The need for society’s understanding and attitudes towards sustainability and how they are key to advancing Qatar’s long-term “green” agenda were highlighted at the Qatar Green Building Conference 2016 which concluded yesterday.
Various sessions at the three-day event, organised by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), served as a salient reminder of the need for the wider community to be informed and educated about the many sustainability challenges currently facing Qatar and the wider region.
Environmentalists, experts, academics and industry practitioners noted that the success of Qatar’s long-term sustainability strategy relies heavily on citizens having a sound understanding of the concept and the ability to adopt it within their lifestyles.
Meshal al-Shamari, QGBC director, said the Qatar Green Building Conference and Qatar Sustainability Week are emphasising the importance of community engagement and education as being an integral part of the solution to the country’s sustainability challenges. “Sustainable education cannot be stressed enough. A shift in people’s understanding and behaviour is required. If members of society are familiar with the challenges, they will then be able to constructively contribute to forming solutions in a bid to address the increasing effects of climate change.”
Bahia Tahzib-Lie, ambassador of Netherlands, who spoke on the second day, said Qatar is on its way to becoming a more sustainable country as it has taken certain measures to ensure it is adopted within cities. “In my country,  we have excellent public transport networks, electric vehicles, a cycling tradition and public bike lanes as examples of green urban areas. We have started to develop energy harvesting bike paths which stimulate healthy and green lifestyles and communities. It would be fascinating for Qatar to consider such themes using local artists and beautiful traditional calligraphy as a further step towards healthier and greener lifestyles and communities.”
Dr Islam Obeidat from Yarmouk University in Jordan addressed the topic of ‘Environmental attitudes and behaviours in sustainability about water use in homes’, which explored the various factors affecting water consumption within homes. He noted individuals’ knowledge and experience of sustainability, personality traits, and perceptions of water use as some of the factors impacting water consumption in homes.
Eman Abdel Sabour from Qatar University addressed the importance of sustainable urbanism to establishing green lifestyles in Doha. “Sustainable urbanism cannot be reached if there is no standard definition agreed on among the different key players involved in the process. Having sustainable urban areas and other relevant facilities in a city, like Doha, count as major contributors to behavioural change for creating green lifestyles.”
QGBC has launched a new national sustainability campaign, entitled “Green Life”, in an effort to raise awareness about sustainability and provide various educational opportunities for residents of Qatar. The campaign will be fully rolled out later this year featuring an array of interactive events and programmes open to residents, companies and institutions to participate.