It’s a troubling fact, but at 33.6 tonnes of carbon emission per capita, the UAE has the second highest carbon footprint of any country in the world, second only to Qatar, and nine times the national average of 3.7 tonnes. But one family is trying to make a difference. Mohamed Al Sayad Ali Al Nowais, from Abu Dhabi, along with his wife, Budoor, and their three young children, six-year-old Ali, four-year-old Hasan, and Fatima, aged two, agreed to participate in the National Geographic Al Aribiya magazine’s worldwide 360° Energy Diet Challenge, where they aim to drastically reduce their carbon footprint over a four-month period. They’re up against other families from Canada, Slovenia, Mexico, Egypt, Japan, Sweden, India and the USA. We spoke to Budoor, who works as a designer at Abu Dhabi Media Company, to see how they’re coping
You’re halfway through the challenge now. How are you finding it?
It’s been very tiring, but very worthwhile. I thought we were reasonably environmentally friendly, but entering this competition has really opened our eyes to how much carbon waste we actually produce. When I entered, one of my friends said to me, ‘Budoor, you are a busy person, you have a sick child, why do you put yourself through this?’ I said, ‘It is because my child is sick.’ I am doing it for my children.
What steps are you taking to reduce your carbon footprint?
Oh my God, there are so many! There is a category each week, and you need to make notes about how it affects you, the society and your children. Every single minute of the day you discover something about how you are affecting the environment. This week, we are looking at our garbage and dividing it up into cans, plastic and the rest. We have reduced the amount of plastic because I found out we were consuming a lot of bottled water every week – about 24 1.5 litre bottles a week. But now we have bought the big water dispensers and soon we will get filters put in our house.
Have you also changed your eating habits?
Definitely. I have started to buy organic, locally grown produce as well. You think it’s hard to find, but it’s not at all, because it is in most supermarkets. We now stay away from junk food, you never know how many chemicals are in it and how it’s been cooked. So why not eat natural food instead? It’s healthier, it’s from God and it’s a lot cheaper.
How are your children coping?
My children are amazing with this. Now, whenever we go to the Corniche they say ‘why don’t we put some garbage in the recycling bins?’ Even though they are young, they are really clever. I hope that all children across the world learn about the environment and educate their parents about it.
What do you think about the UAE’s environmental record?
The UAE is a very wealthy country and we misuse a lot of things – such as electricity – and we buy fancy things and we have big cars. We really are blessed to be living here, but it’s because of this wealth that we should really be setting an example to other countries, because we can afford to. For example, we have three cars in my family. But now we only try to make car journeys when necessary. I share trips with my husband if possible, don’t speed and remove excess weight from my car.
Do you think you will be able to win the challenge?
It’s not about winning, really. Even if I don’t win the competition, I will consider myself a winner because I have made so many changes to my family’s life. I’m also telling all my friends and relatives about it, and I have become almost like an environment expert who advises everyone. So it has been a very worthwhile experience already.
Will you carry on being environmentally friendly after the competition finishes?
Of course, of course! Once you get involved in this lifestyle it’s impossible to go back. I will feel so guilty if I go back to my old lifestyle.
Visit www.nationalgeographic.com for more information about the 360° Energy Challenge.
