By: Lea Kai & Nadine Haddad:
Beirut, 21 November 2005
The workshop was organized by MECTAT, the research and training associate of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment & Development-EDM) magazine.

"I can't believe that they are actually doing the coffee using garbage, this is an amazing idea, I can't wait to go back home and introduce it to the farmers back at my village" said Mr. Khaled El Fayez, a participant from the municipality of Amman, Jordan.

Participants also enjoyed the eco-touristic visit to the South of Lebanon, guided by Mercy Corps' Guide, Mrs. Lama Awad, who explained to the participants the various activities sponsored by her NGO to revive the economy of the southern villages by implementing touristic activities, that also help in protecting the environment such as the Bird watching reserve, the Second World War English Hospital, now turned into a museum, as well as the ecological Khiam Hills project, currently under construction.

The workshop, co-sponsored by UNEP and EDM, succeeded in bringing together various Arab and European opinions on issues such as water, energy and solid waste management, gathered members of various municipalities from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Bahrain in 5-day discussion sessions on major environmental issues in the Arab world and a field visit to major solid waste facilities in the South.

Environmental experts and from various fields exposed urgent environmental issues, divided in 4 main themes: Water Management, Solid Waste Management (with focus on the Dutch Experience), Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency.

Local Solutions
"Knowledge and awareness are prerequisites for sound environmental management, that takes full advantage of scientific developments and applies appropriate technologies to the best of local communities", was the conclusion of Mr Najib Saab, publisher of EDM, in his introductory speech entitled "local solutions for global environmental problems". He tackled major environmental problems from air and water pollution to efficient energy use and solid and toxic waste management. Saab stressed also on the role of the municipalities in decreasing waste generation, at industrial as well as household levels.

Dr Habib El- Habr, director & regional representative of UNEP/ROWA, introduced the concept of cleaner production and consumption at municipal level through practical management measures such as good housekeeping, equipment and technology modification, recycling and reuse and strict control of operations.

Rain Bird irrigation Expert, Dr. Ahmed Elezaby, exposed the newest technologies in water conservation, encouraging Arab municipalities to launch water conservation programs.

Dr. Ahmad Atallah, regional adviser at ESCWA, emphasized the role of municipalities to reach sustainable development, as they are the true representatives of the grassroots. He gave practical examples on achieving sustainable development through local initiatives.

Mr. Anwar Ali, Project Manager of Energy Efficiency Project, run by the Ministry of Energy & Water and UNDP, provided the participants with many Energy Savings Tips within municipalities, and encouraged the municipalities to increase information about energy-efficiency projects and services.

Water Demand Management
Dr Moussa Nimah, professor at the Faculty of Agriculture at the American University of Beirut, discussed water management in urban areas tackling the problems that are being faced locally and regionally and communicating the right methods of using water in dry areas. Dr. Nimah encouraged the participating municipalities "to develop a strategy for management of water resources in urban areas".
MECTAT researcher, Ms. Lea Kai, followed up by presenting practical solutions to water demand management, introducing new efficient ways to reduce water consumption.

MECTAT's Director, Mr. Boghos Ghougassian, introduced a grey water treatment and re-use case study to the participants, as a practical way to make use of water from the sinks and showers and re-use it for irrigation after a simple treatment using the grey water treatment kits.


Solid Waste Management: The Dutch Experience
Mr. Dick Hoogendoorn, Dutch consultant on solid waste and a Director of van Gansewinkel group, shared with the audience the Dutch experience and the success of the national waste management plan that made out of waste a 4.5 billion Euros industry. The dominant use of incineration in the Netherlands raised a lot of questions among the attendants since incineration has been widely opposed by a large number of environmental organizations. Mr Hoogendoorn explained that incineration is beneficial when stringently controlled to avoid any toxic release in the emissions or bottom ash. "3/4 of the facility of the incineration plants is dedicated for control equipments and devices" explained Hoogendoorn.

However he affirmed that incineration should only be used in high income countries where great expertise and control can be adopted and that landfilling and composting are more advisable in low income countries. The Dutch presentation was sponsored by the Netherlands Embassy.

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Energy Use and Atmosphere Protection
After a short presentation on the solar and renewable application methods by Mr. Ghougassian, Dr. Riad Chedid, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at AUB, introduced the concept of Energy Sustainable Communities (ESC) to the participants, which aims at improving the livelihood of the community.

On the other hand, Dr. Farid Chaaban, Prof. at the faculty of engineering and architecture at AUB, categorized Air Pollution as one of the most serious Environmental problems in the world. Dr. Shaaban declared that the health and economic impacts of air pollution in Lebanon is estimated to be $120 million/ year. Dr. Shaaban encouraged recycling projects, stating that recycling one glass bottles saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

Environmental Management: Laws, EIA and Awareness programs
Ms. Raghida Haddad, Executive Editor of EDM, discussed with the participants several environmental awareness strategies and incited them to launch practical programs within their municipalities, such as recycling projects and publications distribution of environmental material to households and schools.

Ms. Rola Sheikh of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, ended the series of lectures with a presentation entitled: EIA in Lebanon: Procedures, Statistics, and Case Studies. Ms Sheikh explained that EIA is used to minimize or prevent adverse effects and to maximize the benefits of a proposed development. She also provided the participants with a case study on EIA application for a Tourists Resort in Natural Reserve in Ain Zhalta.

Participants' Comments
Jihad Jaafar, a trainer at the Ministry of Agriculture in Bahrain, and Badria el Oubaydi, a chemist at Kuwait's Environment Public Authority, found that the practical measures that were introduced during the workshop for water conservation were novel and beneficial. El Oubaydi said: "the lecturers gave us practical guidelines on water conservation and made us aware of the lack of attention on water consumption in the Arab world". Jaafar ascertained that she will apply some of them in her practical career.

Sabah el Omran, director of urban environment at the Ministry of Environment in Baghdad, said that the workshop and the field visits, gave him insight on what can be done in Iraq when it comes to solid waste management.

Ahmad Mhannabi and Anwar el Sadat, of Jeddah Municipality, were impressed to see how rural towns can be self sufficient in their waste management after seeing the composting plant of Kherbet el Selem. On another level, Mahannabi said that he will introduce the idea of grey water treatment and re-use in his neighborhood.

Adel Fida, also of Jeddah Municipality, was impressed that Lebanese villages are working hard on protecting the environment and combating pollution.

Most of the participants required more insight on hospital and toxic waste management for the upcoming workshop. This is a sign of a rising problem in the Arab world!

The workshop succeeded in bringing together diverse opinions and experiences from different Arab countries and brought up environmental issues as a priority in the region.

Workshop Details & Programme