The Ethicalist Issue 2: May to July 2024

THE ETHICALIST

THE

May – July 2024

| AED 40

ET H I CA L I S T

T H E

U A E ’ S

F I R S T

S U S T A I N A B L E

L I F E S T Y L E

M A G A Z I N E

S U S T A I N A B L E • S T Y L I S H • S M A R T

e s o R t r e s e D E C O FA S H I O N

Bloom in fuchsia pink,

DELICATE FLORAL PRINTS

and pretty petal accessories

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REAL LIFE

E C O D E B AT E

REPORT

I married a Maasai warrior

Can you eat meat and still be an environmentalist?

The lost children of Gaza

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EDITORS’ LETTER

THE

Welcome to

ET H I CA L I S T

THE UAE’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE.

W

hen we started The Ethicalist we always knew we’d be shining a light on conservation, the environment and championing leaders who challenge and disrupt the status quo to create lasting change. What we weren’t expecting was to have to highlight how desperately we need to save children as well as the planet.

But the situation in Gaza, which dominates the headlines and our TV screens daily, is so dire now that we decided we had to focus on the lost children there – those without a home, a family, and, right now, barely a future – after being bombarded constantly. What we also hadn’t figured on was just how resilient and brave kids are, even very young ones, and how they are clinging onto hope in the bleakest of circumstances.

That’s why this issue we bring you the story on page 4 of the Camps Breakerz crew – a small gang of breakdance instructors who are helping children aged four to 16 find rhythm amongst the rubble of Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. The Breakerz’ synchronised moves offer a brief respite from the harsh realities of life and what co-founder Ahmed Alghariz calls an ‘escape from the brutal Israeli siege.’ It’s a report unapologetically full of horror, heartbreak, but ultimately hope for which we have to thank the dedication and bravery of people like 18-yearold Mousa, known to his followers on Instagram as @palcbc. Every day he posts pictures, reels and stories of the crew dancing in the bombed-out streets and buildings, smiling while being kids and teenagers again – and proving that, for a few minutes at least, they’re not lost children after all.

Real people with extraordinary lives seem to be a theme in this issue where, on page 10, we interview Stephanie Fuchs who married a Maasai warrior. It wasn’t as easy adapting as she first imagined but she’s learnt from Sokoine, his family and villagers and now feels closer to their way of life – and nature.

We also ask can you be an environmentalist if you eat meat (page 16), introduce you to the man who is on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth and other extinct animals (page 20) and bring you some delicious vegan fine dining recipes from Gault&Millau Sustainability Champion of the Year UAE 2023, chef Russell Impiazzi, on page 72.

As ever The Ethicalist is printed on wood-free Forest Steward Council (FSC) approved paper from Europe with soybean ink. It’s so eco-friendly, in fact, that covers aside, the entire magazine can be composted. We’ve also created our own forest with One Tree Planted to offset our emissions and have given you not one but two covers – there’s one on the back, too – to make the magazine twice as fun and last twice as long!

Please let us know what you think at hello@ethicalistmag.com and don’t forget to keep up to date with the latest stories that matter on our daily digital platform theethicalist.com and listen to our new podcast On The Couch With The Ethicalist on Spotify.

AS EVER THE ETHICALIST IS PRINTED ON WOOD-FREE FOREST STEWARD COUNCIL (FSC) APPROVED PAPER FROM EUROPE WITH SOYBEAN INK. IT’S SO ECO-FRIENDLY IN FACT, THAT COVERS ASIDE, THE ENTIRE MAGAZINE CAN BE COMPOSTED

Until the next issue,

Anthea and Karen

EDITORIAL Anthea Ayache, Founder anthea@ethicalistmag.com Karen Pasquali Jones, Editor-in-Chief karen@ethicalistmag.com Juan Geel, Creative Director

Advertising Mark Pickup, Commercial Director mark@ethicalistmag.com

Distribution Alaina Mutti, Marketing Manager alaina@ethicalistmag.com

The Ethicalist Magazine License: 17001965 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 2024 The Ethicalist Magazine All rights Reserved theethicalist.com No part of this magazine may be copied, transmitted or distributed without the express written consent of The Ethicalist.

Printed in the UAE on FSC certified wood-free paper with chemical-free soybean ink. FSC certification ensures that paper products have been sourced from forests that are managed with strict environmental, social and economic standards.

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CONTENTS 16

Can You Eat Meat And Be An Environmentalist?

Does the ‘occasional’ cheeseburger or slice of pepperoni pizza dent your eco credentials or can you fall off a vegan diet and still show you care for the planet?

O4

20

The Lost Children Of Gaza

A Mammoth Task

The brave children finding rhythm in the rubble of Gaza where, for the few minutes they’re breakdancing, they can forget about the war

10

Meet the man on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth and a menagerie of other extinct animals in a Jurassic Park-style feat of engineering

36

Fashion: In Bloom

I Married A Maasai Warrior

German volunteer researcher Stephanie Fuchs fell in love with Sokoine the moment she saw him but could she adjust to life in his tribal village?

Grow your sustainable wardrobe with fuchsia pink, delicate floral motifs and pretty petal accessories

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PLUS

52

24 Don’t Forget Your New Carbon Passport!

Will we be saving up our emissions for an annual holiday in the future?

28 Bearing The Scars The cruel rush for bear bile ‘gold’

Jane Goodall: ‘When Nature Suffers, We Suffer’

32 Gen Z Are Saving The Planet They’re the green generation trying to stop global warming

The 90-year-old primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace talks about just how important the future generation is in saving our planet during a visit to Dubai Expo City

48 Parched Earth Does climate change mean we’re running out of water?

72

Vegan Fine Dining

Plant-based recipes from the Gault&Millau Sustainability Champion of the Year UAE 2023

56 Why Do We Always Save The Cutest Animals?

Are ‘ugly’ endangered animals being neglected in favour of ones that conform to our standards of beauty?

60 Ashes To Earth How to have a greener funeral 66 Wild About Saving Animals The previously mute artist who gives animals a voice with her work 81 W-Hotel’s Vegan Menu Options Have The Wow Factor Akira Back is rolling out the green carpet for plant-based diners 82 Into the blue Swim with vibrant fishes and see coral restoration projects in the Maldives 84 Dreamy Desert Escapes Responsible resorts offering wildlife safaris and dining under the stars

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94 Bagging An Investment Why your accountant wants you to buy a pre-loved designer handbag – or ten!

99 Decluttering For A Cause Our Conscious Clothes Swap Party helped others and the planet

Out Of (Eco) Africa

From cheetah tracking on foot to picnics on top of the world, Samara Karoo Reserve is a safari with style and soul

102 New Wave Wellness The latest technologies helping us look and feel our best

90

Does Your Child Have Nature-Deficit Disorder?

As urbanisation forces children indoors, an entire generation is suffering

106 Jodie Kidd’s Beauty Secrets The former supermodel is now the face of natural beauty brand Skin & Tonic 110 Do you have Rushing Woman’s Syndrome?

Doing it all takes a toll but here’s how to stop feeling ‘wired and tired’ 114 Summer sanctuaries The most sublime places in the UAE to connect with nature in the summer 116 Eco Legend Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $100m to help wildlife and the environment

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COVER STORY

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THE LOST CHILDREN OF

Many are orphans and even those with families are starving and trapped in camps under constant bombardment but these children refuse to be victims of war, expressing their freedom in an unusual way

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BY ANTHEA AYACHE

n a small abandoned plot in Rafah City, in Gaza, sandwiched between decaying breezeblock buildings and improvised shelters, sisters Rania, 11, and Totah, aged five, gather with their eightmember breakdancing crew for a filmed dance routine. Even though it is a sandy, debris-laden floor serving as their stage, against a backdrop of rubble and makeshift camps, the girls dance in their unkempt clothes with the innocence and enthusiasm typical of any child their age. Despite the destruction that surrounds them, they smile confidently to the camera, finding happines in their amateur performance.

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The synchronised breakdance moves, taught by the Gaza-based Camps Breakerz crew, offer a moment of respite from the harsh realities of war that now define the daily lives of Gaza’s children. But the joy captured on t he Inst ag ra m page of t hei r brave instructor Mousa Alghariz, 18, known to his growing followers as @palcbc, is fleeting. A mere few days later, tragedy struck. A f ter fleeing Rafah with their families to seek apparent safet y in the c r a mp e d Nu s e i r at Pa le s t i n i a n refugee camp near the border with Eg y pt, R ania and Totah’s hopes and dreams were ripped away by an Israeli airstrike, claiming both their lives.

‘I remember them being born,’ Camps Breakerz co-founder Ahmed Alghariz, also known as Sharkcbc, tells The Ethicalist. ‘Breakdancing was their escape from the brutal Israeli siege. The girls loved to dance – it was how they both manifested and expressed their freedom. The instructors were their teachers, friends, and family.’

Gaza’s Tiny Tombstones

According to Palestinian officials, children represent over one-third of the 33,000 casualties in Israel’s extended assault on Gaza that was launched on 27 October, 2023.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the Ministry of Health in Gaza, in the six months following the attacks on 7 October, 2024, which claimed the lives of 33 children, the toll on young children continues to rise. More than 13,800 children have lost their lives in Gaza, with an additional 113 in the West Bank.

That’s one Palestinian child killed every 15 minutes, or one out of every 100 children in the Gaza Strip. This is higher than the number of children killed in four years of wars around the world combined.

Additionally, tens of thousands of young lives have been irreversibly altered by severe injuries from relentless bombardments, many resulting in amputations. With few hospitals functioning, the situation is dire for those targeted in attacks.

‘In my 20 years with the UN I have never seen such devastation,’ said

THE DEATH TOLL FOR CHILDREN STOOD AT 13,750 AT THE END OF MARCH. THAT’S ONE PALESTINIAN CHILD KILLED EVERY 15 MINUTES, OR ABOUT ONE OUT OF EVERY 100 CHILDREN IN THE GAZA STRIP. THIS NUMBER IS HIGHER THAN THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN KILLED IN FOUR YEARS OF WARS AROUND THE WORLD COMBINED

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Samia al-Atrash, cradles her lost niece killed in an Israeli strike

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder reporting on his latest aid mission to the north. ‘It’s just chaos, ruin, debris and rubble in every single direction that I look.’

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which is ‘such a critical place for children with the wounds of war,’ is no longer even operational. Only one third of Gaza’s hospitals are ‘partially functional’ now, Elder says.

Victims of Starvation

But it’s not just the bombs threatening Gaza’s children. The Israeli blockade, which includes border crossing closures, access denials, extensive vetting procedures along with restrictions on communications and protective equipment, has severely restricted the movement of goods and people, leaving thousands of families struggling to access basic supplies.

I n m id-Ma r c h t he I nte g r ate d Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that the entire Gaza Strip had seen a massive surge in the number of people experiencing ‘c ata st rophic hunger,’ tota l ling

1.1 m i l l ion p e ople. T h i s f ig u r e represents approximately half of the population.

Children have already begun dying of dehydration and malnutrition.

Social media is flooded with severely distressing images showing babies, toddlers and children whose rib cages jut out from taut skin, their bones starkly visible. Save the Children confirmed in early April that so far 27 children have died due to starvation – the youngest only a few days old – and warned that children in Gaza are not getting the food and medical care they need to survive.

‘This war is causing an entire generation of children to lose their childhood and future,’ says Hiba Tibi, Country Director for CARE, a charity in the West Bank and Gaza that fights global poverty by empowering girls and women. ‘Imagine watching your baby perish in front of your eyes simply because you cannot get her the food she needs?

‘Imagine hearing your children’s cries for bread, but there is nothing you can give to them? The situation is

Medical staff in Gaza try to provide care with limited resources

unbearable, unjustifiable and needs to stop immediately.’ On 26 January, 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take ‘immediate and effective’ steps to enable the provision of basic services and the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Gaza as part of its interim ruling in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in the enclave.

In the month following the order, the limited amount of aid entering Gaza dropped by half, according to UN officials though it had started trickling through at the time of going to print.

Before the conflict, around 500 commercial and humanitarian trucks entered Gaza daily. The average number stands at one third of that now. In February, 2024, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency reported that around 97 trucks entered Gaza each day, contrasting sharply with the January average of around 150 trucks per day. There have even been prolonged periods where nothing reached the northern areas for weeks.

When relief trucks do sporadically arrive, footage shows crowds of people scrambling for aid. Displaced and orphaned children cry and fight over meagre rations of stale bread.

Harrowing scenes on social media show children desperately thrusting forward bowls of all shapes and sizes, as they clamour for rations.

Recently, there were reports of families from Northern Gaza, who survived Israel’s bombardment, moving to Rafah in Southern Gaza to find food. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have indicated plans for an expanded military intervention in Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are currently sheltering.

‘Rafah is a city of children, 600,000 girls and boys,’ said UNICEF’s James Elder. ‘A military offensive in Rafah?

“Offensive” is the right word.’

Referring to a recent IPC analysis highlighting Gaza’s alarming descent towards famine, he also underscored that one in three children under the age of two are now facing malnutrition in the Northern Gaza Strip. Before the conflict, one in 100 children under five were malnourished.

‘This speaks to utter deprivation,’ he said, ‘of the devastation of things children rely on – water and health systems – but it also speaks to

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what the numbers speak of, which is a lethal lack of food and nutrition aid still not getting to the north.’ Videos circulating on social media have shown residents in the north of the enclave resorting to cooking and consuming grass and weeds as a desperate means to survive the severe shortage of food supplies. And even animal feed, often ground into flour as a last-ditch effort for bread, is dwindling in availability.

‘I can’t find words to describe the reality,’ Michelle Nunn, CARE CEO said recently on social media. ‘The crisis in Gaza is the worst I have witnessed in this region in this century. It is well past the time of practicality. There is no time to spare.’

Dr. Umaiyeh Khammash, Director of Juzoor, CARE’s Palestinian partner warned: ‘Mothers and fathers are devastated, trying whatever they can to keep their children alive. Infectious diseases, lack of food, clean water, and the ongoing bombardment are a lethal cocktail for children’s health.

Our staff on the ground are doing a heroic job, but if things don’t change quickly, we will see a catastrophic level of death from starvation.’

Although a famine declaration doesn’t prompt any official action, it can concentrate global awareness.

But as Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said: ‘Once a famine is declared, it is too late for too many people.’

Deliberate Deaths

The cruelty of withholding vital food and aid is not the only threat to Gaza’s young population: many face the indiscriminate extinguishing of lives daily. In mid-February, a panel of UN experts from the Human Rights Council levelled accusations against the Israeli military, alleging deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians even as they sought refuge, notably those who were clearly non-combatants.

‘We are shocked by reports of the deliberate targeting and extrajudicial killing of Palestinian women and children in places where they sought refuge, or while fleeing. Some of them were reportedly holding white pieces of cloth when they were killed by the Israeli army or affiliated forces,’ the group said.

At the start of the year a tragic video online showed three-year-old

Mousa with Rania and Totah, also pictured below right

‘MANY CHILDREN HAVE TOLD US THEY FORGET ABOUT THE WAR WHEN THEY PRACTICE OR COME TO US AND JOIN IN OUR ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE HAD PRICELESS MOMENTS WITH THE CHILDREN EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THIS CHALLENGING SITUATION. FOR BOTH THEM, AND FOR US.’ Emad Abu al-Qura and his cousin, Hadeel, a 20-year-old female medical student, being shot outside their home as they went to buy mandarins, both deliberately targeted, the family believes, by an Israeli sniper.

The phone footage captures the pair lying in the street, with Emad still alive after the initial attack, attempting to raise his head. More shots echo nearby, one hitting the ground close to Emad, while another strikes a plank beside him that was being used to try and pull him to safety. Emad’s mother recounted that he was struck again and killed.

Other innocent casualties include 14-year-old Nahedh Barbakh, who, alongside his 20-year-old brother Ramez, was struck by sniper fire while getting ready to be forcibly removed from their home in AlAmal, in the west of Khan Yunis, According to an eyewitness interviewed by the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Nahedh was holding a white flag to guide his family, but as he ventured just a few steps outside the house, a

bul l e t st ruc k his l e g . Wh e n he attempted to retreat home, he was shot in the back and the head. Ramez was fatally shot through the heart while trying to rescue his brother.

According to the witness, the family watched the execution and was unable to remove their bodies. They also asserted that the gunfire

Mousa at the Camps Breakerz studio before the Israeli strike

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Mousa breakdances outside the CB studio

Restoring the Camps Breakerz studio after the February strike

originated from the rooftop of a nearby building seized by Israeli soldiers. Euro-Med Monitor cited this crime as further evidence of Israel’s widespread, unjustified and systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians, pointing to a devastating pattern of the premeditated murder and extrajudicial execution of

defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.

More recently, the Israeli army violated international law by fatally shooting 13 children at Al-Shifa Medical Complex and in the surrounding areas of Gaza City.

According to eye witness reports given to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli army ordered people via loudspeakers to leave their homes immediately or face having them bombed. They claim they were only able to walk a few metres before they were showered with bullets.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor field team say they received identical testimonies about the killings of children between the ages of four and 16 around the Al-Shifa complex which was turned into an Israeli military barracks after a siege on 18 March. They described the killings as ‘part of the genocide that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been experiencing for the past six months.’

Since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza, a report based on satellite imagery by the Occupied Palestinian Territory Education Cluster, co-led by UNICEF and the NGO Save the Children, also revealed that at least 53 schools have been demolished. There are 625,000 registered students in Gaza but no child has had any formal education since October 2023.

Dancing for Hope

Hospitals, schools and even dance studios have not been left unscathed by the months of bombardments.

T h e C a mp s B r e a k e r z s t u d i o , which once served as a beacon of hope for up to 200 youths in the Nusairat refugee camp, was hit on 23 February during the same air strike that stole sisters Rania and Totah’s lives.

For over two decades the Camps Breakerz Crew have been offering dance education and entertainment programs to the community. Through the art of breaking and hip hop, they have provided a vital outlet for selfexpression and trauma release for the children aged between four and 16, empowering them to navigate the challenges of their environment with resilience and creativity. Their aim was, and still remains, to bring smiles and laughter to children through the joy of breakdancing.

‘Many children have told us that they forget about the war when they practice, or come to us and join in our activities,’ says Ahmed. ‘We have had many priceless moments with the children even in the midst of this challenging situation. For both them, and for us.’

While the ongoing bombardments have partially destroyed their studio, it has not destroyed their spirt.

Mousa is back to offering classes amidst the shelled remains, providing children with a semblance of normalcy amid the chaos of war.

Mousa, who is still only an adolescent himself, selflessly carries the emotional burden of many younger children each day, sharing their dance classes on Instagram daily.

His stories online initially included the phrase ‘Still Alive’ alongside the number of days the genocide had been ongoing. But after more than 100 days of relentless destruction his posts shifted to a haunting ‘Still Alive…but we stopped counting.’

‘The surviving children are now back without their best friends in the remains of the Camps Breakers studio which was bombed,’ explains cofounder Ahmed. ‘The Camps Breakerz story is only a drop in the ocean of destruction and colonisation that Israel has been committing in occupied Palestine for the last 76 years. We will remember the stories of Rania, Totah and the other lost children. We will keep fighting for a free Palestine and for our collective liberation. We will never give up.’

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I MARRIED A

Stephanie Fuchs, 37, a conservationist from Germany, fell in love with Maasai warrior Sokoine Papaa while working as a researcher on an island off the coast of Tanzania. Marrying him she has learnt a lot about his culture, nature – and conservation

B

BY KAREN PASQUALI JONES

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owling along the dirt track, dust flying with every step, and under a sky so vast and low that I thought I could reach up and touch it, I couldn’t wait to see where I’d be living for the next six months.

I’d just arrived in Utende, on the island of Mafia, off the coast of Tanzania where I’d been working as a biology research volunteer for an NGO called Frontier.

Now I’d come to this fishing village to continue my research, studying fish population, and I looked around, taking in the wooden huts of the local fishermen and families, eager to know more. ‘It’s so quiet,’ I thought. I’d expected the stench of fish, the crash of waves and squawk of birds overhead as they circled, hoping to steal a morsel or two of the fishermen’s haul.

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But we were actually slightly inland, where there was nothing but this sandy path, the traditional huts, and silence. The path took us up a hill, so carrying my bags, I began the ascent – and then I looked up and suddenly there was only him. It was as if I had tunnel vision and couldn’t focus on anything but this one Maasai Warrior. He was walking towards us with two other Maasai, but I was fixated on him. He was breathtaking.

He was taller, and broader than the others, with a traditional red and purple cloth wrapped around his body. He was wearing anklets of white beads that glinted in the sun and reached up to his calves. In his ears dangled what looked like small white plates, blowing in the breeze.

‘Habari,’ I blurted out as he neared me, his eyes widening slightly at hearing this white woman saying hello in Swahili. ‘Habari,’ he smiled, getting ready to walk on.

I stepped to the side, but I didn’t want him to go. I wanted to get to know him, find out his name. I wanted to stare into those cat-like eyes of burnished amber, but the trio seemed in a hurry. I watched him go, trying to shrug off the encounter, but inside I suddenly felt hollowed out, as if something was missing. Him. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I chided myself. ‘He didn’t even notice you.

Forget about him.’ But he’d left a huge impression and I wanted to find out more about him and the Maasai. It didn’t take long. His name was Sokoine Papaa and he was a security guard at the local diving school.

Over the next six weeks, I’d go to a café near the dive school for a drink with friends I’d made on the island.

As I walked along the beach, I’d yearn to catch a glimpse of him. When I did he’d smile, but that was all. ‘He’s not interested,’ I told myself, but still I’d go to the café, hoping to see Sokoine.

He’d be in there with his friends sometimes, and I’d grin, trying to tempt him to sit with us, but the Maasai kept themselves to themselves and I realised it was utterly pointless.

But then one day as I tucked into a plate of chips, my friend Michael said: ‘Oh look, here comes your Maasai.’

I quickly turned my head to see Sokoine approaching. ‘Why are you saying that?’ I said, confused. ‘Don’t you know?’ Michael said. ‘He likes

My gorgeous Maasai warrior husband and our son Yannik

you!’ Michael insisted that Sokoine had told people he liked me. It gave me the confidence to go over to him.

We spoke in Swahili – he didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak his language, Maa – but what we didn’t know in words, we said in smiles and with our eyes. ‘So what are we going to do now?’ he finally said – and I didn’t know.

I was out of my depth. I was 24 and from Frankfurt in Germany. I didn’t know anything but the basics about the Maasai culture. But I did know this wasn’t some holiday fling. We couldn’t toy with each other. We were in full-heartedly, or we had to walk away before it became complicated.

‘Give me a week,’ I told him. ‘I need to think.’ Being with Sokoine would mean immersing myself in the Maasai culture, one that was a world

away from the West. But I didn’t have to think for long. My heart told me my answer: yes, so I listened to it.

I went to find him. He led me to the beach. It was the first time we were together under the stars of the Tanzanian night sky. Holding his hand, I knew I was already in love with him.

It was March 2011 and I only had another three weeks on the island before I had to return to the mainland for a couple of months. ‘Come to my village when you come back,’ he said and I nodded.

Sokoine couldn’t read or write, but he asked his friend to send texts from his mobile phone. ‘I miss you,’ they’d say. ‘Me too,’ I replied.

Nerves and excitement swirled through me as we entered his village, Lesoit, on my return. I was going to

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The Maasai are noble, live on the land and have their traditions

meet his mum, dad, seven siblings and 14 half siblings. ‘My father has three wives,’ Sokoine explained. ‘I’m the eldest, the first born from his first wife.’ His family welcomed me with open arms. ‘You are our guest,’ his mother, Yayai, said.

We were allowed to sleep in the same hut, made of wood, sand and cow dung, as his family already saw me as his wife. The village was in the middle of the bush, where there were leopards, hyenas and, in the dry season, elephants. There was no running water, electricity, toilet or any of the things I’d been used to back in Germany, or even on the mainland of Tanzania, but I didn’t care.

Everyone spoke Maa, which I still didn’t understand and so we spoke Swahili. The Maasai were so different from anyone I’d ever known: gentle,

An elder blessed us during our Maasai wedding ceremony

noble and they treated me – the Western woman with no family as my single mother had died six months before I went to Tanzania – as one of their own.

That’s why after a few months of to-ing and fro-ing between Europe and the village, I decided in January 2012 to move there permanently. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to adapt to his culture but I needed to try because Sokoine didn’t want to live anywhere else, so this was the only way we could be together. And I couldn’t imagine life now without him.

So I went back, and we decided to get married. We didn’t need a piece of paper to prove how we felt about each other, but the truth was my visa was due to run out soon.

It didn’t sound very romantic saying ‘I do’ for a residence permit but

I loved him and couldn’t have been happier. We had to go to a register office in Dar es Salaam on 8 February, 2012, so it was just the two of us with two witnesses. The night before we ate rice and I woke up in the early hours with food poisoning. I vomited all night, and wanted to crawl back to bed rather than get married, but Sokoine helped me there.

He wore his Maasai cloths while I was dressed in a green shirt, black skirt and flip flops. We didn’t have any rings or a bouquet of flowers. ‘I don’t care about any of that,’ I told Sokoine. ‘I just want you.’ He grinned.

‘You’re already my wife,’ he said.

Afterwards I went straight back to bed as I felt so ill.

Back with his family we had a huge Maasai ceremony in the April where a piece of bark from a tree was wound round my wrist and neck and an elder gave us a blessing. Everyone danced until dawn and we had drinks and a lot of food. Sokoine gave me a cow as a wedding present along with my own goat. I called the cow Pesa which means money in Swahili.

I was now an official part of the family but it was hard adjusting. Even though I was surrounded by people, I was lonely and often felt out of place.

The Maasai way of life is slow, and resolves around their livestock so as soon as the animals are out grazing in the forest, there wasn’t much to do.

There weren’t any shops, TV or the internet, just my books to read.

But instead there was so much beauty living in harmony with the wildlife and nature. It’s a life where you had to walk 45 minutes every other day to fetch water for cooking and washing. A life where you cooked over an open fire and ate the same food – Ugali, a dish made with maize flour – every single day.

Yet, it was a life that was beautiful in its rawness. I watched animals give birth, first a sheep, then a cow and a dog, and then Sokoine’s cousin, Kaye, asked me to be with her when she had her first baby.

I was so honoured by this and in awe of how the women in the village supported and helped one another. It took me a few years but finally I was ready to be a mum, too. In May 2015, I became pregnant.

‘I’m going to be a father,’ Sokoine said, his voice tinged with pride. He

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loved seeing my bump grow, and later feeling the baby wriggling and kicking inside me. I bloomed out in nature, but I wasn’t prepared to give birth in the bush. I was scared something might go wrong.

So we went to the biggest hospital in Tanzania, where after 30 hours of labour, the doctor told me: ‘You need a Caesarean section.’ I was given a full anaesthetic as that is the norm there, and I woke up to find out I’d had a baby boy, Yannik.

‘He’s the most handsome baby in the nursery,’ Sokoine said, tears welling. I’d never seen him cry – in the Maasai that’s reserved for when people die. I couldn’t wait to hold our son, and when I did I looked into his face and thought ‘there you are.’ I loved him instantly, and stroked his handsome face and soft hair, drinking in his warm, milky scent.

Back in the village, my mother-inlaw moved into our hut with me and the baby for three months while Sokoine went to stay with one of his brothers. ‘This is the custom,’ he explained when I looked upset.

I wasn’t expected to do anything except look after my son – Yayai and the other women did everything for us, but I missed my husband. We hardly saw him and there was no affection when I did. That was normal for the Maasai – PDAs are frowned upon – but I needed to feel loved by Sokoine. I did nothing, it seemed, except breast-feed.

I didn’t even have any nappies to change – babies in the Maasai are simply allowed to go to the toilet freely and then are cleaned – but every day seemed to go on forever. I fell into a depression, a grim apathy that blanketed me. I wasn’t interested in anything. I was numb.

And then one day I thought: ‘You need to make a decision. Either waste your life away feeling like this, go home or surrender yourself to the Maasai culture.’ It was the only way to feel alive again.

For the first time I was torn between my European roots and my new life. But I loved Sokoine and our son. I couldn’t leave.

There was also something so special about the Maasai. Their culture was rich, and their roots deeply bound to the land they live on.

It was why after we saw first-hand the

Adjusting to life with the Maasai at first was hard.

I was lonely.

‘I GET ASKED IF I MISS ANYTHING FROM MY OLD LIFE AND I SAY: ‘WHAT IS THERE TO MISS?’ I MIGHT NOT HAVE RUNNING WATER AND WALK AROUND IN DIRTY CLOTHES BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER’

I started a sewing circle and feel part of the Maasai now

effects of climate change in 2017 – when the rain didn’t come and our cattle got skinnier and skinner in the drought and then starved to death – that I knew I had to fight for my family as well as the culture of the Maasai that I had come to love and respect so much.

They were the original guardians of this land and they needed to keep it fertile, and to save the environment from the devastating damage humans were making. I decided to create a

crowdfunding campaign to raise money for our village leadership to attend a land management training course in Kenya that cost $5,000 (AED 18,350). That’s why I started my Instagram page @masai_story, which quickly amassed a following.

People were fascinated with my life among the Maasai.

We raised the money and the leaders came back full of ideas that we’ve implemented in the village. I also started a sewing program with my sister-in-law Sendo for the women in our village to make reusable sanitary pads which we distribute in our village and beyond.

I also started making YouTube videos about my new life, and I was asked to write a book, Maasai Story which will be released on 21 May. Sokoine is proud of me. Our son is now eight, and is a Maasai boy, who speaks Maa, Swahili and English and can read and write.

I often get asked if I miss anything from my old life and I say: ‘What is there to miss?’ I might not have running water and walk around in dirty clothes most days of the week, but these things don’t matter.

I’m with my family 24/7. I live with an incredible indigenous people who are resilient and care about the environment. I have more than most people ever get in a lifetime – I feel truly free. I am happy.

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Does having the ‘occasional’ cheeseburger or slice of pepperoni pizza dent your eco-credentials or can you fall off a vegan diet and still show you care for the planet? The Ethicalist investigates...

BY MIKE PEAKE

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et’s imagine that ‘caring about the planet’ is a large pan of soup bubbling away on your green-energy-powered Aga. The ingredients for your own special blend may include biodiversity, responsible consumption, recycling and a multitude of other deliciously principled goodies.

While your concoction won’t be the same as the next eco chef’s, the fact that you’re making this metaphorical soup at all is something to be applauded.

However, if there’s any meat in your recipe, there’s a school of thought that says it can’t possibly count as an environmental soup at all.

‘The truth is, if you eat meat, you’re contributing to one of the worst cases of environmental destruction,’ declares the Mercy For Animals website, who point to UN figures stating that greenhouse gases caused by raising animals to eat account for around 15 per cent of all human-induced emissions globally.

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The LA-based non-profit organisation isn’t plucking nonsensical numbers from thin air. The BBC adds some similarly alarming statistics that beef production results in a whopping 50kg of greenhouse gases – including methane which, according to the UN, is 80 times more harmful than CO2 for 20 years after it is released – for every 100 gms of edible protein.

Livestock farming has been called ‘catastrophic’ for our planet. As well as contributing to global emissions, it is also believed to be responsible for a devastating 91 per cent of Amazon deforestation. That’s why the UN argued in a recent report that we must move to a ‘plant-heavy’ food system to ‘combat biodiversity loss’.

An Oxford University study, which was published in the journal Science, claimed that adopting a meat and dairy-free diet was ‘probably the single biggest way’ to reduce our impact on the Earth. The research showed that the farmland used to produce meat and dairy could be reduced by 75 per cent – an area equivalent to America, China, Europe and Australia combined – and still feed the world.

Researchers insisted that huge reductions in meat eating, including consuming 90 per cent less beef, is ‘essential’ to avoid dangerous climate change, though currently only one to three per cent of the world is vegan.

Even the wiliest of politicians may struggle to convincingly beef up their argument that eating meat is good for the planet (although ending the livelihoods of thousands of livestock

‘IF WE CHANGE TOWARDS A PLANTBASED DIET, WE COULD SAVE UP TO EIGHT BILLION TONNES OF C02 EVERY SINGLE YEAR,’ INSISTS ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNER GRETA THUNBERG, WHO REPORTEDLY WENT VEGAN AT THE AGE OF 10.‘WE COULD FEED OURSELVES ON MUCH LESS LAND, AND NATURE COULD RECOVER.’ farmers might be a reasonable place to start). So, the fact remains: every time someone pops a chicken nugget, burger or a bite of lamb shawarma into their mouth, it comes with a hefty environmental price tag.

‘If we change towards a plantbased diet, we could save up to eight billion tonnes of C02 every single year,’ insists environmentalist Greta Thunberg, who reportedly went vegan at the age of 10. ‘We could feed ourselves on much less land, and nature could recover.’

She also raises the ethical cost of eating animals. ‘What about their thoughts and feelings?’ she asks.

‘Some animals plan for the future, forge friendships that last for decades.

They play, they help each other. They show signs of what we call empathy.’

Vegan actress Maggie Q, star of Mission: Impossible and Rush Hour, says being a vegan is the only way forward ‘I can’t tell anyone else what to do, but I don’t eat animals – that is

my daily solution,’ she says. ‘As a vegan I save 1,100 gallons of water a day. It takes 440 gallons of water to produce a pound of eggs, 1,000 gallons to produce a gallon of milk, 900 gallons to produce a pound of cheese, and 2,500 to produce beef. If you’re talking about the sustainability message, you cannot leave out the animal message.’

A Meaty Argument

But, switching sides, does a diet that sometimes features chicken and steak automatically disqualify you as an environmentalist in the eyes of many.

Plenty say not. Need proof? Try this: ‘I’m an environmentalist, and I eat meat,’ confesses Emily Chan, Senior Sustainability and Features Editor, British Vogue. Bjørn Lomborg, USA Today, argues: ‘Don’t let vegetarian environmentalists shame you for eating meat. Science is on your side.’

Even Vegan.com is open-minded on the issue, insisting: ‘You can so be a

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meat-eating environmentalist.’ Of course, it’s unlikely that anyone who has ‘Vegan.com’ on their business card is pro-meat. The point the writer was making is that there are different levels of meat consumption.

You could, for example, be a vegan who consumes a single cheeseburger a year. If this were the case, we would argue you’re clearly not a vegan, but the Vegan.com writer says it would be clearly ‘absurd to claim that one burger has any significant impact on the environment.’

Mr Lomborg – the controversial former director of Denmark’s Environmental Assessment Institute (he was found guilty by the Danish government of ‘scientific dishonesty’ in 2003 and has been hitting the headlines with his outspoken views ever since), alludes to activist scaremongering in his USA Today article. He claims that: ‘A systematic peer-review of studies of going vegetarian shows that a non-meat diet will likely reduce an individual’s emissions by the equivalent of nearly 1,200 lbs carbon dioxide. For the average person in the industrialised world, that means an emissions cut of just 4.3 per cent.’

And while Vogue’s Emily Chan accepts that eating meat and being an ardent planet lover may seem hypocritical, she explains that – as with many things – it’s complicated.

The issue, she argues, shouldn’t be about shaming people for what they choose to eat. Instead, she advocates for ‘systemic changes that need to happen when it comes to food production: addressing food waste, shifting to regenerative agriculture, reducing methane emissions from livestock, and stopping forests being cut down for fields and pastures.’

Eco Meat-O-Meter

If you care about the environment but also want to eat meat, it’s clearly not a conundrum you face alone. The answer, perhaps, is to find your place on the ‘eco meat-o-meter’.

There is no eco meat-o-meter – just like there’s no environmental soup.

Were such a scale to exist, however, it would show you the planetary impact of every bit of meat you ever ate.

Luckily, there’s lots of research already out there that explains how to weigh up the environmental damage

your meat consumption is causing.

All you have to do is find the balance point that works for you.

Eating meat more ethically isn’t difficult. Start by looking at the meat you are eating. There’s a league table of environmental friendliness that paints a pretty clear picture of the good meats vs the bad.

The top offender is beef. One study reported that creating 1kg of protein from beef requires 18 times more land, ten times more water and ten times more pesticides than generating 1kg of protein from kidney beans. And that’s before you get onto the copious amounts of potent methane gas produced by cows.

Methane is responsible for 25 per cent of the global warming we’re experiencing because, due to its structure, it traps more heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide. Cutting methane emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 could help us meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. In comparison, chicken has a six times less detrimental impact on the environment, while lamb – another top methane emitter – settles in as the second-worst after beef.

So switching out that 8oz rib eye for a chicken fillet means you’re making an eco-choice even though you’re still eating meat. And introducing a meatless Monday each week would save the same emissions over 12 months as driving 700 kms.

Even portion size matters. The Foodprint.org website, which – as its name suggests – takes a long hard look at the carbon footprint of your food, says that smaller portions of pasture-raised meat are the way to go.

‘These animals spend their time eating vegetation, unconfined and are therefore able to express their natural behaviours,’ it notes. ‘Animals raised in an industrial system are kept in barns, cages and lots and fed a grainbased feed. These confined systems are inhumane and have disastrous effects on soil, water and climate.’

Choosing local will positively affect the total carbon footprint of your meat, too.

Or maybe you could consider lab meat? Actually, perhaps not yet. A recent study by researchers at the University of California found that meat grown from animal cells by men

in white coats in a lab could have a ‘global warming potential’ four to 25 times greater than retail beef because of the energy needed, and greenhouse gases emitted, during the production cycle. Laboratory meat is one to watch, though, as this should improve with time.

Faking It To Make It

For the purest conscience of all, the best way to eat meat is to fake it. In other words, to be that person who turns to a veggie burger whenever hunger strikes. Some of today’s best are almost as good as the real thing, as plant proteins have a much smaller climate, water, and land impact than regular meats.

Ultimately, the answer to whether you can actually be a meat-eating environmentalist is all down to you.

Despite what some experts may say, it really isn’t a black-and-white issue.

Let’s say you’re single-handedly helping your neighbourhood to meet every one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and that you only wear homemade clothes spun from foraged bedroom fluff.

If you do all that, and more, is it right that anyone can suggest that an occasional love of pepperoni pizzas or that one cheeseburger per year renders your Environmentalist of the Year application inadmissible?

Of course, there has to be a limit.

Announcing that you’re an ecofriendly flexitarian is fine up to a point, but ordering a slice of foie gras or indulging in a bowl of shark fin soup ‘only the once’ is always going to be an impossible trick to shrug off.

The truth is that as well as cutting down on red meat and dairy, a climate-friendly diet should also include minimising waste and trying to choose fruit and vegetables that are in season.

And critics who routinely insist that only vegans can call themselves environmentalists need to make sure their lifestyle supports that ideology.

After all just one transatlantic return flight emits the same amount of CO2 as being vegan for two years. As Vegan.com says: ‘You better say that person can’t own a car, buy imported tomatoes, and needs to keep their house heated below 55 degrees in the winter.’ And so far only Greta can claim that.

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TECHNOLOGY

A Mammoth Task Ben Lamm is a man on a Jurassic Park-style mission to bring the woolly mammoth and other lost species back from the dead

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f everything goes to plan, Ben Lamm will become one of the most talked about people on the planet in 2028 – not that he’s in it for fame or recognition. Ben is founder and CEO of Colossal, a unique start-up with an incredible mission. He’s set on bringing the woolly mammoth back to life and he’s hoping the first calf will be born in four years’ time. If it happens it will be an event as significant as the first man walking on the moon, he believes.

‘It will not be about Colossal or me. It will be something we will all share together, like the moon landings,’ he tells The Ethicalist. ‘I hope that there will be a sense of wonder and excitement and an understanding at that point that we have developed the technology to undo all the sins of the past.

Hopefully it will inspire the next generation of biologists and geneticists. It will be a moment for humanity.’

Ben’s enthusiasm for the task is infectious. And it is not as far-fetched as it may first appear. While comparisons to the Jurassic Park movies are inevitable, Ben and the team at Colossal are working within the realms of science, rather than science fiction.

The Science Of De-extinction

Using cutting-edge genetic engineering and artificial intelligence, it aims to bring back several lost species in a process it calls ‘de-extinction’. The first resurrected species will be the woolly mammoth, which died out around 4,000 years ago. After that comes the dodo, which went extinct around 1690, and the Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, which may have survived into the 1980s in the wild but hasn’t been seen since the last known specimen died in a zoo in 1936.

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The company is already making significant strides towards the 2028 deadline. Earlier this month it revealed that it has successfully converted cells from Asian elephants into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells that can be ‘programmed’ to turn into other types of cells. Scientists at Colossal now plan to convert these iPSCs into egg and sperm cells into which selected genetic traits from mammoth genomes will be generated which can then be used to create an elephant that biologically mimics a mammoth.

Ben explains that the process Colossal scientists will use is the reverse of the technique used to bring back the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park movies.

‘The films did a good job of educating the public about genetic engineering,’ he explains, ‘but you cannot bring back dinosaurs – there is no ancient DNA that goes back that far, fortunately for all of us.

‘In Jurassic Park they filled in the gaps in the ‘dino DNA’ with frog DNA and things like that. Colossal is doing the exact opposite. We are taking Asian elephant DNA and cells, then we use AI and software to understand the difference between the Asian elephant genome and that of the mammoth and we engineer those lost traits back in using a combination of gene editing techniques.

‘We have full DNA synthesis capability,’ Ben adds, ‘so we can engineer big pieces of the genome and swap them in. We have more than 60 mammoth genomes right now that we use to do genetic assembly.’ Ben says

he is 100 percent certain that his team will be successful. ‘There are no real science gates that have to be overcome in order to make this work,’ he says. ‘We as humanity have all the technology. At Colossal we have a huge team working with the latest and greatest technologies. We are looking at how we can improve the different technologies to make deextinction faster, more efficient and affordable as well as having a direct impact on conservation.’

Indeed, one of the main motivating factors to the work is saving critically endangered wildlife. Colossal’s longterm aim is to produce an ‘end-to-end de-extinction kit’ that comprises technologies along with techniques including biobanking, genomics and sequencing, the creation of artificial gametes and egg cells and even

artificial wombs in which to grow animals. Added together these can all help boost the populations of Redlisted animals.

The company is already helping the northern white rhino and is the exclusive genetic rescue partner in a bid to save the species – there are only two females left with one founder line of male sperm. It is hoped that Colossal’s geneticists can genetically engineer additional genetic diversity into the white rhino genome to produce embryos that could create a viable offspring and add to the genetic diversity of the herd to create a sustainable population.

‘That’s what we are doing today,’ says Ben. ‘But tomorrow we could be growing 100 genetically diverse northern white rhino in bags in labs and then working with rewilding

The Colosall team is already helping the northern white rhino

Benn Lamm started Colosall after meeting George Church

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‘Tomorrow we could be growing 100 genetically diverse northern white rhino in bags in labs and then working with rewilding partners to successfully reintroduce them into herds.’ – Ben Lamm

partners to successfully reintroduce them into herds.

‘I think our de-extinction toolkit will completely transform the face of conservation. We are like a free R&D company for conservation, if you like.’

Entrepreneur Ben, from Dallas, says he has always been interested in animals, biodiversity loss and climate change. He started Colossal after meeting George Church, a hugely influential geneticist who had the ambition of bringing animals back from extinction.

‘What was interesting for me was that this is really a systems problem and a technology problem,’ explains Ben. ‘It was a huge opportunity to build technologies that could also benefit conservation. Leveraging all the technologies we develop along the way for conservation is absolutely core to our mission.’

Ben explains that one way to look at de-extinction is to consider it similar to modern day rewilding projects. The removal of species from ecosystems causes biodiversity loss

and increases the speed at which ecosystems degrade, especially key species like mammoths or elephants or rhinos. Returning those species should create an opportunity to revitalise the ecosystem.

‘When you look at the successful rewilding of wolves in Yellowstone Park, what we saw very quickly was that the reintroduction of only 14 or 15 wolves after a 70-year gap had massive benefits to the ecology of the park,’ says Ben. To this end Colossal has already begun to get agreements in place with partners in the locations where the first animals will be released.

‘We work with local governments, private landowners, indigenous groups and the public to make it successful,’ he explains. ‘Last year when we launched our Tasmanian tiger working committee last year, we met with people from the aboriginal community in Tasmania, the local mayor’s office, the university and even industries like logging and we still meet quarterly. In Mauritius –

Ben says the first woolly mammoth calf will be born in four years

where the dodo will be re-introduced – we are working with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation on getting some of the islands ready to receive the dodo. These are formal partnerships.

We are assuming success in science and so we are beginnng to have the conversations now.

‘We have a conservation advisory board, and we have bioethicists as part of the company who help us think through all the applications. We work with 15 of the top conservation groups in the world. We try to take a transparent, collaborative, and very inclusive approach. Everyone has an opinion, and we try to run to critics, not away from them.’

The endeavour is not cheap. The company has so far raised $245m (AED 899.5m), which Ben believes is low for the impact it will make. It will probably have to raise more capital in the future, but a lot of the technologies being developed have applications for human healthcare, which makes them commercially valuable. Part of Colossal’s business plan is to leverage the technologies it develops and ‘spinout’ businesses on the path to deextinction. Last year it spun-out its first tech company which raised over $30m (AED 110m) and is valued at more than $100m (AED 367m). It is a biology software platform that biotech companies are using for drug discovery and research institutes are using for cancer research. And there are already other companies in the development pipeline that will be gestated at some point.

Some critics might argue that extinction is part of evolution and dead species should remain dead.

That we should concentrate on saving the animals we have, not reviving the ones we have already lost. But Ben’s arguments that the reintroduction of recently extinct species will revitalise ecosystems, and endangered animals will benefit from the new technology developed on the way, is compelling.

‘When we first started Colossal and began talking in earnest to investors the numbers quoted were that we would be losing up to 10 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity between now and 2050,’ he says. ‘In the few years since we started, it is now up to 50 per cent which is terrifying.’

Anything that helps arrest this slide is surely worth the effort.

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HAVE YOU PACKED YOUR

CARBON PASSPORT?

Will we all be saving up our emissions for an annual holiday or vital business trip in the future to limit global warming or are carbon passports more Big Brother than an environmentally friendly initiative?

BY JOSH SIMS

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icture the scene: you’re at the airport with your excited family, all ready to head off on holiday. You’ve checked in, bought far too much overpriced stuff you don’t need in duty free, eaten some even more overpriced fast food and, finally, made it to passport control on your way to the gate. There you discover all your documents are in order – except one. Unfortunately, your wife took that business trip to the US a few months ago. She’s all out of carbon credits for this year. Sadly, her carbon passport won’t be stamped.

Disgruntled, and with the children sobbing, you all head home.

OK, so it’s not reality yet, but it very soon might be. The idea of a carbon passport – essentially a document that affords you a yearly carbon allowance you cannot exceed to use flights, or other means of travelling – is the latest hot topic in tourism’s push to greater sustainability. You can see the genesis of the concept already in action by other means: France has banned certain domestic short-haul flights and Belgium now taxes them more heavily, too with Germany and Spain considering similar moves. Venice is now imposing an entrance fee on tourists, even day trippers, while Amsterdam has introduced a limit to the number of cruise ships it will allow to dock in its port. And maybe no wonder: tourism generates around one tenth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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And with travel in certain countries already higher than pre-pandemic levels by last summer – exactly when we saw record-breaking extreme weather events happening globally including wild fires – the tourism sector is fuelling the greenhouse gas emissions driving the climate crisis.

‘I think that it’s inevitable that we will start to see more and more tourist destinations think about imposing limits on tourism on the basis of green thinking,’ argues Dr Ross Bennett-Cook, an anthropologist at the University of Westminster, in London, UK, specialising in tourism.

‘It’s easy to imagine, for example, the Greek islands simply closing to all tourists for certain periods of time.

There’s no reason why the limits imposed on cruise liners can’t be done for air traffic.’

In part, such limits are about preventing local infrastructure from being overwhelmed, often with no great benefit to the local economy.

But, arguably, it’s also the first wave of attempts to put a legal limit on travel – given the Co2 output of airliners and cruise ships alike, not to mention the cargo flights and shipping on which the global economy depends. And while the air and cruise industry are working on transitioning to cleaner fuels, there are still only one or two flights and cruises using biofuels, with a longterm clean, green alternative still years away. What efficiencies that are being introduced are currently being outpaced by cheaper tickets and growing demand.

But would a carbon passport system, such as the one proposed by Australian sustainable travel agency, Intrepid Travel, that it says needs to be in place by 2040 if, it claims, the tourism industry is to survive, really be effective? Intrepid Travel argues that a carbon passport would foster a far greater sense of both personal and collective accountability, while providing actionable data for businesses. After all, aviation alone causes around 17 per cent of the total travel carbon emissions.

Individually, the average carbon footprint currently varies from four to 11.7 tons in the UK and 16 tons in the US – more than six times the figure recommended by the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep the global

Only two to four per cent of the global population flew internationally in 2018, research shows, and just one per cent of the world population emits 50 per cent of the CO2 from commercial aviation temperature rise below 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In order to have the greatest chance to prevent it overshooting the 2 Celsius mark it needs to be under two tons by 2050 – the equivalent of two return flights from London to New York.

On the flip side, a carbon passport would have to be operated digitally – which would be a burden on many and exclude others – while the emphasis on individuals might forestall any more systemic change.

Balancing Act

But there is, perhaps, a bigger hurdle: fairness. Brendan Canavan, assistant professor in marketing and tourism at the University of Nottingham, in the UK, argues that a carbon passport would be hard to apply across entire populations given the vast disparity in travel emissions, with most coming from a small number of travellers – ostensibly those with the disposable income to travel frequently. A carbon

passport would punish all for the emissions of the few. ‘The idea strikes me as being a very blunt tool,’ he says, not least because some people have to travel often – islanders, for example, or people requiring or providing specialist medical treatment and, more pertinently, because the vast majority of people travel for pleasure only rarely.

A pre-pandemic survey in the UK, for example, found that while 15 per cent of adults had flown three or more times over a 12-month period, with these frequent flyers accounting for 71 per cent of all flights, over half of the respondents hadn’t flown at all.

Broaden the perspective and a 2020 study by Stefan Gossling, from the Western Norway Research Institute, in Sogndal, estimates that only two to four per cent of the global population flew internationally in 2018 and that just one per cent of the world population emits 50 per cent of the CO2 from commercial aviation.

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radius.’ That hints at the libertarian argument. Governments may have been willing to cancel certain legal rights – through lockdowns, for example – in a bid to tackle Covid, but there was also an awareness that these would be, and would only be accepted as being, temporary. Might the similar introduction of a temporary moratorium on tourist travel be acceptable? Perhaps. Such a plan has been suggested.

Public Pushback

Indeed, air travel is the consumption category with the highest carbon contribution among the top emitters.

Inevitably, it would be easy to imagine that these top emitters would somehow find a way to pay for extra credit on their carbon passports.

‘People like simple, snappy slogans when it comes to addressing climate change issues and ‘carbon passport’ is becoming one of those,’ Professor Canavan says. ‘Philosophically I think a carbon passport for those who travel the most would be much easier to apply, if only because the very wealthy aren’t going to volunteer to have their travel restricted. But it would be very hard to tell the majority of people that they can have only one international holiday a year, or that they can’t fly at all within a certain

But a longer term travel plan, or a permanent limit, complete with the necessary tracking of individuals’ global movements? Never mind the logistical challenge, this would almost certainly be a catastrophic vote loser.

Carbon credit schemes internationally have already either provoked furious protest, failed, been called out as frauds, or have been criticised for merely shifting responsibility without actually effecting reductions. It was the expected public resistance to the idea that led the UK government to drop its proposal for a ‘personal carbon trading’ system back in 2008.

A carbon passport would come to be regarded more as ‘travel rationing’.

And the effect would be stark. Some have argued for a future in which everyone limits their total carbon emissions to 2.3 tonnes each year in order to keep the predicted global temperature rise within a manageable range. That’s just about enough for a return flight from London to New York once a year. For the devoted eco champion a carbon passport might, in effect, mean no travel at all.

‘Industries don’t tend to selfregulate so an idea like the carbon passport would have to be imposed,’ concedes Professor Canavan. ‘But there would be a huge pushback [among consumers] against one that was applied to all because it seems like a limit on liberty. And that’s even if travelling the world is more of a fantasy than a reality for most people.

It would take infrequent travellers seeing frequent travellers making some sacrifice first before the idea of a carbon passport could start to build broad acceptability.’

Certainly, efforts might be made to reduce the carbon impact of travel, by improving rail networks, for example, or by cutting back on flights that are

now hard to justify given our postpandemic ease with teleconferencing.

Virtual Vacations

Online tools such as Native (native. eco) also allow us to make decent estimates of the emissions cost of any trip we might be planning, allowing us to make far more environmentallyminded choices. Indeed, Intrepid Travel reckons that within a couple of decades the younger generations that have only ever known talk of a climate crisis will assess every trip in real time – whether that be to a foreign beach or the supermarket down the road – for its carbon score. But then it also hopefully proposes a future of ‘virtual vacations’, by which we all use augmented reality to stand in for, you know, actually going somewhere.

There is, it might be argued, also a hair-shirtedness to the idea of limiting travel in the way that carbon passports propose – a failure to recognise that travel is not just a means of bringing an understanding that can negate points of conflict between different cultures, but that, more simply, it is a fundamental pleasure in life.

If reducing carbon was the only thing that mattered, one might just as logically mandate for all domestic electricity consumption to cease after, say, 9pm every night. Or for the introduction of a tariff on all nonessential goods. But it’s not.

‘There is a sense that something drastic does need to be done about emissions, but tourism – and flying especially – is an easy whipping boy.

So, is a carbon passport realistic? ‘I don’t think so,’ says Westminster’s Bennett-Cook. ‘Of course, it’s good as a means of encouraging discussion around the matter of carbon and travel. And it’s telling that there has been a lot of positivity around the fact that tourism levels are almost back to pre-Covid levels but not very much examination of whether those levels are really working.

‘But travel is such a wonderful thing that the idea of it being restricted would, I think, be too hard to swallow,’ he adds. ‘It’s part of my job to think about tourism’s impact on sustainability issues all the time.

But I’m also an avid traveller and I would absolutely hate the idea of a carbon passport.’

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BEARING : THE SCARS THE CRUEL RUSH FOR BEAR BILE ‘GOLD’ Their ‘healing’ bile, which can be worth up to 18 times the price of gold, sees bears being held captive and tortured. Anthea Ayache visit the Animals Asia bear sanctuary in Tam Dao, Vietnam, which is determined to save every last one

T

he relentless sound of metal grills scraping across the cold, damp floor echoed through the darkness. Trapped in a cage barely larger than a coffin, the forlorn brown bear could do nothing but huddle against the wall, her balding head pressed against the freezing surface. This bleak existence had been Dawn’s reality ever since she was torn from the lush forests of Vietnam as a helpless cub and thrown into the never ending world of bear bile farming.

As footsteps approached, Dawn backed further into the corner, dreading the inevitable. The cruel puncturing of her gallbladder to extract her digestive juices — tortures that had been inflicted upon her repeatedly for over two decades to satisfy a relentless demand for bear bile in traditional Chinese medicine. In the silence of her Vietnamese cell, Dawn was a tragic symbol of the cruelty inflicted upon creatures in the name of ignorance and greed.

Bearing The Scars

According to World Animal Protection, as many as 20,000 bears remain in captivity across Asia in China, South Korea, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar with an estimated 300 of those in Vietnam. The Asiatic black bear, – also known as the moon bear for its white crescent marking on its chest – sun bear and brown bear are the most commonly farmed species for their bile. Both the Asiatic black bear and the sun bear are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Bile bears are confined in captivity on ‘farms’ primarily for their digestive fluid, which contains Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA). This compound is scientifically proven to be beneficial for treating liver and gallbladder diseases in humans. However, synthetic and plant-based alternatives to UDCA exist and are acknowledged by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Despite these alternatives, bears, being the only mammals to produce significant amounts of UDCA, have become victims of a market where their bile can be valued at between 10 to 18 times the price of gold in Asia.

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Bear bile is also marketed as a cure for a wide range of ailments from cancer to colds, although there is no scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness. It can also be found in toothpaste, acne treatment, tea and shampoo, primarily as a means for bear bile farmers to expand their market. In Vietnam, the torturous process of extracting bear bile involves puncturing a hole in the bear’s gall bladder and draining approximately 200ml of fluid every one to three months.

‘They use either a dart or a stick with a syringe on the end to inject them,’ Dr Shaun Thomson of Rescue group Animals Asia tells The Ethicalist. ‘They usually use something like ketamine to semianaesthetise the bear, and then they harvest the bile. The bears will be starved and dehydrated for a few days beforehand – your gallbladder empties when you eat and so if they had a meal, there would be less bile.’

The process of bile extraction and endless captivity causes the helpless bears stress and suffering. They are usually confined in cages so small they are often unable to stand, sit upright or turn. If they don’t die from their injuries inflicted during the extractions, the bears are kept in these conditions for decades at a time.

A significant number die from continuous rudimentary surgeries and infections or from maltreatment.

Captive Cruelty

A ban on bear hunting in Vietnam in the 1980s led to a substantial increase in factory farming in the following decades with an estimated 4,300 bears on bile farms by 2005. This explosion in numbers led to a further law the same year making bear farms illegal. But farmers were allowed to keep pre-existing captive bears provided they were not extracting, selling or possessing bile. This inadvertently created a loophole for bile production to continue.

In fact, a World Animal Protection study in 2018 found that 70 per cent of bear farmers there were regularly extracting and selling bear bile.

That’s even though a year earlier the Vietnamese government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Animals Asia – who have rescued nearly 700 bears from bile farms

The bears are often kept in cages no bigger than coffins

across the continent – agreeing to end bear bile farming and rescue all captive bears by 2022. While this has not yet been attained due to a lack of space at their Tam Dao rescue and rehabilitation centre, Animals Asia are confident their soon to be opened rescue centre in central Vietnam will allow for the country’s remaining 300 captive bears to be relocated.

‘We have begun rescuing these remaining bears and bile farms are being closed for good one by one,’ explains Animals Asia Bear and Vet Department Director Heidi Quine.

‘We have saved over 260 bears [in Vietnam] but our sanctuary in Tam Dao is full, whilst around 300 bears are still on farms. We hope our new sanctuary in Bach Ma National Park will end bear bile farming and ensure that no bear is left behind.’

Dawn shortly after her rescue

by Animals Asia

each finding solace in leafy enclosures spanning over 30,000 square metres.

Here, in their sprawling sanctuary, these badly damaged bears are able to rediscover their natural instincts.

Bears that were once imprisoned in cramped cages for decades at a time, undergo expert tailored rehabilitation at the sanctuary. Now, they bask in green grass enclosures filled with climbing frames, caves and swimming pools. Here, still bearing their scars – both physical and mental – the bears are granted the gift of simply being bears. They roam freely, forage for food, scale trees and nestle in dens furnished with straw and hessian sacks, shared with a buddy of their choosing. With enclosures and dens open throughout the day, bears can wander inside and out of their own accord, allowing them something they were all cruelly denied in the past: regaining total control over their own environment.

‘A lot of us get quite teary the first time they step outside,’ explains Animals Asia’s on-site behavioural psychologist Amy Saunders. ‘It can

Safe Haven

Nestled within the forest a few hours from Hanoi, Animals Asia’s Tam Dao facility is home to 204 rescued bears,

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and other animal welfare groups, the number of bear bile farms has plummeted to only 100 small scale farms left in the country, with the government announcing it intends to close all bear farms by 2025.

Brighter Future

take a long time as it’s so bright. A lot of them have been kept in the dark for years. Touching the grass is also frightening for them because of the texture when all they have ever felt previously is the floor of a cage.’

‘Some bears just grab that second chance at life and step on out there,’ she continues. ‘And then other bears, such as Tuong Lai, at House 7, took almost two years before fully venturing out into the enclosure.’

Dawn is now happy outside and has a full, healthy coat

Distressing Behaviour

Dawn, who was rescued in February 2023 from an upmarket district of Hanoi notorious for bear bile farming, also exhibited many typical signs of trauma.

‘Dawn was demonstrating what we call learned helplessness,’ Amy explains. ‘That’s essentially when the bear has pretty much given up. A natural response is fight or flight, but when a bear is on a bile farm for so long, and they know they can’t escape, sometimes they just give up and shut down. It takes a lot to rehabilitate these bears.’

At least two major studies into bears rescued from Vietnamese bile

farms have highlighted a spectrum of distressing behaviours. These include self-mutilation, such as biting their own limbs, and repetitive actions including hitting their heads against cage bars. Others rub their heads along the bars until their skin is raw.

Additionally, many bears suffer from broken teeth and paws, a result of their desperate attempts to gnaw and claw their way out of cages.

‘In the first few days of arriving at our sanctuary, we want to make the bears feel as comfortable and safe as possible,’ explains Heidi Quine, Director of Bear and Vet Department

But the misery and suffering caused to bears by the traditional Chinese medicine trade is far from over. The legal bear bile market in China still sustains large-scale farms where thousands of bears are kept for mass harvesting, including as a remedy for severe cases of COVID-19 in the pandemic, which led to farms emerging in Laos, Myanmar, and South Korea, where there is both domestic demand and a lucrative export market. It is illegal to sell bear bile from countries other than China, but these products are still trafficked through illegal channels and sold on the black market.

For no w, A n i m a l s A s i a i s continuing its work to eradicate the cruel industry across Asia, and concentrating efforts on closing the final chapter in Vietnam. With

‘IT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME FOR THE BEARS TO STEP OUTSIDE AS IT’S SO BRIGHT. A LOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE DARK FOR YEARS. TOUCHING THE GRASS IS ALSO FRIGHTENING FOR THEM BECAUSE OF THE TEXTURE,WHEN ALL THEY HAVE FELT PREVIOUSLY IS A CAGE’ Bile is extracted from the gall bladders of captive bears

at Tam Dao. ‘They usually start to respond to the treats, toys and enrichment we give them, our voices, or the soothing music we play for them. But Dawn wasn’t responding.

She was curled in a tight ball, facing away from us, or swaying her head repeatedly.’ In severe cases such as Dawn’s, bears are often prescribed antidepressants following evidence that years of chronic stress can alter their brain function. Administering these drugs starts the healing process, fostering hope that it will pave the way for staff to earn her trust.

‘It’s paramount to establish a bond with the bears,’ Amy emphasises.

‘They have harboured negative associations with humans for years.’

Thanks to the work of Animals Asia,

the country’s 300 bears slated for rehoming in Bach Ma National Park this year, there is hope that, like Dawn, all of Vietnam’s suffering bears will soon experience the love and freedom they deserve.

Reflecting on Dawn’s remarkable transformation from fear to freedom, Jill Robinson MBE, founder and CEO of Animals Asia, says her recovery is a beacon of hope for all bile farm bears. ‘It’s hard to believe Dawn is the same frightened bear who came through our sanctuary gates just eight months ago. Today, she has a life she never dared dream of – grass under her paws, the breeze ruffling her fur, and a love she’s never known. Dawn knows she’s in her forever home.’

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.HOW GEN Z. .ARE GOING. .TO SAVE. .THE PLANET.

Some of them have only just become teenagers but Gen Z are the green generation doing everything in their power – and beyond – to stop global warming and rescue the planet

BY GEORGINA FULLER

H

ardly a day goes by without another terrifying headline about the climate catastrophe. Earlier this year the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that the world’s current level of global warming meant that ‘our air, our food, our water, and human life itself would be unrecognizable’ by the end of the century.

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The average temperature increase is set to soar to 3°C – well above the treaty to limit it to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels signed by 196 world leaders in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. ‘We must not leave this for our children to fix – no matter how inspiring their activism,’ Türk told the Human Rights Council.

The Green Generation

But a recent report has highlighted just how eco-conscious the next generation are and that energy efficiency, sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives are very important things to them.

More than six in ten (64 per cent) of the Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) respondents who took part in the study by E-bike firm, Swytch Technology said that environmentally friendly initiatives had the greatest influence over the brands they choose to shop from.

Four in ten (43 per cent) said that energy efficiency is the first thing they look for when purchasing a new product and 60 per cent said they were hoping to have a long-term career in sustainability.

Gen Z are revolutionising consumer habits – from the growing popularity of apps such as Depop and Vinted, which allow users to buy and sell clothes second-hand, to focusing more on slow fashion.

This green generation are clearly not going to be capricious consumers and cheap clothes made in sweat shops in third world countries will, hopefully, finally become a thing of the past.

Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of Gen Z respondents also said that when purchasing their next appliance they will ensure that it is more energy efficient than their last.

From demanding action for climate change from those in power to making eco-conscious decisions on where they spend their money or what type of company they work for Gen Z is driven by changing the world for the better.

Ellie Kime, a 27-year-old writer and founder of The Enthusiast & Co, a platform that provides tools to help people feel better, said she hopes her generation will save the planet. I’m

old enough to remember the dial up tone and understand why the save icon is a floppy disk,’ she tells The Ethicalist. ‘And I’m young enough to have had a mobile phone in primary school. Alongside the very real eco anxiety I have, I also hope that my generation can save the planet.

Thanks to the internet, we’ve grown up with maximum visibility of the effects of global warming.’

Making A Difference

Ellie says she follows a number of environmental activists, including

as much as possible, says a brand’s eco credentials often determine whether or not she will buy something from them.

‘I am always keen to support sustainable businesses – particularly small ones – where possible. For example, I will choose to support a brand that is a registered B-Corp over a brand that does not promote any sustainability credentials. I also avoid supporting brands which I consider to be greenwashing or that do not seem to have adequate eco credentials,’ she says.

From demanding action for climate change to making eco-conscious decisions on spending and exactly what type of company they want to work for, Gen Z is driven by changing the world for the better Consumed author Aja Barber, trainee doctor and climate justice campaigner Mikaela Loach, 25, and political activist Gina Martin, who inspire her to make a difference.

‘I also think it helps that the culture is circling back round to the idea that caring is cool – luckily putting the “I don’t care” vibes of the 90s/early 00s ‘cool girl’ to bed,’ she says. ‘It’s no longer frowned upon to have a cause, and to really care about doing right.’

Maya Vertigans, who is 24, runs Planner Bee VA Services, a virtual assistant firm, which supports sustainable businesses with their digital marketing.

‘Like many young people, protecting the environment and doing everything we can to halt the climate crisis is something I am hugely passionate about,’ she says.

‘For my generation, environmental concerns are highly influential in the decisions we make and how we live our lives.’ Maya, who owns a car but tries to walk or use public transport

Gen Z want to work for or start their own ethical and sustainable companies. Kyle Frank, founder of Franks Remedies, a vegan skincare company, says that the cost-of-living crisis and the way his generation use technology mean that energy efficient products have become increasingly important.

The 26-year-old, who is based in the UK, says he wants to buy consumer goods from brands that genuinely care about the planet and also to work in a career that matches his values.

‘I really like Eco Warrior (theecowarrior.eco). They sell shampoo bars, helping to reduce plastic consumption, along with zero waste products and sustainable fashion, plus the packaging is also eco-friendly and biodegradable.’

The fact that Kyle is vegan has also shaped his business. ‘Sustainability and ethics are really important to me on a personal level and that has greatly influenced how I have created my own vegan brand,’ he explains.

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Gen Z have to fix all the problems and are working hard to reverse the damage left by their predecessors to create a better world for the future

‘And I also think that’s why so many other Gen Z people have become regular customers of mine – we share the same values, goals and aspirations.’

Gen Z have to fix all the problems left by their predecessors to create a better world for future generations.

Alex Porter-Currie, 28, the cofounder of High Tide Media, a film production company that focuses on sustainable productions, which is currently going through the B-Corp application process, says she is a fan of hybrid cars, which combine petrol and electric power.

‘I recently told an older family member we couldn’t remember where we’d parked our hybrid car, because we hadn’t used it for over a week, and they were surprised by how little we drive it,’ she says. ‘We walk and cycle most places, but living in a city with a very good bus and tram network definitely makes it so much easier for us.’

Having a career in sustainability is, Alex says, really important to her.

‘I didn’t used to think I could make much of an impact as an individual,’ she confides. ‘But being able to lead the way in our industry has been so rewarding as the impact is bigger than just me.’

Alex says her business tries to ensure clients commission content in a sustainable way. ‘This isn’t always the case in our industry – with travel to lots of locations, inefficient equipment and fast fashion used for costumes and so on,’ she notes.

‘Our business has a long way to go,’ she continues, ‘but I’m pleased that we are able to make sustainable choices, like changing our pensions to a green fund, and choosing suppliers that have the same values as us, such as the ethical bank we work with.’

So although many of the headlines on the climate crisis are frightening to read, it’s clear that Gen Z have their priorities right and are working hard to reverse the damage their predecessors have caused.

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Earrings, The Greater Good, POA Neon Pink Shay Dress, rented from RNTD.ME, AED 425 per day Fendi Bag, rented from YourBagsy, AED 350 for three days

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FASHION

Bloom In

Grow your sustainable style in fuchsia pink, dresses with delicate floral motifs and pretty – as well as planet-friendly – petal accessories that you can buy or rent PHOTOGRAPHER: DAWN MARIE JONES

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FASHION

Joslin Francine Bead Maxi Dress, AED 3,850, Ounass Z.Line Necklace, AED 430, and Luna Choker, AED 570, ODIS Studio Alohas Heels, AED 675, Ounass

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Earrings, The Greater Good, POA Savanna Jacket and Trouser Set, From AED 2,000 each Christian Louboutin heels, AED 1,320, The Luxury Closet

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Earrings, The Greater Good, POA Vanina Belle De Nuit Dress in Silk-taffeta, AED 2,850, Ounass T.Long Necklace, AED 650, ODIS Studio

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FASHION

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FASHION Joslin Charleigh Bead White Shirt Dress, AED 1,950, Ounass Rings, from AED 270, ODIS Studio

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Ganni Ruffle-Trimmed Jacquard Midi Dress, AED 1,050, Ounass Jewellery, The Greater Good, POA

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Earrings, The Greater Good, POA Ganni Printed Jacket, AED 510, and Sable Chaud Bustier in Taffeta, AED 950, Ounass Cult Gaia Bag, AED 200, for three days, YourBagsy Trousers as before, From AED 2,000, Savanna

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FASHION

Earrings, The Greater Good, POA Rat &Boa Athena Dress, AED 300 per day, RNTD.com Alohas Heels, AED 675, Ounass

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FASHION

Paulina Dress

by Retrofete, AED 380 per day, RNTD.com Loris Earrings, AED 390 and Horizon Necklace, AED 550, ODIS Studio Balenciaga Mini bags AED 350 each for 3 days, YourBagsy

STYLIST: GEMMA M JONES MAKE UP: SOPHIE LEACH MODEL: TAIS PINHEIRO, MMG MODELS LOCATION: DHAYAH FORT, RAS AL KHAIMAH PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS: JEYJPHOTOGRAPHY AND OMAR SHABAN

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Are we running out of water? It covers 70 per cent of the planet’s surface but climate change, deforestation, intensive agriculture and construction mean a global water crisis is looming

BY NICK HARDING

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hen NASA sends out probes to the solar system looking for signs of alien life, the mission controllers have a very simple mantra: ‘follow the water’.

For H2O is one of the basic building blocks of life and it is generally assumed that if a planet has water, it might have the ability to sustain life in some form.

On Earth, water is in us and around us.

Our bodies are 70 per cent water, and water covers 70 per cent of our planet’s surface. Life could not exist without it.

This vital relationship has moulded civilisations. Access to sustainable sources of water historically dictated where populations settled. But today, that primal link has weakened. In developed countries particularly, we are all guilty of turning on the taps without a second thought. We are lucky enough to take water for granted.

But events in Cape Town in 2018, following a one-in-400-year drought that had been going on for the previous three years, illustrated just how delicate the balance is between the demand for water and supply, and that complacency can be disastrous. The city was just 90 days away from ‘Day Zero’ – effectively running out of water.

Indeed, Cape Town’s water crisis got so bad that there were competitions to see who could wash their shirts the least and restaurants encouraged guests not to flush after going to the toilet.

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It was not an isolated event. In 2022 and 2023 it was California’s turn.

Large swathes of the state suffered severe drought and millions of residents were forced to live under mandatory water conservation rules.

Global Water Crisis

Water scarcity is increasing and limited access to clean, safe drinking water is not purely a developing world problem. As global temperatures rise and the world’s population increases, these water events will become more acute and more frequent. Experts describe this as a global water crisis.

Droughts and shortages are one side of the story. In other parts of the world, there is often too much water.

Last year, for example, after years of drought, the rainy season in the Horn of Africa brought exceptionally heavy rains and severe flooding in the South of Ethiopia, Eastern Kenya and many regions in southern and central Somalia where 50 people died and almost 700,000 were forced to leave their homes.

Climate change is not the only culprit. Damaging human activity such as deforestation, intensive agriculture and construction, is also feeding the water crisis.

Quantity is not the problem. The Earth is unlikely to run out of water.

The issue for humanity is one of accessibility. The majority – 97.5 per cent – of all the water on Earth is undrinkable sea water. A further 1.75 per cent is frozen at the poles, in glaciers and in permafrost. Humans rely on just 0.75 per cent of the planet’s available water, and this precious resource is under stress as we demand more food, more products, and more energy.

Vincent Casey is a senior water specialist with NGO WaterAid. He tells The Ethicalist: ‘The amount of water on Earth doesn’t really change.

It is in a cycle, and it moves through that cycle. But heavy human demand for water can suddenly reduce the amount available across populations.

Contamination of that water can also make it unavailable.

‘Sometimes there’s a misconception about exactly what the problem is, and it’s thought that there isn’t enough water, but in some countries there is a lot of water. But it is not where it is needed most and it’s not available

when it’s needed most. The reason there is a water security problem in many countries is because the services aren’t there to capture water, store it, treat it, and distribute it to people when and where they need it.’

Much of the water we use is drawn from and then stored in underground aquifers, which are permeable rock into which water seeps. Worryingly, studies suggest that in many parts of the world, these geological features are becoming less reliable.

A recent study at University of California Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management analysed 1,700 aquifers across more than 40 countries and found that groundwater levels in almost half have fallen since 2000.

The declines were most apparent in regions with very dry climates and extensive agriculture, including California’s Central Valley and the High Plains region in the United States. There were also sharp declines across Iran. The causes included increased demand from households, agricultural irrigation and sharp declines in precipitation.

Levels had only risen in seven per cent of aquifers in the same period in Australia, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain and Thailand.

The results reinforce a 2018 study based on data from Nasa satellites which found that over a 14-year period, water resources had depleted in 19 hotspots around the world including California, north-western China, northern and eastern India, and the Middle East. In that study the authors wrote that ‘water is the key environmental issue of the century.’

The human impact of the global water crisis was illustrated in a 2022 report by charitable foundation Wellcome, in which Ngawosa Eregai, a Community Health Worker in Turkana County, Kenya, explained how four or five people from his community dug holes in dried out river beds with their hands to get to water. ‘We drink this water because we do not have a choice. We trust that it will not be harmful,’ he said.

In the report, pregnant Esther Elaar explained how she walks four hours a day to fetch water for her family. ‘My whole body feels sore. I usually carry 20 litres of water at a time because the water point is far off,’ she explained.

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FEATURE

Humans rely on just 0.75 per cent of the planet’s available water and this precious resource is under extreme stress as we demand more food, more products and more energy

Cape Town was just days away from running out of water

‘While carrying water, I feel the baby in my womb moving. A lot of women have miscarried in this area while going to look for water.’

Many of the world’s problems can be solved with emerging technologies, but this isn’t the case with water, as WaterAid’s Casey explains.

‘It isn’t strictly a technical problem,’ he says. ‘Of course, technology can make the supply of water easier, but the technologies needed to get water to people have been around for hundreds of years. It is a management and financial problem.’

Even desalination, which provides approximately 42 per cent of the United Arab Emirates’ drinking water, 90 per cent of Kuwait’s, 86 per cent of Oman’s and 70 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s, isn’t a global solution, as it tends to be energy intensive and works best for coastal populations because water is very expensive and difficult to transport over distances.

Climate Crisis = Water Crisis

A myriad of factors are detrimental to water security, including unmanaged irrigation, uncontrolled pollution and deforestation. In addition to these localised problems there is also a global bogeyman looming large over the world’s water supply. This is climate change, which is causing droughts, floods, heatwaves and sea level rises around the world.

The exact effects of a warming world on water distribution patterns are as yet unknown but as global temperature rises, more moisture is stored in the atmosphere, leading to increased weather volatility.

‘The models say different things for different areas,’ says Casey. ‘Southern Africa is predicted to get drier under most scenarios, whereas East Africa is predicted to get wetter in absolute terms, although there will be localised serious drought as we saw in the Horn

of Africa between 2020 and 2022 which was the worst for a very long time. The forecast is highly variable.

Some areas will experience much greater extremes.’

And the next few years could get increasingly uncomfortable due to the warming El Niño weather effect, which disrupts weather patterns.

‘Climate change interacts with other factors such as El Niño and amplifies, accelerates or exaggerates them,’ says Casey. ‘At present in East Africa the rainfall is heavily influenced by both El Niño and the Indian Ocean dipole (an irregularity of sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean). Rising temperatures increase volatility in the atmosphere and the amount of moisture it holds, and can result in more extreme rainfall events and a greater intensity of rain.’

The effects of climate change on water patterns are also severeley hampering the international community’s commitment to provide access to safe drinking water for everyone. One of the UN’s Strategic Development Goals is to ‘achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all’ by 2030.

It is widely accepted that this is not going to happen by the deadline and that water scarcity will increase. With 2°C warming, up to three billion people are projected to experience chronic water scarcity.

Nevertheless, the commitment continues. In 2022 UNESCO, on behalf of UN-Water, called on states to commit themselves to ‘developing adequate and effective groundwater management and governance policies in order to address current and future water crises throughout the globe’.

In a statement, it said: ‘Globally, water use is projected to grow by roughly one per cent per year over the next 30 years. Our overall dependence on groundwater is expected to rise as

surface water availability becomes increasingly limited due to the climate crisis.’ Casey adds: ‘If nothing changes and climate change continues while the global population increases, a larger percentage of that population will continue to go without adequate water services.

‘The sustainable development goal is already off-track. We will not reach it. Water service providers have to keep up with population growth and they already are not.’

The solutions, he argues, will not be provided by global commitments and targets. ‘You can’t manage water at a global level,’ he says. ‘What is needed are robust localised strategies for managing water and managing it at the basin level.’

Effective water management programs were highlighted in the University of California study which detailed how, in regions where aquifers had increased, such as Bangkok and the Coachella Valley of California, governments had created regulations and programs to reduce groundwater use.

Water management was frequently used to top up groundwater levels. In Spain, for example, water managers are recharging the Los Arenales aquifer using a combination of river water, reclaimed wastewater and runoff from rooftops.

While diverting water from rivers is not always beneficial and can create shortages in other local areas, sound groundwater management does make a lot of sense.

According to WaterAid, for every £1 (AED 4.65) invested in clean water it yields on average £4 (AED 18.6) in economic returns.

And while it would cost just over £21bn (AED 97.7bn) a year until 2030, which is 0.1 per cent of global GDP, to provide water and hygiene to the two billion people who do not have access to safely managed drinking water, the World Bank estimates that the economic benefits would be huge – a staggering $60bn (AED 220bn) per year.

It is a complex problem and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Water is a global resource and access to it is vital for every living thing on Earth. But it will be down to local communities to design their own resilience measures for the difficult times ahead.

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CHANGE MAKER

DR. JANE GOODALL:

‘WHEN

NATURE SUFFERS, WE SUFFER’

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The 90-year-old pioneering researcher, advocate for animal welfare, and UN Messenger of Peace visited Dubai Expo City where she shared her personal story and emphasised the importance of future generations in understanding and acting on behalf of the natural world

BY ANTHEA AYACHE

H

er name is synonymous with compassion, curiosity and conservation, and she has dedicated her life to unravelling the mysteries of the natural world while tirelessly advocating for the protection of its inhabitants.

Born in London in 1934, Dr. Jane Goodall became curious about animals at a young age, fuelled by her beloved Tarzan books and an unexpected encounter with a brown hen.

Her ground-breaking work with wild chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, which began as a six-month excursion in 1960 but ended up spanning more than six decades, aimed to shed light on the behaviour, social interactions, communication patterns, tool usage, and overall ecology of these now endangered primates.

Her study, one of the longest continuous studies of wild animals in their natural habitat, revolutionised our understanding of chimps and their genetic similarities with humans – we now know they share 98.7 per cent of our DNA. But her legacy extends far beyond scientific discoveries. Dr. Jane Goodall’s unwavering commitment to conservation has inspired generations to act in defence of our planet. Through her eponymous institute and Roots & Shoots programme – it brings together youth from preschool to university age to work on environmental, conservation and humanitarian issues – she continues to empower the young to become stewards of the environment.

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Dr. Jane Goodall discovered just how like us chimpanzees are

Yet, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Goodall’s life is her unyielding optimism. Despite the daunting threats facing our natural world, she remains a beacon of hope, reminding us that everyone has the power to make a difference.

The Ethicalist caught up with her on International Day of Education at a talk at EXPO City Dubai’s Connect Conference Centre where she shared her insights and experiences on environmental conservation.

What sparked your lifelong passion and commitment to conservation?

I was really lucky, I had an incredibly supportive mother. When I was four, we lived in London and Mum took me for a holiday into the country. I was given the job of collecting the hens’ eggs. There were about five little henhouses with nest boxes around the edges, and I would go round with my little basket, and open the lid, and if there was an egg, pop it in my basket. Apparently, I began asking everybody, ‘But where is the hole big enough for the egg to come out?’ I remember vividly seeing a brown hen going into one of the henhouses and I thought, ‘Ah, she’s going to lay an egg.’ So I crawled in after her. Well, that was a mistake. Squawks of fear, she flew out. And my little brain must have thought, ‘Well, no hen will lay an egg here now, there’s something dangerous inside this henhouse,’ but then I was on a path of discovery, so I went into an empty henhouse and

waited. And when that hen came in, and right in front of me laid her egg, I don’t know who was more excited, me, or the hen!

Apparently, I was gone for hours, which is a long time for a four-yearold. My parents were panic-stricken.

Mum had rung the police, but when she saw this excited little girl rushing towards the house, instead of grabbing me and saying, ‘Don’t you dare do that again,’ she sat down and listened to this wonderful story.

Anyway, the point of that is, that was the making of a little scientist– curiosity, asking questions, not getting the right answer, deciding to find out for yourself, making a mistake, not giving up, and, finally, learning patience.

A different kind of mother may have crushed that early scientific curiosity, and I might not be here now. I think that’s something we all should think about: supporting your child in their dreams.

to let me get a little closer. He helped me to learn about the others in his community and gradually, I got to know them as individuals. I saw them using and making tools, which back then it was thought only humans could do. We didn’t even know then that we share 98.7 per cent of the composition of our DNA with chimpanzees. That’s how biologically closely related we are.

They share so many similarities with their non-verbal communication, kissing, embracing, holding hands, patting one another. And when the males stand upright, swagger, bristle, and have their lips bunched in a furious scowl when they’re competing for dominance, they remind me so much of certain male politicians!

But it was shocking to find out that, like us, they have a dark and brutal side. They’re capable of a kind of primitive war. Each community has about 50 individuals, and the males patrol the boundary. If they see an individual from a neighbouring community, they will give chase, and if they catch that individual, they could die of wounds inflicted.

Why did you become an activist as well as a conservationist ?

When I was spending time alone in

‘HOPE IS ABOUT ACTION. WE’VE GOT TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES, CLIMB OVER, CRAWL UNDER, AND WORK AROUND ALL OF THE OBSTACLES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE’

What did you learn during your extensive study of chimpanzees in the Tanzanian rainforest?

For four whole months – and I only had money to stay and research for six – the chimps ran away as soon as they saw me. So, every day, I’d get up before light, climb up into the mountains where I’d found a peak, and learn by watching them through my binoculars. Eventually one chimp – I named him David Greybeard as he had a lovely grey, hairy chin – began

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CHANGE MAKER

little island of forest left, and all around the hills were bare with more people living there than the land could support, struggling to survive.

And that’s when it hit me. If we don’t help these people to find a way of making a living without destroying their environment, we can’t save chimpanzees, forests or anything else.

And so the Jane Goodall Institute programme began. It started as Take Care, but now it is known as TACARE, the very first truly community-led conservation programme. We have microfinance programmes where the villagers can choose their own sustainable small businesses. And this works so well. Because if you give people money, a grant, they use it up, they do well, but then they want another grant. If it’s a loan, and they pay it back, they’re proud, because they think: ‘We did it. It’s mine.’

You’ve spent a lot of effort educating young people about the environment – how important is it in solving climate crisis issues?

the rainforest, I had this great connection with the natural world, and I found that if you are out in nature by yourself, you are part of it – your self vanishes. I could have stayed there forever. But at a big conference that I helped to organise, we had a session on conservation, and it was shocking to see the forests disappearing and chimp numbers dropping, and I just knew I had to try and do something.

So I got hold of some money, visited the six chimpanzee sites we had then and learned how they were suffering. But I also learned about the problems facing so many African people living in and around chimp forests – the crippling poverty, the lack of health and education, degradation of the land, and how they were moving into the forest, risking disease transmission with their cattle.

Then I flew over the Gombe National Park. It was so very small, and when I had begun in 1960 it was part of a huge forest belt, stretching across Africa. By the mid-1980s I was shocked to look down and see just a

‘We all need to work together to truly make a difference’

Today we think of education in a more formal setting and that, of course, is important. But I get terribly upset when I see four-year-old children being made to sit still for hours because children of that age learn by being and doing. So it’s very important today, as we are faced with the existential threats of climate change, and loss of biodiversity, that these kinds of problems get built into the curriculum. However, it’s also important if we want to save nature, which we have so badly harmed, that children have time in nature. It’s all very well to read about something in books, or even see it on video, but it’s different when children, especially little children, have a chance to be in nature, to feel the earth in their hands, to watch a little seed grow into a plant. That is really important. You become fascinated, you love it, and what you love, you want to protect.

You always seem so positive despite all the ecological crises happening globally.

How do you retain hope?

Well, I see humanity at the start of a very long, very dark tunnel, and right at the end, there’s a little star shining, and that’s hope. But it’s no good

sitting at the mouth of the tunnel, and wondering when that star is going to come. No, hope is about action. We’ve got to roll up our sleeves, climb over, crawl under, work around all the obstacles, like climate change, loss of biodiversity, killing of the soil with agricultural pesticides and herbicides, poverty, unsustainable lifestyles, all of these problems. The good news is there are groups of people working on them. Unfortunately, they are so often working in their own little narrow tunnel, and not realising that solving this problem may lead to another problem, and that wouldn’t happen if they thought more broadly.

So we need collaboration; we need people working on these different problems to come together.

Do you believe we should move more towards plantbased diets?

It’s important that we move more towards a plant-based diet, and leave industrial farming with its use of monocultures, herbicides, pesticides, artificial fertilisers, and GMO crops because they are killing the soil, harming biodiversity and our health.

Factory farming of animals is not only almost unbelievably cruel, but huge amounts of land are cleared to grow grain and soy to feed the billions of prisoners (each of whom is a sentient being with an individuality, and capable of emotions such as contentment, frustration and fear.

Each of whom feels pain) – and more is grown to feed animals than for humans in poverty!

Do you think there is a solution to our nature vs people imbalance?

We are all interconnected: people, animals, and our environment. When nature suffers, we suffer, and when it flourishes, we all flourish. We have this window of time, and it will work, but only if we take action now, not tomorrow. We mustn’t leave it to somebody else – each one of us must think about our own footprint on the environment every day. I do believe in a world where we can live in harmony with nature, but only if every one of us does our part to make that world a reality, so that when you look back over your journey, your life, you can truly say: ‘I did make a difference.’

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The Ugly Truth:

WHY DO WE SAVE THE CUTEST ANIMALS?

Are so-called ‘ugly’ endangered animals being neglected because they don’t conform to human standards of beauty?

BY SARAH FREEMAN

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he plight of India’s elusive tigers, Africa’s enigmatic elephants, and Borneo’s fiercely intelligent orangutans are regretfully stories we are all too familiar with. These critically endangered, charismatic megafauna are rarely out of the headlines, it seems. And while these species have become powerful ambassadors for conservation, cosmetically challenged – OK, ugly – but no less ecologically important creatures, such as the Chinese giant salamander and Mongolia’s Saiga antelope, are being resolutely ignored and snubbed.

The sad reality is cute and cuddly conservation mascots, such as Instaworthy pandas and polar bears, receive more funding and publicity – leaving creepy crawlies, amphibians and reptiles out in the cold. Seen as lost causes, snakes, bats and rodents just can’t match the animal magnetism of a mountain gorilla or humpback whale. Making a tourist attraction out of Cambodia’s balding giant ibis (a wading bird whose looks only its mother could love) is an impossible task compared to, say, the majestic bald eagle.

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IT’S NO ACCIDENT THAT THE WILDLIFE THAT’S FARING BEST HAPPENS TO BE WARM-BLOODED, ENTERTAINING AND EASY ON THE EYE. HUMANS’ AFFINITY FOR ‘CUTE’ IS ROOTED IN OUR EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

Pandas, the WWF’s corporate mascot, are officially the most expensive animals in the world to keep – a staggering five times more than elephants. China rents out single bears for $1 million (AED 3.6 million) a year to zoos, which can require a further $1 million in upkeep, according to North Americ’s Giant Panda Conservation Foundation. And despite pandas’ numbers rebounding enough to change its status from endangered to vulnerable, money keeps pouring in to protect these adorable black and white furries.

Conservation Pin-Up

But when it comes to adopting Victor the Purple frog versus Bei Bei the panda, the bulbous, subterranean amphibian doesn’t get a look in.

Corporate sponsors such as CocaCola have backed high profile WWF campaigns for polar bears and pandas to the tune of $2 million (AED 7.3 million), further inflating the profile of these conservation pin-ups.

Meanwhile, WWF’s Double Tigers Initiative collects $350 million (AED 1.2 billion) a year and The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has ploughed $4.1 million (AED 15

million) into saving the vulnerable monarch butterflies. It’s no accident that the wildlife that’s faring best in the Anthropocene (the humaninfluenced geological age that we are now living in) happens to be warmblooded, entertaining and easy on the eye. Humans’ affinity for ‘cute’ is rooted in our evolutionary biology.

We are instinctively drawn to animals that look and behave like human babies – possessing physical traits such as a large head, big eyes, round face, small nose, short limbs and chubby cheeks. There is even a name for it: Kindchenschema, as coined by Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz in the 1940s. The attractive baby-like features activate our motivation to care for the animal with them. No wonder the most popular symbolically adopted animals are tigers, snow leopards, polar bears and pandas. The species that survive the world’s sixth extinction are destined to be the ones we decide to save.

Championing Ugly

One man on a mission to give a voice to some of nature’s aesthetically powerless creatures and rebalance the taxonomic bias is UK biologist,

and comedian, Simon Watt. In his Ugly Animal Conservation Society – a comedy night with a conservation twist where scientists-slashcomedians (and vice-versa) have a 10-minute window to champion an endangered, hideous creature to the audience, whose vote determines the city’s very own ‘ugly animal mascot’.

Money pours in for expensive pandas because they look so cute

Global Ugly Mascot

It may all sound bonkers, but Simon explains that while ‘there is a very serious point behind it, talking about conservation is depressing if you only ever focus on the threat of extinction.’ He even launched a nationwide campaign to find a global mascot in association with the UK’s National Science and Engineering Competition which crowned the gelatinous deep sea blobfish the world’s ugliest animal.

The main challenges facing Mother Nature’s less-fortunate looking, endangered critters is an alarming lack of research. Using data amassed from over 15,000 academic papers in Australia during the past century, a study by The Mammal Review revealed how almost 80 per cent of research focused on the so-

Cambodia’s giant ibis is no tourist attraction compared to America’s majestic bald eagle

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‘EVERYBODY KNOWS PANDAS, AND POLAR BEARS. IT’S NOT THAT THESE SPECIES AREN’T IMPORTANT, BUT THEY ARE ONLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THEIR GOOD LOOKS’ Habitat loss is driving the Madagascan Aye-Aye towards extinction

called ‘attractive’ marsupials, such as kangaroos and koalas, versus ‘ugly’ native bats and rodents, which, despite making up over half of the total species examined, were given just 11 per cent research time.

And if you need any more convincing about the importance of bats, rats and ugly bugs you’ve never heard of, immerse yourself in Watt’s acclaimed science book, The Ugly Animals: We Can’t All be Pandas.

‘Everybody knows a panda, and has heard of a polar bear,’ he argues. ‘It’s not that they’re not important, but they are only really important because of their looks.’ It raises a very inconvenient but important question to the conservation world – as well as ourselves: why should pandas get all the praise?

The Cape Griffon vulture stops the spread of disease to lions

Six ‘Ugly’ Animals Worth Saving

Here are six so-called ‘ugly’ endangered animals that need you to overlook their aesthetics for a shot at survival

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The Ugly Sister The gremlin-like Madagascan Aye-Aye has long been in the shadow of its famously photogenic relative – the black and white ruffed lemur. Driven towards extinction by habitat destruction, the Aye-Aye’s diet of wood-boring beetles is critical to protecting the island’s rainforest.

Scales and All The so-called ‘ugly ducklings’ of the crocodilian family, Siamese crocodiles are feeling the squeeze thanks to humans and their habit of taking over habitats. With 99 per cent of their original territory lost, these elusive, underappreciated introverts have had to scurry to the edges of their former stomping grounds.

Three is Not the Magic Number Reputed to be the most critically endangered species on the planet, due to overharvesting and the degradation of their freshwater habitat, there are now, sadly, just three Yangtze Giant Soft-shell Turtles left remaining in the wild.

The Final Hop The colourful Purple frogs found in India’s remote Western Ghats pale in comparison to their attractive Amazonian cousins.

Deforestation mainly caused by the cultivation of coffee and cardamom is the main threat to their survival.

Nature’s Pest Control The Cape Griffon vulture may not be on your Big-5 safari list, but their role in preventing the spread of disease to lions and elephants is essential to the survival of these megafauna. Power line collisions and mass accidental poisonings while humans treat cattle for arthritis have resulted in these South African scavengers becoming vulnerable.

The Poor Man’s Dolphin Perilously close to extinction, the vaquita is a tiny Californian porpoise classified as the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Its population has been reduced to just 10 as a direct result of illegal fishing of its primary food source: the totoaba fish.

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ENVIRONMENT

ASHES TO EARTH

Many of us are making greener decisions on the way we live our lives but what happens when we die? Burials take up land, while cremations release too much CO2.

Here’s how to continue lessening our impact on the planet with our final choices on Earth

BY TRIONA MCBRIDE

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eath, like taxes, the saying goes, is inevitable.

But while we are lucky enough to be spared that dreaded yearly tax return in the UAE, most of us spend all our time trying to avoid even thinking about our own mortality. When it comes to planning our own funeral, only 18 per cent of us have done so because we’re scared to think of our own demise or consider it a buzz kill.

Death is, however, one of the few things in life we can be sure of, and when we do sit down to consider it most people who care about the planet realise just what a dramatic impact it has on the environment. Modern funerals leave a massive carbon footprint with a cremation calculated to generate 245kg of carbon emissions, the equivalent of an 800 km car journey or charging your smartphone more than 29,0000 times.

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‘The rise in both ecological and sustainability concerns over the past decade combined with a desire to be part of nature, or laid to rest in a natural setting, means that even more people are considering the environmental impact of their body once they die,’ says Professor Douglas Davies from the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University in the UK. But how exactly can you plan an environmentally friendly send off?

MODERN FUNERALS LEAVE A BIG CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH A CREMATION CALCULATED TO GENERATE 245 KG OF CARBON EMISSIONS – THE EQUIVALENT OF AN 800 KM CAR JOURNEY OR CHARGING YOUR SMARTPHONE MORE THAN 29,0000 TIMES

Killer Costs

Funerals are big business. In the US alone the industry is worth $20 billion (AED 73.5 billion) a year. End of life costs can run up to $25,000 (AED 91,800) in the US while a burial and wake in the UK costs on average £9,200 (AED 43,000), according to leading financial services company SunLife’s 2023 report. These expenses have to be accounted for in estate planning but when people realise they’re effectively investing in environmental damage, most like to consider other greener options.

In the West, burials are common even though they’re environmentally destructive. Most graveyards line the graves with concrete to stop them from collapsing, and coffins, which are usually made from mahogany, and are lacquered, have contributed to deforestation, resulting in the loss of wildlife habitats and biodiversity. A coffin can account for up to 46kg of carbon dioxide emissions – the equivalent of a 328 km car journey.

In the US it’s estimated that 1.6 million tons of concrete, more than 64,500 tons of steel and four million gallons of toxic embalming fluid are used to bury the dead every year. The use of formaldehyde poses further localised ecological threats by seeping into the soil, along with heavy metals that contaminate water sources.

The mining of stone for memorial statues and polished headstones – and transporting it from countries such as India and China – also depletes natural resources and adds 31kg of CO2 to a burial’s footprint.

Cremation, as one might expect, has a more serious environmental toll. Burning fossil fuels at a high temperature is clearly problematic. In America an average of 30 gallons of fuel is used for each cremation –

emitting between 126kg – 270kg of carbon dioxide into the air along with toxic waste gases nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

While the equivalent is taking a short flight from Dubai to Doha, with more than a million people being cremated in the US every day it is significantly toxic to the atmosphere and contributes to the climate crisis.

Conversion from gas to electricity could halve the footprint, rising to 80 per cent if using fully renewable power, but even these cremations would still leave a larger footprint than burials.

So it make sense that, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, more than 60 per cent of people are interested in ‘exploring green funeral options’.

In its most basic form, this means choosing to relinquish embalming (to safeguard a body from decay),

requesting that no oil or perfume is used on your body, and being wrapped in a shroud before being put in the ground – which the Green Burial Council defines as ‘a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources’.

In the Middle East, while no coffin is used, perfuming the body is common practice. As the Aquilaria tree, where oud comes from, is often over-harvested and plays a vital role in the ecosystem, in order to contribute to sustainability, no oud should be used.

Around 80 million people will die each year globally by 2024, according to Dr Julie Rugg, Director of the Cemetery Research Group, University of York. Many graveyards – especially in the UK – are already running out of space and as people continue to die where will we put them all? In cities

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with high water tables that sit below sea level, such as New Orleans, the dead are laid to rest in above-ground cemeteries. It is common to have family mausoleums. This again presents the issue of lack of space as they fill up. But increased flooding raises the prospect of bodies surging into the open as water rushes through above-ground cemeteries.

Green Burials

Alternative and greener funerals are not only eco-friendly but many involve returning the body to nature – or breaking it down altogether in a more environmentally friendly way.

But, as Dr Rugg points out, for many people, there is still a gap to be bridged between ‘what is sustainable and what people find consoling.’

Some people will find comfort in being part of nature, while many relatives may need time to adjust and

accept the finality of such an act. After all, visiting graves, and other rituals and traditions, are important in helping us grieve in myriad cultures.

But having a greener funeral is not new-age or even a new idea.

Many cultures around the world have been practicing burials that return the body to the earth for centuries. In South Korea it is common custom to be buried in a designated forest without a coffin or in a biodegradable container, for example. In Buddhist, Hawaiian and Japanese cultures, bodies are wrapped in a shroud or biodegradable material and placed in the water, sometimes with weighted objects. In Tibet the deceased is placed on the top of a mountain to be consumed by birds as part of a sky burial.

Woodland burial grounds have recently started appearing, offering a flourishing resting place where trees

and wildflowers bloom. Embalming along with headstones are prohibited, the coffins are biodegradable and graves much shallower, so there’s less disturbance of the land, and the carbon footprint is estimated to be 100kg – lower than a cremation.

Many studies have established how the natural decomposition of the body can enhance soil with vital nutrients, helping plants and animals to thrive. ‘The best thing we can do is die in the forest and just lay there,’ says Bob Hendrixx, creator of the world’s first living coffin made from mushrooms and upcycled fibres, the Loop Living Cocoon™. It biodegrades in just 45 days and, according to Bob, gives ‘our nutrients back in the most natural way.’

Some people are choosing to forego a coffin and become soil almost as soon as they die. Rather than scattering ashes – which can be damaging to plant life – imagine having flowers bloom from the soil of your loved ones’ remains. This is the idea behind Recompose, a facility in Seattle where humans pay $7,000 (AED 25,709) to compost their bodies after their death.

Katrine Spade founded Recompose in 2020 after years of contemplating the design and rituals of death care.

‘Nature is really good at death,’ she explained in her TedX talk. ‘When organic material dies in nature, microbes and bacteria break it down into nutrient-rich soil, completing the life cycle. In nature death creates life.’

She discovered that farmers globally have been practicing livestock mortality decomposition for several decades, covering cows in woodchip and leaving them outside for nature to do its job.

In the aptly named ‘The Green House’ in Seattle, people bring their loved ones to the facility where they lay the body in a reusable vessel surrounded with wood chips, alfalfa and straw. These carbon-rich materials complement the nitrogen in the body to trigger the composting process. In six to eight weeks, the families can either donate their soil to woodland or bring it home for their garden. There are around 185 human composting facilities in the US, though terramation (the official name for human composting) is not yet legal in all states. It is not yet

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offered anywhere in Europe, although groups such as Humusation France are campaigning for its legalisation.

Water Cremation

Essentially dissolving the body in alkaline waters, resomation, or aquamation, is another choice for those who seek a greener end-of-life option. The body is placed in an alkaline hydrolysis machine, which is filled with a water and potassium hydroxide solution to speed up decomposition over the course of approximately 20 hours. It mimics what happens when a body is left in nature, though at a much greater speed, and uses up to five times less energy than a traditional fire cremation, seven times less energy and six times less carbon footprint than a burial– though the production of potassium hydroxide, which can be hazardous to the environment and aquatic life, has a relatively high carbon footprint.

Also known as water cremation, it is legal in 24 states of America, much of Canada and South Africa.

In 2023, Ireland became the first country in Europe to offer water cremation though it is also now available in the UK and Belgium and the Netherlands are looking to introduce it.

Renow ned anti-apar t heid and human r ights activ ist Desmond Tutu was aquamated per his wishes after his death in December 2021.

In the US, it costs between $1,500 - $3,000 (A ED 5,500 – 11,000) and is two-thirds cheaper than a cremation in the UK. Some would

say the most sustainable use of your body after death is to donate it to medical science. There is a shortage of cadavers available for resea rch in Wester n count r ies, particularly in the UK and US. However, doctors are continuously learning about the body and cadavers serve as a crucial tool in learning more about diseases such as Parkinson’s and A lzheimer’s, as well as facilitating hands-on pr ac t ic e a nd le a r n i n g for ne w medical procedures.

Reduce Your Impact

When your loved ones die, you may be entrusted to deal with planning their funeral. While there’s no need to strain against convention, there are ways you can minimise the ecological footprint of saying a final goodbye.

If you can, request an alternative to embalming such as dry ice or refrigeration. If you must choose embalming, ask for fluids that are biodegradable and don’t contain

formaldehyde, as it can affect groundwater sources, make animals ill and shorten their life span.

If a wooden coffin is required, willow is the most sustainable wood as it can be grown in a year. You could also opt for reclaimed or recycled wood with no lacquer or the aforementioned coffins made from mushrooms which break down in six weeks. Don’t use a cardboard coffin because as it decomposes it produces methane, one of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

Rather than booking a hearse, choose an estate car to transport the coffin for a lower carbon footprint.

You could even arrange a bus service to the ceremony, graveyard, or crematorium if a collective bike ride isn’t possible.

If your loved one is cremated and you plant a tree on the day, then within two years it will balance the environmental impact.

And when it comes to a headstone, use salvaged or reclaimed materials rather than quarried and treated stone – it will be unique, personal and eco-friendly.

As the momentum behind ecoconscious funerals continues to grow, a promising shift toward greener alternatives seems inevitable. In choosing environmentally friendly practices to bid farewell to our loved ones, or plan for our own departure, we not only greatly reduce our carbon footprint but also contribute to a more sustainable and harmonious relationship with the Earth.

These choices have the potential to transform the funeral industry and make each of our final acts a fitting tribute to the world and wellbeing of the environment.

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About Saving Animals

Sophie Green, who was a mute for seven years, lets her art do the talking for vulnerable species around the globe and uses the profits from her paintings to fund conservation projects

BY KAREN PASQUALI JONES

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heir eyes are sharp and full of emotion as they stare, almost boring into you, silently begging for help.

From majestic lions to the coolest of polar bears and leather-skinned rhinos, this menagerie of animals have two things in common: they’re endangered and have all been drawn by conservation artist Sophie Green.

The award-winning painter was so scared and anxious as a child that she didn’t speak to anyone except her parents for seven years – but now she uses her incredible artistic talent of creating hyperrealistic renditions of vulnerable animals to help them find a voice.

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Sophie, 30, discovered her gift for painting after realising that the only thing that helped her relax and momentarily forget her anxiety as a child was interacting with animals – especially her cat, Rufus.

Even though she was introverted and a self-selected mute, who had to record herself narrating books at home as her teacher didn’t believe she could read or speak, Sophie spent all her time drawing animals growing up.

And as she spent more and more time with them she forgot her fears and began talking to the animals, even volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary so that she could study them up close.

Speaking Up

Now Sophie is one of the world’s top environmental and wildlife artists and is giving back to the vulnerable species who – like her as a child – can’t speak up for themselves.

She consciously travels the planet to spot endangered creatures such as polar bears, rhinos, tigers and whales which she paints and exhibits to raise funds for global conservation projects and to draw attention to their plight at the hands of mankind and climate change.

Her paintings – which are so detailed they look like photographs – fetch between £10,000 – £20,000 (AED 45,000 – 91,900) each, and in the last 18 months she has raised a staggering £90,000 (AED 413,900) for conservation from an exhibition called Impermanence she held at London’s OXO Tower Gallery, and from auctioning off a painting called Wounda of a chimpanzee for the Jane Goodall Institute UK, a charity she is an ambassador for. It raised £19,000 (AED 87,000).

‘I paint animals to save animals,’ Sophie, who has exhibited at COP26 and won international conservation awards, tells The Ethicalist. ‘I would love to make a difference in the world of conservation and use my art to make a positive impact.

‘Animals helped me when I was young. I could be myself around them and didn’t have to worry about anything. I know what it’s like not to have a voice and I want to help give animals a voice. They can’t speak for themselves so I want my art to do

‘Animals helped me when I was young. I could be myself around them. I know what it’s like not to have a voice.

Animals can’t speak for themselves so I want my art to do that for them’

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that for them.’ According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are currently around 40,000 species of animals that are believed to be under threat.

Art With A Heart

Since turning professional, former teacher Sophie, who lives off-grid in the woods in the Sussex countryside in England, has donated a large proportion of her income to wildlife and conservation charities worldwide, and has even set up her own project fund that will support vital conservation work, from safeguarding the snow leopards of the Himalayas to conducting research on threatened marine species including sharks and turtles.

‘Animals and the natural world have always been close to my heart,’ she says. ‘As a young child, I was a selective mute, which meant that I couldn’t speak outside of the family home until the age of seven. I was very introverted and spent almost all of my time outside with nature and wildlife, or reading books about animals and nature.

‘It was never a choice to become a wildlife artist and conservationist, it came completely naturally. Animals don’t have a voice and are not responsible for any of the dire struggles they currently face due to human encroachment, climate change, and poaching etc. It is a nobrainer for me that as many people as possible should be trying to make a difference for the voiceless.’

For her last exhibition she painted 14 thought-provoking pieces, many of which were already reserved before Impermanence even opened.

Sophie, who has an A-list following, initially thought she would do an Arctic-themed exhibition following her travels there last year, but a plethora of endangered animals became her focus instead, including Majesty, an East African lion she named after Queen Elizabeth II, because the piece was finished on the day the British monarch died.

‘It just seemed fitting,’ Sophie says. ‘All of my pieces are based on a species or a current conservation issue that has drawn my attention.

My recent expedition to the Arctic brought forward so many issues in

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terms of the wildlife, climate change, and ice melting that, for a while, a lot of my pieces were polar-themed.

Hyper-realistic Art

‘But I’m also drawn to a range of endangered animals, including ones that not many know about such as the pangolin, and I want them to make an impact. My art is hyperrealistic and not only captures the animal but also the very essence of me as a person — extremely detailorientated, deep-thinking and ultimately fascinated by wildlife and the natural world.’

After the exhibition, Sophie, who in 2021 was awarded the ‘medal of excellence’ from the Artists for Conservation Foundation (AFC), representing 500 of the world’s leading nature and wildlife artists, for her outstanding work in the wildlife and conservation sphere, travelled to Tanzania and Costa Rica

to study and photograph more endangered species. ‘I don’t like to travel too much because of my carbon footprint, but I have always wanted to go to Tanzania to see the wildebeest migration and I would also love to go to the Galapagos,’ Sophie says. ‘I like using my own photos for my paintings and do it to not only find sources for my inspiration and creativity but to also save the animals that I see.’

Sophie, who recently donated one of her paintings to the Tusk and the African Community & Conservation Foundation (ACCF), where it sold at auction for $24,000, (AED 88,000) wants to scale up her exhibitions so that she can have an even bigger impact on the natural world.

She is now putting together her next collection, Commodities, which showcases some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet on plinths, as if they’re an exhibit at a museum. ‘The aim of the collection is

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to draw attention to the terrible way that humans use wildlife as commodities whether it be for food, entertainment, fashion, labour, or sport,’ Sophie explains.

She plans to exhibit the collection at the end of this year and early 2025 to raise money for the Commodities project fund. It will support conservation projects including the Jaguar Rescue Center where she recently volunteered in Costa Rica – ‘though they don’t actually rescue jaguars, but sloths, monkeys, birds, and reptiles’ – along with the Jane Goodall Institute UK and the Born Free Foundation.

‘There are very few species that aren’t affected by human behaviour, our encroachment onto their land and climate change,’ she says. ‘I’m passionate about animals and saving vulnerable and endangered species. I hope my art can speak for me – and for them.’

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FEATURE RECIPES

Fine Dining Dine in style at home with these plant-based recipes from Gault&Millau Sustainability Champion of The Year UAE 2023 Russell Impiazzi

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ungry to make stylish food that is also sustainable, talented British chef Russell I m p i a z z i creates the most delicious dishes using every single part of his ingredients to impart maximum flavour with zero waste.

The Gault&Millau Sustainability Champion of the Year UAE 2023 is a well-known and respected figure on Dubai’s culinary scene, recognised not only for his Michelin Star-style food but also for his dedication to green gastronomy.

As Executive Chef at Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, where he oversees five restaurants, Russell has implemented a zero food waste to landfill policy, supporting the UAE’s goal of cutting food waste by 50 per cent by 2030.

His initiatives include in-house composting and collaborating with the UAE Food Bank to repurpose surplus food into meals, producing 20,000 meals in the last two years.

Russell heads up the sustainability committee at the hotel, which has been awarded the prestigious Green Key Certification along with the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Stamp Gold Tier, one of only 11 hotels in the emirate to do so. Suffice to say, Russell inspires positive change both inside and beyond his kitchen.

‘With these plant-based recipes most of the core ingredients are locally grown in the UAE which is really important to me,’ he says. ‘As a chef, no matter which part of the world you are in, building dishes around local produce is something that we should all embrace.

‘Great vegetable-centric recipes, using all the different aspects of the fresh produce, minimising waste in the process, and cooking over flames while incorporating delicious pulses and spices, all adds up to creating dishes with really great flavours.’

Here, Russell shares three of his favourite vegan recipes with The Ethicalist for you to make and impress your guests with at home.

FEATURE

Heritage Tomato Tartare WITH WHIPPED AVOCADO, ‘GAZPACHO’-STYLE DRESSING, AND SOURDOUGH CRACKERS

PREP TIME: 30 mins COOKING TIME: 10 mins SERVES: 2 • 500g local organic tomatoes • Sourdough loaf (place in the freezer for an hour before needed as it is easier to slice thinly when it’s a bit frozen) • Baby herbs for garnish

FOR THE DRESSING 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce • ½ small jalapeño pepper, minced • 2 to 3 drops of Siracha chilli sauce • 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped • 1 tbsp tomato ketchup • 1 tbsp chopped chives • 100ml olive oil • Maldon salt for seasoning Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together FOR THE AVOCADO PURÉE • 1 avocado • 1 small red chilli, chopped • 1 small shallot, chopped • 1 lemon (for juice) • salt and pepper Peel and dice the avocado and

then place in a bowl with the fine chopped shallot, half the red chilli and the lemon juice. Mash together and leave for half an hour for the flavours to get to know each other! Then pass through a fine sieve so you’re left with an avocado purée. Whisk it up and season to taste.

FOR THE ‘GAZPACHO’-STYLE DRESSING • ½ cucumber, diced • 1 red pepper, diced • 1 small shallot, diced • 2 medium tomatoes, diced • 50ml red grape vinegar • 200ml olive oil • M aldon salt and pepper to season Add all the ingredients into a blender and blitz into a paste.

Pass through a fine strainer into a jar and chill in the fridge.

Prepare the tomatoes by bringing a small saucepan of water to a boil. Have an ice bath (ice cubes in a bowl of cold water) ready nearby. Score a small ‘x’ at the bottom of each tomato and place it in the boiling

water for about 20-30 seconds.

Remove the tomatoes and place them in the ice bath to stop them cooking. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel the skin and then quarter and remove the core and seeds (keep these and put them in a container in the freezer to use for another dish) from the tomatoes.

Reserve the skins from the tomatoes – dehydrate and blitz into a fine powder and use later as a garnish. Carefully dice the tomatoes and place into a strainer to let some of the excess liquid strain for a few minutes before placing the diced tomatoes into a medium mixing bowl. Add in the dressing and season, if necessary. Place the sliced sourdough in a preheated oven to crisp up.

Using a ring mould, if you have one, place the tomato tartare in the middle, garnish with the baby herbs, pipe a few drops of the avocado around the plate, and pour the gazpacho into a small jug. Arrange the sourdough crackers on the side.

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Spiced Lentil Croquettes With Josper Roasted Cauliflower WITH BLACK GARLIC, LOCAL SPINACH, AND PICKLED CAULIFLOWER STEMS

PREP TIME: 20 mins COOKING TIME: 15 mins SERVES: 4 FOR THE LENTIL CROQUETTES • 100g celery / leeks / carrots / onion – all finely diced • 10g garlic, chopped • 3g fresh thyme • 500g cooked lentils • 5g cumin powder • 5g coriander powder • 5g all spice • 15g tomato paste • 100ml vegetable stock • 100g vegetable suet Sweat down the vegetables and garlic until they’re soft. Add the fresh thyme, cooked lentils, and the spices and cook together for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Deglaze with the vegetable stock and continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add in the veg suet and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture on a tray and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, mould into croquettes that are 30 to 40g in size.

FOR THE ZERO WASTE BBQ CAULIFLOWER • 1 small whole cauliflower including the leaves and stems • 100ml olive oil • 200ml pickling brine • 1 litre vegetable stock • salt and pepper Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower and wash and dry. Deep fry until crispy, then season with salt. Trim the stems and thinly slice. Add pickling brine to a bowl and place them inside for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Now break down the cauliflowers into florets. Blanch the florets in boiling water for around five minutes with the vegetable stock, which adds flavour.

Remove the florets. Keep the water as you will use it for the spinach purée.

Brush the florets with olive oil and place them on the BBQ to give them a lovely smokey flavour.

FOR THE SPINACH PURÉE • 200g locally grown spinach leaves • T he remaining elements from the cauliflower Blanch the spinach leaves in the boiling vegetable stock, cook for two minutes and refresh in iced water. Add the remaining elements of the cauliflower (stems and offcuts) to the stock. Once soft, and fully cooked, remove from the heat, add the spinach and put into a blender to blitz into a purée. Season well with salt and pepper.

FOR THE BLACK GARLIC PURÉE • 10g vegan butter • 10g flour • 100ml almond milk • 25g black garlic, whole Melt the butter, and flour together in a pan over a medium heat. Add the milk

and bring to boil to make a vegan béchamel sauce. Add the black garlic, place the mixture into a blender and blitz to a fine purée. Pass through a fine strainer and allow to cool.

FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER: • 300g tempura flour • 125ml soda water • Whisk together Prepare a light batter with the flour and soda water. Roll the croquettes in a dusting of plain flour, dip in the batter and deep fry until crispy at 180 degrees for approx 6 minutes.

To serve, place the spinach purée in the centre of the plate, and add the cauliflower followed by the croquettes.

Place the crispy cauliflower leaves and pickled stems on top, then finish with a few small drops of black garlic purée.

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Roasted Broccoli With Herb ‘Butter’ & Black Garlic WITH CARROTS, TEMPURA, AND PEA OIL

PREP TIME: 15 mins COOKING TIME: 30 mins SERVES: 4

CARROT PURÉE Wash the carrots and dice. Place the carrots in a pan and just cover them with the vegetable stock. Add the vegan butter and season with salt. Bring to boil and cook until soft – most of the stock will have cooked into the carrots.

Place into a blender and blitz down into a smooth purée.

TEMPURA Make a batter with tempura flour and soda water. Take the offcuts of carrots and the remaining leeks, dust in the flour and place in the batter to deep fry until crispy, usually around 2-3 minutes.

PEA OIL Blanch the peas and refresh in ice water. Drain and blitz in a blender with the oil and the chervil leaves. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and fine strain.

Place the cooked broccoli stem on a chargrill, and heat all the purées in separate pans over a medium heat. To serve, spoon the green purée onto the middle of the plate and arrange the charred broccoli on top. Pipe the smooth carrot purée around the dish.

Arrange the tempura on the stem then drizzle with the black garlic puree and pea oil.

• Whole broccoli • ½ bunch tarragon •1.5 litres vegetable stock • 200g vegan butter FOR THE LEEK, SPINACH AND BROCCOLI PURÉE • 1 small whole leek • 100ml olive oil • 200g vegan butter • 200g spinach FOR THE CARROT PURÉE • 4 medium carrots • vegetable stock • 150g vegan butter, diced FOR THE TEMPURA • vegetable offcuts – onions / leeks and carrots Make the tempura batter as per the earlier recipe.

FOR THE PEA OIL • 100g green peas • 100ml vegetable oil, drizzle • A few chervil leaves • 50g black garlic puree BROCCOLI Remove the florets from the broccoli, and cut the remaining stem in half.

Infuse the tarragon in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Blanch the florets in the stock and refresh in an ice water bath. Place the vegan butter into the stock and whisk it in to make a rich creamy-style stock. Blanch the stems in this stock.

LEEK / SPINACH / BROCCOLI PURÉE Take two-thirds of the leek, dice and then sauté in a pan over a medium heat with the olive oil and the vegan butter.

Cook until soft, before adding the spinach and cooking down the mixture for a further 2 minutes.

Finally, add in the cooked broccoli florets, season well with salt and pepper and remove the pan from the heat. Place the mixture into a blender and blitz down to a fine purée.

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AF RI A Out Of (Eco)

FROM CHEETAH TRACKING ON FOOT TO PICNICS AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD, SAMARA KAROO RESERVE IS TRULY A SAFARI FOR THE SOUL

BY ANTHEA AYACHE

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ur group walks gingerly through the rugged bush in the early morning light, the breathtaking landscape stretching out before us, a mix of vast undulating plains and dramatic hills dotted with scattered acacia trees. Up ahead our tracker Klippers scans the terrain for the camouflaged colours of a cheetah, the only sound that of our footsteps on resilient shrubs and the occasional call of a hidden bird.

Before long he points in the direction of a sweet thorn bush ahead, a sign for our team to stop.

Christiaan, our proficient and charming field guide, motions for us to fall into step behind him and calmly relays the plan of action. We move stealthily in single file to our viewing point, mere metres away from the world’s fastest land animal.

Naledi, a sleek and powerful female cheetah, lies nestled amidst the vibrant green sweet thorn bush, basking in the late morning sun. Now and then her head gently rises, triggered by the approaching springbok and oryx oblivious to the danger on their doorstep. There’s a collective intake of breath when she gracefully transitions into a full sitting position and suddenly the mere distance between us is palpable.

To my relief, at least, after a regal gaze out onto the plains, she decides dinner is a task for later and resumes her mid-morning siesta.

Welcome to Samara Karoo Reserve, an award-winning safari destination in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, which has a long legacy of successful cheetah conservation. Christiaan informs us that cheetahs, iconic for their speed and grace, are also sprinting towards extinction. Their numbers have plummeted by over 90 per cent in the last century and today fewer than 8,000 remain, primarily scattered across small pockets of Africa – from South Africa to Algeria – and a tiny population in Iran and India. Habitat loss, exacerbated by human expansion, inbreeding and the illegal wildlife trade, has contributed significantly to their decline.

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But Samara Karoo has been pioneering their comeback for almost 20 years, beginning with Sibella, an injured cheetah who arrived at the reserve in 2003 after surviving a near-death encounter with hunting dogs on a local farm. Within the sanctuary’s safe perimeters, Sibella would play a vital role in cheetah conservation across South Africa.

During her time at Samara Karoo Reserve she nurtured an impressive 19 cubs in four litters before succumbing to an antelope injury in 2015, leaving behind a genetic heritage that has contributed almost three per cent of the country’s entire cheetah numbers.

Tying this fascinating conservation story to our encounter, Christiaan tells us that in Sibella’s final litter, a cub named Chile was born who would go on to deliver Naledi, ‘our’ cheetah.

Now in the fourth generation of Samara cheetahs, she gracefully embodies the reserve’s colossal conservation efforts.

of electric blue as it catches the afternoon light while to our right a herd of buffalo look up inquisitively from their grazing to the rare sights and sounds of a vehicle. We learn that despite languid appearances, buffalo are the most aggressive of the Big Five, capable even of killing the apex predator: a lion.

Moving on in our search for the elusive big cats, the steep road leading to the summit becomes increasingly challenging, characterised by rocky, rust-red terrain that mercilessly jolts our open-air jeep. Seated on the side overlooking the precipice, I hold on tightly, avoiding any glances down at the lush, green-carpeted landscape hundreds of metres below.

Endless Beauty

But while its conservation efforts are impressive, there is even more to behold in this magnificent reserve that sprawls some 67,000 acres of diverse rolling plains, rocky hills and secluded valleys. From our mid-morning bushwalk cheetah tracking, to an afternoon quest for a lion pride in the mountains, our journey through this award-winning reserve goes from strength to strength.

We head to the foothills of the Kondoa mountain where the scenery is vastly different from the arid grassland plains. Our Toyota Land Cruiser navigates through the verdant Albany thicket biome, one of five distinct ecosystems on this vast property. Here a flourishing forest of Spekboom adorned with delicate pink flowers blankets the terrain, a plant so powerful it releases twice as much oxygen per hectare as a rainforest.

When the game vehicle is at a standstill, silence reigns. The soft sound of a breeze only punctuated by the song of a red kestrel, the humming of bees and the welcome gurgle of a nearby stream that, Christiaan informs us, is the first in the area for years due to drought.

As we continue, a black widowbird glides past, its wings turning a shade

Picnic in Paradise A buffalo is so aggressive it can even kill the apex predator: a lion

When we reach the plateau, we are greeted with jaw-dropping vistas, and it quickly becomes evident why lions

favour this all-encompassing vantage point to survey their domain.

The landscape here is more arid with long stretches of sun-dried grasslands and scattered rhinoceros bush – named for the mammal’s love of the plant. One side of the landscape is framed by the almost volcaniclooking Sneeuberge mountain range, while up ahead the red dolomite cliff edge approaches. To our right lies a natural lake where the sound of our vehicle arriving prompts a troop of baboons to hastily scatter and the wildebeest to kick back their legs as they too disperse across the plain.

To our surprise when we reach the cliff’s edge, by a shady wild olive tree, a welcoming host waits for us, tray of sparkling grape in hand. Next to a table that has been beautifully set for lunch with glamping-style tin boxes for food and tin mugs for fizz, we wash our hands in a bowl with water poured

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ONCE UPON A TIME A STAGGERING 12 MILLION SPRINGBOK WOULD CROSS THESE PLAINS IN WHAT WAS THEN THE WORLD’S LARGEST MIGRATION. WHILE THOSE DAYS MAY NOT RETURN, SAMARA KAROO WANTS TO REWILD THIS LAND TO CLOSELY RESEMBLE ITS FORMER GLORY from a jug before sitting down to drink in the breathtaking views across the Plains of Camdeboo.

From this outstanding vantage point, the lucky few to visit this lofty location can scan over 180 kilometres of magnificent terrain. Down below the plains of Camdeboo stretch out before us where, once upon a time, a staggering 12 million springbok would cross in what was then the world’s largest migration. While those days may never return, the ethos of Samara Karoo is to rewild this land to closely resemble its former glory.

Following a leisurely lunch, we set out to find the lion pride. Our skilled tracker uses a wire frame, designed to pick up the GPS collar signal of a lioness, which guides us to their approximate area, making the search relatively straightforward. About 15 minutes into our drive, the device registers a strong signal, prompting us to venture off the beaten path. There, right on the cliff’s edge, nestled among

Experience the wild in style in chic safari tents

a line of thorny bushes, two lionesses are grooming one another as a form of social bonding. To our surprise, just behind them, a male raises his head in a magnificent yawn, his shaggy mane billowing in the wind.

Mesmerised, we linger as the pride takes notice of our presence but continues with the task at hand. After capturing numerous photographs, we realise that soon the sun will be setting, and it’s time to start the descent from mountain to plains.

As the jeep rolls along the rustcoloured tracks, a tower of giraffes peek at us from behind the bushes, while swift herds of kudu, oryx, and red antelope dart ahead. Along various points of the journey, striking dazzles of zebras run alongside the vehicle before confidently overtaking and leaping in front of us across the road in single file.

While sightings are abundant on our excursion, we learn that at Samar Karoo the mission transcends the

typical Big Five checklist found in many reserves. The dedicated team here are driven by a deep commitment to conservation and sustainability, patiently waiting seven years for the natural grasses to flourish after they acquired the land before reintroducing large animals.

Recognising that animals need access to a natural ecosystem – to be able to move away from drought to watering holes, for example – and that this can only be achieved in scope, the team are now patiently waiting to ‘drop fences’ with nearby properties in order to allow for greater space.

The Kill

Mere moments from reaching camp, our eagle-eyed tracker Klippers spots motion in the distance. The jeep comes to a halt and, with binoculars in hand, we strain to see what has caught his attention. To our surprise it’s Naledi, and this time she’s fully alert.

With stealthy movements, she trots

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forward, back arched and gaze locked on something ahead. Her movements make it clear what’s on her mind – the distant springboks are dinner tonight.

Naledi skilfully uses our jeep as a shield, allowing her to get closer to her unsuspecting prey and we soon find ourselves, yet again, mere metres away from this beautiful big cat.

Once back in potential sight of the herd, she lowers herself into the grass for camouflage. It doesn’t take her long to single out an unfortunate springbok, and when she begins her sprint, the horizon bursts to life with the frantic scattering of animals.

Dazzles of zebra and herds of kudu and springbok run desperately across the plains as the sun begins to go down. For one of them, this sunset is to be their last but tonight Naledi will not go hungry. After an unforgettable day, under the already darkening skies, we complete the last few metres to our Plains Tented Camp.

Naledi is a fourth generation cheetah at the stunning reserve

Wilderness Haven

We are greeted with glasses of sweet grape and a crackling log burner in the communal mess tent where we all discuss the day’s adventures and wait for dinner to be served. This takes place at an elegantly-dressed dining table with local food and wine. It’s a chic throwback to the classic safari days of old with no electricity, where stories are shared by lantern light while outside the wind howls through the plains and licks at the tent.

When it’s time for bed, a guide walks you to your tent, a necessary precaution given that the camp is not fenced. Inside your awned room there is no electricity. Instead, the tent is gently lit by solar-powered lights that have been soaking up the sun’s energy on deck throughout the day. By the end of the year, the entire reserve, not just the tented camp, will transition to off-grid operations powered entirely by solar energy.

Inside the tents, the rooms are beautifully and sustainably decorated with beds crafted by a local steel maker and tables constructed from native wood by a local joiner.

From the coffee and tea served in quaint jars to the use of biodegradable toiletries, a lasting commitment to sustainability is found at every corner of this special camp. Here, guests won’t find the luxury of running water

either. Instead, hot water is heated over an open fire and provided in thermos flasks for you to pour it into bowls for hand and face washes. The same principle applies to the outdoor private shower, however, this is for daytime only. In either the morning or afternoon sun, a staff member will fill an overhead water bag at your request, allowing you a warm shower while gazing out at the sprawling plains beyond.

The water, thanks to an innovative bio-rock system within the camp, can be recycled for irrigation. When night

falls and temperatures drop, a hot water bottle is placed in your bed, soon to be complemented by the warmth of log burners that the team are currently implementing, ensuring that even during cold winter nights guests remain cozy.

Lying in bed, as you close your eyes in anticipation of another day of magnificent scenery and sightings, you drift away to the sounds of the creatures that call this slice of natural paradise home. This is indeed, as the team so succinctly say in their slogan after all, a ‘safari for the soul’.

Getting There Emirates Airline operates five daily flights to Johannesburg daily at approximately AED 5,000 per person.

Several airlines connect Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth including Fly SafAir and Airlink. It is then a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Samara Karoo Reserve and a further one hour once inside the reserve. This can be organised by the team on your behalf at a cost of approximately AED 750.

For more information, or to book a stay at Samara Karoo Reserve, visit their website samara.co.za

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VEGAN RESTAURANT

Vegan Menu Wows At The W Dine out in style at Akira Back located in W Dubai – The Palm, where delicious plant-based dishes from Head Chef Giovanni Ledon and panoramic rooftop views of Dubai are the height of sophistication

L

ocated within the stylishly vibrant W Dubai - The Palm, the unique Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant Akira Back is rolling out the green carpet for plantbased diners with a signature à la carte menu curated

by Head Chef Giovanni Ledon. A seasoned professional with 17 years’ of experience in high-end restaurants around the world, Chef Giovanni has crafted a sophisticated vegan menu with a focus on innovation, maximum flavour and sustainability.

Starting his culinary journey in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he honed his skills under Michelin star chef Akira Back, Chef Giovanni’s delicious plant-based dishes are testament to his inspirational talent and his passion for Asian cuisine.

Intertwining the flavours of Japan and Korea with a modern twist, vegan guests to this stylish rooftop restaurant, which offers panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and Dubai skyline, can expect an array of revamped Akira Back classics and exclusive additions to the gourmet menu from Chef Giovanni.

Appetisers that steal the spotlight include the iconic AB Eringi Pizza (with vegan umami aioli, micro shiso, and white truffle oil) and the

refreshing Watermelon Ceviche, artfully garnished with mango salsa and crunchy walnuts. And don’t miss Chef Giovanni’s pièce de résistance: Braised Celeriac Croquette, boasting spiced agave and a corn croquette topped with gochujang miso and truffle powder.

An array of bold flavours coupled with artistic flair are on offer for the main courses, too. Tuck into the Tindle Tobanyaki (natural plantbased ‘chicken’ with Japanese mushroom and Chojang miso), or the incredible Truffle Rice Clay Pot, a treat for gourmet mushroom fans. If it’s a lighter option you’re after, opt for the creamy Spinach Salad with Roasted Sesame Dressing or the Crispy Coleslaw Rolls, among other tempting options.

And, of course, no meal is complete without dessert. Enjoy the decadent AB Cigar (vegan chocolate cigar with fruity lucuma mousse), or the exotic Spice Souq (spiced cake, cashew cream, candied cumquat, and strawberry sorbet), to end an unforgettable dining experience.

With impeccable service, stunning views and a wealth of innovative creations, Akira Back continues to earn its place as a must-visit destination for cuclinary enthusiasts from all around the world.

To book call +971 4 245 5800 or email wpalmdining@whotelsworldwide.com

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TRAVEL

Into the Blue Snorkel with vibrant, coloured fish, take sunset boat trips and see coral restoration projects at OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO in the Maldives

BY ALAINA MUTTI

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tepping off the speedboat and onto the wooden jetty, the sky is a canvas of brilliant blues, streaked with wisps of cotton candy clouds while the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean sparkle under the warming morning sun. With each breath of salty sea air, the stresses of the outside world magically disappear, in a way that only the Maldives can seemingly achieve.

Welcome to OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO, a four-star all-inclusive resort nestled at the tip of the Northern Malé Atoll, an area famed for its healthy corals and vibrant marine life. At this proudly Green Globecertified retreat – a global accolade in sustainable travel that is recognised in 180 countries – eco-consciousness forms the core of their operations. From installing solar panels across the island to implementing an on-site water bottling plant and banning the use of single-use plastics, guests to this laid-back tropical paradise can rest assured that their stay leaves only their own footprints behind.

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Ocean Encounters

From diving to snorkelling, activities for marine enthusiasts are aplenty on Helengeli which has been recognised as one of the top locations for snorkelling in the Maldives. Trips around the house reef offer easy glimpses into the magnificent marine life in the Indian Ocean. Guests can expect to encounter a cacophony of colorful parrotfish, butterflyfish and clownfish mere centimetres away.

Thanks to its proximity to the Atoll, Helengeli is also renowned for its abundance of blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, hawksbill sea turtles, cowtail stingrays and moray eels.

Vibrant and healthy corals also provide a stunning backdrop for snorkelling and diving adventures at OBLU NATURE Helengeli, which takes its role of preserving the surrounding marine ecosystem seriously. The resort has implemented a successful coral restoration program that involves installing ecofriendly frames and nurturing coral growth to protect and revitalise the fragile reefs surrounding the island.

In addition to all that snorkelling an d di vi n g , g u es t s can als o g o paddleboarding, kayaking and use the pedalos. One experience not to be missed is the sunset cruise. As the sun dips low on the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, guests on a traditional wooden dhoni boat can unwind and take in the tranquil beauty of the Indian Ocean. With a stroke of luck, playful dolphins may appear adding that extra bit of magic to the moment.

Lagoon Living

The newly refurbished resort, which only opened its doors again in February 2024, offers a range of accommodation from beach villas to 28 luxurious Lagoon Villas with private pools. The latter offer tasteful interiors, contemporary furnishings and open-air bathrooms. Early risers can take a dip in the balmy lagoon

that is accessible from a private deck, and enjoy an outdoor shower secluded by lush greenery, beneath open blue skies.

Thanks to an in-house saltwater desalination plant and water bottling facilities, guest villas are equipped with drinking water in chic reusable glass bottles. Only bio-degradable detergents are used for cleaning the villas and any wastewater is treated and reused for irrigating the nature abundant island.

OBLU NATURE Helengeli’s explosion of lush tropical greenery also includes an in-house garden for growing produce for the kitchens. ‘We have fresh produce such as chillis, onions, and beans,’ says General Manager Ali Shakir, ‘they contribute to our kitchen’s myriad ingredients.’

Fresh ingredients are, in fact, a feature of the resort’s restaurants. A delicious variety of international and Maldivian dishes are available at The Spice Restaurant, complemented by live cooking stations and a scenic setting above the water. Romantic beachfront dining at Just Grill allows guests to enjoy dining under the stars while for those who like flavourful Indian cuisine, head to Raga Route Restaurant for a selection of vegetarian curries with a modern, tasty twist.

The resort also offers a kids’ club and nature centre for young ones to enjoy. Two swimming pools cater for both families and adults, with one pool designated for adults only.

Fitness enthusiasts can stay active in the breathtaking overwater fitness centre while marvelling at the occasional reef shark swimming by.

By choosing to stay at luxurious, eco-conscious resorts like OBLU NATURE Helengeli, we can all play a part in protecting the environment.

Whether you’re seeking relaxation, eco adventures, or simply a slice of sustainable paradise, Helengeli Island has that Maldivian magic – and much more.

GETTING THERE Lagoon Villa prices start from AED 9,000 for an all-inclusive 4 night stay.

This includes a 50 minute roundtrip transfer by speedboat from Malé International Airport.

FLIGHTS: Emirates fly to Malé four times a day with prices starting from AED 4,600.

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TRAVEL

Desert Dreamy

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Abu Dhabi

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Escapes Far from the UAE’s world famous hotels, a collection of remote, responsible desert resorts call, offering everything from wildlife safaris to dining under the stars – all with a commitment to both you and the planet

BY ANTHEA AYACHE

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In a world that can seem like it’s always on fast forward, an increasing number of travellers are seeking out more meaningful experiences over rapid itineraries for their holidays. This counter slow travel movement has also seen tourists become increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of their vacations, looking for resorts that offer the luxury they are accustomed to but with care for the planet as a priority.

Exploring the UAE, it’s easy to discover retreats perfectly tailored for such sustainable luxury enthusiasts. From cultivating their own produce to conserving the local fauna and flora, reducing energy consumption and minimising waste, these laid-back luxury hideaways offer a five-star experience while also prioritising sustainable travel.

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TRAVEL

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Abu Dhabi

QASR AL SARAB DESERT RESORT

BY ANANTARA, ABU DHABI It’s hard not to be impressed before even arriving at this award-winning resort in the ethereal Rub’ al Khali or Empty Quarter – a desert that covers 650,000 sq km between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Magnificent, undulating dunes envelope the long, winding road that leads to this unique destination. It’s easy to see why it was chosen as the set for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and picked up the Middle East’s Leading Desert Resort accolade at the 2022 World Travel Awards.

Guests can expect every aspect of their stay to be five stars. From the oversized bathtubs and rain showers nestled within sumptuous arabesque villas to a plethora of activities including star gazing, sand boarding, culinary masterclasses and discovering ancient cultural traditions such as falconry, no detail has been overlooked. Guests can also immerse themselves in the nature of their surroundings by spotting the Arabian oryx that roam free in their natural habitat.

But it’s sustainability that makes Qasr Al Sarab stand out.

From solar panels that heat the water, and reduce the use of electricity by up to 80 per cent, to kitchen zero-waste strategies that see leftovers composted and utilised as fertiliser for the on-site herb garden and greenhouse, the hotel aims to be an eco-conscious retreat. Plastic bottles have been phased out while cardboard, oil, paper and soap are all recycled ensuring guests leave only a gentle footprint on our precious planet.

A One Bedroom Pool Villa is AED 3,080 per night including breakfast. anantara.com

THE RITZ-CARLTON RAS AL KHAIMAH, AL WADI DESERT, RAS AL KHAIMAH The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah Al Wadi Desert, nestled within the protected nature reserve, is one of the most popular desert resorts in the UAE and it’s easy to see why.

With a backdrop of terracotta dunes and meandering wildlife, this oasis of calm offers secluded Bedouin-inspired tent villas, all with private pools and desert views.

Spanning 500 hectares, the reserve is home to the endangered Arabian oryx, Arabian gazelles, Arabian red fox and Arabian horned viper. Activities range from desert horse riding to falcon shows and a starlit safari that offers guests a glimpse of night creatures, including desert hedgehogs, foxes, and frog-eyed geckos.

Back at the resort, recharge with a wellness itinerary at the spa with its rainforest experience and 16 hydrotherapy options. Diners can expect locally and sustainably-sourced dishes at the award-winning Farmhouse restaurant alongside seasonal, organic produce picked from the hotel’s very own chef’s garden. With a waste management system in the kitchens, organic waste is composted for the garden soil, allowing year-round produce including aubergines, rocket, potatoes and pumpkins.

An Al Rimal Villa with private pool, AED 1,741 per night including breakfast. ritzcarlton.com

The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert, Ras al Khaimah

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Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai

AL MAHA, A LUXURY COLLECTION DESERT RESORT & SPA, DUBAI Situated in the beautifully preserved Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, just a 45-minute drive from the emirate, this five-star resort – whose name Al Maha translates to ‘the oryx’ – offers guests a true glimpse into the local wildlife.

The boutique desert resort, which is nestled within 225 sq km of unspoiled desert, has been protecting the region’s flora and fauna for many years, even watching the 70 endangered Arabian oryx they reintroduced to the reserve swell to more than 400. Don’t be surprised if one approaches your secluded Bedouin-style suite for a sip of water from the private infinity plunge pool, they’re so friendly!

Dining options take place at the all-inclusive restaurant and lounge where guests can enjoy panoramic views of the magnificent landscape. Activities on offer include archery, horse riding, nature drives with field guides in batteryoperated buggies and, of course, sundowners in the dunes.

This unique retreat, which has been awarded the Green Key certification for its eco efforts, offers guests a seamless and sustainable stay.

A recent refurbishment saw Al Maha equipped with LED lighting, solar panels and sewage treatment plants alongside introducing a sustainable water management system and capacity to convert used oil into biodiesel.

A Bedouin Suite with Private pool at the weekend, AED 5,902 per night all-inclusive. marriott.com

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TRAVEL

Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel Villa Resort, Abu Dhabi

ANANTARA SIR BANI YAS ISLAND AL SAHEL VILLA RESORT, ABU DHABI On the rich savannah of Sir Bani Yas Island – a designated conservation area inhabited by more than 17,000 free roaming animals – lies Anantara’s Al Sahel Villas. This romantic retreat, set within a protected wildlife sanctuary, is a true luxury hideaway with eco credentials that befit its location.

Thanks to decades of conservation work, Sir Bani Yas Island is now home to all those animals and several million trees and plants, including rare species such as the thorn acacia and the gum tree. The 87 sq km reserve was awarded the accolade of World’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination at the World Travel Awards back in 2014 – a gong it has picked up, alongside others, several times since.

Guests at this desert resort wake to spectacular views of the lush savannah and salt-domed hilltops that began to form as long as 600 million years ago. After breakfast, embark on a range of eco activities that include nature trails, mountain biking and mangrove planting.

The star attraction, however, is the game drives. Daily safari experiences allow visitors to witness a host of protected wildlife including the Arabian oryx, wildcats, Arabian tahr, sand and mountain gazelles, and the lesser Egyptian jerboa. After a day of spotting creatures in their natural habitat, spend the evening relaxing in one of the villa’s personal plunge pools or dining under the twinkling Arabian stars.

A One Bedroom Villa costs AED 1,630 per night, including breakfast. anantara.com

Kingfisher Retreat by Sharjah Collection, Sharjah

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KINGFISHER RETREAT

BY SHARJAH COLLECTION Situated in the Kalba Mangrove reserve on Sharjah’s east coast, this barefoot luxury retreat is enveloped by a distinctive wetland environment which enables guests to get closer to nature.

Featuring 20 stunning tents equipped with private pools, the desert resort – which picked up Best Luxury Eco Resort in Middle East 2021 at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards – offers a vast range of activities including sunset yoga, mangrove kayaking, archery, bird watching, star gazing, hiking and beach cleanups.

The boutique eco lodge resort is set between the rugged mountains and the pristine Indian Ocean, while the nearby mangroves are home to a turtle breeding area and many rare species of birds that thrive in the protected wetlands. A stay here will grant you free access to the mangrove conservation centre, too.

As for food, guest can enjoy culinary delights at the on-site restaurant with a shared fire pit where 80 per cent of the food served is locally sourced and organic. You won’t find any plastic on site with a policy for reusable cups and tableware only in place. And for a real feel-good factor, rest assured that at least 10 per cent of profits from the resort are reinvested into the local community and in sustainable initiatives.

From AED 999 for room only but half and full-board rates are available. sharjahcollection.ae

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HEALTH

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER? As urbanisation forces social media-obsessed youngsters indoors, encouraging them to eschew nature to spend all their time online, entire generations are suffering from diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses

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BY CHRISTINE FIELDHOUSE

ubai-based Jenna regularly tries to coax her 12-year-old daughter Katy outside to appreciate nature. As well as growing their own veg, she has suggested joining a turtle conservation project, playing volleyball in the park or flying a kite on the beach.

But Katy has no interest in venturing outside unless it’s to make a TikTok video or an Instagram reel. Her happy place is in her bedroom, ‘chatting’ to her friends on social media.

‘I despair for her,’ says Jenna, a 48-year-old paralegal. ‘I grew up in the UK riding ponies, having picnics, taking our dogs for walks and spending all day playing outside with my friends. Even now, I know that when I’m stressed, a long hike or swim will sort out my head. But Katy has no interest whatsoever in the outside world. I worry about her and her generation.’

Jenna isn’t alone in her fears. While older generations have fond memories of their own ‘free range’ childhood, members of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Generation Alpha (born after 2010 - 2025) are spending less and less time in nature. They’re suffering from what author Richard Louv calls ‘naturedeficit disorder’, a term he coined while carrying out research for his book, Last Child in the Woods (Atlantic Books).

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Richard, who grew up playing in woods near his Missouri and Kansas homes in the US, explains: ‘It’s not a medical diagnosis but it’s a useful term – a metaphor – to describe what many of us believe are the human costs of alienation from nature.

‘Among these costs are diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. I believe this nature deficit damages children, but I think of it as more of a disorder of society – it shapes adults, families, whole communities, and the future of our stewardship of nature.’

But while most of us blame the advent of technology for our children turning their backs on nature, Richard doesn’t. Instead, he points his finger at urbanisation around the world, which has led to a reduction in natural spaces. He says bad urban design has created cities for cars, not people. And he believes many parents are simply too afraid to let their children play out in modern times.

The Hybrid Mind

‘I’m not anti-tech,’ he says. ‘I’m probalance. We need nature in our lives as a balancing agent. We need what I call ‘the hybrid mind’ – both ways of knowing the natural and the virtual world. We need to use computers to maximise our powers to process intellectual data, and natural environments to ignite all our senses and accelerate our ability to learn and to feel.’

Jasmine Navarro, who runs a coaching business, NAVA, between Dubai and the UK, is now working with children aged six to 11 in schools across the UAE on the Marisa Peer 5-Day Challenge to address the challenges posed by nature-deficit disorder, aiming to instil a sense of wellbeing and confidence in pupils.

‘In the UAE, especially in urban areas like Dubai, children are often drawn to screen-based activities, leaving minimal room for unstructured outdoor play in natural settings,’ she says. ‘It’s crucial for children to establish a connection with nature. Regular exposure to nature enhances creativity, imagination and problem-solving skills, as well as having a calming effect, reducing stress and improving mental health. Physical activities in

natural settings contribute to the development of motor skills.’

So, is it just a case of heading to the park and spending time among trees, plants and flowers? That’s a start, according to Richard, who also wrote Vitamin N, 500 Ways to Enrich the Your Family’s Health & Happiness.

‘Any green space will provide some benefit to mental and physical wellbeing,’ he agrees, ‘but we do know that the greater the biodiversity in an urban park, then the greater the psychological benefits to people. Even the densest urban neighbourhoods can have more natural habitat – green roofs and yards with native species can help bring back butterfly and bird migration routes.

‘Positive access to nature, including in cities, should be considered a human right, especially for children.

We can all create new natural habitats in and around our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, workplaces, cities and suburbs so that our children grow up in nature – not with it, but in it. It isn’t about getting back to nature. It’s about going forward in nature.’

So how can we switch things around and protect our children from this disorder? Richard and Jasmine share their tips.

‘This nature deficit damages children but it is more a disorder of society – it shapes adults, families, whole communities, and the future of our stewardship of nature.’

Start Them Young

Explore the universe together, recommends Richard. ‘In your child’s first months and years, go to a park together when the weather’s right, spread out a blanket and lie side by side for an hour or more,’ he says.

‘Look up through moving leaves and branches at clouds or the moon or stars. Bring water and milk. You may be there a long time!’

Get It In The Diary

Plan your family’s time in nature, just as you would plan a family holiday, says Richard (richardlouv.com).

‘Try skipping organised sports for a season and use that time to get outside,’ he suggests. ‘This won’t work for everyone, but for busy families, taking time for nature requires taking time – and putting it on the calendar.’

Keep It Natural

Encourage outdoor play, urges Jasmine. ‘Allocate dedicated time for children to explore, play and connect with nature,’ she says. ‘Whether it’s a

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HEALTH

‘We can all create new natural habitats in and around our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, workplaces, cities and suburbs so that our children grow up in nature – not with it, but in it. It isn’t about getting back to nature. It’s about going forward in nature.’ access to texting, computers and TV for part of a day or part of the week.

Saturday could be Outdoor Play Day for kids and parents.’

Do a Digi Detox

Go a step further and commit to a few days away from technology for a total digital detox, urges Richard. ‘Take the children camping, rent a cabin or trade homes with someone who misses city life,’ he says. ‘Set your computer to auto-reply and by day four, you’ll all find your sleep patterns return to normal.’ local park, nature reserve, garden, or the backyard, providing opportunities for free play in the outdoors is essential. Ensure activities include nature – get the children gardening or out on scavenger hunts so they learn about ecosystems, flora and fauna.’

Practise Friluftsliv

A Norwegian concept, introduced in 1859 and pronounced free-loofts-liv, this roughly translates as ‘free air life’, reveals Richard.

‘It’s a general lifestyle idea that promotes outdoor activity,’ he says.

‘The protocol is straight-forward. Be outside as much as possible. Commit to being in nature for a minimum amount of time every day, or for a certain number of days per month.’

Better Connection

Tech isn’t the enemy, but it can be a barrier, reveals Richard. ‘Periodically leave your mobile in your pocket, ringer off, so you’re more present with your child,’ he suggests. ‘Limit

Revive traditions

What did you love doing as a child?

Which parts of nature fascinated you?

‘Collect or watch lightning bugs (fireflies) at dusk, then release them at dawn,’ says Richard. ‘Make a leaf collection or keep a terrarium or aquarium. Find a scrap board and place it on bare dirt. Come back in a day or two, lift the board and see how many species have found shelter there. Identify these creatures with the help of a field guide. Return to your board once a month and discover what’s new.’

Build a den

Encourage your children to build a tree house, fort or hut, says Richard.

‘You can provide the raw materials, including sticks, boards, blankets, ropes, and boxes, but it’s best if kids are the architects and builders,’ he says. ‘The older the children, the more complex the construction can be.

Books like David Sobel’s Children’s Special Places, and Treehouses and

Playhouses You Can Build, by David and Jeanie Stiles will inspire you.’

Plant a Garden

Wherever you live, there are always options for a garden, says Richard. ‘If you live in an urban neighbourhood, create a high-rise garden,’ he says. ‘A landing, deck, terrace or flat roof can accommodate large pots and even trees can survive in containers.

‘If your children are little, choose seeds large enough for t hem to handle and that mature quickly, i n c l u d i n g v e g e t a b l e s . Yo u n g gardeners can help feed the family.

If your community has a farmers’ market, encourage your kids to sell produce, or they could donate to neighbours or to a food bank.’

Make it a family affair

Plan outings to natural settings, suggests Jasmine (withnava.com).

‘Take the whole family to the beach, or on a hiking trail,’ she says.

‘Engaging in outdoor activities as a family not only strengthens bonds, but it also instils a love for nature that children will carry into adulthood.’

Prepare for adventure

Put together a family Go Outside (GO) bag, recommends Richard.

‘Stuff a duffel bag with daypacks, a compass, binoculars, nature guides and a map of your region,’ he says.

‘Add granola bars, hats, gloves, fleeces, sunglasses, hiking poles, comfortable footwear and water bottles. Stash your GO bag in your car trunk. Now you can go outside at a moment’s notice.’

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FINANCE

BAGGING an Investment

Forget a boring savings account or property portfolio – for a sustainable and stylish investment look no further than a preloved designer handbag – or ten! – that will make money while you use it for years to come

BY RACHEL BASSETT

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esigner bags never go out of style – and now your accountant might even tell you to buy some pre-loved arm candy as a sound and sustainable investment.

After all, who wants to stick to a boring savings account – or a property portfolio for the very fortunate among us – when we can make money on something that looks so good?

Kylie Jenner has a vast luxury handbag collection worth $1million, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and even a rare $100,000 Hermès Birkin bag that she received for her 25th birthday from her momager Kris Jenner.

Celebrities such as former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and pop sensation Harry Styles are also known for their affinity for ‘It’ bags, with Styles often seen sporting the latest Gucci bag, including most recently the Gucci Bamboo 1947.

Rihanna has a vast array of new statement and rare pieces of Louis Vuitton and has been spotted with vintage bags from Chanel and Dior while actress Sofia Vergara is a canny collector often flaunting an Yves Saint Laurent, which are known to appreciate in value over the years. She’s recently been spotted with the new trending Loulou which could prove to be a savvy investment.

Kim Kardashian may have a rumoured net worth of $1.7 billion (AED 6.2 billion) but she is a sustainable shopper and has been photographed carrying pre-loved luxury bags including Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton. She’s joined by Jennifer Aniston who favours the same three high-end brands as her pre-owned choice of bag.

Image: Garderobe

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This approach isn’t just about fashion; it’s a strategic investment.

Vintage pieces by these designers are timeless, having already proven their enduring sense of style and quality, and they’re also an affordable entry point into building a portfolio, one that you can wear for years to come while its value goes up.

And if you hit the big time – bagging the Hermès Himalaya Birkin or the rarest handbag in the world, the Himalaya Kelly bag – then you will be the queen of sustainable style, and the envy of celebrities and collectors, as well as your accountant’s favourite!

Today, finding second-hand designer bags in excellent condition in the UAE has never been easier.

And as a host of new and now well-established pre-loved websites and boutiques are booming in the region, we’re here to point you in the right direction of where to look. Not only can buying pre-loved luxury be an eco-friendlier option, but it’s also a way to discover rare, limited edition pieces or – if you’re lucky – pocket an absolute steal. Read on for some handy expert shopping tips as we round up our top places to shop pre-loved pieces…

THE LUXURY CLOSET

An early adapter to the demand for pre-loved luxury, The Luxury Closet launched in Dubai in 2012 and has since become one of the Middle East’s largest online boutiques for vintage designer goods.

As Chief Brand Officer Maya Azzi says, ‘once loved always preloved.’ A treasure trove of luxury pieces, some items can be found with up to 70 per cent off the original price tag and, rest assured, all inventory goes through a rigorous authentication process to ensure they are genuine. Pick up coveted classics from a fuchsia Gucci Dionysus bag, one of the Italian brand’s most coveted styles and sported by the likes of style icon Alexa Chung, to a Chanel Boy Bag which has been seen adorning the arms of supermodels, actresses and reality TV stars since its debut in 2011. With such an extensive selection for both men and women, the key to finding that winning purchase on The Luxury Closet is filtering by your favourite designer. theluxurycloset.com

BEST KEPT SHARED

Founders of rental fashion and accessory platform Best Kept Shared, Kelly and Sophie, are bringing the coolest contemporary brands to the UAE at a fraction of the retail price.

Driven by a conviction that style should be savoured, not squandered, their vision is to bring women freedom from chasing constant wardrobe ‘newness’.

As many fashion-savvy women turn to a capsule wardrobe model, this is the go-to service for adding that statement piece you’ll only wear once. The best bit? If you can’t bear to give back your rental, you can buy it!

Bestkeptshared.com

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FINANCE

LOVE LUXURY

BUSINESS OF PRE-LOVED FASHION

At Love Luxury Dubai, Founders Emily and Adam Abraham specialise in a handful of sought-after designers (Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel to name a few) and receive pre-loved bags from all over the world. ‘We have clients who want to sell classic Chanel that might have belonged to their grandmothers, those who are looking to make a profit on Hermès bags they’ve bought last week, and those that have fallen out of love with their designer accessory,’ says Emily.

‘But we only buy box-fresh or very lightly worn pieces, so the pieces must be in impeccable condition.’

Which bags are best for retaining their value? Due to the consistent supply and demand, the exclusivity of Hermès makes them the smartest investment, she says. Always check the bag has an authenticity certificate that is cross-checkable. Visit their Business Bay store or shop online. loveluxury.ae

A digital platform devoted to bridging the gap between sustainability and style, BOPF Founder Hadiza Aboubacar takes immense pride in ensuring that every item listed on the pre-loved shopping site surpasses meticulous standards of quality and authenticity.

With 10-15 new designer handbags landing online each week from brands such as Dior, Gucci, Loewe, Hermès and more, Hadiza says following BOPF on social media is the surest way to spot the latest gems. Her biggest tip for buying pre-loved? Stick to the classics.

‘Black and beige classics are the pieces that not only elevate any look but are wise investments that will stand the test of time,’ she says. ‘It’s all about choosing pieces that grow more cherished as the years go by.’ businessofprelovedfashion.com

GARDEROBE

Are you someone who prefers to see their new bag before you buy? When you’re making a designer investment, this can be a non-negotiable for some, which makes Garderobe on Al Wasl Road a must-visit. Customers can browse the site’s listings and then drop by the boutique to inspect a particular item. Scroll through everything from new season Bottega Veneta to limited edition Christian Dior to vintage Chanel and Louis Vuitton. If you were quick, you could even have bagged yourself an embellished Gucci GG Supreme Canvas Padlock Shoulder Bag. With strict quality parameters in place, Garderobe are sure to highlight any slight imperfections if there are any (so there are no scary surprises on delivery) and you can request more photos and details. Garderobe.ae

YOURBAGSY

If you’re not ready to throw your hard-earned savings into one particular style renting your next accessory could be the answer. OK, you won’t be making any money, but if you’re a nervous investor, this is the way to see how much fun buying a pre-loved bag can be while it goes up in value at the same time. YourBagsy is the rental platform that allows you to borrow a designer bag for a few days at a time. The benefits? YourBagsy CEO and Founder Farah Syed Shah says it really helps slow down the fast fashion model. ‘One person buying a bag and sharing it with the community is better than 10 people buying the same bag and keeping it untouched, collecting dust in their homes,’ she says. Not to mention, you have more options at your disposal – a new handbag for every occasion sounds good to us! Choose from Saint Laurent, Fendi, Prada – the luxe list goes on – with prices starting from just AED 200 for a three-day rental. Alternatively, become a renter yourself to claim 40 per cent of the listed rental price. If you need any more incentive to shop responsibly, YourBagsy even plant a tree for every rental dispatched. yourbagsy.ae

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DRINK DRY STORE: MENA’S 1ST & ONLY PREMIUM 0.0% DRINKS "I was my own consumer without even really knowing it when I started Drink Dry, and I strongly believed that there was a much bigger demand for quality nonalcoholic products than the bigger players in the market believed there was. Above all else, I saw a lucrative commercial opportunity to build a solid business."

Founded by Erika Blazeviciute Doyle in the UAE in December 2019, Drink Dry Store is your ultimate destination for premium non-alcoholic beverages.

As the FIRST and ONLY nonalcoholic marketplace in the region, Drink Dry Store offers an extensive selection of refreshing alternatives to traditional alcoholic drinks.

Our partnerships with renowned names such as Corona Cero, Natureo, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, and Tanqueray 0.0% reflect our dedication to excellence and innovation. Whether you prefer to shop online, explore retail outlets (now available in Spinneys), or indulge in HORECA experiences, Drink Dry Store caters to your every need.

As the non-alcoholic beverage market continues to evolve, Drink Dry Store remains at the forefront of innovation and growth. "The nonalcoholic beverage market is here to stay and is here to grow," Erika asserts. With a focus on expanding into key markets and forging strategic partnerships, Drink Dry Store is poised to lead the charge in shaping the future of the industry.

Experience the convenience of having premium non-alcoholic drinks delivered straight to your doorstep. With Drink Dry Store, you can indulge in your favorite beverages without the hassle of shopping trips or waiting in line.

Follow us on Instagram for inspiring content, exclusive offers, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the world of Drink Dry. Join the conversation and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for mindful drinking. @drinkdrystore

EVENT

Maz Fletcher, The Climate Club

The Ethicalist’s Alaina Mutti and Anthea Ayache with Liv Brent

Decluttering for a Cause Not only did The Ethicalist’s first Conscious Clothes Swap Party mean a new wardrobe for guests but it also provided our philanthropic partner Birthday Bliss with a wealth of clothes to pass on to those in need

Meike Cenia, Laila Dalle, Emilia Ohrtmann, Joanna Akram

Drink Dry provided sustainable Corona Cero for guests

I

t may have been teeming with clothes but it was the opposite of fast fashion with women doing their bit to tackle the climate crisis, while helping others, the planet and their closet. The Ethicalist’s very first Conscious Clothes Swap Party, held at Media One Hotel’s Coco Lounge in collaboration with The Climate Club, was a runaway – or should that be runway? – success.

With 60 eco-conscious fashionistas in attendance, the event saw ladies mingling, exchanging and celebrating sustainable style. Stylist Leisha Naik, who believes in shopping your closet not stores, was on hand to dish out styling tips and help people pick up items perfect for their size, style and skin and hair colour. Eco-friendly and

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conscious fashion designer Emilia Ohrtmann, with her chic, minimalist and monochromatic style, was also there to help declutterers create the perfect capsule wardrobe.

The ready-to-swap clothes – on display on beautiful wooden rails provided by preloved fashion store RETOLD – were nothing short of spectacular, ranging all the way from streetwear to high-end luxury pieces including a coveted pre-owned Valentino handbag.

More than just a fashion event, the party was a powerful statement of environmental action. Out of the 100 billion garments manufactured globally each year, a staggering 92 million tonnes find their way to landfills. To grasp the magnitude, a garbage truck loaded with clothes is dumped into landfill every single second.

By choosing to swap instead of shop, fashion enthusiasts not only snagged themselves beautiful new pieces for their wardrobes for free but also took a meaningful step towards combating the climate crisis by reducing waste and promoting circular fashion.

‘Our goal with this event was to demonstrate that buying new clothes is not the only way to acquire great outfits,’ says Maz Fletcher, founder of The Climate Club.

‘In a world grappling with the staggering toll of fast fashion, clothes swaps offer a tangible solution by extending the lifecycle of clothing items, reducing demand for new production and curbing carbon emissions.

Each swapped item represents a step towards a more equitable and regenerative fashion ecosystem. We hope we have inspired more people to embrace style with purpose and conscience.’

After the event, while some clothes were put aside for future swaps, guests donated other pieces to Birthday Bliss, an organisation dedicated to helping those in need. By picking up sustainable fashion and caring for others, they were making a positive difference to both people who needed it and the planet.

Red and white grape was provided courtesy of sustainable vineyard Journey’s End who employ organic and biodynamic farming methods at their stunning solarpowered location in the Stellenbosch region of Cape Town, South Africa. Drink Dry also provided Cornona Cero (0.0% ABV) for the women – the first global beverage brand to achieve a net-zero plastic footprint. With its blend of sustainability, style, and community spirit, The Conscious Clothes Swap proved that fashion can be both glamorous and green.

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Sonia Assomull

Stylist Leisha Neik offered guests valuable styling tips

Ella Doskocilova, founder of Elluna Organic Beauty, who was showcasing natural beauty products

Gigie Bitanga

Kathleen Mills

Cecilia Brady

Zumrad Normatova

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EVENT

Fionnuala Nic Conmara and Claudia Angius

Radhika Davda and Sharnie Streade

Paola Wingrove and Sue Russell

Sophie Kjøller, co-founder of Best Kept Shared

Kelly Power, co-founder of Best Kept Shared, who displayed some of their rented clothing options

Grace Dinsay, Pia Estillore and Luisa Veronica

Thanks to Wild Fabrik, Elluna Organic Beauty, Baya, Best Kept Shared and Champion Cleaners for generously contributing to the gift bags.

Dunesi founder Hanne Ripsaluoma and Kirsten Decker

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BEAUTY

BY RACHEL BASSETT

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If yoga is your therapy, then this mind and body experience centre in the heart of Jumeirah may already be on your radar. Forget your average yoga class, this aesthetically-pleasing haven comes with a sanctuary garden, swimming pool, sauna, ice bath and clean café to support its packed schedule of warm yoga, full moon sound healing, breathwork sessions and natural treatments. They even offer bi-monthly Wim Hof breathwork and ice bath workshops with a difference. If you’ve tried unassisted ice baths before, you’ve most likely leaped out within the first five seconds, but with a certified Wim Hof Method instructor on hand to guide you through intentional breathwork and sound healing first, a heightened state of consciousness and newfound resilience may sneak up on you. The first 1hr 30 mins are spent practicing guided breathing techniques, followed by a twominute cold water immersion which is known to leave users feeling happy.

‘Cold water exposure increases your dopamine levels by 250 per cent,’ says instructor Olivia Prescott who tells clients to expect ‘improved mood, better sleep quality, faster muscle recovery, heightened focus and even support with weight loss goals,’ after just a few sessions. Now that sounds refreshing!

Ice bath experiences start from AED 120 for a 15-20 min session SAMADHI WELLNESS: Jumeirah 3, Dubai 04 323 5354

AEON

Samadhi Wellness

one are the days of a quick 50-minute massage to leave you feeling pampered. Today, real wellness is a lifestyle that uses cutting edge, state-of-theart technology and yields near-instant and incredible results. From sound healing and full body detoxes, to pressure suits and cellular injectables, there’s a whole new world of wellness to check into and the UAE is just the place to find it. Here, we round up The Ethicalist’s firm favourites...

Inside the newly opened Atlantis The Royal awaits the region’s first regenerative wellness centre. Dedicated to tackling all signs of ageing through cellular regeneration and stem cell science, the clinic is a go-to for those wanting to reverse the clock in super luxurious surroundings.

One emerging treatment dermatologists are raving about is the Exosomes Facial – a powerful treatment that uses very small needles to inject naturally occurring exosomes – small, membrane-bound sacs that store and transport various substances such as lipids, proteins, amino acids and peptides within a cell – into the skin.

This breakthough in molecular biology means that the exosomes transmit regenerative effects between skin cells to rejuvenate skin, repair tissue damage and regenerate collagen which results in glowy, smoother and younger-looking skin within a few weeks. Expect to pay AED 6,750 for a one-hour session, but the best bit is that exosomes continually activate over a period of six to eight months post-treatment.

Exosomes Facial AED 6,750 AEON CLINIC: Atlantis the Royal, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai 04 518 5777

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BEAUTY

A luxury health and wellness centre, this is the perfect bridge between evidence-based medicine from the West and time-tested healing therapies from the East.

Launched by Aster Healthcare and the well-known alternative medicine guru, Deepak Chopra, the Jumeirah clinic provides a host of holistic treatments from reiki and acupuncture to transformational therapy in stunning surroundings.

One of their signature treatments recommended for anyone suffering with persistent skin conditions, back pain and/or digestive disorders is Ayurvedic Panchakarma. Not for the faint-hearted, this intense 21-day cleanse is like hitting the ‘reset’ button on your body. Using a three-stage detoxification, it eliminates toxins with the power of natural herbs and ancient remedies using a spartan diet, induced purging and even bloodletting.

‘The Panchakarma treatment helps restore the body’s metabolism, slows the ageing process and balances all the three ayurvedic doshas,’ says Wellth’s Ayurvedic Physician M S Mahadevan. Daily check-ins for the detox may not be a quick fix, and packages starting at AED 21,000 are not cheap, but if you’re serious about taking your health to new heights results can be lifelong.

Biolite

A 7-day package is AED 14,000 or 14-day package starts at AED 21,000 WELLTH: Villa A 25, Al Urouba Street, Jumeirah 2, Dubai 04 413 5999

This bespoke aesthetic clinic is Dubai’s day retreat that recognises the best wellness treatments are those tailored specifically to you. By carrying out a full-body health screening at the start of your wellness journey, they detect any underlying health conditions, inflammation, hormone imbalance or metabolism discrepancies to create your unique therapy plan.

Pressotherapy, also known as lymphatic drainage massage, is one natural treatment commonly recommended for healthier heart function and promoting overall detoxification. It even minimises pesky cellulite and eye bags! Whilst it’s less relaxing than a physical massage, Pressotherapy can still be oddly satisfying. As you slip into a computercontrolled bodysuit, it rhythmically inflates pressure around your body, giving the same feeling as when a blood pressure cuff is used to take your blood pressure.

By improving oxygen flow throughout the body, the treatment is ideal for reducing bloating, easing muscle pain, defining arms and legs, and strengthening the immune system. Not bad for a 45-minute lie down that overlooks the Burj Al Arab, no less.

From AED 473 per session BIOLITE CLINIC DUBAI: Umm Suquiem 2, Dubai.

04 346 6641

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Since 2005, Lush SHAmpoo Bars HAve saved tHE use of nearly 170 milliON plastic bottles from lANdfill, which is estimatED to be ovER 4000 tONnes of plastic avoidED.

Seanik Shampoo Bar For beautifully buoyant hair, get swept up in a blend of volumising fine sea salt and softening nori seaweed.

“My hair is now much thicker, bouncy and does not get greasy.

I really did not expect such drastic results. I now only have to wash my hair 1-2 times a week and I don’t have to use a conditioner.”

– Customer Testimonial

Seanik shampoo bar

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BEAUTY

I’M NOT KIDD-ING ABOUT MY ECO BEAUTY BRAND!

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She’s walked the runway for Moschino and Jaeger but now supermodel-turnedentrepreneur Jodie Kidd is the face of her own organic, natural beauty brand Skin & Tonic

BY KAREN PASQUALI JONES

odie Kidd is beyond busy. The supermodel, who has graced the covers of glossy magazines such as Elle, Tatler and Officiel, strutted the runway for fashion designers including Moschino and Jaeger, and now counts TV presenting, running her own pub and motherhood among her many roles, is planning a summer wedding and marketing her sustainable, ethical beauty brand Skin & Tonic.

‘It’s ridiculous, really,’ she admits when quizzed about her schedule and resulting plate-spinning. ‘I’m like: Dee-deediddle-iddle.’ She makes frantic-running around motions with her arms. It’s a lot but Jodie, 44, isn’t complaining.

As well as looking after Indio, her 12-year-old son who she calls Indie, Jodie also runs several businesses including an eco-conscious fashion line Manava, a food range and the organic skincare brand. She ‘blames’ it on her tween son, who has taught her to make the environment a priority.

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‘I’ve learned so much from Indie,’ she says. ‘Schools are really on it now, they’re really teaching the younger generations to be aware and doing it in a non-terrifying way – just a very supportive, loving-the-planet-kind-of way.’Becoming a parent has made Jodie ‘a million per cent’ more ecoconscious. ‘I know I fly a lot,’ she says,’ but I try and balance it with doing good things and planting trees.

And with my family, it’s important that we just do little things every day, like using reusable glass bottles, recycling, not using plastic bags.’

Jodie recently teamed up with Kia to launch their new electric vehicle, the EV9, which involved a deathdefying stunt wearing a protective suit while sitting on a coil emitting more than a million volts of electricity. ‘We obviously had mega health and safety on the shoot,’ she says, while insisting the element of danger made it ‘terrifying and fun.’

‘I had full-on lightning bolts coming out of my fingers,’ she explains. ‘It’s definitely something I will remember forever.’

Her business portfolio is her current focus which marks a new chapter since leaving behind what she’s previously described as a ‘chaotic’ lifestyle. After being spotted at 15 by fashion photographer Terry O’Neill, Jodie quickly became one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels. But behind the scenes she experienced severe anxiety and panic attacks – one on the runway – which eventually led her to reassess her career.

‘Now,’ she says, ‘everything seems to be gelling, which is wonderful.

Having a lot of new companies does take a lot of effort, but I love to be busy and create lovely, good things.’

Here, Jodie talks to The Ethicalist about beauty, business and becoming a bride for the third time…

The Ethicalist: You’ve been the face of many brands in your modelling career so why get involved with a beauty brand now and why this one?

Jodie: I reached a point where I wanted to be a lot more invested in something special. I came across Skin & Tonic years ago and I loved the brand and the results of the skincare products. I feel very lucky to

‘We are bamboozled by chemicals these days, whether you’re swimming in it or opting for toxic beauty products. Brands using organic ingredients are the way forward now’

be a shareholder and the Creative Director. I love working behind the scenes and not just being the face of the brand.

Tell us what is so special about Skin & Tonic?

The results are so visible. As a consumer, I loved what it did to my skin, and when I began to learn more about the brand’s ethos, the clean beauty, the simple but very active ingredients, I just loved it. We are in a world now where we have so many chemicals around us. Living in the countryside and eating food from my kitchen garden made me think twice about what I was putting on my skin, and then came Skin & Tonic!

How hands on are you in the running of the business?

I am Creative Director, so I am as hands on as you could possibly be! I really have a lot of involvement with product development, marketing and decision-making for the brand.

What are your favourite products from your own brand?

There are so many that I love! But I’d have to say the Plump Up Hydration Serum, Fresh Face Exfoliating Water and Calm Down Face Oil. It’s all cruelty-free, natural, with no nasty additives or toxins, and plastic-free packaging which is recycled and recyclable. We work with Orean as our manufacturing partner, which is

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natural, organic ingredients are the way forward.

one of the leading makers of skincare formulations in the world. Orean is a certified B Corporation which means they meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact.

Which products would we find in your make up bag that you use all the time and really can’t live without?

I love a good mascara, a very light concealer and a highlighter, and I have a great love for Rose Inc and Chanel. I am never without a lip balm – Skin & Tonic, of course!

Any beauty secrets and tips for women over 40?

Since I’ve been over 40, I have really seen that my skin likes much more simplistic products. There are so many products out there that are harsh on your skin, for example, a strong retinol, and I used to really react to these. I found that my skin much preferred clean, organic, nonchemical, all-natural ingredients. I think that when your skin gets a little bit more sensitive, especially in your 40s, try to simplify things.

Why is a natural brand like this so important?

We are bamboozled by chemicals these days, whether you are swimming in it, using bleach in the sink, or opting for toxic beauty products. For the health of our skin, clean beauty brands that use all

We read that you quit your modelling career after suffering a panic attack on the catwalk.

How did you cope with that?

This was a long time ago, but yes - I needed to get back to the English countryside in Sussex, riding horses again, taking long nature walks, and to be grounded. After a crazy 10 years in the modelling world, it was time to return home, and moving back really helped me to overcome my anxiety.

We hear you’re getting married this year to former royal marine Joseph Bates. Can you tell us anymore about the wedding?

I have not 100 per cent confirmed that, but we would like to get married – we’ve been engaged for a couple of years. It has not been the easiest couple of years with the pandemic, lockdowns, etc. We’re looking forward to a little bit more stability and then we can focus on lovely things like getting married.

Your beauty brand is organic and ethical, you say you care about the environment, but you love motor racing, and admit you fly a lot. How do you offset those two things?

I am very aware that I love both motor racing and clean beauty, and it’s a bit of a conundrum, but it’s all about balance. I try to offset my carbon footprint by planting trees and trying to be as conscious about things as I possibly can, especially around the house. As a household, we’re very into recycling and we’re really focused on minimalism. I am always looking for new ways to be as environmentally friendly as possible as a family.

Jodie is creative director as well as the face of Skin & Tonic

You were involved in launching an electric car for Kia – do you drive an electric car now?

I have an electric van from Ford - the E-Transit. We do all of our deliveries with it and try to use that as much as possible. Unfortunately, we live down a two mile long track which floods a lot, so we have to be quite conscious about not getting stranded!

What do you do to help the environment in everyday life?

We grow our own vegetables, and we buy local produce wherever possible. If we have to pay slightly more for that, we will. We actively avoid buying food that has travelled long distances and we recycle as much as we can. We also plant trees every year.

What’s your most important environmental message – is there anything we should all be doing to help the planet?

I think fashion is a massive one, and we have to be very conscious about not buying fast fashion. The dyes, the processes, the way that they are doing things in fast fashion now is simply terrible. We need to stop these online fast fashion retailers.

How involved is your son Indie in your decisions about the environment? Does he get you out doing beach cleanups or waving a banner protesting?

He is very aware of the environmental plights we have around us. We don’t protest, but we have joined our local beach cleanups. The schools are also very good at teaching children about the environment. As a family, we want to be as aware and as proactive as we possibly can be. skinandtonic.uk

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Do you have

Rushing W Juggling a family, career and stress takes a huge toll on women’s mental and physical health – and even their fertility – but there are ways of breaking the cycle of feeling ‘wired and tired’

BY CHRISTINE FIELDHOUSE

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f you race through your day in a relentless rush, snap at colleagues that you’re too busy to talk, sigh and tut at your children, and rely on coffee and cakes to keep you going, you may be suffering from Rushing Woman’s Syndrome.

While being busy can sound impressive to others, Dr. Libby Weaver, the nutritional biochemist who coined the phrase, warns Rushing Woman’s Syndrome not only makes us irritable, it can also have a disastrous impact on our mental and physical health.

She concedes that men also suffer from stress and overload, but points out that women have only been in the workplace for the last 70 years, so juggling a day’s work, taking care of a family and running a home is taking its toll on female bodies that aren’t genetically set up to cope with huge amounts of stress.

‘Rushing Woman’s Syndrome is probably more prevalent in cities like Dubai, where there is a faster pace of life,’ says Dr. Libby, ‘but it isn’t discerning between city and country.

It can affect anyone with stress in their lives.’

According to a survey by YouGov, almost two thirds of women in the UAE are at risk. But why does stress affect women so adversely? The answer, it seems, goes back to our ancestors’ times.

‘When we’re stressed, we produce the hormone adrenaline,’ Dr. Libby explains. ‘Historically, we made adrenaline when our lives were threatened, and back then adrenaline communicated danger to every cell in our body.

Fight or Flight

‘But even though we’re relatively safe now, our bodies still think we’re facing a threat because of stress and that flood of adrenalin. This leads to high blood pressure, which affects one in three adults. It also diverts the blood supply away from our digestive system and to our arms and legs so that we can ‘fight or flight’. This could explain why one in five women now suffer irritable bowel syndrome.’

It appears to be a vicious circle.

Dr. Libby explains when we’re stressed, our bodies burn glucose, not fat, so we crave sugar and caffeine. But both of these plunge us back into a state of stress, and so we reach for another cappuccino and chocolate bar…

As well as giving women painful periods and debilitating premenstrual syndrome symptoms including mood swings, stress can also affect our fertility.

‘When the body makes stress hormones, it impacts on other ‘feel good’ hormones that impact our libido because our bodies don’t want to bring a baby into a stressful situation,’ explains Dr. Libby.

‘It can also have an impact on our sleep. When we’re on alert because of high adrenaline, our bodies are worried we might not wake up in time if there was a danger, so we don’t sleep as soundly.

‘Sleep doesn’t restore us. We wake up tired. The effect of lousy energy means you don’t apply for the jobs you want to go for, and your self-talk is more negative.’

So what can we do to break free of this cycle of being wired and tired?

Dr. Libby has some solutions we can all practise, and business and life strategist Sami Toussi shares her time management tips, too.

lowers our stress hormones faster than deep diaphragmatic breathing.

When you move your diaphragm, it sends a signal to the nervous system that you are safe.

‘We can’t simply override stress by thinking we’re calm. The nervous system gets its instructions from our blood, so we need to tell it by doing this deep breathing.

‘I recommend regular yoga or tai chi which practise breathing. When you have a few minutes to spare, instead of checking your phone, do 20 long, slow and deep breaths in and out, or when you’re in your car stuck at traffic lights, do some deep breathing. It can be game-changing.’

Attitude of Gratitude

‘Let yourself have what you already have,’ advises Dr. Libby. ‘If you speak to people who are dying and ask what they’re going to miss, they say their partner’s face or the feel of

Cut The Caffeine

Start by being honest about your caffeine intake, suggests Dr. Libby, and note how it affects you. ‘Caffeine leads the human body to make adrenaline,’ she says. ‘Remember that’s the hormone behind anxious feelings. A coffee shop latte will contain around 200mg of caffeine, while a cup of tea has about 50mg.

Even green tea has 30mg per cup.

‘Everyone has a different tolerance level. Some people won’t notice any difference after one coffee, but others will notice their hearts start to race, they will have rapid thoughts and they will see everything as urgent. Caffeine stays in the body for a minimum of eight hours.’

their dog’s fur on their fingertips. We should let ourselves enjoy what we already have.

‘As you go throughout your day, appreciate the good things like access to clean, running water or someone to chat to. The nervous system can’t do joy and anxiety at the same time, so if you practise gratitude, you will have a mindset shift.’

And Breathe!

Plan, Plan, Plan!

‘When you breathe short and sharp, with only your chest moving, that’s exactly how we breathe when we’re in danger,’ says Dr. Libby. ‘Nothing

Some careful planning will help us avoid cramming our days with 101 things we need to get done, says business and life strategist Sami

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drive to work, listen to some restorative spa music, or do some meditation on your commute on public transport. If you have a desk job, have little breaks every hour and do your 20 long, slow deep breaths.

End Your Day Well

‘In the evening, lie down with your legs up against a wall for ten minutes,’ suggests Dr. Libby. ‘It will mean you immediately drop into diaphragmatic breathing. And at the end of the day practise gratitude, either mentally or in a journal.’

But what will happen if we don’t stop rushing towards burnout? ‘We won’t have the energy to move our bodies in a functional way,’ warns Dr. Libby, ‘and our brains won’t be as sharp as they once were. Our quality of life will diminish and we’ll still be alive but we’ll be in the process of dying for longer.’

WHEN WE’RE STRESSED, OUR BODIES BURN GLUCOSE, NOT FAT, SO WE END UP CRAVING CAFFEINE AND SUGAR. BUT BOTH CAFFEINE AND SUGAR PLUNGE US BACK INTO A STATE OF STRESS, AND SO WE REACH FOR ANOTHER CAPPUCCINO AND CHOCOLATE BAR… AND THE CYCLE GOES ON.

Toussi, who is based in Los Angeles.

‘Remember everything takes longer than we think,’ she advises. ‘If you think it’s going to take you an hour to write an article, a post or a speech, then schedule an hour and a half. In a worst case scenario, you’ll have some free time.

‘Leave windows of buffer time.

Don’t fill every second of every day.

Unexpected things will always come up so give yourself time to deal with last-minute things that matter and to be spontaneous.

‘Plan your most important tasks the night before so that when you wake up, you know exactly what needs to get done. You’ll be ready to conquer your day.’

Dr. Libby Weaver has a 30-day online course Overcoming Rushing Woman’s Syndrome designed to teach you how to truly reduce your stress – and the negative health consequences it can elicit – while living a full and thriving life. drlibby.com

Morning Ritual

To slow us down, Dr. Libby suggests we start each day with a morning ritual of solitude – even if it’s just ten minutes before the rest of the household gets up.

‘Sit on your balcony or garden with a peppermint tea and do some diaphragmatic breathing,’ she suggests. ‘This won’t change what you have to do, but it will change the way you see things. You won’t panic when you realise you have 200 emails. Instead, you’ll probably realise there are only ten that need answering immediately. On your

Sami Toussi is a business and life strategist who works with clients all over the world, including in the UAE. samitoussi.com

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Summer

Sanctuaries

As the mercury begins to rise and rise in the UAE, getting outdoors into nature can seem almost impossible. But there are still some sublime places to visit for that nature fix even in the summer

BY KAYA SCOTT

F

rom indoor gardens and spaces with lush foliage to areas where temperatures are more bearable, with a little bit of creativity and resourcefulness, staying connected to nature in the UAE heat is entirely possible. Here’s how…

Hatta

Part of the emirate of Dubai, Hatta is a mountainous nature haven only a two-hour drive away. Known for the adventure sports this area offers in the winter, it’s also worth a visit in the summer for the slightly cooler climate and lower humidity. You may not be able to camp but you can stay at the JA Hatta Fort Hotel and feel like you’re closer to nature in the newly added Terra Cabins, or opt for a room in the main hotel. Surrounded by mountains, trees and gardens, the hotel has two temperature-controlled pools and is a short drive from Hatta Dam which stays open for kayaking adventures throughout the summer months. We won’t lie – it’s hot in the middle of the day but the mornings and late afternoons are heavenly and perfect for getting that much-needed outdoor escape.

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OUT & ABOUT

Seva

Immerse yourself in the serenity of SEVA, a holistic wellness centre in Jumeirah where a blend of beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces play host to yoga classes, sound healing and community workshops. From the peaceful tree-lined entrance to the magical garden – the ‘beating heart and breathing lungs’ of the villa that’s packed full with plants, climbers and trees – you’ll feel instantly rejuvenated just by being here. Head to the indoor café where sliding glass walls overlook the outdoors, and give you all those garden vibes minus the summer heat, and enjoy wholesome, fresh, plant-based food in the most gorgeous environment. Bliss!

Jebel Jais

Offering a little respite from the summer heat, Jebel Jais, the highest peak in Ras Al Khaimah at just over 1,900 metres above sea level, boasts a mini climate of its own. Part of the Hajar Mountain Range, during the hot months the temperature at the mountain summit rarely climbs beyond 30 degrees celsius during the day and a blissful mid20s during the night, making it a much-loved destination to escape from the relentless sun. A night or two at the new Anantara Mina Al Arab Resort, set on a peninsula surrounded by coastal wetlands, desert dunes, and the open sea – and home to RAK’s first overwater villas – will feel like a breath of fresh air even when it’s roasting outside. From here, you can head up to Jebel Jais to enjoy a ride on the world’s longest zipline with speeds up to 160 km per hour.

Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital

Al Barari

Al Barari, meaning ‘wilderness’ in Arabic, is a verdant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Dubai with a commitment to sustainability and responsible eco-conscious development.

This residential community not only has beautiful, themed gardens including 5.4km of naturally landscaped lakes, freshwater streams, cascades and waterways but also the region’s largest privately-owned plant nursery. Producing more than 500 plant species, the level of plant density has, in fact, resulted in the creation of Al Barari’s own microclimate. This leafy sanctuary is also home to The Farm, a restaurant overlooking a water garden, serving up fantastic food.

Exclusively dedicated to the wellbeing of falcons, with an impressive annual influx of approximately 6,000 feathered patients, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is the largest facility of its kind in the world. Embodying a noble mission to champion the protection, conservation and research of both captive-bred and wild falcons, you can visit the hospital and take a tour through its airconditioned areas and watch as the birds are cared for, fed and so much more. It’s a lovely respite from the heat in the wonderful company of some truly magnificent creatures.

The Garden Concept

Breathing air infused with flowers and plants, wandering through lush green walkways and relaxing over coffee under the trees might all sound too good to be true during the summer but it’s totally possible at one of our favourite spots – The Garden Concept in Dubai. Jampacked with plants of all sizes, this is more like a lifestyle destination than a retail space – and the ideal place to while away a few hours surrounded by leafy tranquility, whether you’re browsing to buy or reading a book amongst the blooms. You can even take plants home to create your own mini oasis.

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PERSONALITY

ECO ICON:

Leonardo DiCaprio He’s the Oscar-winning Hollywood star of iconic films including The Revenant, Gangs of New York and Inception who has always championed the environment and used his celebrity status to help protect wildlife and tackle climate change

F

rom almost the moment he burst onto our screens as the doomeed Jack in Titanic, actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been using his fame for good.

He set up his eponymous Foundation in 1998 at the age of 24 and has reportedly donated $100 million (AED 367 million) to more than 200 global conservation and wildlife projects since. He was made a UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change in 2014 after being given the prestigious Clinton Global Citizen Award.

Since then the philanthropist and environmentalist has sat on the board of WWF, Global Green USA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, focusing attention on the world’s most pressing issues including access to clean water, disaster relief and the climate crisis.

He has helped projects to save Nepal’s wild tigers, the Black Rhino in Tanzania, the Lowland Gorilla in

Central Africa and the Snow Leopard in Central Asia. DiCaprio has also campaigned to stop the trade of animal products such as ivory. The actor has done so much to protect the planet’s wildlife that a Malaysian beetle and a Dominican spider have even been named after him.

DiCaprio co-wrote, produced and narrated The 11th Hour, a hardhitting film looking at how we can save our planet, featuring more than 50 leading global environmental experts, and was executive producer on groundbreaking documentaries Cowspiracy and The Loneliest Whale as well as co-producer on Before the Flood And from investing in vegan businesses including Neat Burger with F1’s Lewis Hamilton, which has several outlets right here in Dubai, eco-conscious vegan shoe brand Loci, and Kingo, an off-the-grid solar company to give power to people in remote locations where there’s no electricity, the screen actor uses his considerable financial resources and global platform to inspire others.

Here are some of our favourite quotes from DiCaprio on everything from sharks to conservationist Jane Goodall and vegan burgers.

‘I feel a moral obligation to speak out at this key moment in human history – it is a moment for action. How we respond to the climate crisis in the coming years will likely determine the fate of humanity and our planet.’ – The UN Climate Summit, 2014 ‘Every single person can help the planet and reduce climate change with one small choice every week. Join me and Beyond Meat in our mission to rethink the future of food.’

– On Instagram and Facebook.

‘Climate change is real, it is happening now. It is the most urgent threat to our entire species.’

– Best Actor Speech for The Revenant, 2016 ‘You are the last best hope of Earth. We ask you to protect it or we, and all living things we cherish, are history.’ – United Nations, 2016 ‘I admired Jane Goodall long before we ever met. I knew of her landmark work with chimpanzees in Gombe. I had read about her, read books written by her, but it was only when I got to spend more time with Jane a few years ago that I truly felt I was in the presence of one of the most impactful and important leaders on the planet.’ – 2019 ‘One out of seven deep-sea sharks and rays are threatened with extinction according to a new study by the Shark Conservation Fund. Targeted for their meat and liver oil, deep-sea sharks require immediate conservation attention.

My organisation re:wild is proud to work directly with the Shark Conservation Fund on their call to increase deep-sea fishing regulations that are essential in safeguarding these threatened species. – 2024

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TREAT YOURSELF TO THE PERFECT SUMMER STAYCATION Book ahead to receive complimentary breakfast and savor a 25% discount at more than 12 restaurants across our resort.

Take your vacation to the next level at W Dubai – Mina Seyahi

THE

May – July 2024

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