Tips & Trends: Sustainable Solutions For Healthy Development

The need for environmental preservation & education has grown hand-in-hand with the need to support emerging economies seeking sustainable development solutions. In addition to large-scale national solutions, there are solutions that can be applied by individuals and corporations to contribute to sustainable growth and prevent environmental degradation.

A few tips that can be applied at your office or home:

• Segregate your waste at source: Segregate your waste into organic and non-organic materials to prevent loss of minerals in organic waste. The first step in doing this is to have two waste containers & educate employees / family members on the difference between organic and non-organic waste.
• Dispose of electronic waste safely: Electronic waste is a growing burden in our digitally age and contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium. A few ways of doing this are to separate electronic waste from household waste; donate electronics that you can no longer use; or to send electronic waste to re-furbishing centers.
• Plant trees / ensure there are lots of plants in your office or home:Plants & trees absorb pollutants that contribute to global warming. They also improve circulation of oxygen levels in your workspace / home, creating a healthier environment to work and live in.
• Donate used books & magazines: Donate old books and magazines rather than throwing them away. Your magazines and books can be re-used, recycled, or read by those who may not be able to purchase them.
• Reduce, re-use, & recycle office paper: Think twice before you print – sometimes you can do without. Also, create a pile of used paper that can be used for internal / informal documents rather than using a fresh sheet each time. Finally, instead of throwing it away, send used paper to be recycled. Each ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees & 60,000 gallons of water.
• Keep trash off the streets: Put a small trash container in your car to collect waste rather than disposing of garbage onto the streets.

For more information on source segregation in Cairo please see:

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