The Green Mountain Sustainable Development Area might be something you’d expect to find say, in Vermont, but in fact this newly announced project is in Libya. The plan will protect Libya’s fantastic Greek and Roman ruins from haphazard developments as it protects the coastal ecosystem, one of the last remaining natural areas of the Mediterranean. (NYTimes, 16 Oct 2007). On top of this the area is meant to be a carbon neutral green-development zone and to serve as a model for environmentally friendly design.
Spearheaded by Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, eldest son of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, who says,’In our area, it’s not common practice to talk about environment and emissions and the like’ but that,’It’s time now to join developed countries. So we make this statement about the environment, about culture.â€
Some of the green design options they have planned include energy from wind and solar power, waste recycling, and trash converted to bio-fuel. Oh, and it will be a tidy investment as well.
The idea of corporate social responsibility may not be new to MENA but reporting it in a formal CSR is, and adding in an environmental sector is certainly in its infancy. It is so new that Aramex, a Dubai based logistics company, boats having the first CSR report in the middle east on their web-site. It is complete with a section on environmental goals.
A green development project in Libya and a successful corporation in the UAE broadcasting environmental responsibility indicates there is a new arena opening up for green developers.
