It’s possible, though my Bengali IT friend working in Dubai admits that his adopted community doesn’t quite believe in the green movement. I suppose that’s understandable when you can stick a straw in some sand and suck out the energy… The United Arab Emirates is different. Have you heard of Abu Dhabi’s sustainable city project Masdar (the Source in Arabic)? The UAE’s in the process of developing “the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city powered entirely by renewable sources” I want to go! It’s seriously happening in the Middle East. And it’s growing fast. (Need a change? Send in your CV.)
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed ah Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi gets today’s Visionary of the Day Award for enacting the vision of the UAE founding father HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a green strategist who wanted to change the world. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh chairs the project, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jabar is the official CEO of the multifaceted initiative, a “response to the need for sustainable solutions to meet the world’s future energy needs.”
If you’re in the area, Abu Dhabi’s hosting this year’s World Future Energy Summit from the 19th to the 21st of January. Someone should go, take notes (video, interviews, photos etc) and post them so I can read and write reviews. I’ll go if someone’d like to send me over!
I’m interested in who will will the Zayed Future Energy Prize ($1.5 million for idea development doled out by the Mubadala Development Company) to be awarded at the summit in Masdar. This prize money will definitely lead to some significant green innovation. The panel deciding the winner is chaired by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. P. K. Pachauri who now heads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Big brains working on this project, more info to come.
