Championing Sustainability in the Middle East and North Africa
Green Action Week Grantees push forward the sustainability agenda even when environmental issues are not considered a priority
Green Action Week (GAW) is an annual global campaign running in the first week of October, to promote sustainable consumption. It is funded by the Green Action Fund (GAF), a grant scheme advancing sustainable development and reducing poverty. The fund is made available by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and is administered by Consumers International.
This year, under the ‘Sharing Community’ theme, 27 Consumers International Members have been awarded the GAF grant to implement their projects, which are in line with the theme: ways that sharing and collaboration bring equal and sustainable access to goods and services, benefiting people and the planet. This year, GAW incorporates a new element, introducing five GAW Ambassadors to champion the projects in their region. They provide support to grantees and foster a vibrant community.
Fatima H. Abou Abbass from Consumers Lebanon is the GAW Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Impassioned by sustainable consumption and the environment, she elaborates on why she is proud to be a GAW Ambassador and her thoughts and hopes for the campaign this year in the MENA region.
Why did you take on the role of the ambassador, and what have you enjoyed about it so far?
Being a Green Action Week (GAW) Ambassador has given me more confidence, it allows me to further improve the work of Consumers Lebanon and has opened doors to new opportunities. When building together we have been able to increase each member’s ability to contribute to the entire GAW campaign and work as a team with shared responsibility. In addition, I have learnt more about sustainable consumption and the circular economy and I have been able to share this knowledge with multiple communities.
Consumers Lebanon has been a recipient of the Green Action Fund on many prior occasions. What change have you seen in the community and more broadly as a result of it?
Lebanon is a developing country currently in the middle of an economic crisis and at the government level, environmental issues have not been given a high priority. Nobody even considers these challenges. Organising GAW every year has helped to raise awareness about the topic of sustainability among consumers. The success stories and feedback have been shared with other organisations around the world, motivating and providing them with ideas of potential activities.
Which organisations from the MENA region are taking part in Green Action Week 2022, what themes will they cover and why are these themes so relevant to their context?
The organisations in our region cover a multitude of important themes. The Oman Association for Consumer Protection (OAFCP) will raise awareness about plastic waste and bags. Around 204.6 kilotons of plastic waste is generated by the Gulf of Oman littoral states every year, and approximately 65% and 81% of plastic waste is mismanaged in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman regions, respectively. Hearing figures like this makes actions such as switching from single-use plastic bags, once widely distributed at shopping centres, to more environmentally-friendly options an absolute necessity. In Lebanon the same problem exists. It is therefore important to work on plastic bags to reduce the pollution of our environment.
My organisation, Consumers Lebanon, will focus on food waste and composting and in an entirely different context in Sudan, the Sudanese Consumer Protection Society (SCPS) will conduct a project on the topic of cashless society, paying with the mobile and apps as opposed to paying with coins or paper. Of particular note is the example from Yemen where the Yemen Association for Consumer Protection (YACP) will encourage consumers to reduce medical plastic waste in hospitals and elsewhere. Despite major instability in the country, consumers are ready to take action, supported by YACP.
By focusing on different themes relevant to our settings, we have a unique opportunity to call for more sustainable practice and tackle the many challenges the region faces.
How have you seen the Green Action Week community develop over time?
The Green Action Fund has created an international family of consumer organisations that interact annually, motivate each other and work together for a better and greener future. Over the years we have celebrated new ideas, new habits and seen perceptions change in our countries. We build on our learnings, acquire new skills, brainstorm, come up with new ideas, implement them and talk to more people. We see small changes that make a difference.
Our methods to reach consumers have included sharing flyers about zero waste to saving our environment to distributing second-hand toys to children. And following a media campaign we ran to help with outreach, we were contacted by various organisations from the neighbouring regions that wanted to help with and participate in our project. Every year, we share our happiness and what we have learnt hoping to meet again the following year.
What are your hopes for Green Action Week 2022?
I hope that our community believes that there are different ways to make change happen and that the time for change is now. Small actions at a personal level can become a community action at a wider level that eventually leads to actions at the country level. Yes, it starts with us.
Support Green Action Week
Stay tuned throughout September as we publish stories from Green Action Week Members every Friday. And during Green Action Week itself, 4-10 October, we’ll be showcasing the innovative work of our Members each day.
Join us in celebrating. Use the hashtag #GreenActionWeek on social media and promote your sustainable consumption activities.