‘No Paper Day’ sees Qatar Residents Tackle Deforestation

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), recently saw a wide array of companies and businesses take part in its ‘No Paper Day’ campaign to raise awareness about global deforestation. 

Held on April 3, the second annual run of the ‘No Paper Day’ initiative is part of QGBC’s ongoing commitment to the sustainability objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Commenting on QGBC’s continuing efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of sustainability Meshal Al Shamari, Director of QGBC, said: “Initiatives such as ‘No Paper Day’ are essential for public education, regarding the strengthening of our collective preservation efforts of Qatar’s natural environment for future generations.”

As part of the campaign QGBC suggested a variety of useful tips that individuals could adopt in their daily lives, at home, at the office or at school, to help them stop wasting paper. Some tips included sending emails instead of faxes whenever possible, reducing company junk mail by cancelling unnecessary print subscriptions, as well as opting for e-tickets and mobile boarding passes when traveling. 

Meanwhile, QGBC experts estimate that Qatar’s population uses a total of 5.4 million sheets of A4 paper a day, which translates into the cutting down of a staggering 540 trees. Commenting on these figures Al Shamari added: “Companies and individuals in Qatar have a responsibility to work together to strike a balance between developmental needs and the conservation of the country’s natural resources and environment.”

Furthermore, participants in this year’s ‘No Paper Day’ campaign included Qatari Diar Vinci Construction,  Eljaish Sports Club, the Habtoor Leighton Group, the Sukaina Secondary School,  Intercontinental Doha the City, - Al Khaliji Commercial Bank, Advent Worldwide WLL, Amwaj Catering Services, Gasal Q.S.C, Wyndham Grand Regency Doha, Arabian MEP Contracting, ADCC JV (Aktor Qatar), Movenpick Tower and Suites, Doha, Governor West Bay Suites & Residences, National Petroleum Services Qatar (NPS-Qatar),  Ooredoo Qatar, United Development Company (UDC) and  Cundall Qatar Consulting. Last year, the 20 organisations who took part in the inaugural campaign subsequently reduced their daily paper consumption by 73 per cent by simply adopting the tips suggested by QGBC.

QGBC is a member of Qatar Foundation and is a non-profit membership-driven organisation dedicated to advocating green building solutions. It leads industry research and promotes sustainable living the community.

Through QGBC, Qatar has joined a network of 80 different countries that run active national green building councils under the umbrella of the World Green Building Council.