water resources and nature conservation sector of Ministry of Environment and Water said that the fish stock is considered a renewed national treasure and important food resource as it has many nutritional and health benefits.

The survey to assess the fish stock shows huge decline in the stock as a result of malpractices in the fishing activities including overfishing. For this reason, the Ministry has put certain policies and rules to protect the fisheries such as the Federal Law No. 23 of 1999 concerning the exploitation, protection and development of living aquatic resources.

The officials found presence of several items of premature small fish in the markets leading to decline of the fish stock due to wrong fishing practices catching it before reaching maturity and economic size. Hence, the civic body issued a decision preventing the trade of 14 items of minor fish.

Sharif clarified that based on the results of campaign its final report will be issued and there will be strict actions against violators. The campaign will continue until the end of the year conducting morning and evening inspections in all markets of the emirate of Dubai. The civic body has notified all markets, fish shop owners and fishermen distributing booklets and establishing sign boards containing the terms and allowed sizes of fish for sale in the market.

The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) recently held its 15th Annual Gala Dinner at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers to show its deep appreciation to its supporters as well as sponsors from the corporate and government sectors in the UAE.

The event held under the kind patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum - President - Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO - Emirates Group, Chairman - Dubai Airports, began with a warm welcome by EEG Chairperson, Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, who paid tribute to individuals and public and private sector organizations and institutions who have invaluably contributed to promoting and advancing the agenda of sustainable development in the UAE and the wider Arab region.

A total of 53 companies and government entities were honored for their continued support to EEG. Each of them received a specially-designed and individually marked glass crystal as a token of EEG’s appreciation.

“The work that we jointly undertake is a labor of love. Every effort made to protect the environment, establish a sustainable business, assume corporate responsibility is driven by humanity’s most basic instinct; the need to give generously and passionately,” said Mrs. Al Marashi.

The gala dinner attendees were also given a brief overview of EEG’s achievements in 2011. This included outreach to 132,050 students through the Educational Programs; a marked increase in the amounts of collected recyclables in the Waste Management Programs: 99.7% increase in the TetraPak Container Collection as compared to 2010; a total of 20,425 kg of Aluminum Cans; 1,134,675 kg of Paper; 7,079 pieces of Toner; 97,210 kg of Plastic; 274,151 kg of Glass; 47, 058 pieces of Batteries; and 1,103 pieces of Mobile Phones were collected; and a record breaking 27,000 volunteers for the CleanUp UAE.

Meanwnhile, Dr. Nasser Saidi, Chief Economist of the Dubai International Financial Centre and Executive Director of the Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance, delivered a Keynote Speech in line with the celebration of the ‘International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.’

“The MENA Region and the GCC in particular should imperatively focus on investing in renewable energy, clean technology and R&D (research and development). This will enable a new production sector to emerge and more importantly create more opportunities and jobs. The MENA region has an enormous potential in solar, wind and other renewable resources,” he said.

“Unfortunately, no country in our region has a clear policy framework comparable to those in developed markets. Currently a large proportion in the expected clean energy capacity will be commissioned by the combination of auctions and tenders to reach renewable energy targets. But targets are not the substitute for a strategy in the framework for public and private action,” he added.

Dr. Saidi further said, “policy remains the single most important driver for clean energy investments. International experts suggest that the critical factors for building the new industry sector include the development of a comprehensive policy to support the clean energy sector.”

Dr. Saidi also called on the top executives present at the Gala Dinner to work with Region’s governments to issue guideline for better ESG (environmental corporate social responsibility and corporate governance) and the implementation of policy framework to encourage the adoption of clean energy and clean technology as well as to invaluably support organisations such as the EEG.

The Jumeirah Emirates Towers provided the perfect atmosphere for this grand event. Held in the hotel’s magnificent Boulevard Terrace, guests were treated to a beautiful view of Dubai, while interacting with friends and colleagues.

Every year, the Annual Gala Dinner creates a unique opportunity for EEG members and supporters to network with like-minded individuals and share experiences in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying a wide range of international cuisine.

The EEG also conferred honorary membership to four distinguished individuals: Dr. Nasser Saidi, chief economist of the Dubai International Financial Centre and Executive Director of the Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance; Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City; Engr. Ali Qasim, Director of Natural Resources Institure of the Fujairah Municipality; Dr. Badreya Al Dhaheri, Director of Community Services of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

EEG’s 15th Annual Gala Dinner was a resounding success, celebrating everyone who has supported EEG’s activities, while empahsizing the importance of working towards a sustainable environment. To that end, EEG sponsored by Farnek Avireal has collaborated with MyClimate, a Swiss climate protection organization, to offset 11.36 tonnes of CO2 making this a Climate Neutral Event.

EEG thanked the following for their support towards this event:

- Platinum Sponsors: DEWA and ETA Zenath, MBM.
- Gold Sponsors: Eco Cem Industrial Ecology and Petrofac E & C International.
- Silver Sponsors: ABB UAE and McDonald’s.
- Special Sponsors: Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment and Wasl.
- Sustainability Partners: Arabia CSR Network and Farnek Avireal.

ABC, one of the leading retailers in Lebanon, launched its ‘Smoke Free Environment’ campaign becoming the first shopping mall in Lebanon to implement the tobacco control law.

The campaign, headed by ABC Chairman Mr. Robert Fadel, was launched in ABC Achrafieh and attended by the Minister of Public Health Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil, the Minister of Tourism Mr. Fadi Abboud, and the Minister of Environment Mr. Nazim el Khoury and supported by ‘Tobacco Free Initiative’ (TFI), celebrities, VIPs and members of the press.

Starting the first of March, ABC will implement the tobacco control legislation number 174 to become a non-smoking mall, except restaurants and cafes as stated in the regulation. However, ABC is launching ‘Happy Smoke Free Monday’, extending its non-smoking initiative to the restaurants and cafes every Monday, as a preparation phase to implementing the law, in an effort to raising health awareness and creating a health-oriented culture amongst the Lebanese society.

“ABC has been part of the Lebanese community for 75 years and we believe in giving back to this community,” said Robert Fadel, Chairman of ABC. “ABC is the ultimate family meeting destination, thus, helping our customers, especially the teenagers, quit smoking is our responsibility and we hope to set the good example for other corporations to follow our lead in order to contribute in making Lebanon a healthier country,” he explained.

Implemented to make ABC experience more enjoyable for more people, the ‘Smoke Free Environment’ campaign will play a major role in supporting the implementation of the anti-smoking law. Professional trainers from TFI conducted an anti-smoke educational session for all ABC and tenants employees to educate about the benefice of this campaign so they will in return educate the mall visitors.

Taking leading steps by implementing the law, ABC is also implementing an educational program by setting focal points in its store to educate its customers about the danger of smoking while also developing a digital campaign on all of ABC’s social media channels to target the young generation.

Abu Dhabi: Experts have warned an estimated one in every seven species of bird, one in every four species of mammal and one in every three amphibian species are globally threatened with extinction.

Many species in the UAE are also threatened with extinction including the Socotra cormorant, Arabian tahr, Arabian oryx, Arabian leopard, dugongs, hawksbill turtles, as well as many other species of reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and invertebrates, they said.

They were speaking during a six-day conference on global species conservation which began in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Hosted by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), the experts are members of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN SSC) and are world experts in their specialised field of species conservation.

Most IUCN SSC members are deployed in more than 100 specialist groups and task forces. Some address conservation issues related to particular groups of plants or animals while others focus on topical issues.

“These specialists are world experts on almost every conceivable creature or plant on the planet. Abu Dhabi is hosting this conference out of a deep and historical commitment to protecting biodiversity on a national, regional, and global scale,” said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of the EAD.

“This meeting will set the global species conservation agenda for the next four years and the EAD is proud to support it,” she said.

“We are continually impressed with Abu Dhabi’s strong support of species conservation both locally and internationally,” said Dr Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN SSC.

“Abu Dhabi has been instrumental in regional efforts to bring the Arabian oryx back from the brink of extinction. Its efforts with locally threatened species such as the dugong, Houbara bustard, and hawksbill turtles are also very impressive,” he said.

UAE programmes

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognised as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. It has grown in size and complexity and now plays an increasingly prominent role in guiding the conservation activities of governments, NGOs, scientific institutions and scientists.

Three experts from the EAD’s Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity sector spoke about UAE-based programmes for biodiversity at the forum. Dr Salim Javed, manager, Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring, spoke about the satellite-tracking of migratory birds, while Dr Himansu Das, scientist, Marine Endangered Species and Habitat, spoke about the world’s second largest population of dugongs living in Abu Dhabi’s waters.

Ashraf Al Cibahy, manager, Biodiversity Management and Conservation, highlighted the EAD’s efforts in protecting the coral reefs of the Arabian Gulf.

With inputs from Nada Al Taher

Kia Motors Corporation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to confirm its support for the organization’s hallmark World Environment Day (WED).

The official signing ceremony took place at the United Nations compound in Nairobi, Kenya and marked Kia’s continued commitment to environmental sustainability.

Commemorated on every 5 June since 1972, WED has grown to become the most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place year round as a worldwide call to action for individuals and organizations to mobilize environmental activities. This year Kia will award an eco-friendly vehicle to five participating organizations whose WED activity mobilization scores high on criteria as evaluated by UNEP.

The five vehicles to be awarded include four 2012 all-new Kia Rios and one 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid, which were chosen for their high fuel efficiency and to highlight 2012’s WED theme ‘Green Economy: Does it include you?’

“Through participation in environmental partnerships such as with UNEP we aim to support steadfast efforts to solve global environmental challenges,” said Soon-Nam Lee, Director of Overseas Marketing, Kia Motors Corporation. “This year’s ‘Green Economy’ theme strongly resonates with our core environmental management objectives of achieving low carbon emissions, resource efficiency and placing the environment at the forefront of all our business activities.”

The signing ceremony was attended by Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP; Izabella Teixeira, Brazilian Environment Minister and MK Kim, President of Kia’s Middle East and Africa Regional Headquarters.

“I would like to thank Kia for their support, and we look forward to awarding five new vehicles to grassroots groups and organizations that are making notable strides towards a green economy. We hope these vehicles will further the important work they are doing and encourage all groups in any region to participate,” said Steiner.

Over the past month, Kia has emphasized its support for UNEP and WED via its online campaign ‘Kia Likes Caring,’ which is hosted on the company’s official Facebook page. The ongoing campaign aims to encourage participation and magnify awareness of Kia’s social responsibility programs across its 1.6 million plus fan base. Fans are able to indicate their support for several causes by sharing “Kia Likes Caring” badges on their profiles, and 100 lucky participants were selected earlier this month to receive official WED T-shirts for showing their support.