About 96 per cent of the Middle East and North Africa region has a keen desire to adopt a greener lifestyle, both at work and at home, said a recent report.

Bayt.com’s recently conducted poll ‘Green Workplaces in the Middle East and North Africa,’ found that 80 per cent of respondents stated that environmental issues, such as pollution and conservation of natural resources, concern them ‘to a large extent.

Despite low awareness of technical concepts such as carbon footprint, with only 27.7 per cent survey respondents saying they were ‘very aware’ of the concept, it found a significant desire for Mena residents to begin living more sustainably, it said.

About 71.3 per cent respondents considered renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, to be the most up-and-coming technologies.

Alternative fuel vehicles, such as those that run on electricity, will take off in the future according to 16.3 per cent respondents, said the report.

Suhail Masri, VP of sales, said: “There seems to be growing awareness on the importance of sustainability and green energy. More than 40 per cent of respondents use public transportation to go to work. That’s a very positive number.

“Also, imagine if alternative fuel vehicles were adopted by the 39.3 per cent of respondents who drive themselves to work. It could mean significant carbon savings.”

More than half the respondents said they reused items rather than throw them away, when at work, said the report.

Paperless offices are popular, with 49.1 per cent stating they were encouraged to use email or online resources all the time rather than printing out documents, and 30.2 per cent states that they were ‘sometimes’ encouraged to do so, though they still rely heavily on printouts on certain occasions.

Only about 20.6 per cent respondents said they were required to have paper copies of everything.

More than 43 per cent of Mena offices provide employees with recycling boxes and about 66.4 per cent respondents recycled paper at work, which 49.8 per cent recycle paper at home, it said.

Meanwhile, the report found that about 74 per cent respondents did not conserve energy or water, either at home or office.

Despite this, about 83.7 per cent claimed to use energy efficient lighting at home, which 71.2 per cent claimed that their companies used energy efficient lighting for the office.

“Our poll reveals that there is a considerable level of interest in environmental issues and in adopting a greener lifestyle, however awareness of certain sustainability concepts needs to increase. There is significant potential for workplaces to educate their employees on the benefits of sustainability initiatives,” said Masri.

“Companies should also think about adopting up-coming green technologies, such as renewable energy, and to encourage their employees to do the same. At Bayt.com, we believe that awareness of environmental issues, taking prompt action and having a positive attitude can make all the difference, for a sustainable future.”

The data for the poll was collected online from June 24 to August 12 with more than 7,900 respondents from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. - TradeArabia News Service