![CORRECTION / A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom superimposed with the British Union Jack national flag is projected upon the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on September 11, 2022, in remembrance of the late monarch who died days earlier. - Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognisable to billions of people around the world, died at her Scottish Highland retreat on September 8 at the age of 96. (Photo by Ryan LIM / AFP) / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Ryan LIM has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [SLUG: UAE-BRITAIN-ROYALS-QUEEN-DEATH]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. ”](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3YJRQKCR2XLP6Z2SNEPNYQVY6I.jpg?focal=2667%2C1744&auth=39a52146bfbc981d08467b6fa831a0efc5a6cb90c1a402f13dc1c9b1ed0fe365&width=800&height=450)
More from The National:
Sunday's best photos: from donkey racing to New York Fashion Week
Saturday's best photos: from Indra Jatra to an ancient martial art in Sri Lanka
Friday's best photos: from a double rainbow over Buckingham Palace to a tornado in Italy
Thursday's best photos: from a library in a basement to a football match on a mountain
Wednesday's best photos: from a wildfire in California to the Tarantula Nebula
Tuesday's best photos: from a typhoon in South Korea to Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
While you're here
Mustafa Alrawi: To get the 'jab' done, there must be patience and empathy
Damien McElroy: Anti-science attitudes in America are proving lethal
Editorial: What makes the UAE such a good place to test vaccines?
Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science