SOWING THE SEEDS

The Hero Dubai Desert Classic is now a world leader when it comes to encouraging ecological change for the good, and the fans at Emirates Golf Course got their hands dirty with the help of Eedama, so they can also play their part.

Eedama is an independent social enterprise founded in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi in 2015 that promotes sustainable development by supporting citizens, schools and organisations in embracing sustainability within their practices — and they were on hand to sow the seeds of sustainability through a series of workshops in Tournament Town at Emirates Golf Club.

“Eedama comes from the Arabic verb ‘to make it last’ which is what sustainability is all about: Being proactive,” said Huda Masalmeh, Manager and Sustainability Consultant at Eedama. “We were set up as a driving force behind the needed change in people’s behaviour towards the environment. Our journey of change initially focused on the individual and the community through the development of innovative educational content, consisting mostly of training and coaching sessions, and science-based, hands-on workshops.

We also allow people to have an immersive and concrete experience of the desired change.

“Our environmental workshops spread awareness on different sustainability themes such as low waste, agriculture, water efficiency and more, letting people see that they should not underestimate their impact as individuals towards the planet.

“Events like the Hero Dubai Desert Classic are very important as they can promote and enforce behavioural change in participants and to be part of the change and promote practices to solve the social and environmental crises that we’re facing.”

In Tournament Town, the fans were taking note.

“Looking back at the past week, you would not have expected such a great day. We are here at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic to showcase the possibilities for golf courses to be more eco-friendly in design and operation,” said Wadi Kanaan, Eedama sustainability instructor and facilitator.

“We are looking to get the message across to the fans also to make changes in human behaviour, not just in ways of living but also in sustainable behaviours,” added his colleague Ekaterina Mukhina. “We are showcasing how you can do your own DIY cosmetics at home that are easy — Dubai people love the simplest ways to do things. We are also coaching ways to do urban farming, which is again, easy, cheap and so helpful to the environment — we are encouraging the eco-way.”

Wadi conveyed the one message fans should take away from this weekend at the golf: “Being ecofriendly is something you can embed into your life without disrupting your life. It starts with small steps, enjoy your normal life with little changes and feel good about being part of this global movement that will preserve this planet for future generations.”

With seedballs at the ready, fans went away with more than just fond memories of their time at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.