In a city full of big cars, heavy construction and general excess, Explorer Publishing offers Dubai-dwellers some tips on doing their bit for the environment.

Start Now!
Although the UAE is leading the way for development of the Gulf countries, it also has the largest environmental footprint per person of any country in the world – five times what the earth will support. With global warming, increasing pressure on the earth’s resources, and oil production about to peak, the actions of every one of us could help decide the future of this planet. Just because we are living away from our home country, we shouldn’t think how we live here doesn’t have an effect – our lives have more of an impact here than anywhere else, so there’s more to do.

Use Less Electricity
Turn your AC up a few degrees (you’ll hardly notice the difference), and always switch off the AC and lights when you leave a room, or the house. Water heaters don’t take long to heat up, so try switching them on for one or two hours a day just before you shower. Turn off all electric appliances at the wall at night, and if you are out all day – leaving them on standby still uses electricity. Don’t buy plasma screen TVs, as they use up to five times more power than standard sets. Replace all your normal light bulbs with energy saving ones.

Save Water
An area where the UAE is (again) the world’s worst is water usage, and for a desert country with a rapidly diminishing groundwater, this is a severe problem. Use water sparingly, fix leaking taps, only use washing machines when you have a full load, and take short, low-pressure showers instead of baths. If you have a pool, keep it covered when not in use – an average size pool left uncovered can lose as much as 1,000 gallons (3,785 litres) of water per month. Only wash your car or drive, or water plants, when really needed.

Recycle
Although not up to the level of other countries, the UAE does have recycling facilities. Try to recycle every bit of glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium and (recycleable) plastic. Places to go include larger Spinneys supermarkets, the recycling stations on Beach Road, at Emarat petrol stations and at schools, or ask your apartment block or villa complex to provide facilities. Also, reuse as much as possible – take bags with you when you go shopping instead of getting new plastic ones.

Drive Less, Drive Smart
As public transport is not yet a valid option for many people in the UAE, try to use your car for the least impact. Buy the smallest, most fuel efficient car that will work for you – using 4WDs on the road is incredibly harmful to the environment. Try car pooling to get to work. You can save fuel by keeping your tyres at full pressure, driving smoothly – don’t brake or accelerate too sharply, changing gear at lower revs (at 2,500 RPM for small cars or 2,000 RPM for larger cars), and not speeding – the faster you go, the more petrol you use per kilometre.

Get On Your Bike
Cycling is not the easiest way to get around, but it can be done. With the amount of traffic in Dubai, it is possible to get some places quicker by bike than by car – using paths, not roads. Try using a bike for all short journeys – cars use more fuel due to not being warmed up. Instead of driving to air-conditioned gyms to pedal on electric cycling machines, why not head out for a spin close to home, or join the cycling crowd (www.dubairoadsters.com) at Nad Al Sheba on quiet roads with lush greenery.

Stay Grounded
For expatriates in the Gulf, a large part of our carbon emissions is from flying. One person’s six-hour return flight emits as much CO2 as a car does in 6 months, and the effect of CO2 released by planes is tripled by adding altitude, nitrous oxide and water vapour into the equation. As the UAE is a popular tourist destination, why not stay local for your holidays and enjoy all there is here with your savings from the flights. Or, drive to Oman – one of 2008’s top global destinations (Condé Nast Traveller magazine), so see it in all its glory while you’re here. If you have to fly, offset your emissions.

Offset Your Carbon Emissions
Although offsetting should always take second place to actually trying to cut your emissions (for more information on that, see www.lowcarbonlife.net), it can be used to make up for those emissions you can’t reduce. Go to www.climatecare.org to work out how much you need to pay for the carbon created by your flights or electricity consumption, and it will be invested in projects in undeveloped countries to decrease the carbon that would have been otherwise be emitted.

Food For Thought
Buying Australian lamb, Dutch tomatoes and French mineral water when local alternatives exist means the environmental impact your food has is way higher than it could be. Try to buy goods produced closer to home, not from the other side of the world. Meat and fish are also big issues. The livestock industry now produces more emissions than the world’s transportation, and the rate of decline in fish stocks could mean no commercial fishing by 2050. Since the average western diet contains more than double the amount of protein the body can actually use, try cutting down your intake of meat and fish.

Get Your Company Onboard
Encourage your company to start saving electricity and water, and to recycle as much as possible. Try to change your working policies to become paper-efficient. Other things you can implement include using a printer for used paper and printing on both sides before recycling; turning off lights and the AC in offices and meeting rooms when not in use; encouraging and helping staff to car pool; and offering rewards for employees who come up with green ideas.



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