Eco-friendly UAE schools are stepping up efforts to ditch single-use plastics, ahead of nationwide bans being brought into force.
The government announced this month that plastic bags of any material or composition will be outlawed from January 1 next year.
From January 1, 2026, it will be prohibited to import plastic cutlery, drinks cups, styrofoam and boxes.
From making and distributing jute bags for shopping, to bringing aluminium lunchboxes or even selling organic home-grown produce, pupils are making a head start in saying no to plastic.
This week, The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai made a pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic by the end of the year.
Gems Legacy School banned single-use plastic in 2021 while one school launched a no-plastic zone a decade ago.
Schools go green
Schools have introduced hydroponic activities, which allow children to grow herbs that can used at their canteens.
Pupils at Gems Legacy School are busy constructing a giant whale made of plastic bottle caps, which will be showcased on a beach in Dubai in February to educate the public about the effects of plastic on marine life.
The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai has partnered with Avani, a sustainable packaging company that will help the school to replace plastic products with alternative bio-based solutions.
Each class has an eco ambassador and at the end of last year the school launched its hydroponics activity to give Year 7 pupils the chance to grow their own salad and herbs, with the produce now being used in school lunches, the canteen and parent cafe.
Pupils eager to save the planet
“Our pledge to eliminate all single-use plastics by the end of 2023 is a drive that has come from the pupils themselves through the school’s Eco Ambassador team," said Clare Turnbull, principal at The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai.
“Introducing hydroponics was a fantastic way to give our pupils the chance to discover how their food is grown and to understand the future of tech farming first-hand.
"Our school’s hydroponics system lets the pupils observe the entire lifecycle of a plant right before their eyes and understand the diversity of the produce they eat."
An environmental legacy
Gems Legacy School in Dubai has embedded climate literacy in their curriculum.
Asha Alexander, executive leader for climate change at Gems Education and principal of Gems Legacy School in Dubai, said she was hoping 41 Gems Education schools would eliminate single-use plastic within 2023.
“We've already begun this in various stages and we do audits to find out where they are at but the messaging and the promotions and the awareness campaigns and educating teachers has already started and is continuing," said Ms Alexander.
“Our pupils carried out a campaign on Twitter requesting Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai to ban single-use plastic way ahead of this announcement.
“We don't have plastic at our schools and we don't encourage the use of plastic bottles, and we ensure that there's no plastic being used in the canteens."
So far, 2,000 teachers at Gems Education schools have become UN Climate Change-certified, but Ms Alexander is working to get all 17,000 teachers in the group attested.
Pupils at the school designed jute bags which parents could use while going shopping.
“There are things which the government has to mandate but people cannot sit down waiting for government mandates to come through. We all have are responsible for our own behaviour and that's what we're teaching children," said Ms Alexander.
Taking steps to save the planet could be as simple as saying no to cutlery or plastic straws when ordering food.
Pupils at the school decided to move away from plastic lunchboxes and began bringing meals in boxes made out of aluminium.
A plastic-free zone
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal of Delhi Private School Dubai, in Jebel Ali, said their school was the first in the region to have a ‘no-plastic zone’ by introducing jute bags for the distribution of books and uniforms.
Jute bags have replaced plastic at the school since 2013.
“We took the initiative a step forward in 2018 by launching the ‘We Project’, which aimed to upcycle old uniforms and bedsheets into eco-friendly bags. Within 6 months, 15,000 bags were stitched as part of the collaborative endeavor by students, parents, teachers and ancillary staff," said Ms Nandkeolyar.
“Being a member of the Global Schools Programme, we have integrated the Sustainable Development Goals into our curriculum, to promote climate action through an array of campaigns ranging from ‘Simply Bottles’, a desert clean-up drive, to ‘Green Call’, an e-waste collection project."
Pupils at the school have set up a vertical garden, which uses plastic bottles as pots and beds for growing plants.
The school has a "Trash to Treasure" activity, where pupils create crafts out of recycled waste material, and a "Nature’s Bounty" programme where children get hands-on experience in entrepreneurship and financial management by selling organic produce created by them.
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WTL%20SCHEDULE
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
