Category Archives: Sustainable Development

SEA as Sustainability Mainstreaming and Planning Tool in Jordan

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Seeking to find its own recipe for sustainability planning, Jordan is piloting Strategic Environmental Assessment as a tool for planning and managing development zones or special economic areas. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a systematic process for evaluating the environmental consequences of proposed policy, strategy or master plan in order to ensure they are fully included and appropriately addressed at the earliest appropriate stage of decision-making on par with economic and social consideration. Using a unique model, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has prepared Strategic Environmental Assessment and Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) for the Dead Sea Development Zone which was … Continue reading →

النفايات مصدر

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القراءة المتوالية في بحث وتوصيف اختصاصات ومسؤوليات المجالس البلدية ومعالجة القواعد القانونية المنظمة لها أثارت اهتمام المتابعين لما جرى نشره من موضوعات في صفحتنا على الانستغرام، وان ذلك الاهتمام يدعم الاهداف والمقاصد التي تبنيناها في تبصير المجتمع بقضايا المجالس البلدية واختصاصاتها كمنصة مهمة تجسد في جوهر مهامها قيمة مجتمعية، وينبغي ان تكون فاعلة في صون الحقوق والمصالح الاجتماعية بمختلف اتجاهاتها المعيشية والاسكانية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية والبيئية والحضرية. الاهتمام الذي لمسناه من المتابعين لهذه الموضوعات يجسد الصحوة الاجتماعية في الاهتمام بكفاءة العضو البلدي واختيار الانسب الذي يحقق مصالح المجتمع، كما ان معالجاتنا لمشكلة النفايات والاهمية الاستراتيجية للمجالس البلدية في ايجاد الحلول العملية … Continue reading →

Environmental Education: Key to a Better Future

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Tomorrow’s leaders need to be equipped for tomorrow’s challenges, and we must adequately prepare our children for the future they will inherit. As climate change is being felt across the globe and its long term catastrophic impacts have never been so scientifically clear, environmental education is the key to a better future. In an era where more and more children are disconnected from nature, we should recognize the importance of making a real investment in environmental education and outdoor learning. Studies have shown environmental education engages students in learning, raising test scores, and encouraging youth to pursue career in environmental and … Continue reading →

Rediscovering the Natural World – The Islamic Approach

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Today more than half the world’s population live in cities. Our increasingly urban lives have ensured an almost total disconnection from the natural world to the extent that it is not uncommon to meet children who believe that milk originates in plastic supermarket cartons. It is as well to be conscious of this as much is left out in their education, both religious and secular, to the extent that we are continuing to cause irreparable harm to the Earth. Muslims are no exception to this, having also adopted urban lifestyles and modern modes of living that reveal an almost complete … Continue reading →

أنسنة العمارة – بعيون معمارية أردنية

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عبر شوارع اللوبيدة (في عمان – الأردن) العابقة برائحة الياسمين، وجدت طريقي إلى ستوديو عبير صيقلي، في منزل قديم يعكس الهوية الأصيلة والملهمة للأردن. عبير صيقلي هي معمارية أردنية شابة برزت مؤخرا على  العديد من المنصات الإعلامية المحلية والعالمية بسبب ابتكارها “حياكة منزل weaving a home” والذي رشح لجائزة LEXUS Design  2012. تأثيرالتعليم والمعرفة المحلية تتأثر افضل كليات الهندسة المعمارية في الوطن العربي الى حد كبير بالتوجهات  العالمية في مجالي البيئة المبنية والاستدامة. ولسوء الحظ فان المراجع العربية مهملة بشكل كبير في عملية التدريس. ان التفكير الحديث حول البيئة المبنية وعلاقتها مع الناس والطبيعة تعتمد بشكل اساسي على التطبيقات الرقمية … Continue reading →

Important Environmental Metrics Worth Tracking

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For companies that are focused on ESG (environmental, social, governance) sustainability reporting, one of the most important things is the metrics. They help demonstrate that the report is accurate and stakeholders can use it to make the right decisions, whether for investment or buying targeted products. With the right metrics, it is also easy for companies to evaluate their progress and track goals that demonstrate their operation efficiency and impacts. There are four main areas of sustainability that companies focus on: human, economic, social, and environmental, and each comes with its own metrics. In this post, we will look at … Continue reading →

Top 3 Trends in Environmental Sustainability

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Environmental sustainability occupies an increasingly important position on the corporate agenda around the world. The major ingredients of environmental sustainability are elimination of waste and emissions, maximizing energy efficiency and productivity and minimizing practices that may adversely affect utilization of natural resources by coming generations. More and more companies are realizing the importance of environmental initiatives in business development and brand promotion. Decrease in energy and raw material usage combined with reduced emissions and waste generation can tackle a host of environmental challenges facing the world. Leading IT companies, like Microsoft, Adobe, Apple and Google, are investing in renewable sources of … Continue reading →

The Impact of Urban Heat Island Effect on Sustainability

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Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect arises due to absorption of incident radiation from the sun by built surfaces of tall buildings, roof, concrete structures and asphalt roads and then releasing it in the form of heat. The term “urban heat island” describes the built-up areas that are significantly hotter than the surrounding open, natural or rural areas. It occurs on the surface and in the atmosphere. The built surfaces are made of high-percentage of non-reflective and water-resistant construction materials. These materials act as heat sinks that absorb the radiated heat and store it for long time. The Urban Heat Island … Continue reading →

Qatar’s Fight Against Climate Change

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Qatar’s environmental records have always been in news, of course for the negative ones, but it has always strived to work towards reduction of GHGs emissions. Qatar is already doing plenty to help poor countries with financing and it seems unfair to focus on per capita emissions for a country with estimated population of 2.6 million making it the 143th most populous country on earth. (For climate talks, that is heresy). This may sound harsh, especially since Qatar’s contribution to global warming is tiny compared with the United States, China or India. In recent years, Qatar is making itself a … Continue reading →

Earth Day 2014 – Focus on Green Cities

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Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, marks the birth of modern environmental movement. Earth Day has now grown into a global tradition making it the largest civic observance in the world and is one of the widely celebrated events in which over one billion people from over 190 countries participate by taking suitable actions for saving our mother Earth. The Earth Day was first organised in 1970 to promote respect for life on the planet and to encourage awareness on air, water and soil pollution. Each year a different theme or topic is selected. Earth Day 2014 Earth Day 2014 … Continue reading →

Environmental Sustainability in Islam

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Islamic beliefs, traditions and values provide an effective and comprehensive solution to the current environmental challenges faced by the human race. Islam has a rich tradition of highlighting the importance of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources. According to Islamic law, the basic elements of nature – land, water, fire, forest, and light – belong to all living things, not just human beings. The Holy Qur’an and Sunnah are a guiding light to promote sustainable development in Islamic countries as well as around the world. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) commands human beings to avoid doing mischief and wasting resources … Continue reading →

القيمة المشتركة للشركات: الاتجاهات في عالم الشركات

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ماذا لو قامت الشركات بعمل جيد وكسبت المال في الآن نفسه ؟ يعتقد رواد الأعمال الذين يتبعون فكرة القيمة المشتركة للشركات أن بإمكانهم تحقيق ذلك. ويقول العديد من مؤيدي الفكرة  أنها ستعيد تعريف الرأسمالية وإحياءها . في هذا الإطار،  قام  كل من  الاستاذ بكلية الأعمال في جامعة هارفرد مايكل بورتر و المدير الإداري لشركة الاستشارات الاجتماعية للأثر الاجتماعي مارك كارمر بدراسة اتجاه القيمة المشتركة للشركات عام 2011 من خلال مقال بحثي بجامعة هارفرد، وتم خلاله تعريف القيمة المشتركة على أنها: جيل جديد من التفكير التجاري الذي يعزز الوضع التنافسي للشركة وتطوير المجتمع الذي يعمل فيه في آن واحد. حملت المقالة … Continue reading →