Green-fingered children in Dubai could hold the key to a more sustainable future in the UAE as they get ready to bear the fruits of a successful organic farming programme.
The project, launched a few months back by The Arbor School, will mark World Environment Day on Friday, June 5.
It encourages children to consider the value of home-grown and locally sourced produce, rather than imported food.
Fruits and vegetables have been grown by pupils in a huge greenhouse on an eco-farm on the school grounds to teach the ecological processes involved in food production.
“The concept here is to go beyond a standard science lesson, allow the children to get their hands into the soil, really get back to nature and understand how their food is produced,” said Brett Girven, the school principal.
The concept here is to go beyond a standard science lesson and understand how food is produced
“It also allows us to connect with our community once we produce the food, placing it into our cafeteria, and then beyond that into composting.
“We want to ensure we are creating a perma-culture model, which is sustainable and doesn’t pump chemicals back into the system.”
The Arbor School, an ecological school in Al Furjan, launched the project in partnership with Emirates Bio Farm, the UAE’s largest private organic farm.
Farmers worked with school gardeners and ecologists to maximise food production in a purpose-built, energy-efficient, organic greenhouse alongside the school’s three larger biodomes.
The greenhouse is now home to the school’s first crop of organic fruit and vegetables, which have been planted by the children.
By December, more than half a ton of produce will be harvested and shared with the community with some expected to go on display at the school harvest fair.
Growing in the greenhouse are cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, aubergines, grapes and the list goes on.
While in the biodomes, a selection of herbs are growing alongside tropical fruits like pineapples, lemons and jackfruits.
“We aim to teach children to question their impact on the planet and to assume their responsibility as stewards of the future in a profoundly interconnected world,” said Mr Girven.
“Environmental justice means ensuring we have enough for all, forever.
“We hope other schools will be inspired by this idea and take on similar concepts. It’s incredibly exciting and rewarding.”
The theme for the United Nations-backed World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity.
Elsewhere in Dubai, the day will be marked with an exhibition to show biodiversity in the emirate and methods to protect the environment during the coronavirus pandemic.
The municipality will host a virtual art tour that will celebrate regional biodiversity and the need to protect it.
The project will display 60 painting of wildlife, plants and examples of municipality operations to protect air, water and soil from pollution and erosion.
According to online analysts SEMrush, the UAE is becoming more tuned into the need for environmental protection.
Between May 2019 and April 2020, researchers said the word “recycling” registered a 51 per cent increase in web searches than the previous year.
Historical searches were examined dating back to 2015 and also showed a 85 per cent increase in the use of the words “plastic in the ocean”.
“This historical data shows that this is not a passing phase,” said Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing at SEMrush.
“It has become an increasing concern that can support marketing efforts to encourage sustainable practices.”
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
