Sunday, August 4, 2013

Interview With BEIRUT GREEN PROJECT

Last week we went to WonderEight‘s new offices in Mkalles for a meeting (That’s right, we’re cooking something up!) and fell in love with their small green terrace. Two things caught our attention, and they both turned out to be the work of Ziad AbiChaker from Cedar Environmental: The E-Room and the green walls. [READ MORE]

 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Eco-Boards Wins Energy Globe Award

 
Dear Mr. Abichaker,
 
you have submitted your project “ECO-BOARDS: Recycling Plastic bags into panel boards” for the  Energy Globe Award, today’s largest platform for sustainability. Over 100 countries sent at total of  1051 entries.  
 
The international jury, chaired by Maneka Gandhi, has evaluated all submissions and selected the national winners.
 
We are delighted to inform you that your submission was chosen as best project from your country and will be honored with the national Energy Globe Award Lebanon!
 
Congratulation on this outstanding achievement!
 
 
The projects of all  national Energy Globe winners including yours will be presented on 5 June, the UN’s World Environment Day to a global public on  www.energyglobe.info.
Please tell your friends and inform the media about your success! Your projects is an important success story and a motivation for others to follow your example.
 
We try to find a local partner in your country who is willing to hand over your award certificate. We try different options and maybe there is a possibility. If not, we would like to send you the certificate via courier service. Please provide us with an address (no P.O. box).
 
For any further questions please contact Mrs. Eva Werner, eva.werner@energyglobe.com
 
With our very best regards,
 
Wolfgang Neumann
ENERGY GLOBE Founder
 
Mühlbach 7
A-4801 Traunkirchen
 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Saida Trash Mountain Saga

This catastrophe has been on going since 1982.  Needless to say when incomptence coupled with corruption & greed can't lead but to such disastrous results.  In this video, one is to notice the huge divide between the official stance: "no worries, we have this issue solved and very soon all will be rosy and good", and the civil society & professionals: "This has been dragging for so long and the results to show for are way way below par, and we highly doubt that this solution will ever be workable in the long run". 
Well watch this video and judge for yourselves.

تستمر كارثة مكب جبل صيدا منذ 1982. لا شك إن عدم الكفاءة، والفساد والطمع لا يمكن أن يؤدوا إلا لهذه النتائج الكارثية. في هذا التقرير، على المشاهد أن يلحظ الهوة العميقة بين خطاب الجهات الرسمية وجهات المجتمع الأهلي والخبراء. فيما تصرّ الجهات الرسمية أن معضلة الجبل والمعمل الجديد قد حُلت وأن النتائج ستظهر قريباً وستجري الأمور على ما يرام، يصرّ المجتمع الأهلي وبعض الخبراء على أن الحل تأخر كثيراً وما هو مطروح من تقنيات لا تبعث بالإطمئنان على إستادمة العمل على المدى الطويل.ـ
 
شاهدوا هذا التقرير وإحكموا بأنفسكم.ـ (صُوّر هذا التقرير في كانون الأول 2011 ولتاريخ عرضه لم يبدأ أي عمل فعلي على أرض المكب أو المعمل)ـ
 


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Moving Beyond Business as Usual: Next Frontiers for CSR in the MENA region


The Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) at the American University of Beirut held the first CSR Practitioner's Conference at AUB on May 4 & 5, 2012. The conference is intended as a platform for regional business leaders to address the emerging challenges and opportunities presented by the ascendancy of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Through the gathering of renowned speakers, panels and interactive discussion forums, the conference will offer a regional platform for practitioners to network and exchange best practices in relation to effective sustainability and CSR management. Sustainable business is no longer a luxury, but a necessity in a fast-­paced and changing global context. Empowered citizens, consumers, and social movements across the globe are demanding that governments and businesses behave more responsibly. There is also a worldwide call to learn from the current failings of the global industrial economy and move towards more creative forms of capitalism, in which companies embrace responsible attitudes and orientations and engage in practices that expand the pie and contribute to social justice and social progress.

 

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Trash Talk: The Possibility of Recycling Lebanon's Garbage

Via the outpost
 
 
In this episode we look at how to improve Lebanon's waste management cycle. First, we get insight on how garbage disposal In Lebanon works from Ziad Abi Chaker who is pioneering ways of turning municipal trash into treasure.

Then, we talk to the co-founder of F.E.R.N. International, Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli, an organization that is working with restaurants to improve their environmental impact by introducing a recycling system in their kitchens.
  

Music
Floyd the Locsmif - Welcome
Sesame Street - I Love Trash
The Simpsons - The Garbage Man Can
Ayo - Help Is Coming