“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
– Robert Swan, Author
We wish we could call on Captain Planet on the Planeteers. But we can’t, no one is coming to save us!
We have seen a shift in attitudes towards becoming more environmentally friendly. Locals and local businesses have been moving towards living greener. We love it! It is the only way to build a greener Kuwait, not just for the direct benefits but the more people hear about it, the more they feel like doing it too.
From recycling artists, environmental scientists, kayakers and student tree-huggers, these are just some of the people who believe in and are being the change! (Click on the links to read more)
Good Stuff puts their money where their mouth is. They don’t just want you to eat good food, they also want to make sure that they don’t pollute. All of their packaging is made of recycled and recyclable materials. Even things you would not normally expect to be recycled like seating is made from old water bottles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdfFAVCg_KT/?taken-by=goodstuff_kw
The youth-led volunteering group Feedwise, organizes beach cleanups and seed-planting initiatives.
You don’t even need a group to clean the beach. Kuwaiti runners are already joining the plogging craze. The Swedes started it, you jog and pick up litter as you go along. It is another double-win, healthy bodies and healthy environment. Fit and Eco-friendly people, we salute you!
We also salute the Science people! Because without science nothing would be possible. The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research really pulls their weight in this area. The Coastal Management Program, the Environmental Pollution and Climate (EPC) Program and the Desert Agriculture and Ecosystems (DAE) Programs are just three of the many ongoing projects that work on to ensure that the local ecosystem is protected, preserved, sustained and improved in all areas. It is a tremendous feat but a very worthy one.
The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science have also been actively supporting initiatives such as moving towards Solar Energy and the Conservation of Water in Kuwait. Either by actively pursuing these projects or by supporting the scientists, researchers and innovators who work in these areas.
Basta Kuwait a local non-profit has taken a hands-on proactive approach to sustainability and social responsibility. Their motto is Donate, Sell, Buy! People donate their old clothes, books, electrical equipment or children’s toys. Some of the items are then distributed and others are sold and proceeds are then poured back into charity projects. They have created two walls of kindness in two locations in Kuwait, where people can leave clothing or shoes. And anyone can just take what they need. It preserves dignity and choice instead of making someone feel like they are being given a hand out, which we love!
We are also starting to see more families and homes make the moves towards recycling their waste instead of mindlessly trashing it.
Omniya are making it easy for all of us to recycle our plastics. They have 30 different collection points all over Kuwait where you can drop off your recyclable plastics. If you do not live near one of those points, they will send over their truck to pick up the plastic. While they mainly deal with plastic products they do provide a paper drop-off point but only at the Kaifan Co-op in block 2. You can also get the free box there where you can store your recyclable plastic until you are ready to send it off.
Recycle Kuwait take everything and will come pick it up from your home. They can even provide you with the bins too. The only downside is that this is a paid service. We understand, it costs money to collect and transport the trash even before any recycling takes place. The annual membership is quite affordable and is totally worth it.
Recycling is fantastic, but buying recycled products creates a bigger demand for them and guarantees their sustainability. Maybe skip the scratchy recycled toilet paper for now.
MyCycleKuwait transforms old objects that would have otherwise been thrown away into fun pieces of jewelry and gifts. They are fun and playful while still doing some serious work.
MyStationKuwait goes even further by using things that could not be perceived as anything other than trash and turns them into art.
In countries where energy is expensive, using solar power seems like a win-win situation. Cheaper and sustainable. So we really respect Solarity for pushing for wanting to harness the sun’s rays for energy in Kuwait. With cheaper gas than the rest of the world, clean energy is their biggest goal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTPAEMWDmaa/?taken-by=solaritykwt
We can’t end this post without a few regional and international mentions.
If you are feeling jealous and wanted to do something right now to offset your carbon footprint, plant a tree. Jouzour Loubnan is an NGO that will plant a tree on your behalf.
We also loved what Lacoste did! They gave their iconic crocodile a temporary boot! Instead ten endangered species took its place. Only 1775 polos were produces, the actual number of the animals. And the proceeds went to the Save Our Species program. They sold out in days!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfu26oAF1Ei/?taken-by=lacoste
There is still a lot that could be done. Every little bit counts when it comes to making sure that there are more Earth days to come.
Featured image by bazaar staff
