The Bayt.com ”Green Workplaces in the Middle East and North Africa”, a poll recently conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s number one job site, has revealed that there is a keen desire in the region to adopt a greener lifestyle, both at work and at home, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
For72.5% of respondents, going green is something that they consider to be very important to their lifestyle, with a further23.2% considering it to be ‘moderately’ important.80% state that environmental issues, such as pollution, conservation of natural resources and so on, concern them ‘to a large extent’, demonstrating that despite low awareness of technical concepts such as carbon footprint (with only27.7% of survey respondents saying they are “very aware” of the concept), there is a significant desire for MENA residents to begin living more sustainably.
Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, are considered to be the most up-and-coming technologies by71.3% of respondents. Alternative fuel vehicles, such as those that run on electricity, will take off in the future according to16.3%. Four in10 (42.3%) of respondents currently use public transportation to travel to their workplace.
“There seems to be growing awareness on the importance of sustainability and green energy,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “More than40% of respondents use public transportation to go to work. That’s a very positive number. Also, imagine if alternative fuel vehicles were adopted by the39.3% of respondents who drive themselves to work. It could mean significant carbon savings.”
When at work, more than half (52.3%) of respondents say that they reuse items rather than throwing them away. Paperless offices are popular, with49.1% stating they are encouraged to use email or online resources all the time rather than printing out documents, and30.2% state that they are ‘sometimes’ encouraged to do so, though they still rely heavily on printouts on certain occasions.20.6% of respondents say that they are required to have hard (paper) copies of everything. Recycling boxes are provided in43% of MENA offices, and seven in10 (66.4%) respondents recycle paper at work, and49.8% recycle paper while at home.
Interestingly,74.1% of respondents state that they do not conserve energy or water, either at home or in the office. Despite this, eight in10 (83.7%) claim to use energy efficient lighting at home, and71.2% of respondents claim that their companies use energy efficient lighting for the office.57.8% put their computer into sleep mode when not using it.
Al-Masri added: “Our poll reveals that there is a considerable level of interest in environmental issues and in adopting a greener lifestyle, however awareness of certain sustainability concepts needs to increase. There is significant potential for workplaces to educate their employees on the benefits of sustainability initiatives. Companies should also think about adopting up-coming green technologies, such as renewable energy, and to encourage their employees to do the same. At Bayt.com, we believe that awareness of environmental issues, taking prompt action and having a positive attitude can make all the difference, for a sustainable future.”
Data for the Bayt.com ‘Green Workplaces in the MENA’ poll was collected online from June24-August122014, with7,925 respondents from UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.