Beirut, August 2013– For the third consecutive year, Waterfront City Cares is pleased to announce the following Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) as the grants winners: Arc en Ciel, The Environmental and Sustainability Unit at AUB (ESDU), Kunhadi and Roads for Life.
Additionally, Waterfront City Cares is seriously considering partnering with the Lebanese Green Building Council with the aim of developing localized sustainability standards. The Standards will be based on international norms but tailored to the specific localdemands.
Commenting on the occasion Samer Bissat, Senior Development Director, Stated: “Setting localized standards is something that we have been actively working on for a while now. By doing so, we aim at encouraging local developers to adopt sustainability measures by having customized codes available to them locally.”
“When we are evaluating the projects received, we look at awarding grants to initiatives that we can partner with on a long-term basis, as that is the key of sustainability.To even go a step beyond that, we are looking at ways that these initiatives can be applied within Waterfront City’scommunity and surroundings and become part of the lifestyle, he continued.”
With the hopes of one day opening a worthy sustainability initiative at Waterfront City, the ESDU- the organic farmers market- at AUB received additional support for ‘Souk Aal Souk’, the weekly farmers market. The aim of the grant is to train organic farmers and open new markets for them, further push for the awareness and availability of the market; and promote nutrition education and organic agriculture within Universities.
The second grant for Arc en Ciel received support for the “recycling for solidarity” initiative which aims at encouraging the general public to sort plastic bottle caps and donate them to the recycling facilities, which will in turn aid in the production of wheelchairs.
As for Kunhadi, the NGO received a grant that will assist in the installation of safe crossings, based on international standards, in front of schools in the Metnarea to ensure safe passage for students.
Last, but surely not least, Roads for Life received a grant to aid in the training of emergency doctors to ensure that road victims receive the optimal support for post-trauma care.
Waterfront City Cares, set up by Waterfront City in 2012, stipulates that 1,000 USD is pooled from the sale of each apartment at Waterfront City into a fund and thereafter grants are awarded to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that fall under five main pillars: Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety, Education, Road Safety and Women Empowerment.