Whenever the topic of employing ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle pops up, I’ve grown quite accustomed to hearing the cons before the pros. “I can’t recycle, I don’t know where to take the items,” “I don’t have time to order from this sustainable vendor,” and this one is my absolute favorite, “vegan food doesn’t taste good.” I get it, I really do, and I am not particularly asking you to change every aspect of your life, but perhaps we all could make better choices when it comes to your everyday shopping habits, and it all begins with educating yourself about the subject before making the switch. This is what Sustainable Living Kuwait Founders Hawazen Albuaijan and Samia Alduaij aimed to present at Kuwait’s largest congregation of eco vendors, speakers, artists, and foodies last March at DAI’s Yarmouk Cultural Center.
Arriving as a collaborative endeavor between Hawazen and Samia, the Sustainable Living Kuwait event is a new chapter for these eco-lovers. Each uniquely talented, Hawazen is a well established businesswoman with a deep passion for the environment and has been an animal rights activist from a very young age and always advocated for a more compassionate and sustainable view of the world. Samia is an esteemed, highly regarded senior environmental specialist and an eco-warrior at heart. With almost 20 years of experience in international development, environmental policy and management, and scientific research institutions, Samia has worked for the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme in the Middle East and North Africa region. Together with Hawazen, they launched Sustainable Living Kuwait as an initiative to better communicate and share insights on how to live more sustainably and contribute, however modestly, to the rehabilitation of the planet on a more personal level.
Considered the biggest of its kind in Kuwait, the Sustainable Living Kuwait Event marked a new chapter for the initiative that first began on Instagram via its eponymous handle. Local and global news, tips, and ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle are constantly communicated online, but the event marked the first time the founders took to an interactive, public forum that brought together vendors from various industries in Kuwait. Sustainable Living Kuwait also presented beautiful arts and fashion via an upcycled fashion competition sponsored by Nass Boutique, who graciously donated materials for the competing teams, and other participating artists. The competition was also guided by local artists Amira Behbehani and Abdullah Alawadhi, with judges Hussain Jassim of The Sanity Store, Tasneem Roowala of Hind Clothing, and Sama Alwasmi of Quinn Hop and Dear Nin.
Art installations regaled visitors in the indoor hall, where the beautifully ornate Kimonos hung low from the ceiling by the fashion competition winner Suhaila Al Attiya were illustrated with old Kuwaiti folk characters. As the winner of the upcycled fashion competition that kicked off prior to the pandemic taking hold in 2020, Suhaila employed a zero-waste process when using the material provided by the competition sponsor Nass Boutique. The Kimonos’ craftsmanship, marketability, and usage further exemplified Suhaila’s chances of winning.
Sustainable Living Kuwait also hosted an impressive roster of speakers, with panels planned throughout the entirety of the special, one-day event. Panelists included Trashtag Kuwait Founder and Director Carina Maceira, Manager of the Coastal Management Program at KISR Dr. Bassam Shuhaibar, Founder of Kuwait’s first textile recycling factory Dr. Sadeq Al Naser, Award-winning Environmental expert Anas A. Burahmah, PT BSC, PDC, architect, urban development expert Sharifa S. Alshalfan, Retail expert Sama Al Wasmi, Food Safety Law activist Hamad Al Kulaib, retired Petrochemical Engineer Mohammed al Qenaie, and Head of United Nations Human Settlements Program in Kuwait and the GCC Dr. Ameera Al Hassan. The biggest takeaway from the day-long panels, Sustainable Living Kuwait tells me, is that Kuwait’s running water is quite clean, that simply installing a water filter can significantly cut down and eliminate single plastic use, and that filtered water is actually much better for everyday consumption from a health perspective. Addressing the ongoing weather changes in Kuwait, with a particular focus on the increase in dust storms and pollution, the panelists also urged visitors to plant more trees at home, whether in our gardens, balconies, or neighborhoods, to counter this phenomenon and to help purify Kuwait’s air quality. Finally, in addressing the advent of increased consumption of fast fashion, I learned more about the negative effects of the fast fashion industries from a social and environmental perspective.
When it came to educating visitors about greener, more sustainable businesses, Sustainable Living Kuwait’s event truly shone a light on a spectacular array of vendors, from fashion, lifestyle items, children’s toys, and everything in between, we learn that there are so many eco-friendly businesses in Kuwait doing their part and working hard to make Kuwait a better place. In the outdoor courtyard, wholesome vegan vendors delighted visitors with delectable goodies.
The leisurely event is sure to be repeated next year, and in closing, Sustainable Living Kuwait tells me that they were impressed by how people were eager to shop from eco-friendly vendors and learn more about the environment and how this affects their everyday lives in Kuwait. “We hope they realize that being sustainable is not as difficult as some imagine. Going green in Kuwait has become easy due to the plenty of wonderful eco-friendly businesses and great environmental initiatives available here. We hope to have more events that can engage the society and allow us to reflect on our consumption.”
Sustainable Living Kuwait would like to thank its sponsors for bringing this amazing initiative to life: ABK, EPSCO, Explorer’s Base, Al Sayer Holding, Nass Boutique, Mullenlowe Blu, bazaar Magazine. For more information, please follow @SustainableLivingkw on Instagram.
