CAIRO: I remember that my first chemistry class was especially boring when we got to the environmental chemistry section. Dr. Lois Green, my old chemistry teacher, used to slowly spoon feed a classroom full of already unconscious students. It was a couple of weeks before the International Baccalaureate exams where we were studying a confusing collage of chemical equations describing how chlorofluorocarbons reacts with the ozone layer to lead to its ultimate destruction. Being a high school student surviving on the daily doses of lifesaving java and studying till 3:00 am so that I could pass six difficult exams, I couldn't really care less if Earth's atmosphere floats somewhere else. But what I didn't realize was that I was getting an education that only around 5% of Egyptians could afford and an essential part of the syllabus was the environment. Yet, environmental education is spreading to the alleys of Manshiet Nasser, known to be where Cairo's garbage collectors' community resides. Some NGOs have been able to balance between quality environmental education and the need to make ends meet in a poverty stricken community. The Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE), a local NGO based in the area, not only one of the nation's most efficient paper recycling system but an educational program that teaches young kids from the area to live in harmony. While walking along the long dirt pathway with organization's educational director, Adel Monir, the sense of environmental teamwork was already in the air. Monir pointed to the large landscape adjacent to the pathway where we found a whole array of different trees saying that the APE is currently attempting to cultivate young naturalists. Great progress comes with more limits. According to a study done by the University of Alberta, Egypt's pursuit of a healthier economy has come at the cost of a deepening environmental crisis. Even though the study noted that many of Egypt's educators demonstrated proficient knowledge of the nation's environmental problems. What about the older students? Yes, the ones who have already finished university and are starting careers of their own. Surprisingly, concern about the environment in the design industry has already taken its effect in the textbooks. At a press conference a couple of months ago, the head of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council Ahmed Helmy reemphasized the importance of learning more environmentally friendly methods of furniture production amidst a crowd of concerned designers in Azhar Park. Recently, furniture designers have been involved in efforts to train others to use more green materials. Teak wood from Malaysia and Indonesia has recently been quickly depleted. Recyclable Fashion Show at Darb 1718 That's not all! The whole green theme has gone from what we sit on to what we wear. A recycled fashion show at the Darb 1718 Contemporary Art and Culture Center shows everyone that you don't have to crank style to go green. On the 29th of May, the Spanish Embassy helped launch Cairo's very first Eco-friendly fashion show at Darb 1718, where hundreds attended including famous Egyptian jeweler Azza Fahmy. 16 Young Egyptians worked with Ana Maria Seco and Karina Shalaby to create their own line of recycled wear. The Egyptians were inspired by a number of Spanish artists including Miro, Picasso, and Dali and they used recycled material such as toilet paper cartons, garbage bags, rope, newspaper, plastic bottles and paint to dress the models. The stage was made of grass and the models pranced barefoot emphasizing the connection between man and earth. As the music started, colors filled the stage, from neon yellow to bright red and lime green to pitch black, the crowed cheered in excitement. Inspired by the works of eccentric artists, the designers used Dali's melting clocks and signature mustache and Picasso's cubism to construct their clothing. The film that was shown at the beginning of the fashion-show was a short documentary about the creation of the pieces. Though the condition of Cairo's atmosphere doesn't show it, environmental awareness is on the rise in the classroom and even in the factories where furniture and textiles are produced. Despite Egypt's dire economic state, the desire to encourage sustainable development through extensive education programs is still very much alive in a country where an alarming percentage of the population is illiterate. ** Read more on Eco Options Egypt BM
