This is a really interesting response. Thank you. Can you say what you have been able to do? And do you see the situation changing anytime soon? Where in the UAE do you live?

Here the nearest recycling bins are a 14 km return trip away. I did research a bokashi unit to recycle food scraps, but as our work situation is insecure I didn’t feel I could justify the outlay. It took months to find a good washing line (they were out of stock everywhere) as I refused to use a dryer with all the sunlight freely available, though hanging it in mid-summer is a challenge. There is also a slippery mental slope as an expat you can find yourself on after seeing one rubbish strewn park, beach or dune too many, where you can start to think why should I care.

I also think another ‘secret’ not spoken about by women is that in the home much of the green responsibility falls on women which is a disincentive for those already struggling to balance work and family care. I grew up alongside alternative lifestyle communities and witnessed many women grow old before their time.

Another unique aspect to being green in the UAE is how to educate the maids, nannies, cooks and drivers who perform the majority of work in many households. They need green educational material specifically targetted to them, which may be best provided in a visual format as not everyone is literate in their spoken language.