ABU DHABI// Students from eight universities gathered this weekend to brainstorm practical solutions to local environmental problems, competing for US$5,000 in seed money.
The winning project was a plan to recycle the water used during wudhu - ritual washing before prayer. The "green wudhu" plan would start with one mosque, collecting wudhu water and using it to irrigate mosque gardens. The plan could save up to 11.8 million litres of water per year, the team said.
"This is only for one mosque," said team-member Mandy Tan, 19, an NYU Abu Dhabi student. "Think about the potential this could have for the entire UAE."
The two-day workshop, called Sila for "connection," was organised by students from NYU Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Khalifa University, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the Petroleum Institute, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and Zayed University.
Sixty students were selected to compete from about 150 applicants, said organiser Alf Lim, a 20-year-old NYU Abu Dhabi student. The students formed 12 teams that mixed university affiliations, majors and nationalities with the goal of forming new connections, Mr Lim said.
"We want them to connect and stay connected," he said.
Each team developed a pilot project addressing one of three topics: water, energy or waste and recycling. An advisory board of experts in the field critiqued their ideas.
And last night, the teams presented their projects to a separate panel of judges.
In addition to Ms Tan, other members of the winning team were Ameera Al Marzooqi (Khalifa University), Hamad Al Hammadi (Zayed University), Margaux Hein (Paris-Sorbonne) and Rida Gul (Abu Dhabi University).
The team calculated that one person uses 40 litres of water each day performing wudhu, said Ms Al Marzooqi, 17. They consulted local companies to get cost quotes and found they could make the necessary piping changes - and fund an awareness program among mosque members - for less than $5,000.
"I love it because it's such a local thing," Mr Lim said. "Even if you get expertise from outside, they wouldn't understand this."
Other project ideas included a web platform to arrange ride-shares; a computer game to teach children about saving energy; and a plan to create a "biochar" substance from camel manure and palm fronds to help farmers conserve water.
The concept behind Sila was conceived in February by Mr Lin and his peers; they have worked to plan it since then. They hope the workshop will continue in the coming years and expand beyond Abu Dhabi.
"I'm so excited that the students have worked amongst themselves," said Sophia Kalantzakos, an environmental studies professor at NYU Abu Dhabi. "It's completely student-led."
The idea is to tackle large problems from a local perspective, designing "small, practical solutions," she said.
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.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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