Green Energy Solutions & Sustainability’s Anita Nouri On Dedication To Sustainability Sector Leadership, Degassing Landfills And Being A ‘Queen’

Q: Please tell us more about how GESS integrates with sustainable values both within the region and internationally as well within the organization and with its peer, stakeholders, customers and suppliers?

A: GESS has pioneered the first Landfill Gas to Energy project in the region. The degassing of landfills is a responsibility and a positive action that should be mandated by governments. Utilizing that harmful GHG Methane captured from landfills for power is environmental and integrates with the sustainable values and mission of the region.

Working alongside the Government of Dubai and adding value to the landfill supports public awareness and highlights what can be done and should be done. It also creates jobs and supports the diversification of energy from renewable sources. It is a small but important link in the chain.

Our objective has always been to bring awareness to waste management practices. We have never wanted to create more landfills, but we want to add value to what is there and bring public awareness to source separation, plastic waste reduction, waste reduction in general.

We live in a “now” society that is creating a lot of waste and we need to start to think about what we are doing. The government has regional initiatives that the public needs to be aware of and take a proactive position by changing some habits. Education is a key and we have had many schools and groups visit the landfill so that the enormity of the problem can hit home.

Q: As a Landfill Gas-To-Energy project developer how does GESS drive the sustainability agenda within the industry where it's still a relatively new subject? What are GESS’s own sustainability and carbon neutrality goals over the next decade?

A: Sustainability is built into and part of our company’s core mission. We are a driver of sustainable solutions and in essence by generating power from landfill gas to run our site operations, facility, and the Dubai Municipality Scale House we are already a ‘Carbon Neutral’ business.

We are not connected to the grid. Instead, we generate our power from landfill gas through the power supplied by the Jenbacher J320 landfill gas engine installed on site.

The project is also registered with the UNFCCC as a large-scale CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) project and is reducing the impact of methane on the atmosphere by over 300,000 tons of CO2 equivalent.

Q: Could you tell us how you got into the sustainability industry, and what makes you passionate about the cause? 

A: We come from Canada and after moving here for a completely different project we saw that there was a real gap and opportunity to do something good for the UAE and for the environment. This has become our home and we want to support the sustainable growth and vision of the country. It is a land of opportunity and celebrates innovation and we tried to take advantage of that and hopefully have succeeded in doing something good. I am proud of my interaction with government decision-makers and hope that my voice is heard.

I like being called the ‘Queen of Garbage’. I think it is a compliment and hope that this ‘Queen’ can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, support recycling initiatives, educate the youth on best practices, and mostly I hope to continue seeing the changes that are really making an impact. Seeing what a difference the past 10 years have seen keeps me passionate about what I do.  

Q: Tell us about your favorite city and book of all time and why?

A: I would say that my favorite city is a big question,

• Toronto – I was born there and my youth was there
• Dubai – It is an amazing place that I live and have seen my children become amazing humans
• Vancouver – Where my sister lives. 

I guess my favorite city is “The World” where we live.

My favorite book is “Republic” A Socratic Dialogue written by Plato. It is still relevant today and has so many facets that each time you open it and read a little you think of something new. It is a definite one to have in your library of books.  

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