2009

Pending Projects for a new school year

• Raising a total of $199,000 to donate 1000 XO Laptops to Malawi Muloza Lea School {or more}
  
• Implementing START Art-Care Package
• Implementing Labour Love Package
• ecubed Day
• ecubed Fashion Show
• ecubed it

Charity Evening for Gaza | outcome

All in all a fantastic event!

We had over 150 guests and raised a total of 30,000 AED which has been sent through World Food Program to help the rebuilding of Gaza.

It was an incredibly successful event, and many enjoyed it immensely. We plan to host another major event, a Green Fashion Show in competition with other schools next school year!

Let’s keep up the good work!

- Seaonnah

GLAMOROUS CHARITY EVENING FOR GAZA

 A GLAMOROUS evening filled with mocktails and delectable finger food to try and raise awareness and funds for the rebuilding and peace of Gaza.

What to expect:

ART FOR GAZA: Various works of photography and art will be on display to be sold. A percentage of the proceeds will go to our Gaza Fund. 

HOT AIR BALOON: Sponsored by Emirates Bank [ 60 dhs fee]

 

ARABIC DANCE PERFORMANCE: 

PALESTINIAN DANCE PERFORMANCE: 

 

FOOD & MOCKTAILS & FRUIT JUICES: Sponsored by Dish

Guests are able to make cash donations during their event to the ‘Gaza Fund Box’.

This is something we are doing for the betterment of the World, to think beyond ourselves, join us in our iniative to create peace and to consider the rest of our brothers and sisters.

 

Hosted by ecubed, sponsored by Emirates NBD, DISH Catering, and a variety of other companies, it will be an amazing event.

WE HOPE TO RAISE 100,000 AED ($ 28000). .

Inshallah we’ll achieve it!

Seaonnah

 

Union Paper Mills Field Trip | 26.Jan.2009

FIELD TRIP!

13 ecubed student members as well as two accompanying teachers (15 in total) went to the Union Paper Mills factory today to see how paper is recycled. 

A courteus Mr. T. Anjaneyulu (production manager) showed us the ropes. He presented to us all the machines and the exact process of how everything works. He explained everything to us in great depth, and the best part is that I think all the students understood the whole process!

We are planning to have the ecubed students present the process to the entire school–and contrast it with the landfill dumping that we participate in, but hardly witness in our everyday lives. 

We learned the 7 basic steps for recycling paper into cardboard paper. Hopefully we’ll be able to see how plastic is recycled as well!

 

————————————————————————————————————

CHARITY FOR GAZA organized by ecubed

The horrific events happening in Gaza has spurred ecubed to act; not only as ecubed members, but also as IB (international baccalaureate) students and world citizens. 

We are planning a large charity evening, with mocktails and finger-food and some surprises. 

What: 
A charity dinner to raise money for the Gaza crisis. We are going to be inviting our IB 1 and 2’s, teachers, heads of schools all over Dubai, some corporate heads, charities as well as friends.
Tickets will b 150 for the public, and 100 for students.
We have gotten sponsorship from Emirates Bank but the exact amount has not been concluded on (we are hoping on approx 65,000 dhs)

Why:
The crisis is effecting people worldwide, some emotionally, some financially, some indirectly as well as others directly. We as global citizens want to address this issue and do what we can to play our part.

When & Where:
11th March at our school Deira International School, Festival City, Dubai at 7:00 pm (doors open 6:30).

What Else?:
We are also going to be displaying student work. We will hold a competition in school, where students enter drawings or photographs etc and we choose the top 10. These top 10 will win prizes and their art work will be displayed at the event as well as sold–these proceeds will go directly to the [Gaza fund box].

Things to organize.

Catering we are hoping will be done (sponsored) by Al Areesh. 

Mocktails.

Curtains.

Entertainment.

Furniture [Dragon Mart]

 

Lots of work to do!!

Seaonnah

FIELD TRIP!

26th January at 8:30 am ecubed is taking about 8 students on a field trip to Union Paper Mills, a recycling company, to observe the recycling process and then present that process to our school, Deira International School. 

Aim: to educate students on the differences and benefits of recycling trash as opposed to just disposing of it in a landfill.

Hopefully, this will be very educational and inspire more people to recycle. 

Seaonnah

project Al Areesh update

Communities are incredibly important. They’re where you assemble to meet new people, enjoy the company of neighbors and engage in learning and fun.

Our clubhouse (al areesh) is such a community shared by all the residences of Al Badia. Our goal is to set up recycling bins and posters everywhere to increase awareness as well as set up a mini-ecubed club for children and parents in which we meet 2 or 4 times a week. This club will work to making our community a environmentally friendlier place, where we can join arms and fight for what we know is right: our Earth.

We are having a meeting with just the staff of Al Areesh today (10th July) so they can assist in facilitating the group as well as maintaining the recycling bins and facilities. By making them aware first, they will become key players in the community greening movement.

Our first goal is to establish recycling bins everywhere and secondly to get rid of plastic bags completley from spinneys. We wanted to do this in all the markets in Dubai and you have to start somewhere, start small. So we will be starting with our own small market: Festival City Spinneys, by having a petition signed and concerned parents and children involved. Then we will move onto Hyperpanda.

Everyone should try to focus on getting rid of plastic bags and the installation of reycling bins in your own communities, compounds or apartments. It’s not difficult–the financial issue may be a slight obstacle but recruiting funds from neighbors isn’t as hard as it sounds. By expanding your horizons you’d be suprised how many concerned people there acutally are. We are not alone in this although that may seem the case at times.

We can do this .

- Seaonnah

 

This initiative was excellent! The children really really enjoyed making coffee sponges and were very active listeners. Especially with the influence of chocolate chip cookies! .

I think we should definitley continue to do these kind of programs at Al Areesh!

 

making coffee sponges

proud to be green!!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

31.Dec.2008

Here is an email I wrote to the property manager of  Al Badia residences regarding setting up recycling in our compound. My Jr. Youth group and I wrote up a petition and got just under 100 signatures in support of demanding large recycling centers to be put up all over the compound. 

I am eagerly waiting a response!

30.Dec.2008

 

Hi Samta,

We spoke briefly before quite a while back regarding recycling in Al Badia. 

The issue.
I am currently running a Junior Youth group, the United Badians, and myself and the jr. youth put together a petition to try and get larger and more conveniently allocated recycling bins into Al Badia. We have just under 100 signatures from Al Badia residents requesting that large recycling bins be put next to EACH building in Al Badia (including Hillside condos).

Why?
I am proposing a systematic method of making Al Badia more eco-friendly and active and this will not only show tenants that you are pro-active and green, it will also prove to the rest of Dubai that you are also one of the leading communities in green movement. All other major compounds offer recycling, such as Silicon Oasis and Arabian ranches. It would be a shame for our blossoming community to fall short in counteracting one of the most important issues the entire world faces as a whole.

Here’s how we suggest we do it.
Our group is willing to go around to all buildings (starting with Bldg. 3 and and ask if each flat is willing to purchase 2 small recycling bins for every home. These will then be bought from IKEA depending on how many people are willing to pay. The cost for each small recycling bin (with a lid) is approx 50 DHS which we use at home ourselves.

 

The issue at hand is once people start collecting their recycling, where will they put them? We are proposing two options

a)    Al Badia keeps the medium sized outdoor recycling bins next to Bldg 10 and then organize cleaners to collect the recycling from each and every house weekly (the tenants could then be requested to place their recycled trash outside their flat weekly so the cleaners would collect only what is placed outside people’s homes). The cleaners could carry around large trolleys and collect the recycled rubbish into them so they would not have to carry the small recycling bins back and forth.

OR

b)    Al Badia could purchase large outdoor bins for each building (building 10’s bins however could be shared by all the buildings next to it for example) and then tenants would be requested to take their recycled goods to the bins themselves whenever is comfortable for them. This would eliminate the extra costs and training needed for cleaners to collect rubbish weekly. A big issue is that tenants are not willing (say from bldg to walk all the way to building 10 to recycle their trash.Convenience is a must!

Note: Union Paper Mills is an excellent company for recycling bins. They offer very large and attractive ‘recycling centers’ and they are also the company I worked with to set up recycling within my school—Deira International School (Festival City).

If Al Badia does decide to set up recycling centers next to each compound, they HAVE TO HAVE PLASTIC AS AN OPTION!

Plastic (#1) Paper (#2) Aluminium (#3) and Glass (#4) in that order of necessity.

 

If DFC Management can see the positive outcomes from the direction we are headed and the movement we are trying to start then all your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

We are supporting a cause—not because we are environmentalists or tree huggers—but simply because we need to, and taking time and waiting around is no longer an option. Also, experience has proved that immeasurable numbers of tenants are incredibly supportive of our cause and are unhappy with the lack of recycling facilities available in Al Badia.

Dubai is an exemplary city to the rest of the world with it’s blooming infrastructure, attractive tourism and extraordinary initiatives. Why not also lead the Green way?

This is what we are requesting and suggesting for our wonderful compound, where we are trying to build a close knit community, because that’s what we are.

The petitions are attached. My mobile number is 050 735 9575. Please consider what we have planned, and please do not permit our efforts to go to waste.

Happy New Year and may 2009 be full of new and wonderful surprises.

I am eagerly waiting a positive response.

Regards,

Seaonnah

 

project 9 + 3 | Ras Al Khaimah presentation

We visited the Ras Al Khaimah English Speaking School in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE the 16th of November. We gave about a 30 minute presentation to 300 students.

ecubed talked about the projects we’ve done, why we’re doing what we’re doing, underlined the new ecubed it > movement and set up an ecubed there.

They now have over 70 members.

It was a fantastic trip! We left about 6:30 AM and got back 11:00 PM. Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Shoak chaperoned us and members Seaon Shin, Ania Tarazi, Elisar Sasso and Hayon Shin attented.

Overall a huge success!

ecubed is now turning our eye back to Dubai, where we will concentrate our endeavors. We are going to try and get recycling and implement the ecubed it > movement into every single school in Dubai!

-Seaonnah [ecubed president]

Ecubed is Paving the Way

Ecubed Is Paving The Way

Ecubed Goals for the Academic Year 2008-09

 

This academic year, ecubed has a passionate vision and several goals.

 

Ecubed stands for ‘emancipating everyone’s earth’ and our main targets are creating environmental awareness, instilling community service action as well as promoting all aspects of education.

 

The main goal for the year:

§ Start recycling (and ecubed) in at least _50_ schools in Dubai

 

This is no easy goal, but our vision is to start the ‘ecubed it’ movement which we are envisioning will start with a small spark, but soon be blazing like wildfire.

 

The goals a little closer to home:

§ Have recycling bins in the cafeteria not only for plastic and paper, but also food waste

§ Raise money for a compost machine—the fertilizer will be used for the school

§ Start recycling in Dubai Festival City Waterfront Mall

§ Start recycling in Al Badia Compound (next to our school)

§ Host events in DIS to raise awareness such as ‘environmental day’ and clean up day etc.

§ Have ecubed monitors

§ Participate in various clean-up and environmental activities all over the UAE

§ Host several events to raise awareness in Dubai (in Festival City for example)

o       Football matches

o       Clabile Rock Concert

o       ‘Green is the New Black’ fashion clothes (out of recycled materials) competition

 

There will be many more to come—but these are the general goals.

 

Overall ecubed’s goal is to be active, loud, and effective. We are going to be an enormous catalyst for the new and emerging green movement in Dubai.

 

We are motivated youth trying to make a difference, and believe me when I say, if one person in the world can make an enormous difference—imagine what a group of bright and energetic youth can do—we can, and will, move the world.

 

Seaonnah [ ecubed president ]

Greenacre Presentation

We recently held a small presentation at the Greenacre Bahai Homecoming Retreat in Maine, US on the 13th of August.

I gave a short presentation on some of the projects ecubed has done recently, what can be done by everyone all around the world and also explanation and samples of our ‘coffee sponges.’

It was quiet successful, we gained many contacts from the presentation and there are many eager people who are willing to help and passionate about the same issues.

I think we might do the presentation again next year–only not call it global warming as that drives the people away. =)

-Seaonnah