I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial promoting the use of rootop gardens (Think small for food production, March 13).
There should be encouragement and support to individuals and to communities to promote gardens of this type.
I also believe that many of the beautiful parks around us should have vegetable garden sections so the community can grow and pick their own produce.
It can teach a lot of us – including our children – about what we eat and how it is grown and will help us understand the whole process.
Zainab Shabbir, Dubai
This is a great idea and would lead to more greenery everywhere.
Every spring my family seldom needs to buy vegetables because we grow tomatoes, aubergines, okra, pumpkins and chillies in our garden.
Rafeeda Ansari, Abu Dhabi
My response would be to ask about the extra water wastage? Most types of vegetables would need watering five times a day in the heat of summer.
Tony Heron, Dubai
Safe driver’s case is heartening
After reading about Tonsy Ali (Driver honoured for 21 perfect years on UAE roads, March 14), it is heartening to know that there are people who have been driving with care and caution for decades and have never been involved in road-related mishaps.
Given the recklessness often seen on the roads, it is a challenge to maintain such a clean track record. I hope people like Mr Ali inspire other motorists who fail to adhere to traffic laws and seem to be in a race against time.
It is great that he has been recognised for his contribution towards making the roads safer.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
Nothing caused me more fear and anxiety in the UAE than the driving.
Coming from the US, I didn’t expect it would even be an issue so kudos to Mr Ali and his perfect driving record.
Andrea Andi Tee, Abu Dhabi
How to fight the allure of bling
With regard to your personal finance article, Financial survival for newbies in the UAE (March 14), I would add another tip about not going crazy with the nightlife and weekend socialising.
These can be quite expensive and all the events can really add up. It’s OK to stay in once in a while at the weekend, catching up on TV shows or reading, or try the other low-cost options your writer suggested.
I believe it would also mean you would enjoy your nights out even more.
Jerusha Sequeira, Dubai
All these points constitute sound advice. I still fondly remember the scavenged starter furniture and make-do entertainment of my early married years.
Even now, I would much rather have great experiences and to have travelled widely than to have a house full of stuff.
Pamela Fields Williams, Abu Dhabi
I think the temptation to overspend is something that most of us have felt soon after we arrived in the UAE and see all the shiny gems, posh furniture, gadgets, gold iPhones and gizmos in the malls.
It’s a shoppers’ paradise but we should remember that all the shiny stuff will still be there to buy once you’ve got yourself sorted financially.
Sam Clarke, Dubai
Food labelling requires care
As someone suffering from coeliac disease and food allergies, the ingredients stickers found on food sold here needs to be in a language I can read.
For me, that does not include Arabic, so I would strongly encourage those responsible for this labelling to place the stickers beside the ingredients list in English and not on top of it.
Name withheld by request
Get up and walk to live longer
Your story, Why moving will save your life (March 12), was meaningful and thought-provoking.
Professionals who have desk jobs working on computers are particularly prone to illnesses such as cardiovascular disorders that can end in death.
It is too easy for those who sit in front of a computer all day to lack any kind of physical exercise.
As your #startwalking campaign highlights, walking at a brisk pace for at least an hour a day is likely to increase your life span.
K Ragavan, India