Climate action projects and workshops: adding a green component to our work
ActionAid Arab Region has been undertaking a project to green the office and conducted workshops around Jordan to raise awareness about climate action.
In 2022, ActionAid Arab Region decided to intensify its climate action activities and projects. The idea is to push forward and raise awareness about actions and projects that can help fight against climate change. We started with our own office, through a project aiming at reducing our consumption of plastic cups: the "Mug for All" project. ActionAid Arab Region then conducted several workshops around Jordan to raise awareness about climate action, the zero-waste concept and how to recycle waste.
Greening the office: the "Mug for All" project
We realized that our office was using an average of 50 disposable cups each day. It means 1500 cups each month, and 18’000 cups each year! Thereby, we decided to reduce our plastic waste produced at the office. Our solution? to replace the disposable coffee and teacups by sustainable personalized mugs.
We gathered our team so everyone could choose a custom logo and we organized a small workshop to present and discuss the impact of disposable plastic cups on the environment. As a result, each of the staff members of our team received its own personalized mug.
Through this simple, yet impactful project, we aim at reducing drastically our plastic use at the office. The benefits are numerous, from climate action to budget implications, the "Mug for All" project is a success and will be implemented with our partners in the region to further reduce the use of disposable plastic items in everyday life, at the office or at home.
Raising awareness about climate action: workshops conducted in Jordan
Throughout the month of May, our team travelled around Jordan to conduct workshops aiming at raising awareness about climate action. We travelled to Mafraq, Azraq, Karak and Amman to visit the youth hubs and discuss ways to reduce plastic consumption as well as how to recycle waste.
Our team presented the concept of "Zero-Waste", which consists in maximizing recycling, minimizing waste and reducing consumption, while ensuring products are reused, repaired or recycled. We then engaged in group discussions and exercises about waste production ("which waste do I produce?") and recycling solutions that could be implemented, such as a "Zero-Waste" shop, home-made products, waste sorting with local partners and activities with clothes banks.
Each group will have to elaborate a project that will reduce plastic consumption, enhance recycling, or implement locally the "Zero-Waste" approach.
What’s next?
In the coming months, other workshops will be conducted. We will raise awareness on the clothes waste issue. Indeed, the fast fashion trend is one of the most polluting industries in the world.
In June a raising awareness session will be implemented for the AAAR staff and our youth hubs. We will talk about the key actions that we can do to protect our health and our planet. We will also implement an activity based on clothes sharing, in collaboration with the clothes bank of Jordan.
We plan to cover the waste sorting issue as well, which is not so common in Jordan, with raising awareness sessions and workshops with our team and our partners. We will also be in contact with the different governorates to propose them waste sorting project.
Last but not least, we will support youth from the different youth hubs in their own green climate projects, through the whole process: designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation. The objective is to work on youth leadership and youth empowerment, to allow them to be at the center of the solution for climate action.
