On November 4th Keith and I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Nadia Makran Ebeid, the Executive Director of the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), Dr. Ahmed Abdelrehim, Regional Programme Manager of CEDARE’s Knowledge Management Programme, and several other members of CEDARE’s impressive staff who took time out of their busy schedules to discuss ongoing sustainability efforts in the Middle East. CEDARE is focused on the intersection of economics, social development and the environment. Our meeting covered a wide range of topics, including issues of water quantity and quality, electronic waste, the upcoming Arab Environmental Outlook Report, and CEDARE’s work with the Sekem Initiative. Our meeting with the staff of CEDARE gave us eye-opening insight into the unique cultural and economic challenges that sustainability efforts face in the Middle East. I think our meeting with CEDARE will really help us with our perspective as we document such efforts in the Middle East and in developing countries around the world. Keith and I definitely have a lot to think about as we prepare our next case study.
Special thanks are due to Dr. Abdelrehim for making this meeting possible and for putting us in touch with Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, the Associate Project Director – Sustainability at Masdar in the United Arab Emirates. We are looking forward to meeting with Dr. Al-Hosany in early December and learning more about Masdar City, the preeminent example of sustainable development in the region.
As Keith already wrote, Cairo is a smoggy, crowded and chaotic city of nearly 20 million people. Seeing trash on the sidewalks, while unfortunate, is not unexpected. Nor is it all that different from the city sidewalks back home in Philadelphia. Outside of the Center City District, which imposes a quasi-governmental tax on local businesses and residents to fund a force of workers who keep the sidewalks clean, Philadelphia’s sidewalks are often strewn with litter, including, of all things, chicken bones. With so many people, high unemployment rates and little money to spare, keeping Downtown Cairo trash-free is clearly not a high priority for the government. It’s hard to throw stones when home is the quintessential glass house.
Then we arrived at the Great Pyramids of Giza, often at the top of the list of the Seven Wonders of the World. There, in the sand that surrounds the Pyramids, we spot a crushed plastic water bottle. Then another. And another.
Trash along the side of the horse trail to the Pyramids of Giza
Candy bar wrappers, broken glass, cans, papers and plastic debris. It’s everywhere you look, and it’s a shame. Here is the primary driver for tourism in Egypt, visited by millions of tourists each year and a huge moneymaker for the Egyptian economy, and it is completely filled with trash. Not only do we have to crop out other tourists from our photos, but the trash that seems to fill the bottom of nearly every shot. The other tourist sites around Egypt don’t fare much better when it comes to the proper disposal of litter. I don’t recall seeing chicken bones on the sidewalk next to the Liberty Bell, do you?
But it gets worse.
Walk along the boardwalk in Dahab, a beach resort town on the Red Sea that is popular with divers and snorkelers. On any given morning you will see the hotel and shop owners sweeping up the trash along the pathway.
Onto the beach.
And eventually into the sea and the coral reef, the reason that the divers and snorkelers are here in the first place.
There are trashcans along the boardwalk and signs asking people not to improperly dispose of their
Notice the "Please No Rubbish Here" sign...
garbage. But the beach seems like an easier place to dispose of the litter that accumulates. While diving and snorkeling, the beauty of tropical fish and corals is often disrupted with stray plastic bags and broken bottles floating in the clear waters.
I understand that Egypt is a poor country and most people are struggling just to get by, let alone get educated about the environment and do something to preserve it. The concept of sustainability, rooted in terms of the resources that will be available to future generations, doesn’t work when the struggle is about surviving the day today.
Maybe I am just a product of an over-sanitized American culture that most of the rest of the world can’t afford to duplicate. Maybe I completely internalized the “Give a Hoot” commercials from my childhood and am programmed to be appalled by litter. Regardless of the environmental impact, actively destroying the natural assets that are at the core of one’s own livelihood just doesn’t make economic sense. No reefs, no divers. No divers, no businesses. No businesses, no jobs.
Am I just a spoiled American experiencing culture shock? Am I missing something that explains why it is acceptable to litter at the sites of ancient wonders and world-class coral reefs? What can I do as a tourist to promote values of sustainability in the places I travel?
Smog, diesel fumes, prodigious amounts of litter and crazy traffic: this was the unwelcome that greeted us as we left Cairo International Airport. As we made our way through the crazy streets of Cairo from the airport to our hostel Downtown, we saw plenty of proof that the side bar warning in our Lonely Planet about Cairo traffic being intimidating and making the simple task of crossing the street feel like a life threatening experience was spot on. Lonely Planet’s recommendation is to use a local as a guide or, more accurately, a human shield when crossing the street. Frogger skills are a prerequisite when walking around Cairo. Below is a short 19-second clip of a more moderate intersection our cab went through in Cairo. The other trademark of Cairo is the constant 24/7 horn honking. It is for a totally different purpose than in the States, it is mostly to say “Here I come, please get out of the way.” As another traveler told us, the cars don’t want to hit you, so make sure they see you and you should be fine.
But no one goes to Cairo for the traffic, it is something to be dealt with while trying to get around to see the sites. And there are plenty of sites to see. Our first stop was the Pyramids at Giza. These are some of the oldest buildings from ancient Egypt, built in the first dynasty over 5,000 years ago. The later Pharaohs learned that if you build a huge pyramid the grave robbers and thieves have a pretty easy time finding your tomb and the treasure buried with you. Staying hidden from robbers was critical for the reincarnation they believed in, so later tombs were hidden in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. We ended up riding horses to tour the pyramids. And while it provides nice panoramic views like the ones below, it is not a necessary part of the visit, no matter what your driver says. We learned this the hard way as the driver insisted that we could not get to the pyramids via a car and that it was a 2 hour hike otherwise. And while we were awe struck as we came over the ridge below and took in the view of the Giza Pyramids, it was somewhat ruined when we got a bit closer and noticed the parking lots and cabs right at the base of the Pyramids. In the end it was not cheap (~$100) but it was a nice experience. Just be sure to negotiate better than we did if you choose to do it, the cost should be closer to $50 including a guide and entrance fees. In the end I’ve decided not to beat myself up too much for being taken for a ride (get it?) since I had who I thought was a trusted person, our hostel provided driver, flat out lying to me. Lesson learned.
The next stop was the Step Pyramids at Sakkara. Besides the pyramids there is an excellent museum, which is included in the entrance fee. I would highly encourage anyone visiting Sakkara to set aside an hour for the museum. One of the advantages of Sakkara is that you can go inside Teti’s Pyramid for free.
The next day we stopped at Old Cairo to wander and see beautiful Coptic Churches and we happened upon Ben Ezra, an old synagogue. Unfortunately there were no pictures allowed inside. This is a common occurrence in most of the historical attractions in Egypt. So think twice before lugging a heavy camera bag around all day, as I did. A simple pocket-sized point and shoot is fine for days when you will be inside most of the day. After Old Cairo we headed up to the Citadel, which had the Muhammed Ali mosque.
The location on a hill overlooking Cairo provided some great views.
We ended the tour in the second day at the Egyptian Museum, which the only picture we have is on the outside. They are so serious about not allowing pictures that you have to check your camera before entering. The museum is massive and using the Lonely Planet recommendations we hit the highlights in about 3 hours. The best two parts were the Royal Mummy exhibit (which was an extra 100LE each) and the extensive Tutankhamen treasure. The Tutankhamen display was much more impressive than the exhibit that was touring the US a couple of years ago.
One final stop on the way home was the bookstore at the American University of Cairo. If you find yourself lacking reading material or in need of a guidebook while in Cairo they have an extensive English language bookstore with decent prices. After a couple of days in Cairo we were off to Aswan via an overnight sleeper train, which was quite comfortable, and luxurious when compared to some of the overnight buses in Turkey.
Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), Dr. Ahmed Abdelrehim, Regional Programme Manager of CEDARE’s Knowledge Management Programme, and several other members of CEDARE’s impressive staff who took time out of their busy schedules to discuss ongoing sustainability efforts in the Middle East. CEDARE is focused on the intersection of economics, social development and the environment. Our meeting covered a wide range of topics, including issues of water quantity and quality, electronic waste, the upcoming Arab Environmental Outlook Report, and CEDARE’s work with the Sekem Initiative. Our meeting with the staff of CEDARE gave us eye-opening insight into the unique cultural and economic challenges that sustainability efforts face in the Middle East. I think our meeting with CEDARE will really help us with our perspective as we document such efforts in the Middle East and in developing countries around the world. Keith and I definitely have a lot to think about as we prepare our next case study.
Special thanks are due to Dr. Abdelrehim for making this meeting possible and for putting us in touch with Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, the Associate Project Director – Sustainability at Masdar in the United Arab Emirates. We are looking forward to meeting with Dr. Al-Hosany in early December and learning more about Masdar City, the preeminent example of sustainable development in the region.
