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OSAS Founder Mahmoud Zeineddine: “Volunteering Interventions Can Positively Impact Health And Safety Of The Lebanese People” | |
| Staff Writer |
In this exclusive interview with Thirty to Net Zero, Mahmoud Zeineddine talks about the inception of the OSAS, the campaigns around it, and how carbon neutrality fits in the scheme of things in the Middle East region. Here he also highlights how simple it is for organizations to adopt recycling as a part of daily work-life.
The accomplished electrical engineer and renewable energy consultant have been appreciated in countries across the world including Lebanon, the USA, the European Economic Area, and the MENA region. As someone who has lived and grown in Lebanon, he believes that sustainable energy could help build a better future for the Middle East region.
Zinedine is firmly convinced that “sustainable energy interventions can be designed and implemented to target most of the vulnerable families, thus, to support them in their transition to alternative energy sources.
Read this engaging interview on how Lebanon is slowly moving towards the global goal of sustainability with the help of its young workforce.
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Q: Could you please tell us more about your role and your organization as well as a little bit about your family & your background. How did you develop an interest in the renewable and sustainability industry from an engineer’s standpoint?
A: In 2015, we founded "OSAS" the organization for Safety and Sustainability during the environmental crisis that hit Lebanon due to the closure of the biggest landfill site and waste recycling company in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. As a group of young activists from different backgrounds, geographies, and expertise, we set seven (7) goals for our NGO, agreed on a common action plan, and distributed roles among our team. Since then, I have been appointed the president of the organization and have applied my knowledge and technical experiences in the field of renewables and sustainability. This was achieved by conducting many awareness campaigns and workshops about the importance of Solar Energy use, the need for Clean Energy Resources such as Hydropower and Wind on a national level, and finally, the integration of environmental initiatives (such as Recycling, Upcycling, and Waste Composting) in our daily lives.
Q: How does the sustainability and carbon neutrality initiative fit into your day-to-day operations and how are these rooted in OSAS’ operations?
A: At OSAS, we do our best to be eco-friendly in different areas of our operations. This can be simply done from a small change, like using recyclable materials (i.e., recyclable materials such as organic papers and recyclable water bottles) in our events, to a bigger investment such as installing Solar Panels to make the switch to clean energy for our premises.
Q: Please tell us what you feel would be the one positive change that could be implemented at a country level to raise the global standard on sustainability and carbon neutrality in the country, taking it to the next level?
A: The current socio-economic crisis in Lebanon in addition to the COVID-19 backlashes, and the Syrian refugees' situation is creating an extensive burden on the country's National development strategies. The energy sector is considered one of the major areas affected by these crises and suffers from major failures at all levels.
At OSAS we believe that volunteering intervention to facilitate energy development work, increase reliability, and improve the environmental performance of energy provision, will impact positively on the health and safety of the Lebanese and refugee population in which they provide healthcare, economic, and financial services. We believe that sustainable energy interventions can be designed and implemented to target most of the most vulnerable families, thus supporting them in their transition to alternative energy sources such as affordable Renewable Energy Sources (PV Systems), and Sustainable living practices. In this context, an urgent need exists to develop the renewable energy sector.
With sunshine being abundant in Lebanon (around 300 sunny days in a year with over 8- 9 hours of daily sunshine), solar power systems can be a viable alternative, particularly for individual households as well as enterprises including farms to decrease dependence on increasingly unreliable public and private electricity provision through generators with high carbon emissions.
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Q: Please also tell us about any 3 initiatives that you feel could increase sustainable power and water development in the region?
A: The three main initiatives that I believe could increase sustainable power and water development in the region are linked to the creation of new multi-country projects to enhance Public Water utilities and address new water challenges on a regional scale; the integration of renewable energy to increase access to clean, reliable, and sustainable resources of drinking water, and finally
the involvement of all beneficiaries, country leaders, and stakeholders including national and international organizations in the management of water resources.
Q: Although the importance is deeply rooted in Arab culture, how did you develop an interest in the water industry and the sustainable water industry?
A: Lebanon is blessed with an abundance of natural resources mainly water, wind, and sun. Groundwater alone accounts for more than 50% of irrigation water and 80% of potable water, while the sun is abundant around 300 sunny days in a year with over 8- 9 hours of daily sunshine. In my opinion, investing in the sustainable water industry could make a huge impact on our lives, and integrating solar power systems in this sector can be a viable alternative, particularly for individual households as well as enterprises including farms to decrease dependence on increasingly unreliable traditional power sources.
Q: Please tell us about your favorite city and book of all time and why?
A: Beirut is my favorite city. Beirut remains the sign of wisdom, culture, and love.
My favorite book is "Nahj al-Balagha", a book which is known for its collection of sermons, letters, and sayings attributed to "Ali ibn Abi Talib", a cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed PUBH.