Forward Talks

ESG – a holistic concept that has roots dating back to the 1960s, has evolved over the decades gaining more traction in recent years within the corporate sustainability context. Referring to the environmental (‘E’), social (‘S’) and governance (‘G’) pillars within the sustainability framework, they are key to addressing the impacts of corporate activities and investments on people and the planet. With the current lack of unified reporting standards, definition and many frameworks influencing the ESG space, we gathered a network of experts and an all-star panel from different industries, contexts and trajectories to discuss the challenges and highlight opportunities around ESG reporting – from regulation and standardization to quality data collection and the measurement of impact. This think tank was run by Goumbook in partnership with Emex and hosted by Jumeirah Group in their flagship hotel Burj Al Arab on 3rd of June, 2022.  It included a presentation by Daniel Gribbin - VP of Sustainability and ESG at Emex, and a panel discussion that was moderated by Tatiana Antonelli Abella, featuring Mohamad El Khalil - Director of Prudential Supervision at DFSA, Mariam Alqubaisi - Head of Sustainability and Business Excellence at Etihad, Adrienne Doolan - CEO of Green Touches and Board Member of UN Global Compact Network UAE, and Ashraf Abdelkhalek - Sustainability, Health and Safety Leader for Gulf Countries at Schneider Electric.

Tatiana is joined on this episode by Paul Newnham, Chair of the Public Engagement Task Force for the UN Food Systems Summit and Vice Chair of the Food System Champion Network. He is also Director of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub Secretariat and the Chefs’ Manifesto Coordinator. Paul heads up the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub as Director, an initiative bringing together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2. To this end, the Hub has worked with a community of 240+ chefs from 38 countries to create a Chefs’ Manifesto–a framework outlining how chefs can contribute to the SDGs. Tatiana met him in Dubai when Paul came to release the Hub’s Chef Manifesto in Arabic alongside some powerhouse local chefs.  Links: SDG2 Advocacy Hub Chef’s Manifesto Good Food For All

In this episode, Tatiana is joined by Tarek Al Khoury, Regional Coordinator for Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption and Production at the West Asia Office of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). They talk about UNEP initiatives to promote the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, more precisely SDG12, and how we can all work together to reduce food waste. Recently Tarek was also part of a panel discussion moderated by Tatiana at the Food For Future Summit 2022 to discuss policies and legal frameworks to reduce food waste. Food waste is a topic that needs our urgent attention, and this has come up a few times on the show with previous guests as well: Rethinking food waste as a resource, with Ryan Ingram Organic farming in the UAE, with Elena Kinane Sustainable fine dining, with Luca Gagliardi Pioneering sustainable solutions to tackle food security, with Abdulaziz AlMulla The role of insects in the future of food, with Patrick Crowley

Philip Morris International's ongoing sustainability efforts include working to lower emissions, use energy more efficiently, and combat deforestation. In addition, PMI is determined to fight the environmental damage caused by plastic and post-consumer waste from their products - particularly cigarette butts. Around the globe, PMI teams have organized litter cleanups, launched awareness campaigns, and partnered with environmental NGOs and academics.  In June 2020, Philip Morris International launched its first Integrated Report in which they announced their global commitment to achieve a 50% reduction of the plastic litter from their products by 2025 (vs. 2021). Accomplishing that goal will require a fundamental development of public education and awareness. Most essentially, adult smokers need to understand that it is unacceptable to dispose of their cigarette butts improperly. Therefore, PMI has launched a global initiative Our World is not an Ashtray with the aim of making cigarette butt littering a thing of the past. Exemplary performance on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues is important, but it is equally clear that the biggest positive impact PMI can have on society and to be a truly sustainable company is to replace cigarettes with less-harmful alternatives. The realization of this podcast was supported by Philip Morris Management Service (Middle East) Limited.

This week, digging into the National Pavilion of the UAE for the Biennale Architettura 2021 Wetland, which is curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto. The prototype is created from recycled industrial waste brine, handcast into organic shapes to recall the UAE’s traditional coral-built houses and spans 7m by 5m, with a height of 2.7 meters. We’re joined on the episode by Laila Binbrek who has served as the National Pavilion’s coordinating director since 2014, and Wael Al Awar, Founding Partner at WaiWai Design and one of the curators of the current edition of the Pavilion.  The exhibit was also just awarded the Golden Lion award for Best National Participation at the Venice Architecture Biennale. The 17th International Architecture Exhibition (Biennale Architettura 2021) will run from 22 May to 21 November 2021 with national Anti Covid-19 measures in place. You can find more information including a virtual tour here.

We're back with a new episode, talking to Rasmus Astrup, a partner at SLA Architects, the company behind the Al Fey Park in Abu Dhabi. Al Fey Park is the first urban park in the UAE, spanning 27,000 square meters and with a focus on biodiversity featuring over 2,000 local flora.

Guest Shelina Jokhiya Founder, DeCluttr Me Host, the DeCluttr Me podcast twitter.com A lot of people think of decluttering as merely cleaning up or getting rid of things but not many understand its link with living a low impact life. When someone else uses something we get rid of, it reduces their consumption and impact just as much as our own. And as we consume less, we need fewer cupboards, shelves, boxes and even smaller living spaces. This week, we’re joined by Shelina Jokhiya, Founder of DeCluttr Me, the UAE’s first licensed professional decluttering service, and the Host of the DeCluttr Me podcast. We talked about basic decluttering concepts, how to deal with e-waste and the harmful impacts if this is not disposed properly as well as the more emotional downsides of clutter that we should all be aware of. Links DeCluttr Me Decluttr Me episode: The blame game Decluttr Me episode: Family members & decluttering sessions

A lot of people think of decluttering as merely cleaning up or getting rid of things but not many understand its link with living a low impact life. When someone else uses something we get rid of, it reduces their consumption and impact just as much as our own. And as we consume less, we need fewer cupboards, shelves, boxes and even smaller living spaces. This week, we're joined by Shelina Jokhiya, Founder of DeCluttr Me, the UAE's first licensed professional decluttering service, and the Host of the DeCluttr Me podcast. We talked about basic decluttering concepts, how to deal with e-waste and the harmful impacts if this is not disposed properly as well as the more emotional downsides of clutter that we should all be aware of.

Guest Adam Ridgway Founder & CEO, One Moto www.linkedin.com According to the The NY Researcher Market Watch, the electric 2-wheeler market is expected to grow at a compound rate of 4.6% to reach US$6.9 billion by 2024. This week, we’re joined by Adam Ridgeway, the founder & CEO of One Moto here in Dubai, which finds itself at the forefront of this growth in the region. It is the first company in the UAE whose bikes have been approved by the local Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

According to the The NY Researcher Market Watch, the electric 2-wheeler market is expected to grow at a compound rate of 4.6% to reach US$6.9 billion by 2024. This week, we're joined by Adam Ridgeway, the founder & CEO of One Moto here in Dubai, which finds itself at the forefront of this growth in the region. It is the first company in the UAE whose bikes have been approved by the local Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

Guest Sheikha Intisar Al Sabah Founder, Intisar Foundation www.linkedin.com This week, we’re joined by Her Highness Sheikha Intisar Al Sabah, a princess of the royal AlSabah family of Kuwait. Sheikha Intisar is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, author and columnist. She believes in using her knowledge, experience and personal discoveries to inspire people to look, feel and do better and is now on a mission to empower one million Arab women. In 2013 she launched Alnowair, the first GCC non-profit working with schools to improve well-being among children through positive psychology. This year the program has covered 11,600 children so far. And in 2017 she launched the Intisar Foundation, which works with with NGOs in Jordan and Lebanon to offer drama therapy to women affected by war and female victims of violence.

This week, we're joined by Her Highness Sheikha Intisar Al Sabah, a princess of the royal AlSabah family of Kuwait. Sheikha Intisar is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, author and columnist. She believes in using her knowledge, experience and personal discoveries to inspire people to look, feel and do better and is now on a mission to empower one million Arab women. In 2013 she launched Alnowair, the first GCC non-profit working with schools to improve well-being among children through positive psychology. This year the program has covered 11,600 children so far. And in 2017 she launched the Intisar Foundation, which works with with NGOs in Jordan and Lebanon to offer drama therapy to women affected by war and female victims of violence.

This week, we’re joined by Sunil Lalvani, the founder of Project Maji which seeks to bring sustainable access to safe water across rural sub-Saharan Africa through solar-powered water kiosks. Sunil shares his experience on starting & operating a social enterprise in the region and the overall impact having safe drinking water has on the youth and their quality of life.

This week, we’re joined by Sunil Lalvani, the founder of Project Maji which seeks to bring sustainable access to safe water across rural sub-Saharan Africa through solar-powered water kiosks. Sunil shares his experience on starting & operating a social enterprise in the region and the overall impact having safe drinking water has on the youth and their quality of life.

This week, we're joined by Sunil Lalvani, the founder of [Project Maji](http://projectmaji.com) which seeks to bring sustainable access to safe water across rural sub-Saharan Africa through solar-powered water kiosks. Sunil shares his experience on starting & operating a social enterprise in the region and the overall impact having safe drinking water has on the youth and their quality of life.

Guest Patrick Crowley Founder, Chapul www.linkedin.com This week, we’re sharing a conversation from a few months ago when we attended (and had a live podcast station) the Global Forum on Innovations for Marginal Envionrments held by ICBA in Dubai; the opening address by Her Excellency Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, the Minister of State for Food Security in the UAE. Our guest is Patrick Crowley who founded Chapul 8 years ago when he came across a water-efficient source of protein … crickets. Since then the company has been producing energy bars & powders based on insect protein and envision a world in which insects can provide an efficient and alternate source of food worldwide. Links Chapul

This week, we’re sharing a conversation from a few months ago when we attended (and had a live podcast station) the Global Forum on Innovations for Marginal Envionrments held by ICBA in Dubai; the opening address by Her Excellency Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, the Minister of State for Food Security in the UAE. Our guest is Patrick Crowley who founded Chapul 8 years ago when he came across a water-efficient source of protein ... crickets. Since then the company has been producing energy bars & powders based on insect protein and envision a world in which insects can provide an efficient and alternate source of food worldwide.

Guest Leena Al Abbas Founder & CEO, The Organic Glow Beauty Lounge www.linkedin.com As we all continue to deal with the impacts of the restrictions in place to control the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, we’d like to encourage you to support your local businesses at this time in any way possible—whether it is ordering from them, donating to them, sharing their information to help spread the word, as some businesses are offering buying their services upfront at a discount for when they eventually open. One such business is Organic Glow, the UAE’s first organic and all-vegan salon that opened nearly 10 years ago. Listen in for how she got started as well as her advice on various harsh chemicals we are exposed to in our day-to-day lives. If you’d like to connect with us, you can find us on Instagram and listen to all of our episodes on our website.

Guest Leena Al Abbas Founder & CEO, The Organic Glow Beauty Lounge www.linkedin.com As we all continue to deal with the impacts of the restrictions in place to control the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, we’d like to encourage you to support your local businesses at this time in any way possible—whether it is ordering from them, donating to them, sharing their information to help spread the word, as some businesses are offering buying their services upfront at a discount for when they eventually open. One such business is Organic Glow, the UAE’s first organic and all-vegan salon that opened nearly 10 years ago. Listen in for how she got started as well as her advice on various harsh chemicals we are exposed to in our day-to-day lives. If you’d like to connect with us, you can find us on Instagram and listen to all of our episodes on our website.

As we all continue to deal with the impacts of the restrictions in place to control the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, we’d like to encourage you to support your local businesses at this time in any way possible—whether it is ordering from them, donating to them, sharing their information to help spread the word, as some businesses are offering buying their services upfront at a discount for when they eventually open. One such business is Organic Glow, the UAE’s first organic and all-vegan salon that opened nearly 10 years ago. Listen in for how she got started as well as her advice on various harsh chemicals we are exposed to in our day-to-day lives. If you’d like to connect with us, you can find us on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/goumbook) and listen to all of our episodes on our [website](https://goumbook.com/podcast).