Issue 36 | JULY 2013
Youth outreach Involving the next generation in establishing sustainable practices
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Zayed Future Energy Prize | green Financing | Eco-schools | Centralised utilities model
EDITOR’S PAGE 3
Publisher Dominic De Sousa COO Nadeem Hood Founder Liam Williams liam.williams@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1511 Editorial Contributing Editor Anoop K Menon anoop.menon@cpimediagroup.com Reporter Lorraine Bangera lorraine.bangera@cpimediagroup.com Advertising Director Harry Norman harry.norman@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1502 Manager Junaid Rafique junaid.rafique@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1504 Marketing Commercial Director Gina O’Hara gina.ohara@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1513 Manager Jasmine Kyriakou jasmine.kyriakou@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1506 Design & Photography Senior Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com Designer Cris Malapitan cris.malapitan@cpimediagroup.com Web Development Troy Maagma Maher Waseem Shahzad Administration Cesar Ypil cesar.ypil@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1500
Green generation “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society’s margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.” - Kofi Annan, seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. Every society progresses because of the active participation of its youth. Their involvement has not only helped bring multiple concerns to the frontline, it has also efficaciously mitigated issues like social injustices, cultural insensitivity and discrimination in various parts of the world. Today, youth make up almost 30% of the world’s population. Therefore, it is only logical to involve them as we sit at the edge of yet another revolution—the green revolution. Sustainability and environmental development is not just a new way of thinking, but also a movement in its own right. This month, we discuss the importance of including young adults as part of the global agenda dealing with climate change, environmental degradation and declining resources. We also focus on the importance of positive youth development in the region. Young enough to pass the muster as a ‘youth,’ the ‘green movement’ inspires me and pushes me to be part of the change it promises. Putting together the July issue of BGreen for the first time has been an exhilarating experience. I sincerely hope you find it a good read.
Production and Circulation James P. Tharian Rochelle Almeida Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC Published by
Lorraine Bangera
lorraine.bangera@cpimediagroup.com Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 375 1500 Fax: +971 4 365 9986 Web: www.buildgreen.ae __________ © Copyright 2013 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS July 2013
ENERGY AND WATER
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16 Cool Vapour Evaporative cooling systems are now environment friendly alternatives to traditional air-conditioning 18 Sustaining the solar market BGreen examines solar energy’s role in the MENA region 23 Creating a legacy The Zayed Future Energy Prize showcases the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
CONSTRUCTION 27 Growth of green finance New financing scheme launched in the UAE could\ benefit energy savings 31 Natural spaces Interior concepts inspired by the innate bond between humans and nature 34 Meeting Middle East demand Knauf projects sustainability as a core principle in construction
News 10 UAE 12 WORLD 14 Really?
23 27
18
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CONTENTS
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36
SPECIAL FEATURE 36 Youth outreach BGreen analyses the role of young adults in sustainable development across the MENA region
TECHNOLOGY 42 Sustainable shipping Triple-E, largest container shipping vessel in the world proves to be energy-efficient 46 Power Matrix New online game educates people on energy systems for cities
LEISURE 48 Nurturing a green future Green Flag Award recognises environmentally responsible schools across the UAE 52 Ecotourism pioneer in East Africa A look at premier tourist destination, Kenya, and its sustainable practices within the tourism industry
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BUsiness 54 Sustainability superlative BGreen speaks to Gundeep Singh, CEO of The Change Initiative, after it was awarded the most sustainable building in the world
OIL & GAS 56 Pooling resources Centralised Utilities Model offers a sustainable framework for GCC’s energy intensive industrialisation agenda
SOCIETY 60 Green Personality James Hansen has rose to become the leading champion for climate activist across the world 78 Sustainable past Japan’s Edo Period
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Expert Panel
His Highness Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi
Saeed Alabbar
Thomas Bohlen
LEED AP, Estidama PQP Vice Chairman Emirates Green Building Council Director Alabaar Energy and Sustainability Group
NCARB,LEED AP, BD +C, ESTIDAMA PQP Chief Technical Officer Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development
Dr Michael Krämer
DR Mutasim Nour
IVANO IANNELLI
Senior Associate Taylor Wessing (Middle East) LLP Legal Counsel Emirates Solar Industry Association
Director of MSc Energy Heriot Watt University, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence
William Whistler
Roderick Wiles
TANZEED ALAM
Director - Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania American Hardwood Export Council
POLICY DIRECTOR EWS-WWF
Abdulrahman Jawahery President Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company Chairman GPCA Responsible Care Initiative
Environmental Advisor Ajman Government Chief Executive Officer Al Ihsan Charity Centre Chairman International Steering Committee Global Initiative Towards a Sustainable Iraq, UAE
The concept behind the BGreen Expert Panel is to provide a platform for those who are active in encouraging sustainable practices and solutions across industries—the real experts—who can share their views, analyses, and research with our informed readers. We will also be organising quarterly events for the panellists to meet and mingle, while discussing the latest in news, strategies and solutions on focussed topics related to sustainability. Panellists are encouraged to pen their comments, opinions and analyses that can be published in our magazine, as well as on our website in a portfolio format documenting their contributions. The Panel is constantly growing as we strive to
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Managing Director Green Building Solutions International
form the ultimate taskforce of decision makers, academicians, consultants and engineers that can encourage a sustainable watershed across industries. If you would like to nominate an expert to join our panel, please email our Editorial team at bgreeneditor@cpidubai.com.
Alan Millin LEED AP, Chartered Engineer consultant/trainer Middle East Facility Management Association
JosE Alberich PARTNER AT Kearney
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NEWS | UAE
DEWA promotes energy conservation
Last month, Bahrain Society of Engineers and the Energy and Water Authority (EWA) of Bahrain organised the Energy and Water Conservation Exposition and Forum to highlight the latest developments and challenges in the areas of alternative energy, green buildings, and sustainability, and promote sustainable development and rational use of power and water in the Gulf States. His Excellency Dr Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy of Bahrain was the patron of the forum, which was held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre. A number of experts, specialists, and researchers took part in the event, exchanging ideas and expertise on a wide range of technical issues. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) participated in the event as part of the UAE stand placed next to Bahrain Energy Conservation Committee and the Cooperation Council for the Arab
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States of the Gulf’s Customer Service Departments. DEWA showcased its solutions and services that exemplified sustainable growth and initiatives in the areas of energy conservation and sustainability. His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the Managing Director and CEO of DEWA pointed out that by participating in such events, the utility not only shares its expertise, but also learns from the global practitioners in energy conservation. DEWA’s delegation also included Khuloud Al Ali, Manager of Media Relations and Engagement, and Sultan Al Zaabi, Engineer for Conservation and Outreach Engagement. The DEWA team also presented the utility’s award winning awareness campaign to encourage consumers to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. Some of its existing and future projects include Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will produce 13MW of clean power in its first phase.
Energy relief Wind and solar energy could be fundamental in supporting economic development and alleviating poverty in developing countries facing growing need for energy access. Energy is also essential in the aftermath of natural disasters or emergencies to deliver basic services and power relief efforts. Masdar and the UAE Red Crescent Authority recently signed a framework agreement to develop renewable energy solutions which will provide humanitarian relief to people across the world who are lacking basic services, like water and electricity. Under the agreement, signed by His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar and Dr Mohammed Atiq Al Falahi, Secretary General of the UAE Red Crescent Authority, the latter will provide Masdar a list of the projects and their potential end users. Masdar, in turn, will deploy its renewable energy solutions in all stages of the project. The agreement aims to provide renewable energy for development, building and commissioning of various projects and also associated applications like solar systems for homes, solar water pumping systems and solar desalination. Masdar will be appointed as the exclusive Programme Management Consultant for renewable energy projects organised in regions the Red Crescent is already present. With more than a billion people worldwide who do not have access to electricity, renewable energy has the potential to deliver a tremendous economic and social impact,” says Dr Al Jaber. “The world needs modern solutions to tackle its most complex problems,” said Dr Al Falahi. “This cooperation underscores the growing role renewable energy can play in providing relief to underserved communities and establishing pathways for economic development. Together with Masdar, the Red Crescent is extending the UAE’s commitment to humanitarian aid to the countries that need it most.” The UAE Red Crescent was established in 1983 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who stressed the importance of preserving natural resources for the future generations.
Farnek Avireal
Total Sustainable Facilities Management Contact Us Over 30 years in the UAE 1700 employees 7 oďŹƒce locations 1 contact number
800 FARNEK (327635) PO Box 5423, Dubai, UAE info@farnek.co m www.farnek.com
Abu Dhabi | Dubai | Sharjah | RAK | Zurich | Geneva | Basel
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NEWS | WORLD
EU rewards drive sustainable agriculture Recent reforms in Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy links sustainable agriculture a winning proposition for EU Member States. Under an agreement reached by European Parliament, the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission, Europe will invest over EUR100 billion between 2014 and 2020 to help farmers meet the challenges of soil and water quality, biodiversity and climate change. The agreement was introduced to strengthen the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and enhance the efforts of farmers. EU has accepted
the Commission’s proposal of spending 30% of direct payments for the improved use of natural resources. The ‘greening’ of the direct payments applies to all 27 EU Member States, rural areas and farmers, linking to three environmentallyfriendly farming practices: crop diversification, maintaining permanent grassland and, conserving areas of ecological interest. To complement greening practices, agrienvironmental measures will be stepped up and the programmes will have to set and meet higher environmental protection.
Solar growth in Southeast Asia Analyst firm NPD SolarBuzz reports that solar photovoltaic (PV) demand in Southeast Asian markets would expectedly be two percent of the worldwide demand by 2017. The emerging solar PV markets are said to be benefiting from a more stable political environment, with access to financing, adequate infrastructure, and challenges created by high prices for imported fossil fuel. In Thailand, the Alternative Energy Development Plan was revised by the government by the end of 2011, targeting an increase in the share of renewable and alternative energy from
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20.3 to 25% in the next 10 years. It also aims to increase PV installation capacity to 3GW. There is no rooftopspecific policy in place; however, the government could support up to 100,000 domestic rooftop systems and 1,000 commercial systems with a total capacity 800MW. In Indonesia, the government is targeting to generate 25% of the country’s electricity from renewable energy with 0.2-0.3% from solar (equivalent to 1-GW of PV installations). The upcoming feed-in tariffs (FIT) may increase the PV demand, making Indonesia the second largest PV market in
the Southeast Asia region. In Malaysia, Amcorp Power a project developer has started constructing the first 10MW ground-mount PV project this year. With the modules supplied by Yingli Green Energy, this project is notable within Malaysia owing to a historic preference for rooftop PV projects. In the Philippines, a FIT rate set at US$0.23 per kWh was introduced and approved a pipeline of approximately 0.5GW of solar plants. However, geothermal and hydropower are said to be the major types of energy resources compared to solar for the next few years.
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NEWS | REALLY?
Blooms
that
damage
Jellyfish blooms, if left unchecked, can prove disastrous for fishes in the world’s oceans
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NEWS | REALLY?
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recent report published by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean pointed to rise in the number of jellyfish caused due to overfishing as one of the major reasons for the decline of fish in those regions. The report also advocates factoring jellyfish ‘blooms’ into fisheries management strategies. Bloom is a term used by scientists when a huge number of plants and animals appear unexpectedly.
Through overfishing, top predators are removed from the sea, making an ideal habitat for jellyfish blooms. Report’s author Ferdinando Boero is a zoologist and a marine biologist, heading the Laboratory of Zoology and Marine Biology at the University of Salento in Italy. He said, “It is clear that a new type of human approach to marine ecosystems in general is needed to prevent and face a phenomenon such as the jellyfish blooms.” In the report, he describes how an increased number of jellyfish
in the sea can lead to a vicious cycle where jellyfish prey on fish eggs and larvae, while competing with the depleting fish population for the same food source. If this is not looked into, jellyfish can replace fish in the world’s oceans. Jellyfish blooms can be very damaging - in 2007, a 26 km2 swarm of jellyfish wiped out a 100,000 salmon farm in Northern Ireland, causing an overall damage of US$1.5 million. Along with overfishing, the impact of global warming also helps these species that thrive at tropical latitudes to increase their range. “Overall, overfishing and global warming are probably the most important drivers of increased jellyfish presence in the global ocean and, with due exceptions, also in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea,” writes Boero. Industries and power plants located in and around coastlines can suck masses of jellytfish into their intake water pumps. This forces the pumps to stop functioning and prevents clearing the pipes, which could create damaging conditions. Such cases have already occurred in Japan, Philippines, China, India, Baltic Sea, Gulf of Oman, Qatar, the Arabian Gulf, and the United States. Measures suggested to cope with or prevent jellyfish blooms include processing them for food and medical products. One of the first countries to process jellyfish for consumption, China, now has a developing multimillion dollar seafood industry based primarily on jellyfish.
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TEXT BY LORRAINE BANGERA
It is clear that a new type of human approach to marine ecosystems in general is needed to prevent and face a phenomenon such as the jellyfish blooms.”
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ENERGY & WATER
Cool vapour With summer temperatures shooting up, Lorraine Bangera delves into evaporative cooling as an alternative to traditional air-conditioning
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n the long history of the Middle East, one element that has endured is heat. Throughout the ages, civilisations have found their own way of combating heat. A particularly interesting device designed 1,000 years ago in Persia (now Iran) was called the windcatcher or Bâd gir. The windcatcher, which looked a lot like a wind shaft constructed on the roof, caught the wind, passed it through water and blew the cooled air into the building. Later-day Iranians re-engineered the windcatcher into an evaporative cooler called Coolere Âbi. This was probably the
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first recorded method that used evaporation as a cooling device. Evaporative cooling is simply the process of cooling air through the evaporation of water. It could be demonstrated in multiple ways sweat cooling the body is a form of evaporative cooling, so is the cool breeze blowing over the sea. Evaporative cooling devices In an evaporative cooler, water is converted from a liquid state to gaseous state through an endothermic reaction which requires a certain amount of energy. The
cool air is produced by utilising a fan to push air through saturated pads to reduce the temperature. Evaporative coolers are used in various applications like agriculture, aviation, entertainment, horticulture, industrial, manufacturing, military, sports and homes and outdoor patio areas. Port-A-Cool Port-A-Cool has designed and manufactured portable evaporative cooling products for 22 years. Headquartered in Centre, Texas, the company produces a wide range of products and mobile evaporative cooling units that cool 500 to 5,000
ENERGY & WATER
As the cost of water and electricity begin to increase, evaporative cooling is a very economical solution to traditional air conditioning. It costs exactly a quarter of how much traditional air-conditioning will costs”
square feet. Ben Wulf, Vice President of Marketing and International Sales at Port-A-Cool , says, “At Port-A-Cool, we have designed evaporation in a more compact form, a technological process that helps lower the temperature and speed up the evaporation process through non-conventional means.” The cooling devices were designed to help establish an ideal way to economically and effectively reduce temperatures where traditional air conditioning is impractical or cost prohibitive. Port-A-Cool has sustainable advantages, Wulf explains, “We only use water and electricity; no compressors, no chemicals, no refrigerant— it is a simple clean process. It is energy-efficient as the cooling device can operate for more than eight hours for less than Dh4. That includes both water and electricity; water consumption varies from three to four litres per hour with 20 litres for the largest cooling device used in warehouses. As the cost of water and electricity begin to increase, evaporative
cooling is a very economical solution to traditional air conditioning. It costs exactly a quarter of how much traditional air-conditioning will cost.” Port-A-Cool stands out in the evaporative cooling industry for the production and usage of KÜÜL® pads, the highest quality rigid cooling media on the market. Made in the USA, the unique production of these pads incorporates leading-edge technology to create rigid media with the highest resin content in the industry. The result is the most efficient, effective evaporative cooling possible. Breezair Breezair, is another evaporative air cooling brand from Australia which has won major projects in the industrial, commercial and leisure and recreational sectors across the UAE. Breezair units
feature advanced technology and a range of clever designs that combine the highest cooling performance of any comparable air conditioner. The Breezair system includes environmental benefits and high efficiency rates. It is proven to be 80% more resourceful than standard air conditioning units, operating on 100% fresh air without using harmful gases. With improved air delivery and significant noise level reduction, Breezair is an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional cooling. Breezair has installed its air cooling technology in a number of new areas including animal enclosures, outdoor cooling for villas, automobile service centres and factories all over UAE and recreational areas in Sharjah. Breezair systems are exclusively distributed by ClimaGulf, one of the leading natural air cooling solutions provider in the UAE, which has been appointed the master distributor for the GCC region by Australia’s Seeley International, the owners of Breezair.
Port-A-Cool evaporative cooler benefits •
Reducing temperatures up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit
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Environmentally-friendly (no CFCs or refrigerants)
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Energy-efficient – most units can be run on less than AED4 a day
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Cost-effective – reasonably priced units which are affordably operated
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Durable
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Portable with heavy caster wheels designed for mobility
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Provides spot cooling where air conditioning is impractical
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ENERGY & WATER
Sustaining the solar market Lorraine Bangera examines solar energy as a renewable expected to play a primary role in the Middle East’s future power generation strategy
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t the rate at which we are exhausting our primary fuels, the world is definitely headed to an energy crisis. To survive the crisis companies, experts and policymakers are looking to find new and environment-friendly means to extract energy from renewable sources. While the progress in this
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area has been unhurried, the spread of mainstream awareness and rising regulatory pressures have helped highlight the issue as top priority. Solar energy has come to occupy a special place in the renewable energy scheme of things. After wind, the fastest growth in renewable energy installations
is expected to come from solar. With solar energy becoming more affordable, it can finally compete with its exhaustible and diminishing rivals—coal and oil. Commenting on the cost reduction, Michael Mock, Managing Director of Belectric Middle East, says, “The price of solar energy is falling even
ENERGY & WATER
The sun-drenched region of the Middle East is ideally placed to exploit this most abundant resource but progress has been slow. ” 2010 because we believe in the potential of this region and the UAE in particular,” says Martin Mock, Managing Director, Belectric Middle East. “There is a drive in the region so it won’t be long before the markets are ready and receptive. In the future as markets grow, we will cooperate with other companies to not only manufacture and contract but also build local value chains. We do need to build up local skills and local professionals to serve the market. Therefore, policies must help prepare us and also help us prepare our local set up for the future growth. “ the fuels’ export potential. As oil and gas exports account for a substantial chunk of the GDP, diversification of energy mix with a focus on renewable energy frees up oil and gas for exports. Additionally initiatives like Masdar City in Abu Dhabi help to diversify and contribute to increasing dependence on renewable energy. though it will not reduce forever. As more companies look into this sector, it will build up confidence in the renewable energy industry.” Development of renewables There is a strong commercial undertone to Middle East’s growing interest in solar energy. Rapid population growth over the past nine years has led to a colossal increase in domestic energy consumption. The amount of oil and gas burnt to produce this energy eats into
Use of solar energy The sun-drenched region of the Middle East is ideally placed to exploit this most abundant resource but progress has been slow. As of now the solar market is one of the lowest job generators in the region. Typically, 15 to 20% of the jobs are found in solar module manufacturing segment with the other 80% in the services. Policymakers should take into account local manufacturing will generate new jobs in areas like contracting, operations and maintenance. Financing is proving major hurdles to the growth of solar market in the Middle East. Energy is highly subsidised in the region which puts renewable energy at a certain disadvantage. But this hasn’t deterred companies from setting shop in the region. “In the Middle East, the solar market is not financially successful yet. But we set up Belectric ME here in
Around the globe Europe, France and Germany are regarded as successful examples on the solar energy front. Last year France increased the feed-in tariff (FIT) for photovoltaic (PV) installations smaller than 100kW to reinstate the country as a hub of solar innovation and investment. “In the Middle East, we started to work in Saudi Arabia from 2011. Knowing the requirements of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and local standards, we have been successful. However, well-established policies can definitely move things forward.” But Mock believes that the US rather than Europe is better role model for the region when it comes to policy formulation. While the UAE has announced specific targets for renewable energy by 2020, there are no
Drivers of need for renewables •
Energy security
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High power demand
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Export revenue
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Diversification of economy
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Reduction of carbon footprint
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ENERGY & WATER
particular policies in terms of FITs in place yet. However, the outlook is positive. Martin Preston, Partner at Norton Rose ME, says, “Local initiatives like Masdar City have encouraged the drive towards a renewable energy industry within the UAE. For example, we have seen how Masdar was heavily involved with Shams 1 CSP project, which was procured with a green subsidy being paid by the government to make project feasible for the private sector.” The situation in other countries in the Middle East is more or less same with little to show in terms of specific policies, FITs, net metering, or projects to develop renewable energy. However, Morocco and Jordon have moved far ahead of the rest of the Middle East in terms of developing their renewable energy sectors. Preston continues, “Obviously there are differences between the GCC and countries like Morocco and Jordon. Unlike most GCC states, they do not have surplus oil and gas reserves so their drivers are more fundamental as they have to spend a huge amount
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every year on imports to meet their energy demands. I believe that Morocco has the most well established policy framework. Having to import nearly all of their requirements, Morocco took on the renewable energy market quite early on. They have passed a number of laws designed to help developers.” For example, Law 1608 helps self generation for industrial sites while Law 1309 is designed for innovation in renewable energy. Law 1309 permits electricity to be produced in by private companies with no FITs. Status Report The MENA Renewables Status Report, released last month, points to a massive growth in the renewables industry across the MENA region. The report was released by Abu Dhabi headquartered International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), a global multi-stakeholder network that connects a wide range of key actors; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs UAE. The regional investments
made in renewable energy came up to US$2.9 billion in 2012, which is a 40% increase from the figures in 2011 and a 650% increase from 2004. With over 100 projects under development, the region could see a 450% increase in non-hydro renewable energy generating capacity in the next few years. Arthouros Zervous, Chair of REN21 says, “In the last two years, renewable energy has transformed from a niche interest to a regional phenomenon reaching almost US$3 billion investment in 2012 alone.” “The report demonstrates that the MENA region is rapidly taking a prominent role in accelerating the adoption of renewable energy,” says His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and CEO of Masdar. “The UAE is committed to investing in renewable energy and has a goal of diversifying its energy sources while capitalising on the economic and social opportunities those investments present. Masdar’s recent inauguration of the 100 MW Shams 1 concentrating solar plant in Abu Dhabi is a major milestone in achieving this goal as well as a significant step for renewable energy in the region. With our experience domestically and internationally, we look forward to contributing to the renewable energy sector’s growth in the MENA region.” The entire region is planning to concentrate on policy deployment and target-setting. Nineteen countries have made technology specific targets for the coming years, a major jump compared to only five countries taking part in 2007. In order to achieve targets and escalate investments, 18 MENA countries had enacted at least one renewable energy enabling policy by early 2013, such as FITs, net metering, fiscal incentives, and public financing. “Since 2008, modern renewable energy production has grown at a much faster rate than fossil fuels and, with 106 renewable energy projects currently in the pipeline, this trend is likely to continue,” says Adnan Amin, Director General of IRENA.
ENERGY & WATER
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ENERGY & WATER
Creating a legacy The Zayed Future Energy Prize represents the vision of the Late Founding Father and President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who championed environmental stewardship. Jasmine Kyriakou writes
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or the past five years, the UAE has commended individuals, companies and organisations that have made significant contributions in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability through the Zayed Future Energy Prize, which is an annual US$4 million award. Launched in 2008, the prize has gained global recognition and built a strong reputation as a respected award in the renewable energy and sustainability community. The award is now open for submissions for the
forthcoming 2014 event where the winners will be felicitated during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The Zayed Future Energy Prize embodies the vision of the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who laid the foundation for renewable energy and sustainability as part of his legacy in sustainable development in the UAE. Managed by Masdar, on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Government, the prize seeks to award achievements and
innovations in the renewable energy field as well to educate and inspire future generations. His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, affirms that under the leadership of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sustainable development across all sectors has been placed at the core of the national strategy.
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ENERGY & WATER
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, says, “The Zayed Future Energy Prize invites the global community to join forces and strengthen its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability. Our previous winners have collectively reduced the plight of 140,000 displaced persons, provided hundreds of thousands of jobs and provided clean water and electricity to over eight million people in villages and rural parts of Africa and Asia.” The winners are determined through a four-stage selection process including short-listing by an independent research and analysis firm, and an evaluation by the review committee and selection committees respectively. The jury, comprising heads of state, leading academics, energy experts and world renowned personalities with an interest in sustainability, complete the fourth and final stage through an extensive discussion enabling them to select the winners and runners up in each award category. The categories consist of Large Corporation: Recognition Award, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME): $1.5 million, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO): $1.5 million. The individual Lifetime Achievement Award: $500,000, candidates for this award must be nominated by a second party to be eligible, and the Global High School Prize: $500,000 divided amongst five regions with each
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Our previous winners have collectively reduced the plight of 140,000 displaced persons, provided hundreds of thousands of jobs and provided clean water and electricity to over eight million people in villages and rural parts of Africa and Asia” school awarded up to $100,000 (Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania). The Global High School prize also falls under the UAE commitment to the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for all initiatives. High schools are asked to submit possible projects that incorporate one or more of the pillars of the initiative including: Renewable Energy, Energy Access and Energy Efficiency. To evaluate and eliminate, the jury uses a scoring matrix based on
the prize’s four main principles; impact, long-term vision, leadership and innovation. Each principle is significant to display the dedication and credibility of each organisation participating in the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The Zayed Future Energy Prize geographically reaches a worldwide audience with previous winners coming from the United States, Latin America, Europe, Australia, Japan, China, Africa, India, Bangladesh and the UAE. Past winners include Schneider Electric (France), Carbon Disclosure Project (the United Kingdom), University of New South Wales (Australia), Toyota Motor Corporation (Japan), Kirya Secondary School (Tanzania), and Orb Energy (India). Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Director of Sustainability at Masdar, and the Director of Zayed Future Energy Prize, oversees the
ENERGY & WATER
implementation of the objectives, mandate and strategic direction of the prize. In her role as the Director of Sustainability at Masdar; Dr Al-Hosany leads a team responsible for developing Masdar’s sustainability standards and policies. She is also mandated to oversee the processes of sustainability auditing, monitoring and reporting. Her commitment to sustainable development signifies her dominant role within the industry. In 2011, Abu Dhabi Magazine cited Dr Al-Hosany as one of the 40 most influential Emiratis who have helped shape the emirate. She has also received numerous medals and accolades for her professional achievements; including a Chevening Fellowship from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Emirates Business Women Award in the Professional and Career Achievements category. Furthermore, Dr Al-Hosany has been published globally in international journals and newspapers, including the International Journal of Management of Environmental Quality, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Renewable Energy, and International Journal of Renewable Energy Engineering. In January 2013, His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, “We believe that investing in people is the future of our collective prosperity. Through the Prize, we are not only recognising
tremendous achievements, but also providing support to help accelerate promising technologies and fund organisations, schools and individuals committed to impacting communities around the world.” Marking the fifth year of the Prize, the eight winners included Siemens, D.light Design, Ceres, Dr Jose Goldemberg, and four high schools representing various regions of the world. Attendees at the 2013 award ceremony were globally abundant and merely added to the already dominant initiative. Speaking at the awards ceremony, His Excellency Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, the President of the Republic of Iceland and Chairman of the Zayed Future Energy Prize Jury said, “The winners tonight show that change is possible, that vision and innovative thinking hold great promise for us all through practical endeavors. These winners are indeed the true heirs to the legacy of Sheikh Zayed.” In 2009 Dipal Barua, former Founding Managing Director, Grameen Shakti, Founder and Chairman Bright Green Energy Foundation, Bangladesh, launched a ‘Zayed Future Energy Prize Programme’ for women in Bangladesh, trained 700 women as green
technicians, opened 125 Bright Green Energy Foundation branches and implemented 1.5 million Solar Home Systems using the prize money. Professor Martin Green, Executive Research Director, ARC Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence, University of New South Wales, Australia, donated funds to establish a new laboratory at the University of New South Wales, opened a new line of research investigating cost reduction of solar energy conversion, and provided scholarships to postgraduate students in photovoltaic solar energy conversion. In 2011, E+Co, USA, made 11 clean energy investments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, partnered with SELCO to electrify 1,000 households and 25 schools in India, and launched Persistent Energy Partners, a private equity fund manager to carry forward its clean energy investing mission. Schneider Electric, France, created Grameen Schneider Electric to provide access to electricity and services for disadvantaged people in Bangladesh. The prize has transformed the lives of individuals, formed sustainable organisations around the world, and created a global community aiming to make change a reality and to educate others in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability. The impact of the Zayed Future Energy Prize is remarkable, with previous winners using their prize money to continue to make a difference.
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Construction
Growth of green finance With Emirates Green Building Council planning to initiate a green financing scheme, UAE’s buildings can benefit from energy savings through retrofitting. Lorraine Bangera writes
N
early eight years ago, the Pew Charitable Trusts, a US based nonprofit which provides grants to improve public policy, had observed that the world would experience the emergence of a clean energy era. They predicted that governments,
financial institutions, investors and businesses would start pouring investments into innovative and green technologies that would help the world meet its energy requirements without increasing the carbon footprint. Cut to 2013, where more and more countries
are rising to the challenge of transitioning to a greener economy. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), developing countries too are mending their approach to infrastructure and industrial planning. They are opting for more sustainable designs and
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development banks; private sector finance consists of both domestic and international funding sources. Green financing can be used through any of these investment structures.
Adnan Sharafi, EmiratesGBC Chairman
resilient pathways to economic growth. They are developing more comprehensive national investment programmes in clean energy, energy-efficiency, water management, climate-resilient agriculture, smart grids and lowcarbon transport systems. This strategic shift has been termed “greening the economy” or making a “green growth” transition. Green finance Among the many definitions of ‘green finance’ is funding environment-oriented technologies, projects, industries or businesses. Green investing gives value to the environment and its natural capital, it also seeks to improve human well-being and social equity while reducing environmental risks and improving ecological integrity. Green finance can help green growth as it connects three sectors of the industry and helps them work together; the financial industry, environmental improvement and economic growth. According to a green financing fact file by UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), “One missing link between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ in the transition to green industry is ‘green finance’. All green industrial propositions cost money, and many green industry business
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models are more often than not untested or unconventional. Therefore, traditional finance may find it difficult or commercially unattractive to finance these green industrial propositions.” When we compare organisations, green industries and technologies are all different with relation to its advancement. This gives a need for different levels of funding from different sources of capital. Commonly there are three sources of capital funding: domestic public finance, international public finance and private sector finance. Domestic public finance refers to the direct funding by a government, while international public finance refers to funding from international organisations and multilateral
In the UAE Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, has devised a creative new method of involving green finance in the UAE. It has proposed an innovative financing scheme to promote the green retrofitting of existing buildings to make them more energy-efficient. Adnan Sharafi, EmiratesGBC Chairman, says “One of the key issues identified in our extensive studies to promote sustainable built environments is the lack of adequate financial support for retrofitting existing buildings to new green building standards. We observed a lack of awareness in the market about opportunities for energy retrofitting, and a scarcity of funds among landlords to make the necessary changes. Building owners also do not have any incentive to implement energy savings schemes because electricity bills are largely paid by the tenants.” “According to reports, the peak demand for electricity is expected to increase by 40% by 2020. Improving the energy-efficiency of existing buildings provides a financially efficient strategy for the UAE to tackle energy-sector and environmental degradation challenges.”
Construction
According to reports, the peak demand for electricity is expected to increase by 40% by 2020. Improving the energyefficiency of existing buildings provides a financially efficient strategy for the UAE to tackle energy-sector and environmental degradation challenges.” Sharafi noted that with the UAE focussing on a strong energy management strategy led by renewables and boosting efficient use of existing resources, green buildings can complement the approach effectively by reducing power consumption. EmiratesGBC will act as a facilitator of the retrofit projects and strengthen the up-take of financially viable energy-efficient projects in the country. To accelerate the initiative, EmiratesGBC will meet financing institutions, insurance agencies, suppliers and regulators. Sharafi says, “The largest piece of the cake is the supplier. The suppliers are most interested in transforming the industry. To promote the green building economy we need to have the industry with us. And as we represent the industry, we make sure the academia provides the right knowledge about the initiative.” Khaled Bushnaq, CEO of Energy Management Services, points out that energy-efficiency is often misunderstood by organisations. He says, “It (energy-efficiency) is usually associated with discomfort - people think that to be energy-efficient they must reduce their comfort level and suffer in higher temperatures. That is not true. Proper definition of energyefficiency is sufficiently reducing energy consumption without adversely affecting your working conditions.” At this point, the key problems faced in the UAE on the energyefficiency front are lack of awareness and financing. Bushnaq continues, “Everything is available in the UAE - consultants, energy-efficient equipment, even financing.
However, there is a lack of awareness. Although you can see that the financial models are highly rewarding and highly profitable, yet the financial institutions do not have the internal mechanism of assessing the risks and understanding the process.” Performance contracting Energy capital lease or performance contracting is one of the many approaches to encourage projects promoting energy-efficiency. “In performance contracting, an energy service company which is called ESCO, will finance an energy-efficiency project on behalf of the consumer while shouldering the risks,” says Bushnaq. “The ESCO will get a share of the savings generated. If the ESCO does not save, it will not be paid.” Performance contracting scheme has been very successful throughout the world and is being rolled out in the UAE as well.
By providing the means to use renewable energy and other environmentally-friendly technologies, green financing makes sustainable socio-economic growth possible while attracting ‘green’ investors from around the world.
Strengths of green finance •
Promotes technology diffusion and eco-efficient infrastructure
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Helps environmental standards become stricter
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Adds value to the investments made by businesses, organizations and corporations
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Increases economic prospects
Challenges to green finance •
Present and projected competitiveness as other investments (domestic and international) look more attractive
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Mispricing and no pricing of risks, as the risks associated with new technologies or processes that are not well understood
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While private investors aim to maximize the risk-adjusted returns for their investments, public green finance providers seek to achieve the highest possible environmental improvement
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Limited capital and limited awareness
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Value Chain Leadership Awards Reinforcing Stake Holder Value Gulf Edition 2013 (Bahrain - KSA - Oman - UAE) December 2013
ARE YOU A PARTNER OF CHOICE?
OUR LARGESTAND GLOBALLY
ACCLAIMED ON-SITE ASSESSMENT PROCESS COMES TO THE GULF! EVALUATE
ENGAGE
Value Chain Leadership Awards (VCLA) by Frost & Sullivan has a legacy of more than a decade in various regions and has increasingly gained credibility across the business fraternity. VCLA is a global programme to transform supply chain and manufacturing capabilities. It aims to identify and applaud sustainable organisations with strong business acumen and robust operational performance. The essence of the Awards programme lies in its objective evaluation. We combine our knowledge on different evaluation models across the globe along with our proprietary assessment models and bring forward a tailored and unique assessment methodology. The evaluation will be primarily based on four critical aspects of competitive supply chain partnerships: Customer Focus, Logistics Excellence, Operational Effectiveness and Sustainability.
Sustainable Organisation Robust Operational Performance Highly Efficient Supply Chains High Customer Satisfaction
LEARN
GROW
Key Benefits for Participating: A scorecard, that will provide participating/short-listed companies a quantitative assessment of their strengths and weaknesses that need to be taken up internally for carrying out improvements. More than just a scorecard! Since it is derived from a disciplined and structured process, the scorecard could be considered a strategic business tool used by organisations to enhance productivity/efficiency, customer performance, and inculcate a culture of systematisation and internationalisation. Further, these awards can hold strategically marketable advantage for the organisation because of the global recognition, global benchmarking and advisory that we bring on board! Organisations can benefit from Frost & Sullivan’s International reach/network, its presence and expertise across different industry verticals.
Who Should Participate? The Awards programme will cover a broad and extensive range of industries. Some of them are listed below: Cements Chemicals (commodity, speciality, etc.) Consumer Products
Electricals & Electronics Fertiliser Food & Beverages
Light & Heavy Engineering Metals Paints
Paper Petrochemicals Pharmaceuticals
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Nominations Close on 31st July, 2013 To know more about the Awards process and/or details, please visit www.frost.com/vcla2013 OR Contact: Abubaker Basheer Ahmed at abubaker.ahmed@frost.com
Construction
Natural spaces Lorraine Bangera writes about new interior concepts inspired by the innate bond between human beings and nature
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ature plays a major role in people’s physical, psychological and emotional well-being, a fact that artist, scientists and designers are beginning to understand only now. Compact living spaces in urban environments have left people searching for ways to connect with the natural world. This, in turn, is challenging architects and interior
designers to think of ways to bring nature indoors. In 1984, American biologist, Edward O Wilson first coined the term ‘Biophilia’ to explain the importance of reconnecting with the natural world. As the global sustainability movement continues to gain momentum, designers and architects are seeking inspiration in Biophilic design to connect built spaces to the natural world.
Nature inspired This year, Interface, a Europeanbased carpet tile manufacturing company, has launched a new collection of carpet tiles inspired by the concept of Biophilia. Interface’s Urban Retreat collection comes in three distinctive designs and offers creative solutions for built urban environments that wish connect with the natural world.
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The best way to understand sustainability is to observe nature, and see how it takes care of itself. As architects around the world have started bringing nature into their buildings and cities, we wanted to take things a step ahead by introducing nature to designers and bringing it to the floor.”
Imitating Nature
Ana Elisa Seixas, Regional Marketing Director & Sustainability Ambassador of Interface Middle East, says, “The best way to understand sustainability is to observe nature, and see how it takes care of itself. As architects around the world have started bringing nature into their buildings and cities, we wanted to take things a step ahead by introducing nature to designers and bringing it to the floor.” Urban Retreat’s woven feel is created from the innovative computer driven Colourpoint machine. The collection’s distinctive
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look is influenced by designer David Oakey’s travels around the world. He has used colour palettes drawn from heritage stones, forests, and savannah grasses. Urban Retreat comprises of a variety of hardwearing carpet tiles which is able to even withstand heavy traffic for lasting performance. The tiles can be mixed and matched and installed in a variety of methods to create a unique and calming interior. Moved by the sea Another modular carpet collection from Interface is Net Effect, which is inspired by the ocean’s lifegiving power and its plight. The collection emulates the ocean while trying to highlight marine life and habitats that are endangered by discarded fishing nets, acidification, over-fishing, pollution and climate change. Net Effect was born out of NetWorks, an innovative global business and conservation partnership
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Urban Forest: A new architectural concept from Beijing architects MAD, is a 385-metre skyscraper where each level is an organic-shaped ‘slice’, rotated horizontally to create spaces for gardens and patios. Designed for Chongqing, China, the building aims to bring the benefits of nature back into a high-density city environment.
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Logements Anglet: Parisbased OFF Architecture, in association with Duncan Lewis SCAPE Architecture, has designed the social housing development. Here, a layer of lush vegetation clads the structures, and appears to be the main building material, hiding concrete and masonry.
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Hyphae Lamps: Reflecting nature in a more literal way, Hyphae Lamps by US design studio Nervous System imitate the intricate vein formations in leaves. Each lamp in the series is unique, based on algorithmically generated designs that simulate the way nature creates leaf vein structures.
Construction
between Interface and conservation charity Zoological Society of London. Launched last year in Philippines, Net-Works tackle two distinct issues: the growing environmental problem of discarded fishing nets in some of the world’s poorest coastal communities, and the problem of finding a viable waste stream to feed the company’s post-consumer nylon recycling goals. The Net Effect product collection instills a subtle visual reminder of the sea on its surface, with a design reminiscent of swirling currents. “Aesthetically, we wanted Net Effect to capture the positivity of the NetWorks partnership,” says Oakey, who designed this collection as well. “It connects people with the emotions and memories associated with the beach, but their enjoyment is its most superficial benefit. What’s
our efforts on creating products with zero impact.”
beneath the surface—including the product’s ties to the good work NetWorks is doing—is what makes it extraordinary.” Mission Zero Being one of the first companies to publicly commit to sustainability, Interface made a pledge in the midnineties to eliminate its impact on the environment by 2020. Also known as Mission Zero, the commitment is given prime importance in the company and influences each aspect of its business. Seixas says, “We have a straightforward goal of ensuring that our company acts and behaves in a way that causes no harmful impact to the environment. We aim to have zero waste and use renewable energy, but there are a lot of milestones to achieving that goal.” She adds, “We started working towards a sustainable approach in early 90s, being the pioneers in addressing sustainability from a manufacturing perspective. Then onwards, we also started focussing
Ana Elisa Seixas, Regional Marketing Director & Sustainability Ambassador of Interface Middle East
Accepting the challenge Recently, Interface announced that more than 365 colours and 20 styles across the company’s diverse product range are available with 100% recycled yarn. Achieving sustainability in the industry can be extremely challenging, and Interface had to go through its own set of challenges, as Seixas explains, “first, we did a lifecycle analysis to understand where the most harmful impact was coming from. In our case, the biggest impact was coming from the yarn as it is made of nylon, which is a sub-product of oil refinery and chemical reactions. We then looked for ways to reduce the impact of the yarn. An obvious option was to simply reduce the amount of yarn, so we changed our manufacturing process to use less yarn than in the past while maintaining the same quality and durability.” “The other option was to increase the recyclable content of nylon so that all carpets have 100% recycled content. The third option was to create new yarn that is not reliant on oil, which we achieved last year with the launch of our bio-based hybrid yarn.” Abiding by Interface’s Mission Zero, both Urban Retreat and Net Effect contain 100% recycled content. However, Seixas admits that sustainability is not just about the yarn; aspects like water and energy consumption need to be tackled as well. A proud achievement was reducing the use of water during the printing of carpets. Seixas says, “Nearly 50 litres of water per square metre was used during printing because we used to buy white carpets and print on them. But we now use solution-dyed nylon which is already infused with colour so that when we make the carpet, it is not white but colourful cones that come together. This has helped reduce the water consumption to five litres per square metre.” One of the major obstacles to switching to a sustainable approach is the extra expense it entails. Seixas says, “It does become very expensive as most of the time we are inventing new technology. But over time we have realised that creating products that use less water and electricity, and using recyclables, reduces our cost as well.”
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Knauf
Meeting
Middle East demand Specialising in extruded polystyrene products for construction markets such as roofing and under-floor heating, Knauf is on its way to achieve its sustainability goals
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Knauf
Sustainability in brief Conservation As natural gypsum is an important raw material for Knauf, the company takes special care in its extraction in both underground and surface mining. By recultivating and restoring the landscape after extraction, the mining sites are developed into new living spaces for plants and animals.
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t a recently held seminar leading up to Project Qatar, Knauf highlighted its work in projecting sustainability as a core principle in construction, having established Aquapanel specifically for the growing sports sector in Doha ahead of the 2022 World Cup infrastructure build-up. “Estimating the Middle East market between 2004 and 2014, we will need over 50 million tonnes of gypsum to meet this demand,” according to Amer Bin Ahmed, Managing Director of Knauf Middle East. “Doha is investing US$ 135 billion in the next 10 years. About $16 billion is just for new hotels, while $14 billion is for the stadium alone. Delivery of projects on time will be a priority.” Knauf has more than 220 production facilities, employing over 22,000 employees across 60 countries worldwide. In the Middle East, Knauf is headquartered in Dubai, with a large production facility in Ras Al Khaimah where gypsum boards, metal profiles and jointing compounds are produced. On average, 30 million square metres of gypsum products are manufactured onsite in the UAE yearly, which is exported throughout the GCC, East Africa and India— the company’s core growth markets. From its beginnings in gypsum processing, Knauf was founded in 1932 by the brothers Karl and Dr. Alfons N. Knauf, along the Saar and Main rivers. Since then, Knauf has expanded to deliver products in fields such as building materials and systems, thermal insulation and sound insulation materials, limestone and lime products, chalk and cement related products, and plant engineering. “We have a responsibility in sustainability,” Bin Ahmed adds. “Leading change is difficult, but we are ready to take this on and face the music.”
Recycling gypsum A synthetic product derived from flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) vis used as a catalyst in power plants. This gypsum is recycled by Knauf to be used as a coal combustion product. Gypsum boards are also recycled into drywall for further use. Knauf’s sustainable interior solutions have their own Environmental Product Declaration. Light logistics Lightweight construction materials, such as Knauf Aquapanel for façade building, reduces the costs and emissions involved in transportation and logistics.
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Special Feature
Youth outreach Sustainability revolves around the ‘future generation,’ of which today’s youth are an inalienable part. Lorraine Bangera breaks down on how participation of youth is vital to the sustainable development of the MENA region
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here are four pillars commonly known in sustainability; innovation, leadership, creativity and values, all of which are available in the growing youth population. Over 45% of the younger working-population are currently unemployed, which means it is a good time and also imperative to establish a job market that focuses on sustainability. With the world economy better than it used to be, sustainability is being given prime importance in most countries. Past economies have proved that to enjoy continuous growth, sustainability has to adopted and achieved. It is vital to include youth in the overall spectrum to bring sustainability to the forefront and emerge as a global competitor.
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According to Dr Mohamed Abouleish, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at the American University of Sharjah, “In the Middle East, young adults are becoming more and more interested in taking up a sustainable way of living, they are trying to learn more about the environment, and they are continually searching for the tools that will help them save the environment and achieve environmental sustainability.” His Excellency Dr Salem Al Ismaily, Chairman of Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development, and head of the Omani delegation delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in May this
year. His speech dwelled on how the shift towards an innovative economy and turning today’s job seekers into tomorrow’s opportunity makers is an excellent task to undertake. He said, “As we make the transition from relying on the natural resources within Oman’s borders to driving innovation and utilising new technologies to expand our economy, it is vital that we divert the necessary financial resources to create opportunities for future generations. We can look at specific areas of development such as empowering entrepreneurs and job creation for the growing youth demographic and include the necessary training, research and investment to turn an idea into reality and build a sustainable
Special Feature
competitive environment to expand the private sector.“ Youth and sustainability Solutions to some of the world’s gravest issues like climate change, environmental degradation and social inequities lie with today’s youth. With fresh ideas, knowledge of advanced technology and lessons from the past to guide them, the younger generation is better equipped to deal with problems the world faces today. “Youth around the world play a major role in achieving sustainable development. In order, to achieve sustainable development we have to create minds that will think and act in a sustainable way, individuals who will care about the environment and the resources within the environment, and who will eventually be in charge of the resources while maintaining them for future generations,” says Dr Abouleish. “Regardless of their profession, they will all contribute to achieving environmental sustainability, as problems will be approached from different perspectives, and the solutions reached will be based on a better understanding.” youthinkgreen is a global organisation which offers young people worldwide the opportunity to become climate ambassadors. The institute helps these individuals acquire essential skills which will help them protect climate conditions and help sustainable global development. Members include over 220 youth from 10 different countries; together they campaign to protect the environment and to include more sustainable ways of living. This year, youthinkgreen organised the very first World Youth Sustainability Summit from 10th to 20th May in Berlin. This educational initiative is held under the patronage of the Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres and former President of the European Parliament, MEP Dr Hans-Gert Pöttering. Experts, representatives of sustainable practices and young adults came together and addressed a reminiscent theme which is a global challenge, ‘Youth and Sustainability in Everyday Life – Challenge, Rethink and Revive Global Ways of Living.’ Around 150 young people from developed and developing countries came to Berlin to participate in the conference, along
Remember that our nation’s first great leaders were also our first great scholars” John F. Kennedy
with world-class speakers from the scientific, cultural, economic, political, and media world. The focus was to examine and progress the topic through speeches, discussions as well as various workshops. Education and sustainability “Education plays an important role, in influencing our lives. Sustainable development can only be achieved through the realisation of the importance of our resources for our lives and future generations. This can only be achieved through education, whether academically or though individuals seeking information on their own,” explains Dr Abouleish. “Through education comes knowledge, and with knowledge, a better understanding is developed, and this leads to making better decisions, that will lead to a better and sustainable life. Therefore, teaching the youth about sustainable
development should be included throughout their education.” Organisations like the Education for Sustainable Development helps people acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values essential for a sustainable future. It includes key topics like climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. UNESCO is the lead agency for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Building on the successes of the UN Decade of ESD (DESD), a panel discussion was organised last month in Morocco called the ‘Preparation for the future of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)’ to help define the future global programme on ESD. Panellists emphasised the notable shifts that took place during the decade, especially how education has played a major role in sustainable development. Education is definitely one of the main influencers to social change which includes sustainable development. Once the countries in the MENA region begin to highlight sustainability in its educational practices, the shift to a more ecofriendly economy will be convenient. Universities in the UAE have also taken steps to impart sustainability in lectures and seminars. Annamaria Lambri, Assistant Professor of Interior Design, American University of Dubai, says, “Sustainability is a concept many people are looking into, and as a student it is important to look into it as they are still learning. We always include the concept of sustainability in all our courses and lectures.” She adds, “From the past few years, we have been addressing the topic of sustainability more frequently with our students. Also sustainability is a part of our thesis, which is why a lot of senior interior design students know a lot about it.” The educational sector, in addition to providing the students with theoretical information about the environment and sustainable development, should continue to involve the students in different activities, according to Dr Abouleish. “That would increase their awareness and knowledge in this area, so the youth can learn from past experiences, and learn what to avoid and what to pursue, to achieve environmental sustainability.”
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Initiatives across the MENA region UAE
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Masdar Outreach Programme Masdar Institute has taken the initiative to reach out to local communities and raise awareness about sustainability and climate change. The major focus is to attract young adults looking to be involved in solutions to sustain the environment. While the UAE’s youth is the outreach programme’s main target, it also provides information and opportunities to international students and other interested groups through unique programmes like:
Summer Research Internships UAE nationals, passionate about finding innovative solutions work closely with Masdar Institute faculty and graduate students to conduct research on topics relating to energy, the environment or sustainability.
Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) A part of the annual World Future Energy Summit held in January, YFEL brings together the UAE’s youth along with international students and young professionals to discuss and learn about current and future energy issues.
BUiD’s second week long sustainability Last month, the British University in Dubai (BUiD) held its second Sustainability Summer School. The weeklong professional development programme involved over 50
Ektashif A two-week residential summer programme for undergraduate engineering and science students to learn about research in renewable energy, sustainability and the environment.
undergraduate and postgraduate students from various universities across the region. Through the Sustainability Summer School, BUiD aims to encourage students to engage in the latest sustainable practices and gain as much knowledge on contributing to a greener community. The university tries to encourage young minds to dream, conceptualise, implement and create a sustainable world. Through the summer school, young soon-to-be leaders are expected take back with them a great experience inspired by the concept of sustainability. The event’s theme ‘Greener Hands for a Greener Community,’ was adopted to influence participating students and impart knowledge on how to reduce the ecological footprint not only as individuals but as members of the local community.
Special Feature
My Qatar The Youth Company launched its first annual initiative My Qatar, to support the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) in the early part of June. This was the first youth forum on environment and sustainability in Qatar, which The Youth Company promoted through the General Secretariat for Development Planning and the Ministry of Environment through QNV 2030’s environmental pillar. My Qatar forum highlighted the importance of environmental development as one of the four major pillars of QNV 2030 to attract committed youth who plan to make a difference in protecting and conserving the environment. Over 80 high school and university students participated in the forum that went on for two days. All the students got a chance to learn and grasp information about environment issues in Qatar, take
part in programmes on sustainability, develop their own projects and initiatives and present them to individuals, organisations and policymakers, who can support its implementation. EMPOWER Youth Conference 2013 Earlier this year, in March, EMPOWER Youth Conference 2013 on Leadership, Service Learning and Global Citizenship was organised by Qatar’s leading educational not-for-profit organisation Reach Out To Asia (ROTA). Held at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), this was one of Qatar’s largest annual youth gathering with nearly 400 youth activists and community leaders of the future coming together. At EMPOWER 2012, a focussed programme of activities concentrated on the three-day event’s key themes: the Arabic language, Sports, Skills Development and the Environment. This year’s theme was Water
Cooperation. One of the main objectives of this year’s theme was to motivate young adults to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar environment. It is a practice which eventually becomes a worthwhile educational experience. At the same time, the conference epitomised the “work hard, play hard” ethic, as all delegates, facilitators and observers display both a serious professionalism combined with wit and humour when approaching the various EMPOWER activities. EMPOWER has gained a reputation for being the first youth led conference in Qatar to focus on equipping young people to take active roles in building communities and having a voice on global issues. The main aim for the conference included raising awareness and building knowledge and capacity to enable young people to take leadership roles in addressing local and international developmental issues of concern to them.
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Special Feature
KUWAIT
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The Dow Marine Conservation Programme (DMCP) DMCP, one of Al-Yaal’s leading corporate patron, is an initiative driven to influence social responsibility in the gulf region. Al Yaal is Kuwait’s nationwide marine conservation initiative developed by en.v Volunteers from various non-profit organisations and schools including I Am Challenge - Kuwait, The Universal American School and the Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitats (K'S PATH),participated in the event. Thirty two volunteers collected approximately 272 kilograms of waste across 8000 square metres of shoreline in just two hours. Post clean-up, around 34 heavy-duty waste bags were collected. Zahed Sultan, en.v's Managing Director said, "Engaging youth is an integral part of this social programme, as we aim to empower young members of the community to take on a leading role in bettering
their surroundings and in educating their peers on how even small, concrete actions can have significant long-term impact." DMCP is now preparing to launch its Summer Awareness Campaign, which will focus on educating the public about proper waste-management and on demonstrating how each individual's actions can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable Kuwait. MOROCCO Social Entrepreneurship Over 150 young Moroccans gathered in the capital city of Rabat for a discussion featuring some of the Arab world's leading social entrepreneurs. The 'Social Entrepreneurship: A Key to Unlocking High Impact Social Change' was organised by Silatech, a Doha-based regional social initiative focussing on youth employment and entrepreneurship. The concept of social entrepreneurs is quite different from traditional entrepreneurs.
Traditional players measure success most commonly in terms of profit and return, while social entrepreneurs apply a dynamic, entrepreneurial approach to the solving of social problems. The discussion addressed issues such as how social enterprises can be successfully scaled up to achieve maximum benefit, how social entrepreneurship can work to the benefit of young Moroccans, and what is being done at the policy level to support social entrepreneurs. Silatech CEO Dr Tarik M Yousef said, "Dynamic new enterprises combining the virtues of traditional entrepreneurship with a social mission are beginning to take root throughout the Arab World. Does social entrepreneurship provide a viable alternative to the narrow profit making focus of the private sector and the strictly social benefit focus of non-profit organisations? While it is too early to tell, the potential is great."
Special Feature
Antarctic expedition Bader's two-week Antarctic expedition was arranged to raise global awareness about climate change and its effect on local communities. The expedition was organised by 2041, an NGO that aims to raise awareness about environmental sustainable development. Bader was one of the two-man team representing Oman in the Youth Ambassadors group. The 'Freezing Omanis,' as they became known later, set sail from Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina, passing through the rough waterway for two days to land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Throughout the adventure, participants worked on developing their individual environmental campaigns and were mentored through seminars and workshops
led by environmental and industry experts, including the Vice President of Shell International. Following their momentous feats in the Antarctic, the Freezing Omanis returned home to news of another outstanding achievement. "Our training for the expedition involved spending time in industrial freezers to acclimatise to the extreme cold. We wanted to put this time to good use and to find unique ways of sharing our message, so it was great to discover when we returned home that we had set world records for the coldest tweet and the most number of bloggers in a freezer," said Bader. University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) was one of the sponsors supporting Bader to purchase the specialist equipment that made
his participation in the expedition possible. With a major in Marketing from UOWD, Bader is now working as a media professional, and was asked to lead a workshop on communicating the environmental message. Currently, he is back in Oman working on the development of the environmental campaign that won him selection for the expedition. Bader's own campaign, to reduce the use of plastic bags in Oman, has gathered steam since his return from the Antarctic. He said: "Our next step is to talk directly to the distributor, to demonstrate the sustainability aspect of our campaign. If we can reduce plastic bag use by 10%, it could bring a positive impact, not only for the environment, but for the outlets themselves in terms of reducing expenditure on the purchase and transportation of the bags."
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Technology
Sustainable Shipping Triple-E is not only the world’s largest container shipping vessel but also the most energy efficient By Lorraine Bangera
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our hundred metres long, 59 metres wide and 73 metres high, the Triple-E will be the largest vessel on the water till date and may potentially change the shipping industry’s understanding of size and efficiency. A project of global shipping giant Maersk Line, the name Tripe-E stands for Economy of scale, Energy efficiency and Evironmentally-improved. The first Triple-E rolled out of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea on 28th June, bearing the
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name of the late owner of the company, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, who passed away last year at a ripe old age of 98. The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller along with the other 19 Triple-E vessels in the pipeline sets a high standard for the container shipping industry in terms of size, energy efficiency and environmental performance. The vessels will be gradually released over the next couple of years on existing routes between Asia and Northern Europe. Almost a quarter of Maersk Line’s total business is represented
Though thinking of a huge ship instinctively allows us to think it might be harmful for the environment, TripleE’s strength lies in its dimension. The Triple-E is the longest and widest container vessel possibly constructed.”
Technology
from transport of goods between Asia and North Europe by 50%. If we use the criteria of grams of CO2 emitted by transporting one tonnes of goods, the Triple-E sets the bar high with an average of three grams of CO2 compared to airplane (560g), truck (45g) or trains (18g). This is because bigger ships have the ability to load more containers which means less CO2 per container. Triple E is designed to sail comparatively slower than most cargo ships; therefore it is equipped with less horsepower, using less energy. The top speed of the Triple-E was capped at 23
knots, two knots lower than that of E-class ships. This means it has a reduced power requirement of approximately 60 MW, a reduction of roughly 25% compared to the E-class’s 80 MW. Setting a lower maximum speed allows Maersk to use engines that can operate at slower revolutions – the ‘ultra-long stroke’ engine – which provides greater fuel efficiency. However, retaining the efficiency created by the slower revolutions requires a propeller with a larger diameter. The solution arrived at by the designers was the ‘twin-skeg’ propulsion system, which uses two engines and two
by the ship, at the current value of several billion dollars. Enormously sustainable Commercial shipping is a large contributor of air pollution accounting for 3 to 4% of manmade CO2 emissions worldwide. Most container ships use more than 100 tonnes of fuel everyday, which releases over 300 tonnes of CO2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere. A Triple-E looks like a regular container ship and is powered by regular shipping fuels but will reduce the CO2 emitted
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Technology
propellers. The combined diameter of the twin propellers provides greater pushing power in the water while the fewer number of blades creates less resistance. Size equals efficiency Though thinking of a huge ship instinctively allows us to think it might be harmful for the environment, Triple-E’s strength lies in its dimension. The Triple-E is the longest and widest container vessel possibly constructed. The dimensions of the ship are four metres longer and three metres
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wider than Maersk Line’s E-class, which was previously considered largest vessel in the world. The hull is designed and optimised for lower speeds. Through innovative engineering, the Triple-E’s expanded inside cavity can hold 18,000 20-foot containers, which is 16% greater than E-class vessels. In fact, Triple-E takes economy of scale to a new level because additional capacity is not matched by additional engine power. The higher capacity of Triple-E allows Maersk Line to carry a greater number of containers across
countries in an energy-efficient way. If all Triple-E class vessel containers were placed one after the other, they would reach about 110 km. You could almost walk across the entire United Kingdom on top of these containers. Waste into energy The Waste-Heat Recovery System captures the energy in the hot exhaust gas to produce extra energy for propulsion. This allows the Triple-E class vessel to use a smaller and less energyconsuming main engine, cutting fuel use and therefore reducing the ship’s CO2 footprint by approximately nine percent. By adopting a waste heat recovery system, it captures the heat and pressure contained in the exhaust gas and uses it to move turbines, creating mechanical energy to operate an electrical generator. Without such a system, a quarter of the energy from a vessel’s fuel is lost when an engine’s hot exhaust gas escapes into the atmosphere. Weighing 75 tonnes and with a 35 square-metre footprint, the waste heat recovery system is a large and intricate mechanical equipment. The system is quite
Technology
expensive with each unit costing around US$10 million per unit, however it includes a long-term benefit and installation. Depending on the price of oil, Maersk estimates the return on investment of the recovery system to be in the range of five to 10 years. But if oil prices rise, the system will pay off closer to five years. However, fluctuating oil prices will not affect Maersk’s commitment to the environment, as the energy savings and reduced emissions the system provides is way more valuable. The company plans to continue installing this technology on its other vessels as well.
process, which in turn affects the quality of the recycled steel. In the Triple-E vessels, most of the ships’ components are filled in an online database which will include detailed information. This database can help locating the component for recycling. For example, there is over 60,000 tonnes of steel which is recyclable in each Triple-E. The high grade steel can be
used to build new ships; the low grade steel can be used to make containers while the copper can be recycled for wiring. Triple-E in the Middle East Kuwait-headquartered United Arab Shipping Co (UASC) is considering a deal to buy five of the world’s largest container ships for around $700million.
Cradle to cradle When it comes to the shipping industry, resources are extremely vital. The primary resources where the industry is concerned are steel which is used to build ships, and fuel which is used run the ships. Both resources are not inexhaustible. In order to keep things running, the industry must turn to alternatives like recycling and improving resource efficiency. Though steel is being recycled on a large scale today, many types of steel and metals are often mixed in the recycling
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Technology
Power Matrix
Jasmine Kyriakou delves into a new online game developed by Siemens Energy to educate people on the intricacies of sustainable energy systems for cities
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iemens Energy’s new browser-based game Power Matrix challenges the user to design a sustainable energy system for a city. Available online for free, Power Matrix aims to generate an understanding of the mechanisms and rules of the energy market and provide insights into the interaction between different power generation types and power grids. The game explains the correlations and processes of the individual variables involved in energy economics. In fact, it is not only geared towards experts and experienced online
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gamers, but is intended for members of the public because the objective is to inspire individuals and educate them on the importance of renewable energy and sustainability within a city. The player takes on the role of an energy manager in a rural area whose task is to contribute to the growth of a city by creating an intelligent energy mix and providing a stable power supply. Possible energy sources include both conventional technologies and renewables, such as wind and solar power. The better the energy
mix you can create by combining the different energy sources, the faster your city grows. The game also allows you to collect bonus points by investing in research and development, for example, ensuring that you keep an eye on the available budget to maintain a sustainable and efficient use of resources. The game enables a player to relate to real life situations, visualise outcome and achieve success. “Today’s power generation and distribution depend on a large number of immediately
Technology
interdependent variables. We wanted to create an easy-tounderstand game that portrays the energy market of the future and that can also get across a complex issue in a transparent and intelligible manner,� said Jan-Peter Schwartz, Corporate Vice President of Communications at Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy specifically created an online game that is based on an idealised and simplified view of reality; a scenario that was true to detail and as realistic as possible. This was purposely done by Siemens to allow players to
experience the immediate influence of changes in weather conditions on the performance of renewables, therefore presenting players with the actual certainties on the importance of our environment. In reality, the majority of the population has little to no clue about the complexity that goes into working for a clean energy future. However, Power Matrix portrays a modest yet thoroughly educating initiative which brings individuals working together in order to learn more about energy sources, infrastructure, the energy market, and technological or economical constraints on power grids. Users have no choice but to stay within their budget whilst powering their virtual city, adding energy assets and investing in energy resources at the same time. To attain success within the game the player must become aware of the positives and negatives that affect the power system and how to manage this sustainably to ensure their city will grow wealthier. The fact that the game appears easier than it is pushes members to accomplish their goals. Additionally, the attributes of Power Matrix is certain to influence the younger generation who are comfortable with gaming. Conveying the significance of sustainable energy system through a computer directly gets the attention of young minds The sheer amount of data used by Siemens to create this game is astonishing from the effortless flow
through different energy sources to their effects on the community. Developed in collaboration with experts from the fields of gaming, corporate strategy and engineering; it illustrates the complex energy system very well. Players can indulge in complex construction plans, trade excess energy, buy additional power generated by others, and even build an energy network to fund an energy research department that provides more efficient solutions and new technologies that are lower in emissions. Although Power Matrix is merely a game, the technologies on display inside the game are commercially available. This game is just one example of companies can use data and analytics to spread knowledge in an enjoyable yet socially conscious way. If people switch over to renewable energy, they would actually be supporting new jobs and a cleaner environment; yet when confronted with the higher upfront costs that renewable energy entails, the general public, even politicians, hesitate to adopt the idea. If people do not understand, or even want to look into which renewable energy technology or programme may be worth investing into when compared to other energy sources, the only way out is to educate them. Siemens’ Power Matrix is the forefront of that as the game teaches how various technologies can work together, providing reliable and profitable energy.
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Nurturing a green future The Eco-Schools programme aims to develop environmentally-responsible children to secure a sustainable future
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n May this year, three more Eco-Schools in the UAE received the internationally recognised Green Flag Award, bringing the total up to eight Green Flag schools that have successfully adapted themselves to the task of developing an environmentallyresponsible youth for generations to come. As Ida Tillisch, Director General of Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWSWWF) noted: “It is crucial for us that environmental education is introduced at a young age, and involve the students as much as possible in protecting our planet. The Eco-Schools programme encourages youngsters to adopt sustainable living choices in an educational and engaging manner. The invaluable support from sponsors, volunteers and teachers from the participating schools allows us to stimulate students’ interest in the environment, preparing them how to care for the UAE’s environment.” The Eco-Schools programme is a worldwide initiative by the Foundation of Environmental
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Education implemented in 51 countries. In the UAE, a total of 60 schools are taking part in the programme, which is coordinated by EWS-WWF and is supported by the Ministry of Education, with generous sponsorship from BASF and HSBC Bank Middle East. All Eco-Schools aspire to gain the prestigious and internationally recognised Green Flag, which is awarded to schools demonstrating their excellence in environmental achievements and who have met the required criteria. The Eco-Schools programme is designed to educate and empower students to adopt sustainable lifestyles within their school community and beyond, and positions them as eco-leaders of the next generation. Participants in the Eco Schools programme take on the challenge of curbing their carbon emissions by working across three key themes: energy, water and waste. They tackle these themes through the Eco-Schools programme’s sevenstep methodology, which they also need to successfully complete to achieve the Green Flag.
Step 1 – Establish an Eco-Schools Committee Step 2 – Undertake an Environmental review Step 3 – Create an Action plan Step 4 – Monitor and evaluate Step 5 – Link to the Curriculum Step 6 – Inform and involve the wider community Step 7 – Create an Eco-Code (creation of a school’s mission statement or motto on sustainability) “Each school is motivated to mobilise activities and incorporate the programme in the schools’ overall mission,” explained Ajita Nayar, Education Manager, EWS-WWF. “The schools are encouraged to work as part of well-structured eco-committees, with teachers, parents and members of the local community to lead the change towards becoming a greener school. Through action-oriented activities, the schools can work on including environmental elements into their school curriculum, and engage the whole school in taking practical steps to lower their electricity and water consumption, as well as waste generation.”
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The Eco-Schools team in EWS-WWF aids the schools and their students in ways of establishing environmental elements into the school curriculum, leading to increased awareness among students on sustainability issues. The schools are also provided with informative booklet that explains the programme carefully and highlights the initiative’s overall mission and vision in empowering the schools on their journey to sustainability. Workshops are also held for teachers responsible for implementing the programme within their schools. A comprehensive and dedicated website www.ecoschoolsuae.org/en/ too has been set up with a carbon calculator, basic tips on saving energy and water and reducing waste, micro-project templates and case studies. However, adapting a global programme like Eco-Schools to the UAE environment has its own set of challenges. “While it is important to be able to integrate environmental issues in schools in a fun and educational manner that have a positive impact on younger students, it would also be helpful to implement behavioural changes to the school environment,” said Nayar. The EcoSchools Micro-Project is presented to schools to enable them to take the first steps towards sustainability through implementing behavioural and technical changes within their schools. Some of the projects undertaken include harnessing AC water to water plants in the school grounds, adding solar panels, and re-positioning light bulbs in classrooms in order to use energy yet light up the rooms adequately. Some of the tips recommended for Eco–schools in the UAE include fitting water savers into taps, collect left over water in bottles to irrigate plants, or investing in light sensors for the corridors. The Eco - Schools Programme helps empower school children to take action by implementing small changes, which in turn can have a big and powerful effect. Consequently, it also stimulates their interest in the environment, preparing them on how to care for the UAE’s environment. Aside from learning to adopt sustainable lifestyles and progressively lower their school’s environmental impact, students also get the opportunity to acquire and develop their listening, leadership, communication and organisational skills. “With the help and support of teachers, parents, and the local
community, we are confident that Eco Schools UAE programme will inspire schools in their journey towards sustainability and nurture environmental – responsibility among their wards for generations to come,” said Nayar. KEY MILESTONES The Eco-Schools programme now operates in 51 countries around the world and has been initiated in the UAE since 2010. There are 8 schools in the UAE that hold the Green Flag – • Greenwood International School in Dubai • Al Hala Basic Cycle School for Boys in Fujairah • Raffles International School, West Campus, in Dubai • Adhen Basic Cycle School for Girls in Ras Al Khaimah • Dubai International Academy
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Othman Bin Abi Al A’as Boys School, in Ras Al Khaimah Al Shoula Private school for girls in Sharjah Jebel Ali Primary School in Dubai
These schools now proudly display the Green Flags in their schools, demonstrating their successful implementation of the Eco-Schools programme. • 15 schools received seed funding to implement micro-projects in the academic year 2011-2012 to improve their environmental performance by introducing changes related to the three themes of the programme: energy, water and waste. • Based on a set of pre-designed criteria, the report and poster entries were judged by a jury panel to identify the best three micro projects. The Jury panel had representation from the Ministry of education, Environment Agency -Abu Dhabi and EWS-WWF. • The schools awarded were: • 1st prize – Othman Bin Abi Al A’As Boys School, RAK and Dubai International Academy 2nd prize- Al Najah School for Girls, RAK 3rd prize – Adhen Basic Cycle School for Girls, RAK and Ibn Al Haitham Basic Cycle School for Boys, Ajman
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FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT:
LIAM WILLIAMS GINA O’HARA JASMINE KYRIAKOU Founder Commercial Director Marketing Manager S liam.williams@cpimediagroup.com gina.ohara@cpimediagroup.com jasmine.kyriakou@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 375 1511 +971 (0) 4 375 1513 +971 (0) 375 1506
Nominations will be open from 15th of July 2013 To submit your nominations online, please visit:
www.buildgreen.ae/awards
CELEBRATING KEY ACHIEVEMENTS in THE SUSTAINABILITY INDUSTRY Our BGreen Awards, to be held in November 2013, will be a region wide celebration of green living and sustainability, awarding a large number of categories at a scintillating ceremony in Dubai, UAE. The ceremony not only marks the achievements of those leading innovation and development, it also provides an essential networking platform for those who attend. The nomination process is to commence in July 2013 and will be shortlisted by an expert panel jury and will be finalised by our proficient board of judges. The judging panel is a comprised expertise from both the construction and sustainability arenas, with different judges responsible for different categories. THE BGREEN AWARDS 2013 WILL BE PRESENTED TO OUTSTANDING NOMINATIONS IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: • Sustainable Large Corporate
• Contractor of the Year
• Energy Efficiency Project of the Year
• Sustainable Government Department
• Sustainable SME
• Green Building Project of the Year
• Sustainable Supplier of the Year
• Special Recognition award for international partnerships
• Sustainable NGO
in the UAE
HARRY NORMAN JUNAID RAFIQUE Sustainability Director Business Development Manager harry.norman@cpimediagroup.com junaid.rafique@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 375 1502 +971 (0) 4 375 1504
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LEISURE
Ecotourism Pioneer in East Africa
Ecotourism Kenya promotes sustainable practices within the tourism industry in Kenya, East Africa’s premier tourist destination. Jasmine Kyriakou describes the different initiatives undertaken by Ecotourism Kenya in this regard
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LEISURE
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ounded in 1996, Ecotourism Kenya is recognised worldwide for its credible initiatives towards environmentalism and sustainability, and thus promoting sustainable tourism. From measured approach towards utilising tourism resources to working with local communities and managing waste and emissions, Ecotourism Kenya stands out for its efforts that clearly benefit the environment and contribute to the welfare of the local population. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” Among many activities, Ecotourism Kenya manages a certification scheme for tourism accommodation facilities based on environmental and social criteria. Currently, eight establishments have been awarded with Gold Eco-rated Certification, 50 with Silver Eco-rated Certification and 28 with Bronze
Eco-rated Certification. Through programme areas like Community Outreach, Awareness Creation and Information Sharing, Research and Consultancy, Standards and Best Practices, and Leadership and Mentorship, Ecotourism Kenya provides numerous opportunities for members for education and training in ecotourism. For example, the programme on Standards and Best Practices is promoted through the eco-certification program (Ecorating Certification), Eco Warrior Awards, Members’ Charter, Codes of Conduct, publications and trainings. The Leadership and Mentorship Programme provide members with opportunity to gain experience, nurture their skills and become enlightened with the fundamentals and practices of ecotourism. Kenya’s goal is to be number one in the region when it comes to sustainability and protecting the environment. In addition, Kenya conveys the importance of ecotourism and sustainability by bringing individuals together, Community Based Organisations and Corporate Organisations in a forum, which allows them to discuss the concept of ecotourism. Recently, Kenya’s tourism association apex body, the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) lost its status as a UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) affiliate body, reportedly due to a backlog of dues accrued over the past two years. KTF exercises a huge influence over ecotourism in Kenya as they are the tourism industry’s primary focal point for government. The impact of this move on Kenya’s ecotourism is still being assessed. The general opinion is that as East
Africa’s leading destination for tourists, Kenya cannot miss out on the opportunities and benefits that UNWTO membership entails. This would require the industry to rally together and find the funds to bail out KTF and pay the arrears. The annual Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), a unique conference focussed on the advancement of sustainability goals for the tourism industry, will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 24 to 27 September 2013. Kenya will majorly benefit from this event taking place in the region, particularly after the suspension of the KTF membership, as this immediately associates Kenya as one of the prime ecotourism locations. The conference is not only a leading platform for networking with key industry stakeholders but the ESTC is a worldwide programme which will feature ideas, opportunities and solutions for the tourism industry to support conserving natural areas, alleviating poverty, empowering women, enhancing education, and improving the health and well-being of local communities. To enhance Kenya’s responsibility towards ecotourism, Kenya Wildlife Services is conducting a study to establish important biological resources in the Tsavo Conservation Area in Taita-Taveta County. Phase 1 of the study will cover nine ranches in Kasigau corridor, Tsavo East and West national parks and Mkomazi elephant corridor in Tanzania. The study will determine an inventory of natural resources within wildlife corridors with emphasis on elephants. The study is expected to be a significant milestone in the development of ecotourism in Kenya. It will pave the way for establishing a tourism marketing platform for local ranches with a view to convert them into community wild-life conservancies. Ecotourism Kenya is a leading organisation with a strong incentive to continue to grow further within sustainable tourism. With regard to ecotourism in general, Kenya is a great example of how to achieve success in the ecotourism industry exemplified by their devotion and striving for a cleaner environment as well as prosperity for the local community.
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BUSINESS
Sustainability superlative Dubai now holds the sobriquet of hosting the number one sustainable building in the world. Last month, The Change Initiative, UAE’s first eco-friendly marketplace was awarded the LEED Platinum certification. The sustainability venture obtained 107 points, breaking the previous record of 104 points, out of a maximum of 110 on the LEED sustainability guidelines. Lorraine Bangera speaks to the CEO of The Change Initiative, Gundeep Singh about the company’s journey to the top
Any investment into the future is a good investment, whereas any investment made in the present is a bad investment. Humanity has to invest in the future. Sustainability is the need of the hour and is profitable, but it takes time.”
BGreen: How does sustainability play a major role in your organisation? Following the LEED process, we maintain a higher standard than required. Most of our employees choose to live sustainably. Our chief operating officer and I drive hybrids, which helps to highlight the concept. To promote the use of public transport, we incentivise employees travelling by Dubai Metro. We also have unique activities like, for example, an in-house campaign for our first anniversary called Random Acts of Sustainability, where we make sure that every staff member
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does something special and ecofriendly. We also have a knowledge manager who trains employees on LEED, current practices and choices, communications and every aspect of what we believe is sustainable communication. Everyone who comes up here is an employee with a heart; in fact, we might hire someone with less capability and more heart than the other way around.
BGreen: What did it take to earn those 107 LEED points? We really worked hard; I cannot begin to describe the amount of effort that has gone into this achievement from my entire team and the people around me. It is because of the whole team that we managed to become the number one sustainable building in the world. BGreen: How popular is The Change Initiative and how have people responded to the concept of a sustainability marketplace? Our popularity is growing but it is a slow and steady process. On average, we get around 100 to 150
BUSINESS
customers a day but we are targeting to increase that to 300 to 400 customers a day. Our customers have also responded very positively to our restaurant, The Taste Initiative. Many purchase significant portion of their daily needs from The Change Initiative, which means not only are they endorsing sustainability, they are also willing to live green. BGreen: Why did you go in for a standalone building? To have a standalone building and prove the concept, you have to create something unique to differentiate the brand. You need to create a unique atmosphere, which we have done. If we were located in a mall or a similar environment, we would have to follow rules or be bound by ideologies and principles that we wouldn’t have been able to work around. I think one of the main factors behind our success is that we are a standalone building. BGreen: What makes sustainability successful in this part of the world? Energy consumption in Dubai is the highest. Water has peaked out and so has waste. It is not going to be possible to keep up that momentum going forward unless we come up with some very creative solutions to ameliorate the situation. I think sustainability can be successful only if we have a commercial angle to it. Unfortunately, it takes catastrophic extremes to drive people towards sustainable habits. BGreen: Is sustainability profitable? We invested over US$20 million in ‘The Change Initiative’ which will come back to us over time. Any investment into the future is a good investment, whereas any investment made in the present is a bad investment. Humanity has to invest in the future. Sustainability is
the need of the hour and is profitable, but it takes time. I call it resource efficiency - I don’t think it can ever go out of business.
investing into the future and ensure we reduce our ecological footprint, so that future generations can enjoy the same privileges that we have.
BGreen: What would be your advice to business owners who want to adopt a sustainable business model? First of all, they must change their old business models. I would recommend something similar to our ‘sommercial’ model, which is a social organisation with a commercial objective. Companies are not designed to be away from the environment but to serve the environment and the people.
BGreen: Is it easier to introduce and make a success of environmental initiatives in the SME sector? I think SMEs, irrespective of the type of ownership, have the ability to adapt practices and make changes a lot faster than larger organisations. Proof of concept is quickly established, and if it works in a small organisation, the same can be quickly transferred to a larger business. It is organisations like The Change Initiative who provide proof of concept and make things work. No one believed that a small SME could become the most sustainable building in the world, but we did it. Now that we are proof of concept, others will follow.
BGreen: What do you think about EmiratesGBC’s green building initiatives? I think they are making very good efforts. The standards they propose relate to LEED. I think in the coming years we will have very good green building standards in the UAE.
Gundeep Singh CEO of The Change Initiative
Bgreen: Where do you think this region is headed with regard to the sustainability? There is no way but forward. Humanity is going through a catastrophic change because there are too many people and limited resources. A small portion of the population has disproportionate share of resources. I think we should embrace responsible habits, start
BGreen: The reasons behind the setting up of The Change Initiative hold true even today... We created The Change Initiative to prove that first, investing in the future is impossible, second, sustainability is commercially viable and last, it is possible to make significant progress even in a place where sustainability was always on the back burner.
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Oil & Gas
Pooling resources The Centralised Utilities Model offers a sustainable framework for the Gulf Co-operation Council’s (GCC) energy-intensive industrialisation agenda By Anoop K. Menon
July 2013
Oil & Gas
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he energy intensive industrialisation agenda adopted by the majority of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members as part of a broader economic diversification strategy requires them to manage its impact on critical resources - water, energy and environment. The concept of centralised utilities, where bundled water and energy services are offered for energy intensive industrial clusters, can achieve sustainable operations through the use of optimised resources and cutting-edge technologies. In May, Sembcorp, the Singapore headquartered global energy, water and marine conglomerate, announced that its newly-incorporated whollyowned subsidiary, Sembcorp Utilities (Oman), has signed a joint venture agreement with Takamul Investment Company (Takamul), a subsidiary of Oman Oil Company, to develop Centralised Utilities for the Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Under the agreement, Takamul and Sembcorp’s 65-35 joint venture entity, Centralised Utilities Company (CUC), will serve as a one-stop provider of a range of centralised utilities such as power, steam, water, sewerage treatment and on-site logistics on a captive basis to multiple industrial customers in the Duqm SEZ in southern Oman. CUC’s customers will include anchor customer Oman Oil Company, which is developing a 230,000 barrels per day refinery
targeted to begin operations in 2018 as well as a petrochemical complex on the site. CUC will have an initial share capital of OMR1 million (approximately US$3.2 million), of which Sembcorp’s 35% stake will be funded through internal resources. Strategically located along the Gulf of Oman with a long coastline running along the Arabian Sea, Duqm has been targeted for development as a major maritime gateway for trade in crude oil from the Gulf, and as an important industrial and commercial hub. With a land area of 1,777 square kilometres and an 80-kilometre coastline, the Duqm SEZ will rank as the largest SEZ in the Middle East and North Africa region and one of the largest in the world. Encompassing a sea port, city centre, industrial zone, tourism zone, logistics centre and an education and training zone, all supported by a multimodal transport system connecting the SEZ to nearby regions, the development of the SEZ is expected to take place in three phases from now until 2025. The concept of a centralised utilities model will be a first, not only in Oman but in the Middle East as well. Under this unique model, multiple customers are offered an integrated supply of energy, water and on-site logistics produced by centralised facilities. By outsourcing critical utilities to Sembcorp, companies can focus on their core business and save on investment and operating costs. They can also be assured of reliable solutions which meet stringent environmental standards. From its beginnings in Singapore, this model has been successfully replicated in key industrial sites
The concept of a centralised utilities model will be a first, not only in Oman but in the Middle East as well.”
internationally. Including Duqm, Sembcorp’s centralised utilities model has now been implemented in 10 sites across Singapore, the UK, China and the Middle East. The company also lends its expertise to develop local resources in markets where it operates through skills and knowledge transfer programmes. Typical services offered under the Centralised Utility Model include. Energy: • Power generation and retail • Process steam production and distribution • Natural gas supply and retail Water: • Industrial wastewater treatment • Reclaimed water • Desalinated water • Potable water • Water for industrial use, including demineralised water, industrial water, raw water, chilled water, cooling water, seawater cooling, fire water On-site Logistics & Services: • Service corridor • Chemical storage and terminalling • Asset protection • Industrial gases His Excellency Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi said, “This is a significant step in a very positive direction. The CUC will contribute to His Majesty’s vision of developing Duqm as a major national and international hub supporting the economic development of Oman. We are happy that Takamul and Sembcorp have joined forces and together we are confident of a very successful outcome.” Tang Kin Fei, Sembcorp’s Group President & CEO said, “We are very honoured to be selected by Takamul as their centralised utilities partner for this important new SEZ at Duqm. As
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the pioneer in one-stop outsourced energy, water and on-site logistics for multiple companies in energyintensive industrial hubs, Sembcorp is in a good position to support the growth of the Duqm SEZ. We look forward to working closely with Takamul in making CUC a success. We also look forward to growing Sembcorp’s business in Oman as well as the Middle East, a target region for future growth for our group.” Nabil Al-Ghassani, CEO of Takamul added: “Sembcorp was selected through a very extensive evaluation process of a number of utilities providers, because of their considerable expertise and operating experience in this field.” Tan Cheng Guan, Executive Vice President Head Group Business Development and Commercial Water, Energy, Middle East &Africa, Sembcorp Industries elaborated: “In Jurong Island, Sembcorp provides energy, water and on-site logistics and services to over 40 multinationals. Investors find it very easy and convenient because a utility plant can take up 30-50% of the cost depending on the size of the plant. Apart from capital expenditure savings, companies don’t have to worry about complying with environmental standards. In fact, investors are often unable to complete their projects on time because of unfamiliarity with environmental rules. The availability of centralised wastewater treatment means they don’t have to worry about the discharge norms. Sembcorp will manage the wastewater for them and we will be responsible for meeting the effluent discharge norms.
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Moreover, the value of the real estate improves once the centralised utility becomes more elaborate over time. Today, Jurong is producing 25% of Singapore’s manufacturing output.” The bundling of utilities for energy intensive clusters helps pool resources to remove duplication of services and optimises systems and resources to achieve high system efficiencies, minimise energy wastage, and provide cost-competitive utility services to customers. Customers also benefit from lower emissions that translate to a smaller carbon footprint. In fact, centralised utilities can use cutting-edge technologies and optimised resources to achieve high efficiencies and environmental sustainability. In April last year, Sembcorp opened a woodchip-fuelled biomass steam production plant on Jurong Island to provide a sustainable and competitive solution to its customers. By recovering waste wood meant for incineration and processing it into a resource – woodchip – to fuel the plant, Sembcorp creates value from waste and improves the
competitiveness of industry on Jurong Island, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company is in the midst of expanding capacity by another 40 tonnes per hour of steam with the construction of a second boiler; together, both boilers will produce 60 tonnes per hour of steam and reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 70,000 tonnes a year. Sembcorp’s presence in Duqm will mark its second project in Oman after the Salalah Independent Water and Power Plant. The plant, located in the Dhofar governorate, plays a major role in meeting the region’s growing power and water needs. Sembcorp also owns, operates and maintains the Fujairah 1 Independent Water and Power Plant – one of the world’s largest operating hybrid desalination plants – in the UAE since 2006.
TEXT BY Jasmine Kyriakou
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Personality
Combating climate change Working for over 50 year, climate scientist Dr James E. Hansen has rose to be the leading champion for climate change activists
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r James Hansen, born and raised in Denison, Iowa, is currently the Director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, and Adjunct Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. His career is an endless paramount of achievements, from receiving his Ph.D in Physics, to his testimony on Climate Change that helped raise awareness of Global Warming. His contribution to understanding the Earth’s climate, a published novel and several awards received for his support of the environment, evidently makes him absorb the odyssey of success. Dr Hansen is primarily acknowledged for his research in the field of climatology and his advocacy of action to avoid dangerous climate change. In 1988, Hansen demonstrated his sustenance on climate change through his statement to the congressional committees that largely assisted in the advancement of Global Warming. In recent years Hansen additionally became an activist for action to mitigate the effects of climate change, which on few occasions has led to his arrest. Dr Hansen’s roots lie in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics. He trained in Physics and Astronomy and has obtained numerous qualifications, from his B.A. in Physics and Mathematics, to his M.S in Astronomy, and finally his Ph.D in Physics. In addition, Hansen participated in the NASA Graduate Traineeship from 1962 to 1966, whilst he was also a visiting student at the Institute of Astrophysics. Hansen
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began his career in 1967 at GISS, excluding 1969, when he was an NSF Post-Doctoral Scientist at Leiden Observatory under Professor H.C. Van De Hulst. After Graduate School, Dr Hansen continued his work with radiative transfer models, attempting to understand the Venusian atmosphere. Later he applied and refined these models to understand the earth’s atmosphere, in particular, the effects that aerosols and trace gases have on the Earth’s climate. Since the mid-1970s, Hansen has focussed on studies and computer simulations of the Earth’s climate to understand the human impact on global climate. Hansen disputes the contention of fossil fuel interests and governments that support them, he endures to state the fact that all fossil fuels must be burned with their combustion products
discharged into the atmosphere. Dr Hansen has outlined steps that are needed to stabilise climate, with a cleaner atmosphere and ocean, and he emphasises the need for the public to influence government and industry policies. Furthermore, Hansen has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, received the Heinz Award for environment, and the American Geophysical Union’s Roger Revelle Medal. In 2006 he received the World Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Medal from the Duke of Edinburgh and was designated by Time Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. To merely add to his accomplishments Dr Hansen also honours prizes and awards in the following fields; the Quest for Energy, Use of Physics for the Benefit of Society, and Scientific Freedom and Responsibility.
Personality
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TEXT BY LORRAINE BANGERA
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sustainable past
An ethos of recycling From the year 1603 to 1867, Japan lived in isolation. The Edo Period is now regarded as the most peaceful time in the country’s existence. It was also a remarkable period during which Japan’s economy and culture developed without external stimulus
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n 1720, the nation’s first census was conducted indicating a population of approximately 30 million people. This number stayed more or less constant throughout the rest of the 250 years of the Edo Period. Edo, at the time was considered the
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largest city in the world with an estimated 1.25 million people while other major cities like London and Paris had around 860,000 and 670,000 respectively. Modern Japan is dependent on imports for energy, food, and timber needs. But during the Edo Period,
Japan was self-sufficient in all resources. Many in Japan believe that Japanese society was most sustainable during the Edo period. A key reason why Edo Japan enjoyed self-sufficiency and productivity was efficient recycling of limited goods and materials. Every resource was treated valuably, even materials as ordinary as ash. End-of-life goods were also not discarded as waste, but rather reused and recycled. The concept of reuse and recycle was practiced by most of the citizens, especially specialised traders and craftsmen. In fact, buyers collected ash and sold it to farmers as fertilisers. Till it was sold, the ash was kept in ash boxes or ash huts depending on the amount collected. Waste management was maintained with even night soil being recycled. This was noted to be the “ultimate recycling” by German chemist Justus von Liebig, known as the father of the fertiliser industry. He praised the use of night soil as fertilizer noting that it is was an agricultural practice which keeps cropland fertile forever. Japan’s Edo era could serve as prototypical sustainable society which carried on for a large period of time. It based its economic and cultural development on the full utilisation of limited resources, unlike economies today that base their development on overproduction and overconsumption.
UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF
HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum Produced By
Official Partners
23-25 September 2013 | The Address Dubai Marina | UAE OPTIMISING ENERGY SUPPLY & MANAGING WATER & POWER DEMAND ACROSS ARABIA Distinguished Speakers Include
H.E. Ahmed Al Muhairbi Secretary General Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE)
H.E. Omar Al-Wahaibi CEO, Electricity Holding Company & Board Member PAEW
Knowledge Partner
H.E. Dr Saleh Alawaji Chairman of the Board of Directors Saudi Electricity Company & Deputy Minister for Electricity Saudi Ministry of Electricity & Water
Suhaila Marafi Director of Studies & Research Kuwait Ministry of Electricity & Water
H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO DEWA
Taher Diab Director- Strategy & Planning Dubai Supreme Energy Council (DSCE)
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For More Information Contact Kyle on +44 20 7978 0336 or kwetselaar@thecwcgroup.com
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