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!!
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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
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