“Youngsters Are the Change-Makers And Brand Ambassadors”, Says Dr Fatima Beena, Educator, Entrepreneur Founder, UPken Education & Faculty De Montfort University Dubai.

Q: Please tell us about your journey as an entrepreneur and how sustainability in many ways has become entrenched into that journey.

A: Initially I was not into academics, working as a cost accountant and as a consultant with a chartered accountancy firm in India instead. While helping a family friend in establishing classes for a higher grade for their campus to permit students for a new stream, I entered academics and realized that I enjoyed teaching and interacting with students and started my career in education in 2000. In 2005, I enrolled for my Ph.D. program to pursue a career in education and soon entered professional teaching. I started teaching specialization courses at postgraduate and undergraduate level alongside multiple streams of Business Management Programs.

Today, I have two registered companies including a Sec 25 Company which is a not-for-profit organization. I realized that there's a lot to be given back to society in terms of educating children and have been teaching as an educator and working as an entrepreneur since 2010 driven by the same objective to give it back to the society in whatever little way I can.

Q: The recent programs that were conducted by the DMU alongside the UN's principle for responsible management education, on educating future leaders, to focus on all of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, addressing issues like hunger, poverty, equality, all of this were taken into account, could you put this into perspective by telling us about the University’s own goals and of course, your work at the DMU program and how it all takes the sustainability goal forward in this region.

A: Earlier in March, DMU organized an international conference with the UNPRME UAE chapter. That entire conference revolved around sustainability goals, and we focused on and tried to cover and capture the list of all the 17 Sustainability goals, which the UN has proposed. We also have established the sustainability hub at the DMU Dubai Campus. So, we have already a full-fledged established hub and we have been working on one of the projects for which we have received funding - the green wall project- along with the students. 

We also have undergone a carbon literacy program that DMU offers to the faculties as well as the students. Now we can say that we are a certified group who are aware and educated about sustainability and sustainability issues. We also have sustainability teach weeks. Every semester two weeks are completely dedicated to spreading awareness when talking about sustainability goals. And all these sustainability agendas are embedded into the topics we teach in different modules, which makes it more relevant for the students to understand and imbibe. 

Q: When you see the actionable principles of sustainability, and carbon neutrality, especially in the education industry, where do you think that they can fall short? And how can they possibly improve the awareness, the ideas, and the agenda around this?

A: Sustainability is not a one-time discussion and must be embedded in your lifestyle. We must make sure that we are talking about sustainability at all levels. As a faculty and as an informed, educated, and conscious citizen, I also talk about sustainability and the sustainability issues with my family, my friends, and people whom I can influence. Fortunately, because of my profession I do get a chance to speak on different platforms to diverse groups. I see this as an opportunity to educate more and more people other than my students.  

A lot of people think that sustainability is something to be discussed and take care of by the government or top-level officials’ and it is their responsibility, and they have nothing to do with it. The key is to make people aware of their responsibility and their contribution. It is very much doable. You must encourage and motivate them to do simple things. A simple example would be that if you're leaving a room, you make sure that all the lights and fans and electric appliances are switched off. That's also a contribution and can make a lot of difference. 

Even when the performance rating report is sent to consumers by DEWA, people just scroll without understanding the purpose of it. DEWA is doing this to make us educated and inform us about our responsibility and contribution towards the environment and the society. It is very important to make individuals realize that they must embrace and be very conscious of using the resources they're using because nothing comes for free. We must spread awareness, educate people, and make them conscious not by telling them scary stories about what will be the effect of it on their lives. Instead, we must make them understand the advantages of doing small things that can help us building a better world to live.

I'm very conscious about using local products. Why consume packed foods when there are local producers available who will also help us in reducing the carbon footprint? Be conscious about getting into sustainable fashion rather than fast fashion. People must realize that they should be very conscious about the way they dress up and their wardrobes. Not only this, but you should also use sustainable clothes and biodegradable packaging materials. So, these are small things that everybody can do and that's how we will achieve the sustainability goals proposed by UN. Otherwise, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

Q: When it comes to the challenges, especially when it comes to the youth in the Middle East, what do you think is the single greatest challenge towards a climate forward approach? Have you ever come across a single common problem while dealing with something as important as sustainability?

A: I see a lot of youngsters complaining about many things, but the bottom line is they don't realize that they also have a role to play. We have been complaining about temperature rise, human- induced climate change, urban air population, extreme weather conditions and price hikes of almost all necessities apart from other things. I think the pandemic was a blessing in disguise which also made people realize that there are so many things that they need to do. During the pandemic, back in India, my family started growing a lot of vegetables and fruits in their own homes because it was very challenging to get fresh eatables during the pandemic. People became health conscious and started working on there immunity. There was a complete halt on air & road transport which reduced the air population. People were adjusting with lessor resources available which helped in reducing the carbon footprint in so many ways.

Youngsters must realize that they are the change-makers, and they are the torch bearers of change, they must take the lead. I always tell my students to use stairs rather than taking the lift and commute to the campus with the help of carpooling rather than driving their own vehicles. Sometimes they are happy to be ignorant about problems because I think they find it very difficult to face them. So, we must encourage them, motivate them, and constantly speak to them. That’s the way forward!

Q: Tell us either about a city or a book that has left quite an impression on you. And of course, please tell us a little bit about your own book.

A: The book which I am currently reading is authored by a dear friend of mine, Farah Naz, entitled, The Net Zero City. The way she presents the idea of sustainability and carbon neutrality is very impressive. 

As far as cities are concerned, when I was on a trip to Europe, I really loved Amsterdam. It was very exciting and intriguing to see the use of bicycles there. The roads are so clean, without any congestion or traffic because most of the people were using bicycles. I'm very happy to share the example of the UAE also because the way they are taking sustainability into account and making efforts to build a better place is also very commendable.  Sustainability is given utmost importance in almost every future ambitious projects. I am sure in the coming 5-10 years UAE will be an example for the rest of the world in terms of reducing carbon footprint and achieving sustainability agenda.

 ‘Who moved my heels’ is very close to my heart. I co-authored this book with 18 different authors, including me. It is such a vibrant collection of real-life journeys of these 18 alpha female authors. Each one of them have narrated about the personal and professional lives and, their entrepreneurial journey. The challenges they faced over a period when they were engaged in their diverse career paths and in their personal lives. The transformation and transition from a professional to an entrepreneur was very intriguing. They have not only shared their life journey but also, their life lessons. My chapter in the book is titled, ‘My Life My Rules.’ Whatever challenges I have faced have made me what I am today. So, once you overcome a challenge and you are successful in dealing with it in your own way, you make it a rule that every time I am exposed to a similar situation, I know how to deal with it. In a patriarchal society, it's not easy for a female to break all the barriers and shackles and come out victorious and start off on their own. So, I think hats off to all my co-authors. I'm happy that we did that project that brought out the best version of ourselves.