Annual ‘For the Love of the Planet’ Festival Celebrates Sustainability
- Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Middlesex University (MDX) Dubai hosted ‘For the Love of the Planet’ (FTLOTP) day on 20 February 2025, an annual event dedicated to sustainability.
The event, organised by the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), led by Andrew Mackenzie, Senior Lecturer and Head of ISD, began with an opening address from Professor Cedwyn Fernandes, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Middlesex University and Director, Middlesex University Dubai.
Rana Hajirasouli, MDX Dubai alumni and Founder and CEO of The Surpluss, delivered the keynote speech. Rana, a renowned climate-tech innovator and keynote speaker in the GCC, delivered an engaging talk on the importance of rethinking supply chains, how we manage resources and reducing waste in our industries.
She spoke about the life cycle of products, including how mobile phones will go through, on average, 600 people from conception to consumer. She spoke of her aims to change business psychology, so sustainability is not a one-off project but a circular and deeply embedded business process that is easy to use and even financially rewarding.
The Surpluss is designed to change how businesses see and use waste through innovative climate technology and ‘Industrial Symbiosis’. At the end of the session Rana gave attendees the opportunity to play her symbiosis game, which involved participants in groups assuming an industry and then sharing or trading resources and waste for mutual benefits. This practical element gave participants a visual representation of the theories, embedding the learning.
Dr Rita Wolff, marine biologist and conservation expert, delivered a talk exploring real-world efforts to protect the Hawksbill and Green Turtles found in the UAE. Dr Rita spoke about threats like habitat loss and pollution, using monitoring techniques such as nest relocation and data collection.
The day also marked the official launch of the Green Wave Society, a student run platform dedicated to fostering a community of sustainability advocates at MDX Dubai.
Set up under the ISD, Green Wave aims to advance the university’s sustainability agenda, fostering leadership and organisational skills among students while they support ISD’s events and initiatives. Members will be involved with collaborative research with businesses, government and UN agencies, industry round tables and best practice consulting and corporate training workshops.
Throughout the day workshops were ongoing with students repurposing clothing to create unique, stylish looks on mannequins. Followed by a fashion show featuring upcycled and biodegradable materials.
MDX Dubai’s Icon Studio reinforce sustainable practices all year round in the BA Honours Fashion programme with teaching embedded into the curriculum about being responsive to the evolving needs of the fashion industry, aligning efforts with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 to reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
In addition, a cap personalisation workshop encouraged students’ creativity while promoting the idea of repurposing and upcycling clothes. A clothing and book drop off also took place in the week leading up to the day, further promoting sustainable practices in the community.
Andrew Mackenzie said: "For the Love of the Planet has been a reminder of the power of collaboration and innovation in creating a more sustainable future.
“I would like to extend my thanks to our speakers, Rana and Dr Rita Wolff, for sharing their valuable insights, and to everyone who participated in making this day a success.
“These activities align with MDX Dubai’s commitment to sustainability and community engagement, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
The SDGs are a set of 17 global objectives established by the United Nations in 2015, aiming to address pressing challenges and promote a sustainable future for all by 2030.
These goals encompass a broad spectrum of issues, including poverty eradication, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, economic growth, and climate action.
MDX Dubai have the responsibility to advocate the importance of SDGs and are proud to play their part in ful¬filling them, by providing research knowledge, innovations and solutions, external leadership in raising awareness about the SDGs, and shaping the next generation of environmental minded leaders in the community.
To learn more about MDX Dubai’s sustainability initiatives, visit the ISD page.
