Time for change

Emile van Essen, expert in sustainability for Recyclus.com and management monitoring for Essence-SUM, explains how implementing new techniques in the Middle East will build a sustainable environment.

INFRA. What prevalent opportunities for responsible behaviour are ready to be implemented and executed in the Middle East?
Emile van Essen. Recyclus is a company that promotes solutions for the essential needs that have become glaringly apparent in the new millennium. Spirit and energy are requirements for development. To cause formation of spirit, study and education is needed, based on actual information offers. In the Middle East, cheap energy is available abundantly. Drinking water, agriculture and infrastructure provide, together with healthcare and trade, a basic economy. But it is nevertheless the human endeavour that creates this. Building towards better welfare and heavier industries will need bigger investments, especially with environmentally sound techniques where a lot of additional international competitive power can be gained. Predominantly, the proper maintenance of the internal economy needs attention. Federal and national self-sustainability prevents erosion of the economy. Based on this vision, Recyclus offers the conversion to federal, national and corporate social responsibility, eco-system selection and mediation. Essence-SUM, as a partner company, offers management directives, financing constructions and technical implementation.

INFRA. Can this be done also with a better use of resources?
EvE. In the MENA countries, I do not see the better use of resources as all-important; this point instead has received enough attention throughout history. Instead we can see a growing enthusiasm for an ecological lifestyle and re-cultivating of the wild lands. It is all about culture and cultivation. The vectors are: from apathy to creativity, and from a buyer’s economy to self-reliance. Information centres for healthy building and housing, knowledge centres for clean technologies, and model projects will help.

INFRA. The recyclic use of resources will play an ever more important role and technical solutions must be based from the ground up on nature-simulation models. Can you give us a few examples of this?
EvE. The implementation and wide spread of mind-setting systems like perma-culture, transition-towns and water-landscape integration delivers joy in realisation and prolonged use over time. We have to think in structures and projects that last for the next 300 years. Constructing for short-term use is a waste of manpower and means. Congruently, such an approach will cause a sustainable cosiness, let sense generations of connectedness, and bring self-esteem. This can find expression in national structural planology, sophisticated urban blueprints, international spiritual convention centres, and educative holiday parks with the best of regional and worldwide cultural muses: music, poetry, dance, art, culinary highlights and entertainment.

INFRA. Clean drinking water is a sophisticated commodity in this region. Which sustainable techniques can help to provide enough potable water with less effort?
EvE. For water, we do not believe in one solution. First we need to deal with the actual problem in combination with wastewater management. Secondly, we have to look for landscale water infrastructure that contains several levels of implementation, providing agricultural, industrial, and neighbourhood solutions. We see a sea connection with the backlands, branching out of inland deltas. Cleaned rain and salt water can be supplied for all purposes. Technologies are secondary to this strategical program, but it is important to choose diverse and well.

INFRA. Our planet has become a global village. Electronic means like video conferencing or internet sessions can be used conveniently for doing business worldwide. How can we implement an advantageous strategy to reflect these changed needs?
EvE. The ICT infrastructure is the fundament for social and business communications. Presently unforeseen applications will influence our life in the next five to 10 years. To be prepared, we can only prearrange our present gifts well and stay ready to enjoy the future. For transition we have to find best practices in sustainability. The United Nations body UNFCCC (Climate Chance Committee) has already 1600 certified technologies available for direct implementation, all qualified for emission trading. Recyclus and Essence-SUM are keen to support MENA countries and businesses for strategic focussing and practical implementation.