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 the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The Two Popes
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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
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Gothia Cup 2025
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