8 March – 8 Awarded Women Green Entrepreneurs, Organized by “Fondation Diane”
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, “Fondation Diane” organized the 2nd edition of “Women For Green”, a special “Citizen Café” dedicated to honoring and celebrating the inspiring journeys of Lebanon’s “8 Most Impactful Women Green Entrepreneurs”.
The event took place on March 8th, 2025, at USJ University – CSH, in the presence of environmental activists, consultants and prominent figures from the environmental landscape, including H.E. the Former Minister of Environment Dr. Nasser Yassine, Former MP and Founder/President of “Matine Fund” Robert Fadel, media professional Ricardo Karam, members of the “Waste Diversion Management Consortium”, in addition to heads of NGOs advocating for women’s rights, namely Joelle Bou Farhat, President of “Fifty Fifty”, Madiha Raslan, President of the “Women Leaders Association” (WLA), Maha Chalabi, Secretary-General of the “International Association to Save Tyre”, as well as Dr. Diana Fadel, Founder and President of “Fondation Diane” and a large audience of women entrepreneurs.
The event featured the success story of Caroline Chaptini, a Lebanese environmental activist and recycling artist whose achievements in the waste management sector have reached global heights, earning her 5 “Guinness World Records” in just two years.
Under the theme “Together we can amplify the voices of women making a real impact!”, the “Women For Green 2025” initiative recognized the environmental contributions of the 8 most remarkable women-led green start-ups that were carefully selected from a pool of 60 applicants. All the winners earned green certificates, and won a personalized advisory workshop with business ecosystem exposure, while the top 3 winners additionally received a grant of $1000 each from Fondation Diane. Moreover, Robert Fadel made a surprise announcement by the end of the ceremony similarly offering $1000 to each of the remaining 5 winners!
The Top 3 winners of the “Women For Green 2025” came as such: 1st prize: Hiba Mkhayel (CIRCL); a waste management company based in Akkar, 2nd prize: Luana Malaeb (Clear Space); natural and eco-friendly home care and cleaning products, 3rd prize: Nisrine Turky (IOTree); an AI solution that helps farmers minimize pesticide use. While the remaining winners were: Doris Chaaya (Aquaivolt); a venture that converts wastewater into biogas and electricity, Reine Metlej; a project and equipment that convert organic waste and biogas into electricity, Marianne Younes (Fae Naturals); skin care products with organically sourced ingredients and healing properties, Dalia Ayache (Mounet Dalia); a mobile app that connects consumers with authentic, preservative-free mouneh made by rural women, and Rana El Chmaitelly (The Lifetime Education); an educational initiative dedicated to raising awareness among young learners about renewable energy.
At the beginning, there were testimonials from the Top 3 winners of last year’s edition of “Women For Green 2024” who shared insights from their progress and new achievements. The winners included Jessika Hokayem (Al Zourou3); a sustainable agriculture project in Artez, Loubna Ajram (Lou Mushrooms); a project focused on growing mushrooms from coffee waste, and Tia Kaedbey (Fairy Listiic); which transforms CD waste into art.
Diana Fadel
In her opening speech, Mrs. Fadel confirmed: “While Lebanon’s government and banks were focused on advancing technology entrepreneurship, we were the first to introduce the concept of green entrepreneurship back in 2012.”
She continued with a moving message: “Women are capable to move heaven and earth to find solutions that make the world, and in this case Lebanon, a better place”. She added: “Today, we are very excited to have garnered the interest of 60 amazing women to present their green businesses. They came to showcase their hidden talents, smart ideas, and what they have already achieved—or could achieve!”. She continued: “Unfortunately, the government and society do not encourage them enough to pursue opportunities beyond their traditional role in the family. We are here to give them the opportunity to show what they are capable of in the sector of eco-sustainable development, particularly green entrepreneurship.”
Caroline Chaptini
Caroline Chaptini reflected on the challenges she faced: “I am a woman, and I dared to dream!!! I endured a great deal of bullying, but I defied the odds and turned my dream into reality”. Then, she delved into the details of her successful projects, through which she managed to collect thousands of pieces of plastic waste, while raising awareness about the environmental benefits of sorting at source and recycling.
She continued: “I am proud to unveil my upcoming project, one that is so dear to my heart – the creation of the world’s largest cedar tree, standing 10 meters tall, made from 452 thousand green bottles, aimed at highlighting Lebanon’s total area of 10,452 square kilometers.” She concluded with a powerful message: “To every woman I say, love yourself, and have full confidence in your abilities. You can conquer the world, only once you do!”
Hiba Mkhayel
“Where others saw waste, we saw opportunity. Instead of waiting for a solution, we became the solution. Starting CIRCL as two women in a male-dominated, highly politicized industry wasn’t easy – we weren’t always taken seriously. But we knew that waste wasn’t just an environmental issue; it was an economic one as well”.
Luana Malaeb
“The idea behind Clear Space emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was a high demand for cleaning products, and nearly everyone was opting for chemical-based options. We wanted to offer natural and eco-friendly alternatives that cause no harm. Our main objective is to encourage everyone to do one thing each day that is beneficial to their health, society, and the environment!”
Nisrine Turky – IOTree (Internet of Trees)
“70% of our employees and engineers are women, and they are all Lebanese. We developed a state-of-the-art technology: a machine placed in the garden that sends an alert to the farmers in advance, notifying them that a tree may be at risk of pest invasion. Our AI solution helps farmers minimize pesticide use, reducing by this soil and water contamination, improving crop quality and ensuring a more sustainable food system”.