500 MILLION AED NOW COMMITTED
THE LAUNCH OF BLUE COMMUNITIES HAS BEEN A MASSIVE SUCCESS. HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM HAS GIVEN HIS SUPPORT AND DIRECTION.
The official launch event received overwhelmingly positive global press coverage and has been the starting point for a series of initiatives to realise a better coastal future. Developments have included:
- Nakheel doubling its financial commitment to AED 500 million (approx US$ 140 million)
- Appointment of Dr Farouk El-Baz to provide technical support and drive strategic planning
- Formation of a Steering Committee under the Chairmanship of Nakheel CEO, Chris O’Donnell
- Blue Communities made a key focus at the 2008 World Summit on Innovation
- Contacts developed with key academic, political and industry experts
- Featuring ‘Think Blue’ as the key message on Environment Day
The future of our coastlines is in our hands. We must ensure we move forward in a sustainable way. We must devise a methodology and set of standards against which we measure our future developments. Watch the Nakheel video to see how we are already acting blue.
- To be a globally recognised body
- To play a role in the improvements of coastal developments around the world
- To move beyond Nakheel and be an independent and impartial body
- To establish a performance rating system or council that may eventually issue standardization certificates for compliance against a defined charter
Here are just 6 examples of how Nakheel are building Blue initiatives into their development at the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
- Centralised chiller plants are reducing energy consumption by 35% compared to conventional air conditioning
- Savings of over 50% have been made in the use of irrigation water through new, water retaining soil technologies
- Creating a computerised link between irrigation systems and weather stations, to optimise evapo-transpiration of plants
- The use of a vacuum based sewage treatment that improves efficiency compared to traditional pumps and provides an odour-free environment, with water recycled for irrigation
- The largest artificially created rocky embankments in the world – providing new opportunities for local marine life to establish colonies
- The building of a monorail transit system that will integrate with Dubai public transport and reduce dependence on cars
10 more ways to be smarter in the way we use water
1. GET CLEVER WITH YOUR ICE CUBES
We all drop one on the floor from time to time, right? Well, don’t throw it away – use it to water house plants.
2. NEAT HAIR IDEA
Turn off the water while you’re shampooing your hair and you’ll save up to 150 gallons a month. And doing the same while brushing teeth saves another 25 gallons. That’s enough to fill a 12’x3’ swimming pool in a matter of hours.
3. GET IT COVERED
Own a pool or spa? Make sure you keep them covered to prevent evaporation. And regularly check for leaks around the pumps.
4. SLIME’S JUST FINE
Next time you clean out your fish tank don’t just pour the old water down the drain – recycle it on your plants. They’ll love the nutrient rich contents.
5. PLUG YOUR TUB
Showers take less water than baths. But if you really need a good soak, plug your tub before you switch the taps on, and then adjust the temperature as the bath fills.
6. STOP THE SEEPAGE
Water seeping from your toilet cistern into the bowl can waste an astonishing 1,000 gallons a month. Put food colouring into your cistern and if you see coloured water, then you’ll know if you need to get the leak fixed.
7. BEACH LITTER IS A KILLER
From the fish of the Arabian Gulf and the turtles of the Americas to the albatross of the central Pacific, marine life is dying because of litter dumped on beaches. If you bring it, bin it.
8. CUT YOUR CARBON
From car sharing to energy saving light bulbs, there are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Visit carbonneutral.com to calculate your footprint and discover new ways to reduce it.
9. LIGHTEN THE LOAD
When choosing a new washing machine or dishwasher insist on a model with cycle and load size adjustments, so you can optimize both the water and energy efficiency for each load.
10. LOCATE YOUR MASTER TAP
You never think of it till you need it, but knowing where your master water shut-off valve is located – and how it works – could save water and prevent a lot of damage and tears if your home were to flood.
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A blueprint for our coastlines
How Blue Communities will provide the way forward to create a sustainable
coastal future.
Coming soon
Blue Communities is evolving every day. Visit this page soon to see new films about how people from the Baltic to the Bronx, from Africa to Australia are Thinking and
Acting Blue.