We are getting close to the end of the second term and everyone is a little tired, but there is an excitement in the air as students are finishing their final projects for the class I am teaching in Environmental Health and Safety. A few weeks ago it seemed I wasn't reaching my class at all and they were completely tuning me out. I was trying to explain the concepts of sustainability and environmental footprint. Of course, the UAE and the U.S. are both near the very top of the list of countries with the largest footprint. I was trying to explain why that is not good! Also I wanted them to understand how small things we do can have an impact across the world, so I showed this film about Midway. Probably you have already seen it, but if not, be prepared to be heartbroken:
It felt like a small victory that day as all the students quieted down and became much more thoughtful. Since then we have been covering the boring class material regarding safety rules and regulations. The students still laugh at me sometimes, but thankfully we seem to be reaching a middle ground where some learning is actually taking place.
While all this was happening, I took a trip to Saadiyat Island one Saturday afternoon. This is probably my all time favorite place here. As yet it is fairly undeveloped but not for long as there are huge plans... yes, it will be cool to have a Guggenheim and the blueprint for the Louvre looks amazing, but how will it affect the coral reef and the turtles? NYU Abu Dhabi has already built their campus on the island and are moving in Fall 2014. The day I visited the public beach, there just happened to be a young NYU professor giving a lecture on the research he is doing on the coral reefs here... how do they survive in such extreme conditions? His research could help to save the rest of the world's coral, which is dying at an alarming rate. He admitted the statistics were depressing, but one can't help but hope that his work is a small step towards saving the coral. And when the new campus is opened this year, they will display a yarn rendition of the coral reefs:
Since I have been wanting to take up some needlework lately, maybe I can contribute to the project. It will be a good way to while away the time when it gets too hot to go outside. In the meantime, I'm so grateful to have such a beautiful beach nearby and for all the interesting people living and working here and trying to make a difference!
