April 2013 – Issue 11
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Welcome to the April edition of Hello 2020. This month’s focus is on sustainability, lasting sources of energy and water – a key subtheme of the UAE’s bid to host World Expo 2020 in Dubai. In today’s world sustainable practice represents a better way to do business and it is essential that the objective of any government or corporate enterprise should be to integrate sustainability into its goals and activities.

Leading the debate, Yalman Khan and Kunal Wadhwani, of technology start-up Agricel, make a strong business case for sustainability while emphasising the importance of protecting environmental assets for the generations to come. In Focus US politician and former Governor of New York George Pataki discusses the delicate synergy required between public policy and private entrepreneurship in driving a sustainable future. With environmental strategy integral to regional policy going forward, UAE business Aldar Properties has set that vision in stone – or more precisely concrete, steel and glass – with its innovatively and sustainably designed headquarters in Abu Dhabi’s Al Raha Beach district. The iconic building, which features in our Big Picture, demonstrates how sustainability can be incorporated into the construction and operation of buildings.

Sustainable growth

In this exclusive interview, former New York Governor George Pataki explains why a commitment to sustainability must always be consistent with economic growth  read more

Q&A ‘We believe film farming will save up to 90 per cent of water used in agriculture’

Yalman Khan and Kunal Wadhwani founded Dubai-based technology start-up Agricel in 2010. The company aims to commercialise the research of Professor Yuichi Mori of Waseda University in Japan, whose “soil-less”...  read more

The Big Picture: 
The geometry of sustainability

An eye-catching futuristic steel and glass ‘diagrid’ building reaches 23 storeys and 120 metres up into Abu Dhabi’s skyline on an elevated peninsula in the Al Raha Beach district. The strong geometric shape...  read more

World Expo Legacy: Aichi World Expo, Japan 2005

“Nature’s Wisdom” was the guiding theme of the World Expo in Aichi, Japan in 2005, a World Fair that showcased leading-edge technologies and future lifestyles. Tangible examples of the theme in action...  read more