ABU DHABI // Kitchen and bathroom fittings that use water more efficiently will soon be able to display their green credentials.
Taps, shower heads, bidets and lavatories will be evaluated in the next two months.
The Water Efficient Fixtures Conformity Scheme is voluntary but products that rate well will be able to display a logo.
"The Trustmark for Environmental Performance will help consumers identify products that meet the sustainability criteria," said Salem Al Qassimi of the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council.
"Consumers can make a choice between an environmentally sustainable product that meets quality standards and a product that does not comply with those standards."
So far, 10 makers have applied to have their products rated.
"We are currently in the review stage," Mr Al Qassimi said. "Within a month or two, we can see a product that has the environmental trust mark."
The average daily water use in Abu Dhabi is 550 litres a person.
The conformity council is preparing other rating schemes, including one to evaluate sustainable paints.
Mr Al Qassimi said these were "lead-free and contain acceptable levels of volatile organic compounds, chemicals which are emitted as gases from solids and which can be toxic".
High levels of such chemicals can lead to eye, throat and nose irritation, and kidney and liver damage in more serious cases.
Some of the chemicals are suspected carcinogens.
Abu Dhabi's review standards for paints have already been developed and are weeks away from being shared with the industry.
"The technical teams of different manufacturers will review the scheme and test their products against it to see how they fare," Mr Al Qassimi said.
Industry representatives will be invited to comment over a period of two months.
The council is also looking into developing standards for food packaging, in conjunction with other government agencies.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5