Keen desire in region to adopt greener lifestyle at work and home

Green Workplaces in the Middle East and North Africa, a poll recently conducted by Bayt.com, has revealed that there is a keen desire in the region to adopt a greener lifestyle, both at work and at home, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
For 72.5 percent of respondents, going green is something that they consider to be very important to their lifestyle, with a further 23.2 percent considering it to be "moderately" important. 80 percent state that environmental issues, such as pollution, conservation of natural resources and so on, concern them "to a large extent," demonstrating that despite low awareness of technical concepts such as carbon footprint (with only 27.7 percent of survey respondents saying they are “very aware” of the concept, there is a significant desire for MENA residents to begin living more sustainably.
Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, are considered to be the most up-and-coming technologies by 71.3 percent of respondents. Alternative fuel vehicles, such as those that run on electricity, will take off in the future according to 16.3 percent. Four in 10 (42.3 percent) of respondents currently use public transportation to travel to their workplace.
“There seems to be growing awareness on the importance of sustainability and green energy,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “More than 40 percent of respondents use public transportation to go to work. That’s a very positive number. Also, imagine if alternative fuel vehicles were adopted by the 39.3 percent of respondents who drive themselves to work. It could mean significant carbon savings.”
When at work, more than half (52.3 percent) of respondents say that they reuse items rather than throwing them away. Paperless offices are popular, with 49.1 percent stating they are encouraged to use email or online resources all the time rather than printing out documents, and 30.2 percent state that they are ‘sometimes’ encouraged to do so, though they still rely heavily on printouts on certain occasions. 20.6 percent of respondents say they are required to have hard (paper) copies of everything. Recycling boxes are provided in 43 percent of MENA offices, and seven in 10 (66.4 percent) respondents recycle paper at work, and 49.8 percent recycle paper while at home.
Interestingly, 74.1 percent of respondents state that they do not conserve energy or water, either at home or in the office. Despite this, eight in 10 (83.7 percent) claim to use energy efficient lighting at home, and 71.2 percent of respondents claim that their companies use energy efficient lighting for the office. 57.8 percent put their computer into sleep mode when not using it.
Al-Masri added: “Our poll reveals that there is a considerable level of interest in environmental issues and in adopting a greener lifestyle, however awareness of certain sustainability concepts needs to increase. There is significant potential for workplaces to educate their employees on the benefits of sustainability initiatives. Companies should also think about adopting upcoming green technologies, such as renewable energy, and to encourage their employees to do the same. At Bayt.com, we believe that awareness of environmental issues, taking prompt action and having a positive attitude can make all the difference, for a sustainable future.”
Data for the Bayt.com "Green Workplaces in the MENA" poll was collected online from June 24-Aug. 12, with 7,925 respondents from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.