Muscat International School – Most Practical Implementation Award

We are members of the Science Environmental Club at Muscat International School (Yasmin Alhinai, Zeerak Bangash, Ilan Adam, Hazim Altarazi, Peter Mardo, and Mustafa Hassan). Together with our science teacher, Ms Katie, our aim was to create sustainable solutions for our community and present them at the Sustainability Fair in Oman.

Inspired by the abundance of dates in Oman and the Gulf, we decided to experiment with date seeds, often discarded as waste, and turn them into a coffee alternative rich in flavour and nutrients, and most importantly, without caffeine.

Energised by the good taste of the non-acidic decaffeinated date seed coffee, we turned our attention to the issue of refined sugar. Mindful of the harm it causes to both health and the environment, we sought to produce an unrefined natural sweetener that is rich in nutrients and low in calories to enhance our coffee alternative. We also used the coarse sugar particles that we couldn't strain through the sieve to make healthy, sweet, and low-calorie cookies.

Concerned about waste, we repurposed used cooking oil into nourishing soap by combining it with ground date seeds, as it has many nutritional benefits, plus it can give the soap a natural brown colour.

Our team members showed great effort in following Ms Katie's instructions and supporting each other. We closely adhered to the given brief and worked collaboratively, sharing ideas and providing assistance, which made our challenges and stress less. We are happy that our teamwork and dedication led to a successful outcome.

Through this project, we learned how important it is to be an inspiration to our community and how they can adopt sustainable practices. In fact, winning this award was an encouragement for us to continue inspiring people that small actions can lead to big changes.