UAE to plant thousands of ghaf trees to form Sheikh Zayed's fingerprint

More than 2,000 ghaf trees will be planted in Abu Dhabi to form Sheikh Zayed’s fingerprint.

The environmental and heritage initiative was announced by Maitha Bint Ahmed Al Nahyan Foundation for Community and Cultural Initiatives on Wednesday to mark the UAE’s 49th National Day.

The 2,082 trees, which are native to the Emirates, will be planted on 36,000 square metres of land near Al Dhafra Camel Festival site, south-west of Abu Dhabi city.

Sheikha Maitha bint Ahmed, the foundation’s chairwoman, said she chose to commemorate the UAE Founding Father in this way because of his passion for the environment.

Sheikh Zayed launched large programmes of tree planting in the 1970s and had hoped to turn the desert green to provide shade, and improve the appearance of the villages and make them more habitable.

The ghaf was chosen because it is the national tree of the UAE. It can live for 120 years, on average, and has historic and cultural significance to the Emirates.

Ghaf leaves and pods provided food and its nutritious branches were used to feed livestock. It is also said to have medicinal properties and the Bedouins would use ghaf trees for navigation.

The trees are particularly environmentally friendly because they are able to survive on very little water and help sustain other plant and animal life.

Sheikha Maitha called on all public and private institutions to take part by each planting a single tree.

The shape of the plantation was designed by Al Reef Design Company to symbolise Sheikh Zayed’s positive mark on the country.

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It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Five hymns the crowds can join in

Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday

Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir

Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium

‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song

‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar

‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion

‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope

The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’

There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia

The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ

They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19

July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan

Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US

Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK