Believe it or not, my first step into nature consciousness started…

with a meal! I had just met my wife and at that time organic food

was the new urban trend around the world: Everyone had to have

a balanced diet of organic- and whole foods. For me, food had

never been a priority. My interest in it was just for mere survival

and the only aliment I couldn’t do without were sweet nibbles.

As for actual meals, a simple steak with French Fries could do. My

constant travelling and very busy schedule never allowed me to

become food conscious. Hence, when I ate fruits or vegetables,

they were always the “easy to get type” and always looked great:

grown on hormones and definitely organically modified!

On the other hand, my wife Youmna is very nature conscious and

organic food oriented, she is the owner of an estate of thousands

of acres exclusively dedicated to organically grown fruits and

vegetables. So when, for the first time, I tasted an organically

grown tomato, cucumber, lettuce, apple, prune …. it was a blissful

experience…This was so much better than anything I had ever

tasted before! And that opened a new door.

“Organically” oriented, Youmna founded “KitchenLab”, a unique

concept dedicated to food and cooking. It is located in a charming

old house in Gemayze divided into 3 spaces: organic grocery,

professional kitchen for cooking classes and a shop of cooking

accessories and “art de la table” items.

I dug into the internet, books and magazines to learn all about

it. I am a perfectionist, so my research was really thorough and

the more I read the more conscious I became. Suddenly, all that

buzz about organically grown food made sense. I discovered how

modern agriculture is the major cause of land degradation. I also

found out that the intensive agriculture that we have known

in the twentieth century considers the soil as an inert material

without paying attention to its living dimension, that pesticides

tend to eliminate the often invisible subterranean fauna, that

plant fertilizers used intensely promote mineralization of organic

matter; and that the more fertilizer we use, the poorer the soil is...

Hence we tend to add more fertilizer. A vicious circle reinforced by

Editorial

September, 2013 - June, 2014 Issue No. 34

intensive plowing done

too deep. I discovered

that plowing more than

10 cm deep, greatly

disturbs the balance of

the underground life.

Tillage helps to compact

the soil, which means

that the ground will

be less ventilated with

oxygen having more

difficulty to penetrate. Humus is depleted. It did strike the 1991

chemistry graduate that I once was!

Worse, I discovered that whereas normally one hectare of soil

absorbs 4 tons of C02 from the atmosphere, a hectare plowed

emits 1 Ton of C02!

Alongside came IBDAA, the International biodiversity Day

at AUB, with NCC, which was called IBSAR at the time. They

asked me to be part of their Jury Board in order to award under

graduate students for projects relative to eco-innovation. What a

challenge! It came at the right time, and the challenge turned into

passion. IBDAA became the event I looked forward to. Today, even

when overworking and busy travelling around the world, I book

myself to make sure I am in Beirut for the Biodiversity Day. There,

I interact with students, I support them with their innovative

projects, they give me feedback, I feel so alive, so optimistic about

the future while communicating with them.

Today, with all my family, I am a very concerned Nature

Conservation supporter. I spread the word around and raise my

children with that perspective in mind. I really think we owe to

our children to save their endangered heritage.

Ricardo Karam,Media personality and founder of the ‘TAKREEM’ Foundation aiming

to celebrate arab achievements

The Newsletter of the AUB - Nature Conservation Center

New Students Orientation Program:Fall 2013

Open Library Day:Special Guest AUB-Nature Conservation Center

September 25, 2013AUB Jafet Library

This year, AUB-NCC was a guest at the Open Library Day, a yearly event organized by University Libraries, with the aim to increase awareness and knowledge among AUB students, to the various educational services the libraries offer.AUB-NCC’s goal behind this participation was double folded. Through the center’s booth, AUB students were being informed of the different programs the center currently fosters in addition to potential internship and volunteering opportunities. The second goal was to spread awareness in the education of nature, and it highlighted the fact that University Libraries at AUB

Nature is ubiquitous, and so is the AUB-Nature Conservation Center!

host a tremendous amount of information on nature conservation and biodiversity. More than 300 students participated in and enjoyed the educational games conducted, which included a treasure hunt with nature related questions.

This collaboration with the University Libraries led to a project for developing a research guide specifically tailored to AUB-Nature Conservation Center. This research guide will be a reference to the public including scientific communities, interested in topics of nature conservation and biodiversity.

For more information about the center’s activities, visit the following link:www.aubnatureconservation.org

September, 2013The academic year 2013-2014 witnessed enhancements in the AUB new students’ orientation program. ‘Ask me’ booths were set up for the first time, and the AUB-Nature Conservation Center was present to answer inquiries on the involvements of new AUB students in student life, and particularly in nature related activities and events.

The center took advantage to advertise for its ‘Stock the Wood’ annual fundraising concert; the concert is one of the yearly events that help in welcoming AUB newcomers.The center will be involved in upcoming orientation programs and will contribute to the continuous enhancement of their agendas.

For more information about the center, visit the following link:www.aubnatureconservation.org

What is better than planting trees? How about singing, cheering and dancing to show our enthusiasm of nature!?

Stock the Wood Concert:Annual Tree Planting Fundraiser

September 26, 2013Hostler student center, Open air amphitheatre

AUB-NCC’s ‘Ana Shajara’ tree planting program champions a yearly fundraising concert to provide monetary support to nation-wide tree planting activities. The annual concert announces the start of the tree planting season, which is inaugurated by planting seeds collected during the summer time.Students, faculty, staff and friends of all ages from AUB, were invited to take part in this noble initiative. This year’s slogan ‘Be greenhearted, plant a tree. It’s a donation not a fee’ solicited more than a 500-ticket donation achieving a record which the center would like to break in the coming

year. Bands from AUB, as well as from outside, performed passionately for an eager audience of nature fans, who all donated a $10 fee in the hopes of restoring a greener Lebanon.Nachaz band, Joy Fayad, Elie Marge and Rubberband rocked the stage with oldies songs, plunging the stage into a mesmerizing ambiance.For the coming year, the center is planning yet more surprises and a different setting to attract and recruit more nature army-men and -women.

Check the concert’s photos by following this link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/stock-the-wood-2013.aspx

Have you ever heard the term Green Fashion?Now that you have, are you wondering what it’s about?If you still do not know, it means you probably missed the AUB-NCC’s first Ta3a Ne7ke debate.

Each fall, the AUB-Nature Conservation Center organizes a series of debates, with the aim of raising awareness to nature’s hottest issues. The first Ta3a Né7ké debate gathered specialists in fashion design, sports, and medicine, who have tackled green fashion from a multidisciplinary perspective. The panelists were Mr. Maher Bsaibes, Instructor and Designer at ESMOD; Ms. Sanaa’ Ayoub and Ms. Mariana Aftim, Fashion Designers;

Ms. Romy Zalloum, co-founder of Fashion Encore, Ms. Chaza Nasr, Captain of the national women’s basketball team; and Dr. Nisrine Makarem, Family Physician. Mr. Albert Thoumy, MTV’s Min Al presenter, hosted the event and eloquently led the debate’s discussions.Professors, students and visitors posed questions, and shared their views on eco-fashion.

For more information about the event, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/ta3a_ne7ke_green_fashion.aspx

TA3A NE7KÉ:Green Fashion: Hot and happening

October 23, 2013 AUB Westhall Auditorium B

When Social Media Turns GreenEntitled ‘Social Media and the Environment,’ AUB-NCC’s second Ta3a Né7ké debate was organized with the aim of assessing current contributions of social media to environmental and nature conservation causes. Expert panelists were invited to debate on the role of emerging social media, compared to conventional media, in support and defense of the nature in Lebanon.

The speakers were: Mr. Eddy Bitar, Co-founder of Live Love Beirut; Mr. Michel Esta, Professional Photographer and Instructor; Mrs. Leila Khauli-Hana, instructor of Marketing Management at AUB; Mr. Habib Maalouf, journalist; Mr. Nidal Mawas, Digital Media Manager at AUB; and Ms. Pascale Youssef, Social Media Strategist at We Are Lebanon.

The debate was hosted by Albert Thoumy, MTV’s Min Al presenter. He gracefully led the discussion and concluded the debate after the audience’s interferences.

For more information about the event, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/ta3a_ne7ke_social_media.aspx

December 5, 2013AUB Westhall

At the AUB-Nature Conservation Center, we make things happen!

AUB- Nature Conservation Student Club:Cutting the cake

December 23, 2013AUB Westhall

AUB-NCC celebrated the launching of the center’s first affiliated student-club. The idea emanated from the belief that nature related activities involving students should be conceived and implemented by students themselves. Around 30 enthusiastic AUB students decided, with the help of AUB-NCC, to establish the AUB-Nature Conservation Club. The club’s agenda will include the center’s outreach events, in addition, to a handful of new exciting activities and happenings, which entail partnerships with other student bodies in the hopes of shifting the concept of students’ activities to a whole new level.

To know more about the NCC Student Club’s activities, follow them on:Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

AUB-NCC runs for Nature:at the BDL Beirut Marathon 2013

November 10, 2013BeirutIn this new technological day and age, some people seem

to run away from Nature, we run for it.Under the green umbrella of AUB-Nature Conservation Center, around 80 nature supporters sprinted at the sound of the shotgun announcing the start of BDL Beirut Marathon 2013. They ran having one aim in mind, to support Nature Conservation and reforestation in Lebanon. Dummies of green trees were held all along, symbolizing that the solution to reforestation in their own hands. AUB-NCC was declared by AUB as a platinum partner in the BDL Beirut marathon; the center will take part in future marathons, so as to advertise more and more of the true meaning in running for reforestation.

For more info on the event, follow this link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/bdl_marathon.aspx

Buckle up!The Lebanese Ministry of Tourism is on board

December 5, 2013They say Lebanon is rich in its natural resources. That is true, but what good does it entail, having richness without knowing how and where to find it!

AUB-NCC, through the ‘Baldati Bi’ati’ project, instills within communities all over Lebanon, the concept of participatory mapping. This approach allows villages’ officials to better strategize when it comes to preserving and promoting their natural resources. Ultimately, the aim is to encourage eco-tourism throughout Lebanon.AUB-NCC, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, aims at institutionalizing the ‘Baldati Bi’ati’ project. The MOU offers a platform to provide the ministry with knowledge and research results, specifically green maps, generated by the Center, portraying natural resources of more than 55 villages in Lebanon. The MOU was signed by the Director General of the Ministry Mrs. Nada Sardouk, Dr. Salma Talhouk, principal investigator of the project, in the presence of Mr. Antoine Tayyar, representing the project’s sponsor “Coca Cola Foundation”. The signing event was concluded with a workshop on participatory approaches in green mapping, attended by municipalities’ officials.

For more info on the event, follow this link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/MoU_MOT.aspx

Ministry of Tourism

by Mr. Wassim Kays and Dr. Salma Nashabe Talhouk.The project was already tested and implemented at schools in Akkar and the south and the guide was distributed to all school representatives for a fast implementation.

School Guidefor Extracurricular Nature related Activities

January 16, 2014Ministry of Tourism

One of the major issues that the world has been encountering for a while now, is the deterioration of nature, more specifically its deforestation which is also a prominent cause of the increase of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. It is believed that one can prevent the latter phenomena by stimulating young initiatives to limit the cut down of trees and hindering of green spaces.

In collaboration with the Nature Conservation Center at the American University of Beirut (AUB-NCC) and the funding of the Coca-Cola foundation, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education launched a school guide which includes 33 nature centered extracurricular activities aimed to enhance the awareness of junior high school students and their contributions to conserve the nature resources, engaging therefore ecologically in their surroundings.

This ceremony grouped a bouquet of the best scholars in Lebanon including the ministry’s General Director Mr. Fadi Yarak, Ms. Sonia Khoury, Director of Pedagogic and Scholar Orientation at the Ministry; Mr. Hadi Zalzali, Head of the Elementary department at the Ministry; Mr. Albert Chamoun, the Ministry’s media advisor; Dr. Najat A. Saliba, AUB-NCC director along with members of the educational and administrative bodies and teachers from all Lebanese regions. The entire guide was authored

For further information, don’t hesitate to contact Albert Chamoun, Media advisor at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education at albertchamoun@gmail.com or our NCC outreach coordinator at nature@aub.edu.lb

Manara. They were then watered once on the 15th of May by Mr. Mahmoud Ayoub, to whom NCC addresses its deepest thanks.

Tree PlantingKamid el Loz

Manara

January 21, 2014

January 23, 2014

Kamid el Loz

Manara

AUB – NCC is on the edge during this time of the year. The

time came for another tree planting, and the team aimed

at a public school yard in Kamid el Loz area, Lebanon. The

trip was organized on the 21st of January, 2014 and the

whole tree planting was done by the NCC team with the

help of 25 young, shining and tree-lovers, school students.

Did you know that the destruction of forests has a negative impact on the environment leading to numerous catastrophes including the endangerment of many species, affecting therefore the biodiversity, leading also to the flooding of maritime areas and the soil erosion. It is mandatory to act against this phenomenon and one of AUB – NCC’s specialties is … tree planting. On the 23rd of January, one thousand Pinus pinea, pistachia pal. and prunus trees were planted in

OurhaniyaMay 3, 2014

Ourhaniya

Rene Dubos, French born American microbiologist and environmentalist knows what he’s talking about when saying that “Man shapes himself through decisions that shape his environment”.AUB – NCC decided to re-shape our degraded environment while sprinkling knowledge about tree planting in Ourhaniya, which hosted on the 3rd of May, the second cycle of NCC’s Professionals Forest, named the “Media Forest”. Hot weather did not stop NCC members from achieving their ultimate goal for they were eager to give back to Lebanon its long lost green color. They worked, hand in hand, in collaboration with the Ourhaniya municipality,

media representatives (who NCC invited) and a group of fun school students, in a public land donated by the municipality. While the sun dived into the sea, about 65 pistachia pal. and prunus trees were already planted. What a successful day!

For more info on the tree planting activities, follow this link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/programs/pop/Pages/default.aspx

which they also used during their first seed planting expedition organized on the 16th of November at Mrousti, Chouf where they were able to plant over 2000 seeds of native Lebanese trees (including Quercus infectoria مّلول and Quercus calliprinus .in the eroded parts of Barouk’s reserve ( سنديانThe sole aim of these expeditions was to maintain the battle against reforestation, being able therefore to replant a greener Lebanon full of life, forests and well … oxygen!

Mrousti

therefore the process of tree planting much easier and less tiring. With the help of AUB-NCC, more than 2500 seeds of quercus calliprinus and quercus infectoria were planted.

Seed PlantingAin Zhalta, Chouf

March 1, 2014

May 27, 2014

Ain Zhalta, Chouf

Mrousti, Chouf

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer and poet, once said “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn”. However, a thousand forests were not enough, for deforestation is invading Lebanon at full speed.

That’s why, on the 1st of March, 2014, 14 NCC club members and two friends of the center carried a long neck hung bag filled with seeds to plant cedar seeds in Ain Zahlta, Chouf reserve. Members had with them Khallouda, the famous seed planting device

On the 16th of November, Ms. Maya Karkour, Director and Co-Founder of Eco-Consulting (Lebanon) invited her employees and their families to a seed planting expedition.Participants got to meet Khallouda, the seed planter. It is a metal rod that looks like a hiking stick but is actually used to loosen the soil, making

For more information about the seed planting activities, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/default.aspx

( IMCAM) WorkshopIntegrative Medicine – Complementary and Alternative Medicine March 7, 2014

College Hall - B1, AUB

On the 7th of March, the AUB Nature Conservation Centre, sponsored by the provost’s office launched the IMCAM workshop in collaboration with the Health and Wellness Centre of the Family Medicine Department. The workshop introduced two key-note speakers; Dr. Anne Nedrow, Associate Director at Duke Integrative Medicine and Dr. Hakima Amri, Co-Director of the CAM Graduate program at Georgetown University. The two lectures were attended by various fielded professors including those engaging in CAM research.

The major topics of the event focused on the importance of integrative medicine in health care and the efforts towards establishing a prospective master degree tackling the use of the psychological, sociological, scientific and clinical science in employing herbal and other complementary and alternative medicine in combination with the conventional medicine to treat patients.

AUB - NCC Gathering:What’s new?

The AUB NCC family invited its old and new members including students, professors and post holders from different faculties, to attend a friendly gathering over some delights to introduce them to the latest “news” and trends of the center on the 24th of March. Subjects of discussions covered among others, research projects, educational activities and community outreach case studies. Potential future projects and collaborations were also explored.

March 24, 2014Nature Conservation Center Office

It was time to meet again!

For more information about the event, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/ncc_gathering.aspx

For more information about the event, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/imcam_workshop.aspx

IBDAA 2014International Biodiversity Day At AUB

April 25, 2014Charles Hostler Student Center Plaza, AUBThe 25th of April was a “red letter day” for it witnessed the

celebration of the 8th Annual International Biodiversity Day at AUB through, as we’re used to, the IBDAA competition organized by the AUB-Nature Conservation Center (AUB-NCC) with the support of Jammal Trust Bank SAL, together with the Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and Natural Resources. Participants were exhilarated with their projects, hanging their posters and practicing their marketing skills so that they, not only deliver their project’s idea to their audience, but most importantly sell it with all ideas tackling the biodiversity conservation.This year’s event hosted the IBDAA 2014 competition, which theme was selected to be “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, all along The Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and Natural Resources competition addressing the theme of “Renewable Resources and Improved Energy”. On this basis, the competition witnessed the presence of Provost Dallal, Deans, professors and IBDAA Jurors.IBDAA welcomed 12 participating courses and over 200 participating undergraduates. The award categories ranged between Arts & Humanities, Business Plan, Product Development, Research, and Improved Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources. Nevertheless, what distinguished this year’s competition from its previous generations is not only the theme, but the fact that each category included two awards, a first prize of $ 2000 and a second one weighing $ 500.The competition offered the participants the opportunity to spread their hard work of research assisted by their professors in a full bloom exposé revealing the current biodiversity issues and engaging in its conservation and sustainable utilization. Eventually, students seemed not caring about winning the competition but rather focused on presenting their ideas and posters, following their instructors’ advice to “just have fun”. Students were judged according to different criteria including the creativity of

their ideas, the knowledge demonstrated by in-depth research related to the subject, the significance and local implications as well as the presentation and delivery skills, all based on team spirit and group work.The winners were announced at the end of the competition and prizes were collected a week later.

For more information about the award, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/programs/ibdaa/Pages/default.aspx

Media forestMay 3, 2014

Ourhaniya

It was first initiated on April 28, 2012 in Batloun (Chouf) with 27 Lebanese writers and poets who worked hand in hand with students aged 12 to 14 from the local Secondary School to plant wild native trees at the Batloun Cultural Club. What’s more to it is that the Cultural Club and the participating children made a commitment to providing post-planting care for the two years following plantation which guaranteed eventually a 100% survival rate. The first cycle, called “Writers’ Forest” enabled children to use literature as a medium to engage in nature, while developing an understanding of planting practices. The entire cycle was funded by Bank Med and issued due to a partnership between AUB-NCC, Dar Nelson publishing house, and the Batloun Cultural Club.

Whereas, during the second cycle, entitled “Media Forest”, took place in the Ourhaniya village, 2014. Participants representing 22 Medias involved were transported from AUB and were greeted upon their arrival by the head and members of the Ourhaniya municipality, the mayor, two local NGOs, as well as representatives of the Ourhaniya community. Then at 11:00 a.m., planting activities started where each media celebrity partnered with one school student and planted trees, in a pre-set land. AUB-NCC club took part in the preparations, and ensured that the plantation holes were previously dug a week before the event.

After a successful day, all participants gathered around a traditional lunch prepared by the village women. Finally, the Assaf brothers invited everyone for a tour in their yet-to-be-completed outstanding exhibition center.

For more information about the event, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/news_events/center/Pages/MediaForest.aspx

Once every two years, the “Professional Forest” is organized where famous Lebanese figures participate in a tree planting event with local students

Abi l lama Award 2014With AUB-NCC, your Eco-friendly Ideas are Worth the Big Bucks

June 9, 2014Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, Maamari Auditorium

“Humans are the guardians of their nature” were the

opening words of Dr. Najat A. Saliba, Director of the AUB -

Nature Conservation Center and Master of the ceremony,

to the Samir and Claude Abillama Eco-entrepreneurship

Award 2014 celebrated for the first time at AUB. This event

was put in place by the joint efforts of the AUB-Nature

Conservation Center and the Abillama Family.

The ‘Samir & Claude Abillama Eco-Entrepreneurship

Award’ is an opportunity to initiate sustainable projects.

The award called upon applicants to submit their eco-

entrepreneurial ideas for a chance to win $20,000.

Since the announcement of the competition, 57 teams

applied, 8 were shortlisted and received guidance in

entrepreneurship then 4 finalists were selected to submit

a full proposal. The winning team would receive a $ 20,000

check to turn its idea into reality.

By this award, the Abillama family was able to “[honor]

the principles Samir and Claude Abillama stand for”,

as was said by their son Youssef Abillama, CEO of the

Maintenance Management Group and board member of

Al-Amir holding. The latter also expressed his enthusiasm

of building a better and greener Lebanon where “the

waste is treated at home, tables are made out of recycled

pharmaceuticals and home windows filter air from dust”.

Dr. Costis Toregas then took the stage and gave a small

presentation about his journey as an eco-entrepreneur.

Associate Director of the Cyber Security Policy and

Research Institute (CSPRI), a lead research scientist of the

Computer Science Department at the George Washington

University and the IT adviser to the Montgomery County,

Dr. Toregas emphasized the importance of universities in

teaching students not only how to be successful but most

importantly to “learn how to learn” for it is the only way

they can cope up with the unending progress of science.

The ceremony finally ended by the announcement of

Sara Moledor as the winner of the award with her idea

entitled “Vermicomposting as a Microenterprise in the

Rural Communities of Lebanon” which aims at helping

farmers to boost their crops production and profits while

avoiding artificial fertilizers. After receiving the check,

Moledor summarized her experience by telling us that

“people in Lebanon are entrepreneurs by nature and this

award encouraged Lebanese scholars to think green by

combining ecology and entrepreneurship. I was not sure

about my idea at first; however, as Dr. Toregas said: “think

big, start small, fail quickly, scale fast” and this is what I did”.

For more information about the award, visit the following link:http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/natureconservation/programs/eco-entrepreneurship-award/Pages/index.aspx

Upcoming events

September 17, 2014

October 11, 2014

November 9, 2014

October 2, 2014

November 20, 2014

December 30, 2014

April, 2015

Hostler Student Center Open Air Amphitheatre

Hostler Student Center

Beirut

AUB West Hall, Auditorium B

AUB West Hall, Auditorium B

Stay tuned for more details about this year’s competition

Stock the Wood Concert 2014

Ta3a Ne7ké debate

Biodiversity Village Award 2014

Ana Shajara, La7e2né - BDL Marathon

Ta3a Ne7ké debate

International Biodiversity Day at AUB

“Samir & Claude Abillama Eco-Entrepreneurship Award”Deadline for submitting applications:

Telephone: +961-1-350000 ext: 4509 - 4505 - 4521

Email: nature@aub.edu.lb

Address: Building 37 - AUB

Mailing Address: AUB Nature Conservation Center - American University of Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236/ AUB Riad El Solh,

Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon