13th-15th MARCH 2012

http://www.bgte2012.com/

Bahrain Green-Tech EXPO is a new trade show dedicated to the green consumer products and services

I thought I drop by at the expo/ forum today and see what it all about.

Very interesting - the forum was trying to get some recommendations on paper- 4 pages in huge print single sided- but who for and are they really thinking that it will help- first practice what you preach - the recommendations were still not finished so printing them could be halted until all were ready and on two sheets of paper.

Why I don't believe  the recommendations will make a difference?

Because the Prime Minister has just signed a contract with a French Company to incinerate 390 000 tons yearly of the waste that is produced by the citizen of the Kingdom. (including hazardous waste)

So is there going to be a competition who can produce the most air pollution - the incinerator or the protesters burning tires in the streets?

Dangers of incineration

There are so many better options out there cheaper for the pocket and environment also because for anything to happening with environmental issues the price should be right and even if it is the wrong decisions are made !!

I was talking to the very pleasant young lady Reem al Khalifa who was manning the Ministry of Agriculture booth and discussed the issue of the recycled water that was used in farms that sold produce and how safe was it to consume these products.

The problem of  Abu Younes who is supplying almost all major supermarkets in the Kingdom daily with homegrown produce - he leases the land and the owner now want to build houses on the property- The Kingdom of Bahrain has only 2.5% arable land but how much arable land in reality?

This is the so called green belt so how can he build there it is in my eyes criminal to do so.

I understand the need for housing but these will not benefit locals but foreigners like other compounds scattered through Budaiya, Sar and Janabiya.

I also had the pleasure to meet Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, the General Coordinator for Bahrain International Garden show who came by for a chat.

Realizing after that she had met me before- I waltzed into her office after attending the garden show in 2010 and asked her why no recycle bins were placed around the exhibition, she was taken back from such a bold request but the next year I was pleased to see the skips from recycling for charity had been placed.-

Senior Environmental Specialist at Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wild Life Mr. Rehan Ahmed also caught up with me and Mr Soleiman Abasi from bulk handling systems who is trying to convince the officials here that  going green starts with recycling and handling waste produced his company guarantees a 80% recycling of all waste that generates electricity and compost .

http://bulkhandlingsystems.com/

The kingdom of Bahrain imports compost from abroad to the tune of BHD 9 Million yearly.

Mr Abasi's projects cost USD30Million  or BHD11 340 000 to set up and run so investing in this would in say 2 years make the project even and staring to make profit.

Does the incinerator give money back?

No they are charged BHD 48 per ton and so yearly cost for this service is BHD18 720 000 calculated over 390 000 ton per year.

Now who is losing out?  We have daily burning of tires in this beautiful kingdom in my eyes the government is worse because it has the choice to make a difference and become an example worldwide but instead it chose the most polluting way of getting rid of our waste.