Dubai: The environment group responsible for organising annual Earth Hours in the UAE and other initiatives for Mother Earth has relocated to a neighbourhood that’s also promoting the shift to a greener lifestyle.
The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with World Wildlife Fund (EWS-WWF) has shifted of its offices to The Sustainable City (TSC) in Dubai as part of the organisation’s collaborative partnership with Diamond Developers.
The two entities joined forces last year to help reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and promote greater uptake of renewable energy across the nation and wider region.
The Sustainable City was designed by Diamond Developers with several low carbon and sustainable features — such as solar rooftop panels, energy efficient appliances, water efficient fixtures, and urban farming.
The city aims to set a new benchmark for the development of a sustainable community in a desert environment.
The strategic three-year partnership between EWS-WWF and Diamond Developers was established with three relevant components: to support EWS-WWF’s renewable energy project ‘UAE Renewable Energy — Targets and Beyond’; to conduct a GHG assessment of TSC’s overall carbon footprint; and to implement a transfer of EWS-WWF’s Dubai office to TSC.
Laila Mustafa Abdul Latif, Director General of EWS-WWF, said the society’s new location is both symbolically important as well as measurably beneficial.
“This partnership will enable the two of us to identify best practices for sustainable living, and to demonstrate how a low-carbon business model can be a transformational element for real estate development in the UAE, both of which positively contribute to more diversified national economic growth,” she said.
EWS-WWF is supporting Diamond Developers in assessing the GHG performance of TSC, as well as assisting with the monitoring and reporting of the GHG emissions.
The first carbon footprint report will cover the operation of TSC for the calendar year 2017 and is expected to be published during the first quarter of 2018.
