النفايات الغذائية وروح رمضان

في السنوات الأخيرة، أثارت  الكميات الهائلة من النفايات الغذائية خلال شهر رمضان المبارك جدل كبير في البلدان الإسلامية وغيرها. وفقا تقديرات متحفظة، نحو خمس المواد الغذائية التي يتم شراؤها أو التي أعدت خلال شهر رمضان تجد طريقها إلى صناديق القمامة أو مقالب النفيات. وهذا يمثل الاف الأطنان من المواد الغذائية الثمينة التي كان يمكن استخدامها لتغذية عشرات الملايين من الجياع في الدول الفقيرة في آسيا وأفريقيا وأماكن أخرى.هذه الكمية المذهلة من النفايات الغذائية خلال شهر رمضان تتطلب استراتيجية قوية وعاجلة للتقليل منها ،و استغلالها بشكل مستدام و كذلك التخلص منها  بكيفية صديقة للبيئة. خطورة الوضع تعتبر دول الشرق الأوسط  أكبر … Continue reading

شهر رمضان والتحول نحو الأستدامة

شهر رمضان محطة للتزود بالوقود ومساحة لتغيير نمط الأستهلاك والعيش ببساطة على هذا الكوكب.  أن سبب الأزمة البيئية وأزمة الماء والطاقة والغذاء هو فشل الإنسان في مُهمة الخلافة وادراك دوره الحضاري كشاهد ومستخلف. التحول نحو الأستدامة يتطلب تغيير أنماط الأنتاج والأستهلاك للتصدي للفقر والتغير المناخي وهذا يستلزم التحول الكلي في نمط التنمية والعيش و تسخير المعرفة المحلية و الإبتكار والقيم والأخلاق وتطير  نماذج محلية للتنمية الطيبة  من خلال الحراك الأخضر أو الجهاد، و الإبتكار الأخضر أو الاجتهاد، و أسلوب الحياة الأخضر أو الزُهد كما هو موضح أدناه. الحراك الأخضر يعني النضال ضد الإختلالات و الظلم و الفساد التي تُخِل بالحياة … Continue reading

Cleanliness is Next to Greenliness

There are usually many objectives of cleaning a home or office and the things in it. One of them is to achieve a certain level comfort and freshness while the other is to maintain the aesthetic appeal of the space around. However, when it comes to choosing the right cleaning products and technologies, it is important and beneficial to go the eco-friendly way. Many manufacturers, in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint, are striving to come up with cleaning products that are made from environmentally-friendly ingredients. Such products are not only safer or less toxic to use, but also … Continue reading

Food Waste in Ramadan: Trends and Counter-Measures

Muslims countries, Arab nations in particular, generate huge quantities of food waste which increases substantially during the month of Ramadan. As per conservative estimates, around 15-25% of all food purchased or prepared during Ramadan find its way to the garbage bin before even being used or consumed. Food Waste Trends in Ramadan The trend shows that during Ramadan, the demand for beef, mutton, chicken and related meat products increases by almost 50% of the normal demand, which in itself is very high. Similar is the fate of other related food items like vegetables, fruits and dairy products etc. which are … Continue reading

10 Top Ways to Make Your Life Green

No one is small enough to make a difference. When it comes to protecting the planet, each and every individual matter. Being green is not only good for the environment, but it also helps in saving money and safeguarding our health. We can do a lot of ‘green’ things in our daily lives to reduce waste generation, clean the air, conserve natural resources, save energy and protect wildlife. Here are 10 top ways to make your life green, and thus becoming good environmental stewards for the Earth: 1. Turn Down the Heat Reducing domestic energy consumption can help in minimizing … Continue reading

Ramadan: A Catalyst for Green Living

The true meaning of Ramadan is to take care of our body, soul, people, surrounding and ecosystems. The month of Ramadan is a golden opportunity to make a real shift towards ‘green living’ that is environmental friendly, non-polluting, non-wasteful and aim towards conservation of natural resources. During Ramadan, let us create awareness on use of resources, think and act positively towards our environment and change our unfriendly habits which are impacting our ecosystem. Let us seize this opportunity to adopt a model for a green and environmentally responsible behavior that addresses urgent environmental issues. Ramadan witnesses an over-consumption of meat, … Continue reading

Climate Change Impacts on Public Health: Perspectives for Arab World

Climate change is not only affecting the economies of Arab world but also having detrimental impacts on the very fabric of society, through threats to public health and livelihoods. Climate change in the Arab world is also exacerbating social inequalities, hitting the rural poor the hardest. This is not a reason for complacency amongst the wealthy urban classes. Basic humanitarianism aside, history suggests that physical hardships can breed wider unrest: a body of evidence suggests that poor harvests caused by a major Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in 1783 triggered no less an event that the French Revolution. Extreme weather events … Continue reading

Taking Steps to a More Environmentally-Friendly Home Life

Climate change is a fact, it’s manufactured, and the effects will only grow more pronounced. Although most of the harm from human activity is caused by a few major corporations, this is still an impossible situation to adapt to without individual action. To this end, more minor changes around the home can help us all play our parts to both mitigate waste and adapt to coming changes. It’s time to try a new approach, and with the options of the modern world, these changes can be easy to implement, and highly advantageous. So while we don’t recommend jumping in with … Continue reading

الضرر البيئي الناتج عن الصناعة

ان العالم حولنا يتأثر بكل ما نفعله، من استهلاكنا للطعام، الى الكهرباء التي نستعملها. ولكن الواقع لم يكن دائما على هذا الحال. الثورة الصناعية غيرت طرق الانتاج والأكل والطاقة وكذالك الصحة والتكنولوجيا الصناعية. الثورة الصناعية بدأت الثورة الصناعية في منتصف القرن السابع عشر (م)، عندما كانت اعداد سكان العالم قد شارفت على العودة الى مستوياتها الطبيعية التي كانت قد تأثرت بالوفيات الناجمة عن الطاعون الاسود الذي قضى على 75 مليون انسان سنة 1300م. وبسببها ارتفعت اعداد سكان الارض الى المليار في سنة 1800، ومن ثم الى ضعف ذلك في سنة 1926. في بداية القرن الواحد والعشرين كانت اعداد السكان قد … Continue reading

Trash Talk from Doha

On arriving a few years ago from a town in the UK that boasts a university course in waste management, and a very efficient weekly recyclable waste collection from our houses, I was a bit shocked, like many Europeans by how difficult it was to recycle in Doha. Having had the moral obligation to recycle drummed into me since I was quite young, I felt guilty throwing away all my waste into one bin, destined to fill up a huge smelly hole in the desert, where it would take a long time, if not forever to biodegrade. The Real Picture … Continue reading

How to Protect Green Spaces in the Middle East

One of the ecological benefits brought by green spaces is its capability to combat urban heat. The increasing urban heat is usually caused by the high number of heat reflective substances that are emerging in the cities. Green spaces such as gardens and parks can significantly reduce heat and promote natural cooling through an efficient ventilation and dynamic absorption. Some green spaces could even help prevent urban flooding, air pollution, and storm water run-off. So, how can we protect these beneficial green spaces in Middle East? Spread Awareness Dubai is expected to plant an estimated of 50 million flowers in … Continue reading

Eco-friendly Tyre Manufacturing for a Greener Tomorrow

We all have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment. Fortunately, more of us are aware of those harmful everyday habits previous generations overlooked than ever today. For example, widespread coverage of plastic pollution has encouraged people to cut down on plastic consumption and take advantage of alternatives. And that’s a crucial aspect of building a greener global culture, considering eight million pieces of plastic enter oceans every single day, posing significant danger to marine life. One problematic product billions of people use every single day is the humble car tyre. It’s so easy to take them for … Continue reading