Ramadan Kareem from Sustainability Tribe! The Holy month of Ramadan is the month to reflect and practice kindness! Kindness, not just towards the others but also towards our Mother Nature! Letting go of your bad habits and developing good habits is a big part of observing Ramadan, then why not make your Ramadan more sustainable? Let’s be mindful of the effects of our actions on the environment & our surroundings this Ramadan.
Here is your quick guide on how to make your Ramadan Eco-friendly and how to minimize our environmental impact during Ramadan.
Ramadan is the time to gather with family and friends for Iftars, but while doing so let’s not forget those 870 million people in our world who go to bed hungry. The staggering statistics show that food waste during Ramadan increases by 30% in the UAE. When we waste food, we also waste natural resources invested in growing, transporting, storing, and cooking that food. We all need to ask a question to ourselves when humanity is fighting the hunger problem, how appropriate is it to waste food?
So then how can you reduce food waste especially during Ramadan? Here are some ways, these tips can be applied throughout the year.
Donating is a big part of Ramadan. So try to donate to charities and NGOs which do environmental conservation work along with other humanitarian charities. Many charities keep donation drop-off boxes in many malls in the UAE, where you can donate most of your unwanted stuff like clothes, books, toys, shoes, bags.
Many people do cleaning up of their homes before or during Ramadan, so don’t throw away your unwanted items. Find these charity boxes and drop off your donations. Read here the list of charities in UAE where you can donate your unwanted items.
With the aim of inspiring people with a small act of kindness, Ramadan sharing fridge initiative is started under the umbrella of Emirates Red Crescent, Open Arms UAE, and with the help of the community to help our less fortunate community workers and laborers to have access to free food and drinks during the month of Ramadan. Basically, anyone can set up a Ramadan fridge and register with the initiative. The fridges are then pinned on google map and anyone in the community can donate food and drinks in preferably pre-packed portion sizes and fill up these fridges. Each fridge is emptied and filled up to 20 times a day. And it takes several donators to fill a fridge so your help is precious.
You can find more about this initiative and how you can contribute through their Facebook page here.
Our tribe has started the #ZeroWasteUAE Initiative and I would urge my readers don’t forget to keep it going even during Ramadan to make it a ‘Zero Waste Ramadan’. Here are some very Ramadan-specific waste-free tips for you.
The mass iftar meets in UAE can create large plastic trash. Selecting paper disposables and keeping recycling bins nearby can help to reduce this plastic waste.
There are sales and discounts in all the shopping malls in the UAE during Ramadan. Many people go gift shopping for Eid during Ramadan. If you want to make your Ramadan and Eid celebration Eco-friendly, you need to even choose Eco-gifts. For Green Gifts inspirations, read our detailed sustainable gifting guide.
Eco-friendly Eid Gifts can include locally produced items, gift vouchers of sustainable brands. You can find here is a list of some Eco-friendly products available in the UAE which can help you staring a sustainable lifestyle. My top recommendation for gifts are below,
I hope you will find these tips helpful in greening Ramadan or host greener iftars. What could be a better time to start a sustainable lifestyle during this month when you are practicing self-control?
Amruta Kshemkalyani, an expert sustainability professional turned social entrepreneur, is the founder of the Sustainability Tribe, AK Sustainability
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Ramadan Kareem! Thanks for highlighting some of these tips. Food waste at buffets particularly concerns me so we tend to stay away from them. Will try and find some that are more conscientious about food waste, so we can experience a few Iftars this year.
Absolutely Mel, it’s really sad to see food waste at buffets. If you want to avoid buffets completely, then you can try Suhoor little late. Most places you can order a la carte and you still get a social-cultural experience of Ramadan; sharing just an idea.
Wow! Very wise tips. Enjoyed reading your blog.
Hi Meghana, glad that you liked the tips!
I hate food wastage too, so it’s ironic that so much of it happens during Ramadan. Thanks for sharing the tips!
So true Tarana, it’s really a sad irony. Thanks for reading!
Some great ideas! Any suggestions on how to reduce waste at the Ramadan Sharing Fridges? I see so many plastic bags and non-sustainable packaging that all the pictures make me cringe!
I totally agree with you, Paula! When I contributed to Ramadan sharing fridges I made sure to get drinks in the paper containers with straw (Laban) and bought oranges in my reusable produce bag. We can look for such options which create less waste. Ideally, if waste segregation containers are kept next to these fridges can make it really helpful. But didn’t mention in the group as it can too much to ask for from fridge managers?
absolutely love this post and all the little tips you have shared thank you so so much
love the list! so interesting- in love with the green gifts idea! 🙂 jazakALLAH
Such great tips! We already try our best with ensuring minimum food wastage and charity during the month of Ramadan. Thanks for sharing the other tips too!