SEKEM Insight

SEKEM‘s Journal for Economy, Culture, and Society in Egypt

SEKEM Insight Nr. 84 - August/September 2009

Dear Readers, this summer SEKEM has awarded the „Heliopolis Innova Award“ for innovation in sustainability and science for the second time. In doing so the initiative aims to underline its commitment to fostering the research into sustainable lifestyles and scientific approaches of others.

This commitment had already begun to show itself with the renaming of the „SEKEM Academy for Applied Sciences“ into the „Heliopolis Academy for Sustainability“ in 2007.

Even though the core interests of the first academy had already been practical in nature the new Heliopolis Academy is today supporting the development of sustainable and practical solutions to pressing common problems like climate change or agriculture even more directly and vigorously.

This edition of SEKEM Insight reports on a new scientific cooperation SEKEM has entered into, its efforts to award others’ remarkable achievements through prizes and other recognitions, and its support to research on how to fight climate change through agricultural development and alternative economics. It also presents a short introduction to the 6th Egyptian Competitiveness Report by Helmy Abouleish.

Your Editorial Team

Science

Social

Environmental

SEKEM and PH Weingarten Cooperate

Solar Workshop at the SEKEM VTC

SEKEM Presents Own Award

SEKEM and PH Weingarten Sign Cooperation Agreement

Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish and Managing Director Dr. Margret Ruep have signed a cooperation agreement between SEKEM and the College of Education Weingarten

On 25 May Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was a guest at the College of Education at Weingarten, Germany.

Dr. Abouleish used the occasion of his visit to Germany to present his Egyptian initiative to a public of students and staff of the institution in a public speech.

He described how he and his coworkers managed to transform a chunk of Egyptian desert into a green, flourishing, lush landscape that today allows flourishing agriculture. More than 30 years ago Dr. Abouleish had founded the SEKEM initiative. On the foundation of a

bio-dynamic concept of agriculture, the production of natural medical preparations, and the production of organic textiles multiple highly successful firms have gathered under the roof of the SEKEM group of enterprises over the course of the following years. They have about 2.000 employees and most of them come from villages around the SEKEM farm that have developed significantly over the recent years.

The recipe for success of SEKEM does not only lie in the sustainable economics alone but also in the social responsibility for its employees and

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the inhabitants of the region, as Dr. Abouleish underlined in his speech.

SEKEM acknowledges this responsibility by building kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and research centres. A key role is assigned to education: „SEKEM does not only wish to be a prospering enterprise but also a site where education flourishes“, says Abouleish. “Life is made up of diversity, and education ... is eve-

Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish speaks at the PH Weingarten

rything. Education is diversity“, he adds.

Education, for instance, can also be the answer to man-made catastrophes such as climate change, poverty, and the extinction of flora and fauna. Abouleish, who has studied technical chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine in Austria, holds the German concept of “Bildung” in particularly high regard. „To solve the problems in the world I would export education – next to Mercedes and VW.“ SEKEM is an example how economic success and be combined with social responsibility and sstainability, director Dr. Margret Ruep responded. „It is important to give young people the opportunity to experience it for themselves.“ To achieve exactly this and to export education to Egypt Dr. Abouleish und Mrs. Ruep signed a mutual cooperation agreement following the speech.

Christina Boecker with Anne Geertz, PH Weingarten

New Solar Workshop Opens at Vocational Training Centre

2nd „Heliopolis Innova Prize“ Goes to Egyptian Scientists

In July a consortium of large European enterprises announced a new 400-billion-Euro project.

In the coming decades largescale solar power plants are to be installed in the Sahara to generate huge amounts of electricity from the desert sun. The energy is to be transmitted to Europe via a power grid also still to be erected. At the sites of the plants mirrors shall concentrate the power of the sun onto a carrier medium the heat of which is to drive turbines that in turn generate the electricity.

Already for the second time the „Heliopolis INNOVA Prize“ has been awarded to two exceptional Egyptian scientists on 20 June 2009.

At the same time SEKEM is also making investments in solar energy. At the SEKEM Vocational Training Centre a ten-week workshop is currently being carried out with the aim to construct a “Sheffler Mirror” of 16m2 in size. This purpose of this mirror, too, is to concentrate the sun’s light that, at its focal point, can reach temperatures of almost 600°C. The mirror will support the generation of steam for those SEKEM firms that require it and thereby reduce their reliance on fossil fuels to generate it.

However, this is not the only goal of SEKEM’s efforts. Their core aim is to develop a key technology’s potential for the local generation of substantial added value. The training will allow the construction of many more such mirrors that only require locally available resources thus cheaply improving the productivity of the local population.

The project is supported through ECOPROFIT’s carbon offsetting programme. The organisers wish to extend their gratitude to all clients of the programme for their support.

Martin Haagen

Book your trip to SEKEM at: www.SEKEM-reisen.de www.demeter-reisen.de

The “INNOVA Prize” is a project financed by the Egyptian Research Development & Innovation Programme, a local funding programme for initiatives in innovation, that is connected to the EU’s foreign affairs support programmes through the Egyptian Ministry for Higher Education.

The prize is being awarded every two months to individual scientists or research teams the work of which brings about an innovation in a field of the natural sciences or technical engineering. The chief criterion for selection is the employability of the innovation for the benefit of local industries and their contribution to sustainable development.

The prize winners of the second round: Dr. Mona Ahmed Hussein of the National Research Centre for her project „Preparation of Entomopathogene Nematodes as Bio-Pesticides“ aimed at biologically fighting nematodes in the soil, and Dr. Tamer Helmy Aly Gamal of the faculty of agriculture at the University of Alexandria for his research on „Innovative Industrial use of Amaranth“, a rare cereal.

Five additional applicants received certificates of honour and a service package of the Heliopolis Academy for Professional Education as well as the opportunity to build valuable personal contacts to industries.

The “INNOVA Prize” was awarded within the framework of a scientific conference that had been organised

by Dr. Kadria Ali Abdelmotaal, Vice President of the Heliopolis Academy and also Project Manager of the INNOVA Prize project.

Christina Boecker

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SEKEM Introduces Training Programme to Anchor Principles of Equality At the beginning of 2009 SEKEM had begun to evaluate its existing corporate policies through an approach based on the guidelines of the project „Common Business – Equal Chances“. It was aimed at improving awareness of the right to equal treatment among employees, and advance professional equality of women in the workplace. External consultants employed by the ministries for investment and workforce served as project managers and advised SEKEM’s own committee on equality on the implementation of the approach and its follow-up activities. They provided numerous hands-on training measures for the co-workers of SEKEM. In march interviews were held with 110 co-workers from all economic and educational areas at SEKEM to evaluate their personal experiences with issues of equality at the initiative. The groups of interviewees were composed of 68% men and 32% women. The answers of both groups did not significantly deviate from each other. Compared to other Egyptian firms SEKEM’s internal policies were found to provide a

Female participants at an equality seminar

solid foundation for an equal treatment of women in the workplace, the prohibition of discrimination in recruitment, and the accessibility

Recognition of „Co-Worker of the Month“ at ISIS

of learning opportunities. This was demonstrated by a relatively high level of professional satisfaction expressed by all co-workers.

However, the evaluation also concluded that there is still room for improvement in some areas such as the formalisation of internal policies, the pro-active promotion of gender equality, and the implementation of a reliable system for handling criticism and petitions.

During the following months training courses were carried out for members of the management and co-workers from various areas of production. It was their aim to raise awareness among co-workers that they have a right to equal treatment and that it is SEKEM’s foremost interest to actively work towards guaranteeing such treatment and make equality a formalised part of its internal policies.

It was also its purpose to inform all employees of SEKEM firms that and how they could take advantage of a safe and anonymous system to submit petitions and voice criticism without fearing personal repercussions. The project set out to create the necessary structures to continuously monitor the progress of equality-related activities in the long term. This is done through permanent evaluations during the entire lifecycle of the project.

In July SEKEM received the official certificate of the responsible ministry formally recognising its efforts and achievements. SEKEM can now actively promote its equalityrelated measures such as its internal policies and its framework for ongoing further education for male and female employees within its marketing materials for customers, clients, and international partners.

Christina Boecker

Recognition of the „Co-worker of the Month“ at ISIS

For the first time ever at the firm ISIS the recognition of the “Co-Worker of the Month” was awarded to four individuals last June. The new custom of allowing co-workers to reward colleagues through election had been introduced on the encouragement of the community representative of the firm, Mrs. Eida. Two women and two men from different departments each month can be elected by their colleagues on grounds of merit for their performance in the workplace i.e. professional achievements, punctuality, or the contribution of new ideas.

This month the colleagues Salwa from the honey production department and Sabrah from the vegetable processing plant as well as their male counterparts Mohamed and Darwish were awarded the special status. The latter, for instance, had contributed an idea on how to improve a juice pump thereby simplifying the production process for fruit juices at ISIS. Through the prize that consists of a financial gratification and a present exceptional performance by employees is rewarded to build awareness of the importance of their contribution to the quality of the final products. This, in turn, builds motivation and supports a healthy community in the workplace.

Sandra Pöttrich

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Celebrating the Winners of the SEKEM Environmental Award

ISIS Introduces New, Winning Products Already in April 2009 the ISIS team has introduced a new organic product to the local Egyptian market: an organic olive oil available in bottles of 250, 500 and 750ml and two different quality grades: virgin and extra virgin. The oil is easily distinguished by its remarkable quality and a very low acidity. It has already been exceptionally well received by the Egyptian customers during the first months of sale. The „extra virgin“ quality grade is selling at even better rates than the regular quality despite its higher price. Sales figures are presently on the rise at around 25% every month.

The awardees receive their recognition at a public ceremony at the SEKEM School

On 30 June a group of almost 300 pupils and teachers from 8 public primary schools from the Sharkeya governorate celebrated the winners of SEKEM’s recent environmental school project competition at a ceremony at the SEKEM School.

“In May 2008 I had been invited by the Wadi Environmental Science Centre to be trained in environmental education and sustainable development with four of my colleagues.” says one of the teachers at the SESC (SEKEM Environmental Science Centre) who had already been a student at the SEKEM School before attending university. The teachers brought home a wealth of enthusiasm and the homework to spread their newly acquired knowledge to other teachers in the area.

From December 2008 to June 2009 90 teachers from public primary schools from each of Egypt’s governorates were trained in how to communicate the concept of sustainable development and environmental awareness to their pupils through practical, hands-on projects and outdoor activites. The train-

ing courses were approved by the school authorities and hand been financed by the Mansour Group, a large Egyptian enterprise.

All schools had been encouraged to start projects in their classes that would instruct students how to protect the environment and work with their local communities on sustainable development. The projects were to prepare the pupils for a final competition for the best and most sustainable project. The three winners eventually presented their projects at a ceremony at the SEKEM School.

All efforts were further acknowledged through a certificate. The projects itself were exceptionally diverse: at Mosaad Arafa Primary School pupils had collected old books, sold the paper and used the income to buy trees which they planted in the school yard. Meet Hamal Primary school students collected old clothes, fixed and cleaned them, and sent them to an NGO that cares for the poor. Many projects had focused on recycling and the avoidance of unnecessary waste.

Mohammed Berry

The marketing team of product manager Maged Ibrahim is proud of its success. It had carried out extensive consumer trials before the introduction of the product. His team has already begun developing new products: organic raisins, hazel nuts, and pistachios. A targeted measure to increase sales is also going to be carried out in Egyptian supermarkets and with local retailers this September: on the purchase of two packs of organic milk the customer receives a package of organic dates for free. The campaign is designed to appeal to Egyptians fasting during Ramadan, a custom that is typically concluded with a dish consisting of milk and dates every day. Egyptian customers can be sure that by buying their ingredients from ISIS they receive the highest quality products and stay in excellent health throughout the fasting period that this year has fallen into the hot, late summer months.

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Egyptian Competitiveness: Beyond the Crisis The 6th Egyptian Competitiveness Report comes at a critical time for Egypt. Like other developing countries, Egypt must learn to survive and even flourish within a turbulent global economy in the midst of an unfolding environmental and social crisis. The present volume tackles the vital issues of climate change and sustainable development in the Egyptian context. Studies have shown that even a slight change in weather patterns will jeopardize important industries and economic sectors. Also at stake are Egypt’s water supplies and food security, both already threatened by a rapidly growing population. These risks make it increasingly obvious that climate change is as much a local problem as it is a global one.

Egypt has made gradual progress towards sustainability, particularly in renewable energy. Investments in solar, wind and biomass technologies as well as energy efficiency have grown significantly. Other areas are in need of renewed attention, like agriculture. Given the importance of the agricultural sector as a source of GDP, employment and food security, it is alarming that there is little done to protect it. More sustainable agriculture techniques would not only increase the efficiency in use of water and energy, but could also transform the sector into a major carbon sink due to the potential for soil carbon sequestration.

Chapter four of the current volume shows an in-depth analysis of the agricultural sector in Egypt with its strengths and weaknesses. The conclusion of the authors is that there are vast opportunities for Egypt’s agriculture to become more efficient and more competitive on the international markets by a transformation towards sustainable agriculture. Not only will this save a lot of natural resources like water and energy and lead to an increased income, but it also conforms to the strong trend of western consumers

Impressions from SEKEM

to seek for products, which are environmentally sound and meet their growing expectancy to a holistic understanding of sustainable green production systems.

How we define the relationship between sustainability and national competitiveness will be critical to any future progress. Sustainable development is the ability to meet the needs of present generations without compromising the needs of future generations. National competitiveness is about long-term prosperity and improving standards of living. The two goals are not only consistent, but can be mutually reinforcing. Specifically we as a nation must first consider the wider social, environmental and economic consequences of each decision and second, replace short term planning horizons with long-term ones.

A chief message in the report is that, in a world where risk and uncertainty is the norm and not the exception, more can and must be done to protect the natural resources upon which 80 million Egyptians depend.

A more responsible and environmentally sustainable competitiveness requires nothing short of a concerted effort among civil society groups, the private sector and individual citizens.

The 6th Egyptian competitiveness report addresses the decision makers of Egyptian society and the governmental bodies with concrete recommendations for action in the 12 pillars of society, which influence the nation’s competitiveness and make it comparable to other countries : Institutions, Infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market sophistication, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, innovation.

Helmy Abouleish

On SEKEM Sinai the corn plants are protecting the orange trees from desertification and drought

Where two years ago a desert of dunes and barren ground dominated the picture long rows of orange trees have begun to adorn the premises of SEKEM Sinai. To protect the plants from the heat and sand rows of corn have been seeded between them. The corn is growing rapidly and can eventually be fed to sheep. Until harvesting time, however, it ensures that the small orange trees do not suffer too much from the desert heat. They also guarantee that the fresh compost soil is not blown away and that less water is needed to irrigate the ground. On around 100ha of ground area SEKEM farmers have also sown peanuts to inject nitrate into the ground thereby preparing it for the next cultivation period.

Imprint: Publisher: SEKEM, Egypt The editorial team of SEKEM Insight would like to thank all correspondents who have contributed to this edition.

Editors: Christina Boecker Bijan Kafi Contact: SEKEM-Insight c/o Sekem Holding P.O.Box 2834 El Horreya, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

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