Editor’s Letter
A convert’s goodbye C
hange is a good thing’, so the saying goes. And so it is, that after close to three years in Dubai, I will be leaving the region and heading to London; I will not, however, be going home empty handed. I’ve learnt that Dubai, and the Middle East in general, forces you to adapt to change very quickly. It’s a great place to be if you’re looking to be innovative and that’s perhaps why the ‘green’ movement, which only a few years ago was virtually nonexistent, is standing tall, dominating the newsstands and changing the way business is done. And what a difference a year makes; while I wasn’t sceptical when I started on BuildGreen that it was possible for sustainability to be accepted across the marketplace, I was at least cautious. I was wrong to be cautious and as I go back to the UK, I will be taking with me detailed knowledge of sustainable practices, a strong understanding of the causes of climate change and the will to do something about the problems facing our planet. Loukia Papadopoulos, our new editor, will now take over the editorial reins of BuildGreen, a publication I am extremely proud to have been a part of and I sincerely hope she has as much fun editing it as I have.
Wherever I look, it seems to me that different industrial sectors are undergoing a ‘green’ transformation. We are seeing many more positives than the abundant negatives of a year ago; whether it’s in the reduction of greenwashing promotional campaigns, or in the growing number of people involved in environmental movements, or even the rise in companies adopting ecofriendly CSR programmes — it all adds up to one thing: progress. It’s also pleasing to see that there are plenty of ‘green’ exhibitions, conferences and networking forums taking place across the Middle East now, and in their role of supporting the growth of the business community, they are also acting to create a diverse, energetic and vigorous community of individuals who are fuelling the adoption of sustainable practices. I would like to thank all our readers, contributors, advertising partners and the staff on the BuildGreen team and the rest of CPI for your support and for helping to make the last year one of the most interesting and exciting I have experienced so far. I’m off, but if and when I come back to the region I hope to see a marketplace that has fully embraced the ideals of sustainability.
Publisher Dominic De Sousa Associate Publisher Liam Williams liam@cpidubai.com COO Nadeem Hood nadeem@cpidubai.com Director Business Development Alex Bendiouis alex@cpidubai.com Group Sales Manager Rhiannon Downie rhiannon@cpidubai.com Business Development Manager Nayab Rafiq nayab@cpidubai.com
Editor Ben Watts ben@cpidubai.com Contributing Editors Loukia Papadopoulos loukia@cpidubai.com Melanie Mingas melanie@cpidubai.com
Ben Watts Editor ben@cpidubai.com
Web developers Jerus King Bation Erik Briones Jefferson de Joya Louie Alma Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC Published by
Christine Fashugba christine@cpidubai.com Designer/Photographer Marlou Delaben marlou@cpidubai.com Photographer Cris Mejorada cris@cpidubai.com Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy P Maagma
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