Balancing Act

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A nursery in Dubai managed to offset 40 tonnes of carbon emissions this year, while printing presses and chocolate producers look to follow in its footsteps. fmME investigates whether the region grasping the concept of carbon neutrality quickly enough to make a difference

As the intensity of its carbon footprint dawns on the Middle East, more and more companies are becoming concerned with maintaining a steady equilibrium. Farnek Avireal joined forces with myclimate in 2010, a carbon-offset foundation, dedicated to helping companies reduce their carbon footprint.

One of the partnership’s initiatives, a carbon-neutral bus, was demonstrated at WFES where guests were transported to ADNEC from the Emirates Palace Hotel in the bus. This made the hotel the first in the region to offset the carbon emissions of its guest transportation.

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The vehicle, which holds up to 26 passengers, offsets around 12 tonnes of CO2 a year, based on it travelling 30,000km annually, or 82km a day, with a fuel consumption of 35km per gallon.

But what is going carbon neutral all about?
“At one point of the world you can produce CO2 and on the other you can absorb it,” explains Markus Oberlin, general manager, Farnek Avireal, ME. “It is a natural cycle which has been running for thousands of years. If you have a project where you start to deforest trees, you have carbon credits that you can then use on another project to counterbalance it.”

Where the bus is concerned, Farnek Avireal agreed to pay myclimate the equivalent amount of CO2 that the bus produces. This can then be used to fund carbon offset projects around the world.

“We measure the engine size of the bus and assess the total consumption per km,” explains Oberlin. “Every litre of petrol burned has an equivalent value of CO2 that it emits. You can calculate how much CO2 each litre of petrol is releasing per km travelled. To balance the overall CO2 level, we calculate it for the year and fund myclimate by whatever the amount equates to.

“Every energy is linked directly together with a CO2 emission. In Europe and Switzerland, electricity can be produced through water pressure and turbines; natural resources that don’t result in a build up of CO2 emissions.

But here [UAE] gas is burned to produce electricity so the electricity consumption per kWh has a very high CO2 level. This is the reason that he UAE has one of the highest carbon footprints. It doesn’t have mountains and natural resources through which it can produce electricity.”

Where FM fits in
Farnek Avireal decided that as a facilities management company, it was important to engage in a carbon neutrality scheme, because during construction and even post construction, buildings are one of the highest consumers of energy.

“We are in the building business. There is definitely a need for this sort of partnership because one of the biggest consumers of energy is buildings. myclimate is recognised as a leading company in the world. Partnering with a leading company shows us as one also, as they make their assessment in choosing the right partner,” said Oberlin.

“The advantage is that it brings a lot of knowledge into our company because they are very highly educated people that have access to the newest trends in environmental protection so we have access to the latest trends and research [giving] us the competitive edge,” he added.

In October last year, Blossom children’s nursery in Dubai was certified by myclimate as the first carbon neutral educational establishment in the UAE.

Farnek Avireal was involved in providing consultancy and advisory services to help the school calculate its carbon emissions and offset them to become carbon neutral. Measures taken by the school to rebalance their carbon emissions included recycling and making their own paper, using a filtration system to dispense water and cutting out the need to order plastic bottles and run refrigeration units.

Windows were lined with coloured film to reduce temperatures, printer cartridges were refilled and recycled, potato peelings were used to make compost for the gardens and chemicals needing minimal water to clean were employed. The school managed to offset over 40 tonnes of carbon emissions.

“Compared with a large hotel or commercial tower, the savings are modest but if every school in the UAE managed to become carbon neutral it would make a significant difference. It would also educate children that collectively they can make a real difference, irrespective of how insignificant individual contributions may seem,” said Oberlin.

The Swiss Embassy in Abu Dhabi has become another recent project to employ carbon neutral standards. But just how well is the idea of carbon neutrality working in the Middle East?

Daniel Kammerer of myclimate said he could see great potential in the Middle East, where the concept was still relatively new.

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