Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) emphasizes the importance of responsible consumption and production patterns to ensure sustainable development. In Dubai, a city known for its affluence and rapid development, promoting responsible consumption and production is vital for reducing waste, conserving resources, and protecting the environment.
Responsible Consumption and Production in Dubai:
Dubai recognizes the significance of SDG 12 and has taken several initiatives to encourage responsible consumption and production. These initiatives include promoting recycling, reducing food waste, and adopting sustainable practices in various industries.
CUD’s Commitment to Responsible Consumption and Production:
The Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is actively engaged in promoting responsible consumption and production both on its campus and in the broader Dubai community, often through workshops and educational initiatives:
Campus Initiatives:
- Waste Reduction: CUD implements waste reduction programs, encouraging students and staff to minimize waste through recycling and waste segregation. The university may also adopt sustainable procurement practices to reduce waste generated on campus.
- Energy Efficiency: CUD promotes energy-efficient practices on campus, such as turning off lights and electronics when not in use, and utilizing energy-efficient technologies and appliances.
- Sustainable Transportation: The university may encourage the use of sustainable transportation options, such as carpooling, biking, or public transit, among students and staff.
Community Engagement through Workshops:
- Sustainability Workshops: CUD may organize sustainability workshops and seminars that focus on responsible consumption and production practices. These workshops can cover topics like reducing plastic usage, conserving energy, and minimizing food waste.
- Food Sustainability: Workshops can also address food sustainability, educating participants on the importance of sustainable and ethical food choices, reducing food waste, and supporting local and organic food sources.
- Recycling and Upcycling: CUD can offer workshops on recycling and upcycling, teaching participants how to repurpose materials and reduce their environmental footprint.
- Circular Economy: Workshops on the circular economy can educate attendees about sustainable product design, recycling systems, and how to extend the lifespan of products.
- Collaborations: The university may collaborate with local organizations, government agencies, and environmental NGOs to host workshops and engage the public community in responsible consumption and production practices.
Through these workshops and educational initiatives, CUD not only raises awareness about responsible consumption and production but also equips individuals with practical knowledge and skills to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives. By engaging with the wider Dubai community, the university contributes to the city’s efforts to foster a culture of sustainability and responsible resource management, aligning with the principles of SDG 12.
Canadian University Dubai partners with PepsiCo to cut plastic waste through the Aquafina Water Stations
New hydration platform saves over 1,800 bottles per week
Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has partnered with global Foods and Beverages company, PepsiCo, to help promote environmental sustainability through the reduction of single-use plastic on campus. The collaboration aims to encourage a culture of refill and reuse through the Aquafina Water Station, a new hydration platform that has already saved an average of more than 1,800 bottles per week since installation.
As part of the agreement, CUD has become an early adopter of the Aquafina Water Stations, enabling the university community to reuse plastic and minimize associated waste. During the first six weeks of operation, the three installations have helped save a total of 11,090 plastic bottles, 109,502 ounces of water, and the equivalent of 14 planted trees. The platform also measures the prevention of carbon dioxide emissions and has helped eliminate over 865Kg of emissions so far.
PepsiCo and CUD recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Prof. Karim Chelli, President and Vice Chancellor of CUD and Ahmed Dafrawy, Senior Commercial Director of PepsiCo Middle East. The organisations are aiming to drive change following the Dubai Can initiative launched earlier this year by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Speaking about the agreement, Prof. Chelli said, “As an educational institution, we are committed to acting on, as well as teaching environmental responsibility across our community. Promoting a sustainable planet is a global challenge that requires a collaborative approach, and we are delighted to be working with PepsiCo as ambassadors of this refill and reuse initiative.”
Representing PepsiCo Middle East, Ahmed Dafrawy remarked, “We’ve always maintained that partnerships are essential to driving change and we’re incredibly excited to partner with CUD to contribute to building a healthier planet by prioritizing a more conscious culture. The Aquafina Water Station is an excellent example of how innovation, sustainability, and consumer desire can trigger positive behaviour”.
He added, “We first debuted the Aquafina Water Stations at Expo 2020 Dubai and have since continued to make the Water Stations more accessible to government and corporate entities through our partnership with Dubai Can, but we don’t want to stop there. We know that it takes continuous and persistent effort to move the needle on the global challenges facing us today. Through our partnership with CUD, we hope to inspire more people to serve as ambassadors for the behaviour we want to see across the country.”
The signing of the MoU is part of the University’s month-long program of activities to mark World Environment Day. Prof. Chelli concluded, “As we nurture the next generation of responsible citizens, it is vital that we work as an institution to embed environmental responsibility in everything we do. These initiatives are designed to drive changes that makes a positive impact and help secure the planet that our students will inherit.”
Happy Earth Day!
At CUD we treat everyday like it’s Earth Day!
Recycling
Students Leading Upcycling Scene in Dubai
Students created chairs, lamps and loungers out of every day trash in an innovative environmental scheme launched by the Canadian University Dubai.
Fourteen second year students from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the Canadian University Dubai have been turning second-hand objects and trash into something altogether more beautiful as part of a competition called ‘Furnitrash’.
Whereas recycling involves the manufacture of new products from trash and waste materials, upcycling involves individuals combining waste material to make something completely new and bespoke and has sparked a trend among young people across Europe and North America.
The students’ pieces – which include a chair made out of old cassette tapes and a portable lounger made from plastic bottles – were judged by a panel of experts on their design, function and the creative use of materials.
The winner, 19-year-old Cobra Jahani, designed a visually stunning lightshade from second-hand plastic spoons. She said: “I almost withdrew from the competition because I thought I had no chance of winning. People persuaded me to keep my entry in and when they called my name in first place, I couldn’t believe. I was delighted.
“The spoons came from restaurants in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. I went round a few places just asking for the spoons they weren’t going to use. I had to go back a few times, but my persistence paid off.
“I really enjoyed doing the project and I now look at everyday objects a little bit differently. I’ll definitely be doing more upcycling”
Hazem El Khatib, Vice President of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), was part of the judging panel and believes upcycling has a big future in Dubai: “Upcycling and ‘green’ design is becoming more and more prevalent in the work that we do.
“It is very trendy in other parts of the world, but Dubai is a very cosmopolitan place and as a result design trends seem to take a bit more time to take hold, but we have definitely seen an upturn in environmentally conscious deign here recently.
“It is great to see establishments like Canadian University Dubai encouraging students to take part in green projects like ‘Furnitrash’. The quality of design from the students at Canadian University Dubai is higher than I have seen at a lot of other places. I think it helps that the people leading the projects have experience outside of the classroom.”
Dr Serkan Gunay, Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design at Canadian University Dubai, said: “This is the first time we have run this competition and it has been very successful. The challenge was to get students thinking about the design everyday objects and how they can use those objects to create something totally new.
“The competition encompassed deign and creativity and has a very strong environmental theme at its core. The plan is to take the idea to high school students across Dubai next year.”
The winners were announced at the Canadian University Dubai’s annual Interior Design Day, where design students from each year of the course exhibit their best works.
CUD Professor Hosts Dubai Municipality Recycling Campaign Event
December 30th, 2014: Canadian University Dubai (CUD) professor, Dr. Rami El Khatib, has hosted an interactive awareness-raising session aimed at educating families in Dubai about the benefits of recycling.
Held at the city’s Mushrif Park, the event was organized by Dubai Municipality and formed part of its ‘My City My Environment’ campaign, which aims to promote various sustainably initiatives, including the reduction of household waste by collecting and segregating recyclable products at source.
As Chair of CUD’s School of Environment and Health, Dr. El Khatib is a recognized local expert in the field, and was called upon by Dubai Municipality to present the awareness-raising session, which included a talk on the environment and how recycling can have a positive impact, alongside a competition where participants could win a range of prizes.
The event was specifically aimed at families living in residential areas with recycling bins, and the activities on the day ensured that children as well as adults took away the environmental message, with activities including the creation of toys using plastic bottles and other recycled household items.
Families were also challenged to a fun team building activity that saw both adults and children work together to use recycled materials such as carton boxes to create a building or tower, with a prize for the most creative construction.
Salah Amiri, Dubai Municipality’s Assistant Director General for the Environmental and Public Health Services Sector said that families can play a leading role in environmental stewardship, which is an increasingly important issue as Dubai enjoys a growing stature on the international stage with upcoming events such as the World Expo 2020.
Under the theme ‘Recycle Me… Join the Recycling Movement’, the awareness-raising campaign has been reinvigorated by Dubai Municipality with the aim of building on its initial success and expanding its impact, following a positive response to the original initiative among the Dubai community.
Dr. El Khatib, who is set to contribute to further events in the campaign, said, “A major part of CUD’s mission is to get involved with projects that have a positive impact upon our wider community.
“As an institution with a strong commitment to the environment, through both our academic programs and our corporate objectives, we have an important role to play in raising awareness and promoting the values of sustainability. This kind of family initiative is especially worthwhile as it provides us with the opportunity to communicate the message across generations.”
Earth Day creates Environmental Awareness among CUD family.
Under the subject, “Protect our Species,” CUD’s H3 Club organised the annual Earth Day on campus.
The aim of the event was to raise awareness & educate students about the importance of the Reduce, Re-use and Re-cycle initiative and addressed issues surrounding sustainability and environmental protection and consisted of various presentations, food stalls, challenges, games, raffles which was both entertaining and educational.
Several external organizations took part and there were several booths aimed at supporting “up cycling” or improving and reusing unneeded things.
Students were requested to bring unneeded, light colored t-shirts (for tie-dyeing), broken electronics, empty batteries and plastic water bottles. The bottles entitled the students to raffle tickets, the winners receiving prizes.
The event opened with a welcome speech from Dr. Ahmed Okasha who outlined the need for more environmental awareness especially the over use of plastics in our everyday lives.
This was followed by a presentation from Mr. Rashed Karkain who spoke about the history of and the rationale behind the Earth day project.
Dr. Alethea Wang, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Communication, Arts and Sciences talked about endangered species and discussed hoe ways to prevent ecological damage.
Faculty and students attending then had the opportunity to visit the various stalls set up on the day.
One of the stalls to feature was Goumbook, who focus on the region’s efforts towards a greener economy. Their representative, Wissam Ali said that, “Based on the ethos of the Goum, a tribe of North African people who existed practicing an ethic of self-help and collective responsibility; sharing resources, reusing them when possible and avoiding any wastage; we aim to make all of us stand up for a green ideal and unite towards a better world where we share facts, ideas and advice on how to live a more responsible life. Anything we can do together for the environment is a good thing for this and future generations. We invite students to sign on as ambassadors and volunteers.”