Expo 2020 Dubai: More than 100,000 visitors get early glimpse of Sustainability Pavilion


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The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai welcomed more than 100,000 visitors during a three-month showcase for residents.

Visitors to the Expo 2020 experience were offered a preview of what’s to come when it opens to the public on October 1 this year.

Terra’s visitor experience revealed the hidden harmful impacts of our personal choices when it comes to the environment. It challenged people change their habits and consider how their behaviour can impact the environment and break the cycle of consumerism.

Organisers said more than 90 per cent of those surveyed said they were inspired to change their behaviour - from saving water to making a conscious effort to use less plastic.

“As we continue to navigate this period of unprecedented change, we are delighted to have offered the UAE community the chance to preview the Sustainability Pavilion, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to bringing the world together and finding answers to our most pressing challenges,” said Marjan Faraidooni, chief experience officer.

“Supported by our world-class partners, we have showcased our readiness to safely welcome the world and host a global event that not only excites and inspires, but also serves as a unique opportunity for humanity to come together in a spirit of optimism, hope and shared purpose.”

Throughout the preview, a number of Covid-19 health and safety best practices were put in place, including social distancing and capacity controls.

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

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