Earthna Center to push sustainability forward

Doha: Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future will help government entities, private sector and research organisations to be more sustainable, said an official.

“The main purpose of the Center is to make sustainability policies that provide solutions for challenges in the country,” said Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and Stakeholder Engagement at the Center, Engineer Meshal M Al Shamari.

Earthna (which means our legacy in Arabic) Center for a Sustainable Future is a non-profit policy research and advocacy center established under Qatar Foundation (QF) to inform and influence national and global sustainability policy.

Speaking in a Qatar TV programme recently, Al Shamari said: “To understand sustainability concept we have to go back to old days where our forefathers lived utilising the primary materials available in the country.”

 He said that sustainability means to utilise natural resources in a way to preserve them for future generations.

“Under ‘Plant Million Tree’ initiative to reduce carbon footprint, trees from local eco-system such as Sidr and Al Samur are being planted as  these trees have the ability to sustain in hot climate,” said Al Shamari.

He said that there are a number of environmental projects by QF and other centers for restoration of meadows and tree plantation. 

“The concept of sustainability and environment protection has been also added in architectural system. We prepared some booklets which help designers of city planning how to use trees of local eco-system in plantation,” said Al Shamari. Regarding the concept of sustainability in green building, he said that building materials such as stones and marbles for green buildings should be imported from local and regional markets within a radius of 500km as maximum to lower the environmental impacts. “Sustainable buildings or green buildings are designed in a way to meet certain environmental requirements,” said Al Shamari.

He said that the requirements include building orientation, suitable place, ventilation, insulation for walls and roofs, recycled building materials, double glasses, eco-friendly lightnings, high energy efficient air-conditioning system among others to ensure sustainability. A house could be converted into green building by making home appliances energy efficient for example lighting system, air-conditioning, geezer, windows and insulation among others Al Shamari said.

“Houses need minor changes for converting them into green unlike big buildings and towers which might have some engineering complication to do so,” added Al Shamari.

He said that two main aspects needed for a green building are highly-efficient appliances and behaviours of users towards sustainability, for example rationalization of electricity and water consumption. He said Msheireb City has highest number of green buildings in the world. It is also a smart and sustainable city.  To a question about the role of electric vehicles to preserve environment and ensure sustainability, he said that many countries of the world promoting electric vehicles.

”I think in the coming years many countries will be able to switch fully from petrol-powered vehicles to electric vehicles,” said Al Shamari. 

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