ECO DUBAI
THE OUTLETS DOING THEIR BIT TO SAVE THE PLANET
AMWAJ ROTANA
Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach launched its Operation Care initiative in April, designed to provide clothes to those in need. Guests are encouraged to bring items with them that can be given a second life rather than unnecessarily disposing of them. Since its launch, donations have comprised 600 pieces of clothing, 31 pairs of shoes, 17 handbags, 21 towels, 20 pieces of linen, 25 toys and 11 pairs of socks.
Amwaj Rotana, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4282000. Metro: Jumeirah Lake Towers. rotana.com
SOFITEL THE PALM
Golf enthusiasts can play with a clear conscience at Sofitel The Palm, where balls have been certified by Applus+ as being non-polluting products that are safe to both plant and marine life. Here, the hotel’s eco golf balls are the first and only in the world to dissolve into fish food; as soon as the biodegradable balls are submerged into water, the internal core of fish grub is released into the ocean. Sofitel The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4556677. Taxi: Sofitel The Palm. sofitel-dubai-thepalm.com
ATLANTIS THE PALM
From September, plastic straws will be phased out and replaced with cornstarch straws at the hotel. Atlantis The Palm has also banned all overfished species from their outlets and all light bulbs used are subsequently recycled. All of the hotel’s beaches are certified with the ‘Blue Flag’, which indicates high environmental standards.
Atlantis The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4262000. Taxi: Atlantis, The Palm. atlantisthepalm.com
HOTELS DOING THEIR BIT TO SAVE THE PLANET From giving clothes a new home to protecting marine life, here’s where to go for a guilt-free staycation in Dubai
MEDIA ONE HOTEL
The hotel is offering guests incentives to opt out of having their rooms cleaned. There’s a tree outside guests’ door and Media One will stamp the leaf for every day you opt out of cleaning the room. Each leaf is worth Dhs25 which can go towards anything in their food outlets and if you opt out for five days, you can get a free late check out or airport drop-off.
Media One Hotel, Media City, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4435403. Taxi: Media One Hotel. mediaonehotel.com
DUSIT THANI
Since 2014, Dubai’s Thai hotel has introduced a 60-minute ‘ lights off ’ initiative dubbed ‘Dusit Green Hour’, running on the last Saturday of every month from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. Hotel guests are also encouraged to switch off the lights in their rooms.
Dusit Thani, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3433333. Metro: DIFC. dusit.com
LE MÉRIDIEN
The hotel’s engineering team gives lectures on how to save energy and have introduced a daily reading of energy consumption. It’s also planning to begin recycling cardboard, oils and plastic in the future.
Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, Airport Road, Garhoud, Dubai. Tel: (04) 2170000. Metro: Terminal 1. lemeridien-dubai.com
TRYP BY WYNDHAM DUBAI
As part of their partnership with Unisoap NGO, the hotel has been collecting partially used and discarded soap since April this year. They are then recycled into new bars and distributed to children and families who lack access to it around the world.
TRYP by Wyndham Dubai, Barsha Heights, Dubai. Tel: (04) 2476688. Taxi: Tryp by Wyndham Hotel, Tecom. tryphotels.com
THE COFFEE CLUB
The coffee chain is introducing water saving sprays which will reduce water when preparing dishes as well as lights sensors to save power at all their new shops, including at Deira City Centre.
Various locations including Wasl Vita Mall, Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 1, Dubai, 7.30am to 11.30pm. Tel: (04) 3443676 Taxi: Jumeirah 1. facebook. com/thecoffeeclubme
HAPI
It may be a destination for the health conscious, but Hapi is not your typical café. Here, cutlery, cups and food tubs are made from cornstarch, while recycled paper cups, tubs and boxes are used in warm food packaging. Hapi sources packaging from Vegware, an environmentally friendly UK-based company whose products are biodegradable and compostable.
The café has also pledged to minimise food wastage – they’ve developed a Zero Waste Menu on which all dishes use food trimmings and sources ingredients from local suppliers including Deena Organic Dairy and Dibba Bay Oysters.
Hapi Café, Warehouse 42, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Tel: (04) 2251807. Taxi: Alserkal Avenue. alserkalavenue.ae
THE FARM
This gourmet alfresco restaurant is located within the region’s first ecoconscious development and community, Al Barari. The Farm not only offers locally sourced produce in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint, but, as of August, they switched to carbon packaging for deliveries and now use sustainable alternatives to plastic straws for their beverages. Al Barari, Emirates Road, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3925660. Taxi: Al Barari. thefarmdubai.ae
DINE WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE The Dubai outlets banning straws, saving water, committing to sustainable fishing, and lots more
BAKER & SPICE
A rustic-style café that uses local produce to reduce its carbon footprint and harmful emissions. As well as replacing plastic straws with biodegradable ones, furnishings are made from sustainable materials; tables are crafted from old dhows, for example.
aSouk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4252240. Taxi: Downtown Dubai. bakerandspiceme.com
RUYA DUBAI
The Grosvenor House outlet that serves Turkish dishes made the switch from plastic straws to biodegradable edible cornstarch ones in April. Ruya is also working with their suppliers to have garbage bags made out of cassava and clear coffee cups made from cornstarch.
Grosvenor House, Dubai Marina, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3999123. Metro: Damac. ruyadubai.com
HOUSE PARTY BAR
The new bar with kitsch ’90s décor, retro games and a soundtrack to match has recently removed plastic straws from the venue. Guests can also play beer pong without a guilty conscience – cups are heavy-duty and designed to be rewashed and reused as opposed to the usual plastic ones.
Fairmont Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Tel: (050) 9955400. Taxi: The Fairmont. thehousepartybar.com
ZERO GRAVITY
Zero Gravity has launched a monthly beach clean-up – We Love Our Beach. On the first Sunday of each month, management clean up at JBR. It’s also planning to ban single use plastic straws, cutlery, cups, plates and stirrers and replace them with biodegradable alternatives.
Zero Gravity, Dubai Marina, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3990009. Taxi: Zero Gravity. 0-gravity.ae