West Asia 2020 Finalists

Fatemah Alzelzela

Eco Star

Eco Star is focused on the efficient collection of recyclable materials (paper, plastic and metal) and works hand-in-hand with recycling factories. Kuwait is very wealthy, but does not have many sustainable solutions in the field of recycling, with 90 percent of waste going directly to Kuwait’s eighteen growing landfills. Kuwait also lacks functioning green areas and has air pollution problems. In exchange for waste, Eco Star works with agricultural companies to give plants and trees to individuals and organizations, thereby encouraging the increase in green cover in Kuwait.

Haytham Dbouk

Innovating Green Technology- water systems for Lebanon

Innovating Green Technology (I.G.T) is presenting an innovative modular system with a photovoltaic powered UV disinfection scheme aiming to develop an integrated alternative water management plan for the MENA region. This system can be implemented in households, factories and local communities to solve wastewater issues - using solar power to transform and disinfect wastewater into water safe for irrigation. This system can treat up to 400 litres per day to serve traditional farming communities, as well as aquaponics/hydroponics oriented projects. The project will assess the technical, social, environmental, and economic feasibility of deploying specific technologies in a pilot showcase for both the private and public sectors of local communities for application internationally. The plan will also include the study of long-term effects of water and food security on human health and will serve as a model for sustainable water management and reuse in the region. The technologies to be deployed are: 1) Demo rooftop rainwater harvesting unit for domestic water supply; 2) Decentralized wastewater treatment units to treat domestic wastewater for supply of irrigation water; and an integrated composting unit for enhancement of agricultural production; 3) Irrigation network and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for water monitoring and efficiency.

Khaled Sawaftah

Ploro- Turning plastic pollution into a building solution

Ploro is all about using recycled plastics to manufacture building elements that contribute to better thermal, humidity and sound insulation of homes and shelters. By using two of the most used plastic types (polypropylene and polyethylene) we managed to manufacture outdoor rooftop tiles, indoor floor tiles and hollow wall blocks that provide better insulation properties, while recycling these polymer resources. Ploro's very first released product is outdoor rooftop tiles, that have been tested by different accredited laboratories in Amman, Jordan. We have refined a specific formula using plastic additives in certain amounts to adjust the quality of our products to suit the application needed for construction - thus Ploro can take in recycled plastic from a wide variety of different sources with the outcomes always having the required quality for application. These products not only save plastic from going to landfill, the ocean and incinerators, but provide better insulation, thus saving energy and carbon emissions. They also save time, effort and money regarding the construction process - all in an environmentally friendly manner.

Mohammed Alkhalid

Nabatik- regreening Saudi Arabia

NABATIK is a platform that gives everyone the accessibility to plant trees anywhere in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The process is made possible by digitizing the local nurseries and farms in order to allow customers or businesses to reach them easily. The platform also helps the nurseries and farms with logistics in order to optimize their operation and minimize their costs.

Using our platform, we encourage businesses to engage their Corporate Social Responsibility and offer them solutions to offset their carbon footprint by rapidly planting trees using our tools. We also help businesses measure their impact (such as carbon dioxide absorption, air quality improvement and energy conservation to name a few) thereby incentivising them to plant more and gain more carbon credits.

Mustafa Kishk

Green cellular connectivity

Cellular connectivity has become one of the main life essentials due to its role in many critical services such as education, agriculture, healthcare, and many other sectors. Almost half of the world’s population still lack the infrastructure needed for appropriate internet access. This issue is commonly termed the "digital-divide." The majority of areas that suffer from this are rural areas, especially in developing countries. To overcome the digital-divide, expensive, energy consuming, and non-environmentally friendly infrastructure is often rolled out. The purpose of this project is to propose a software tool that can provide green and environmentally-friendly solutions that can improve the cellular connectivity in any given area. In particular, given the population density distribution, distance to the nearest urban city, and the available renewable energy solutions, the tool provides the optimal wireless infrastructure design with a minimized carbon footprint - using drones and cellular infrastructure that relies almost solely on renewable energy.