Environmental Quality International
For the Egyptian conservationist Dr. Mounir Neamatalla, protecting nature is more than a mission; it’s an ideology. “Sustainability is a belief,” he says. “It must be a driving force for everything you do.” That ethos led him to create Environmental Quality International (EQI), a Cairobased business that invests in sustainable forprofit developments that support local communities and preserve important heritage sites throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the company’s most impressive projects to date is Adrère Amellal, a groundbreaking eco-lodge in the desert outside of Egypt’s Siwa Oasis. Built using kershef—a mixture of sun-dried salt, mud, and sand that has been used by Western Desert communities for millennia—the compound has no electricity or Wi-Fi. Its 40 rooms are lit by candle and decorated with Bedouin rugs and fossils that have been unearthed on nearby archaeological digs. Other EQI successes include the renovation of the Cairo Museum and the ongoing revival of Siwa’s 13th-century citadel, which has been eroded by weather conditions related to climate change. Work on the citadel will include extensive restorations, as well as the creation of a new museum. eqi.com.eg. — G.W.