World Green Economy Summit 2016 in Dubai

On October 5th and 6th Dubai will be hosting 3rd World Green Economy Summit (WEGS) 2016 in conjunction with Water, Energy Environmental Exhibition and Dubai Solar Show 2016. The Summit is hosted by DEWA under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, in collaboration with World Climate Ltd, international partners is supported by the United Nations

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai; on 29th May H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer hosted a press conference to announce the agenda and speakers for the third World Green Economy Summit.

Talking at the press conference, H.E. Saeed Al Tayar informed, WEGS 2016 is held under a new theme 'Driving Global Green Economy'. WGES 2016 aims to support the UAE Vision 2021 and further the National Agenda to promote sustainable development. The Summit aims to support Dubai’s ambitions in the Green Economy sector and drive the Clean Energy Strategy 2050. Through this strategy Dubai aims to provide 7% of it's energy demand from solar sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% from clean energy by 2050, and seeks to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050 and a global center for clean energy and energy conservation.

H.E. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment

At the press conference Mr. Frode Mauring, United Nations Resident Coordinator & United Nations Resident Development Programme Resident Representative in UAE said “The summit demonstrates UAE’s willingness to exert leadership in innovative approaches to green economy developments building on its own pioneering efforts and vision”.

Watch this video of Mr. Adnan Amin, Director- General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) talking at press conference

World Green Economy Summit 2016

In WGES 2016 number of distinguished speakers will be participating including: Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP; H.E. Mohamed Boussaid, Minister of Economy and Finance, Morocco; H.E. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change, Government of UAE; H.E. Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for Int. Cooperation, MD Dubai Expo 2020; Ken Berlin, CEO, Climate Reality Project; Daniel CALLEJA CRESPO, Director-General, EU; H.E. Dr. Khaled Fahmy, Minister of Environment, Arab Republic of Egypt; Adnan Z. Amin, Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency; Gasem Al Shaikh, CEO, Petroleum, Chemicals & Mining Company Limited; and Torben Moger Pedersen, CEO, PensionDanmark.


The programmer will incorporate plenary sessions, breakout sessions and a wide selection of expert-led presentations, covering key topics including:

• Green Finance: How to mobilize sufficient global green capital
• Solar Energy: World energy game changers bringing about the solar revolution
• Smart, Happy & Green: Transforming cities through people and technology
• Road to COP22 in Marrakech: Bringing the Paris agreement into action from agreement to action
• Thought Leadership for the Green Economy: Making Initiatives out of targets for the green economy
• The Public Private Partnership Platform: The unique green economy match-making mechanism

Upcoming sustainability announcements in UAE

During the question answer session of press conference I could ask few questions and here is what I learnt.

H.E. Al Zeyoudi answered UAE is taking steps to make sure to reaching fulfill INDCs revealed during Paris Agreement.

When asked about probability of solar cooling implementation in UAE, he answered in UAE Solar PV and CSP are the only renewable technologies are in use. UAE government always encourage private sector to bring new technologies and this is one of the goal of WEGS to bring sustainability technologies to region and invite private sector to participate in summit as well.

When asked if Dubai is planning to have desalination of water plants powered by renewable energy resources. H.E. Al Tayar informed about DEWA's research and development project; a desalination facility, RO plant powered by solar power, which can produce 13,000 gallon/day is under commissioning stage and soon to be announced.

Dubai is also planning to launch a free-zone dedicated to green or sustainable businesses. Watch H.E. Saeed Al Tayar answering Green Living in Dubai's question at press conference.

Click here to watch video of full session of question answer at press conference including the questions asked by Green Living in Dubai.

Shopping Eco Friendly for Kids in UAE

Natural Earth Paint

Recently I have found a great sustainable way to shop Eco-friendly for kids here in UAE. While we are preparing for my son's school starting in Sept,(I know it's too early. But I think we both are quiet excited about his big school), we have a big list of things to buy. When I shopped on My Organic Baby Shop online I could find few important items on my list without running around in mall! Isn't it great! And so Eco-friendly, I didn't waste petrol going to shops and saved huge time just by adding things in my cart only by clicking. Otherwise, we mums are spoiled in UAE for numerous options of shopping and it becomes a big time consuming task just to shop even for one item.

Frankly, it's even difficult to find real sustainable, Eco-friendly things here apart from few Eco Store. But buying on My Organic online Baby Shop was cake walk! The whole process of shopping online to receiving things delivered to home is very smooth. The online Eco store is has wide range of great Eco-friendly and organic products for newly born babies up to preschool age.
Now time to reveal my loot from my organic baby shop! Obvious things from my school preparation shopping list were tiffin box and water bottle. As just few days back I pledged to go plastic free in my household, any type of plastic bottle or tiffin was a big No No. I also didn't want to go for glass bottles, as I already have beautiful glass bottles and boxes by Life Factory. So I added nostalgic stainless steel tiffin by U.Konserve and stainless steel bottle by Eco Vessel to my shopping cart. Me and my son love getting messy with paints, so when I saw Natural Earth Paint kit I had to get one for my little painter! Another extended messy play my son loves is play dough so Veggie sculpting dough by We Can Too was must in my cart.

Veggie Play Dough

The best part of using Veggie play dough and Earth paints started from making them. They both come in powder form and you need to add little water to make it. Ruhaan's excitement started with this first step. The play dough by We Can Too is made purely out of plant based, organic food ingredients. I could smell turmeric when playing with yellow play dough! Same goes with Natural Earth Paint, these paints are made of naturally colored clay transformed into pigment through simple process of drying, crushing and sifting.

The reusable stainless steel lunch box and bottle helped our little man to go plastic free! I feel relaxed thinking I am not packing any toxins for his lunch along with food and drinks. The U.Konserve tiffin reminds me of my childhood, when all kids used to eat from steel boxes, then why did we shifted to these plastic lunch boxes full of toxins? The Eco Vessel bottle is so trendy and I selected such design that even I can take it with me, if I need to. Yes, it doesn't look like stainless steel bottle, but it is! The water stored inside doesn't get any smell even after a day or two, no toxins leaching in water! How healthy, just pure water!


My organic Baby Shop has selected such great Eco-friendly products from around the world that you can be sure that you are buying best Eco-friendly products for your children! Their baby products have such wide variety, I wish this online shop would have been there when Ruhaan was younger! Availability of sustainable baby or kids products is very important, once you decide to take up Green Parenting. Thanks to this online Eco Store, all these great products are just a click away!

Eco Vessel Bottle and U.Konserve lunch box

I don't need to tell you that I am going to be a regular buyer on this online Eco store and already have list of few products ready which include stainless steel straw, organic skin care for my son, snack bags. To shop on My Organic Baby Shop click here and start green beginnings for your little ones!