CAIRO: It is hard to smugly plant a tree in Egypt without looking like a world class hypocrite. With the many deeply rooted problems that cause environmental damage, planting a tree might as well be like writing a novel in the sand then having the nerve to wail about it when the waves and the winds wash it away. This dilemma represented a challenge to the environmentally themed Timberland, which celebrates Earth Day globally as part of its corporate responsibility program. And so instead of writing a novel in the sand, they wrote it on a word processor and made several backups. The Story In order to dig to the core of the problem, Timberland sent out a call for proposals and collaborated with Man Ahyaha (Who Gave It Life) NGO, launching this year's project in the down trodden random housing area of Batn El Ba'ar in Old Cairo, by tackling the matter by its very roots. Before the project was launched, the area was literally a dump. The residents would stream out of the allies with buckets of urine and feces, and piles of garbage discarding them out on the road where they infused with one another and created a mass of hazardous pollution, diseases and a warm cozy home for disease carrying insects. Man Ahyaha NGO carried out research and discovered that the children of the area suffered from skin and respiratory diseases caused by the pollution. This was how they made their entrance with the skeptical and exhausted residents who are tired of empty promises of a better life, and managed to get them involved in the project. First the mountain of filth was removed and in its place an organized waste disposal system was built. A proper sewage system cannot be built in areas with random housing since they are subjected to removal at any time, and so an alternative system is used. A deep well is installed carrying the wastes deep into the earth where they naturally decompose and where they are far enough for people to be healthy. Meanwhile solid wastes can be disposed of in the neighboring concrete (and thus ‘un-steal-able') garbage dump, making it easier for garbage men to deal with as opposed to the overwhelming human repellent pile of before. Now that the roots have been dealt with, planting the area no longer seems hypocritical, but in fact, the next logical step. And so patches of grass and small simple trees were planted at the alley's entrance making it a safe place for the children to play and a psychological boost for the residents. Keeping It Rolling To ensure that the residents do not take on a passive role of expecting someone to cradle them, an awareness campaign was launched in the area while the actual building and planting were in progress. They were informed about health issues and safety, and how to maintain the area's cleanliness. Now that the hard part of removing the wastes and beautifying the place has been done, all they need to do is stick to the rules; throw the wastes inside the wells, the rubbish inside the garbage dumps and take care of the small amount of planted trees. It's not hard. But will they do it? Will the residents overcome their sense of prevailing nonchalance and hopelessness? For this purpose Man Ahyaha will be following up with the area. They have already employed many of the area's women in sewing and handicrafts as part of their sustainable social development program, and so they are very much in touch with them which is inevitably necessary for making sure that the residents' behavior patterns change. To follow up with the plan they are planning on putting on plays for the children by the children on this very matter. They also intend to employ selected individuals from the neighborhood to act as neighborhood watch. An Overhead View When you look from the outside it seems hopeless, that this is just one tiny project in an area out of millions. It is necessary, as crude as it sounds, to not think about the millions of other places that could be in dire need of aid and focus on the area in front of you that you can help. If every individual thought of it this way the overwhelming job will divide its own self into doable tasks. Timberland took over Batn El Ba'ar, other corporations could take over other places and so on. The task seizes to be less daunting that way. A Bit Of Constructive Criticism Timberland's efforts should be saluted, but as with any other initiative in the world, any project could benefit from some improvements. Batn EL Ba'ar has definitely benefited from this program, with the best part being that the initiative created a sustainable base for the area to continue in its ‘greener' journey. However, our recommendation is that companies should spend a little less focus on advertising and more effort in expanding their actual CSR initiatives and building up on actual running projects. As an environmental initiative, many factors should be taken into consideration to make sure that all aspects of the project is green. Paper flyers for example defeat this cause. By making sure every aspect is friendly to our environment, the company can makes sure that they reach their goal much more effectively. This will also portray the companies genuine interests much more transparently, rather than make them fall into the trap of portraying the initiative as a marketing gimmick. By following the above steps a company can make sure it reaches its target audience of people who honestly care about the environmental and human welfare much more successfully. In conclusion, we applaud Timberland for their initiative that has and will continue to improve the lives of many people. With this system in place people can look forward to the ability to lead a healthier and less disease-prone life. Simultaneously, the tree growing will not only benefit the community, but also our planet and our country which desperately needs more fresh oxygen. For a full gallery of photos, check out Eco Options Egypt
