ut yourself in your customers' shoes and imagine walking past your business. Rugged walls. Faded paint. Overgrown plants. Dry grass. Dirty pathways. Dirty windows. Rusted signposts. Ugly trees. Angry birds. Do you see any of those characteristics on your landscape? Would you be pleased to be associated with such a business?
We hope not.
The human brain is more receptive to sight than sound, whether consciously or subconsciously. And so, in any business, the first thing we tend to grasp is the exterior space of the business. Before you speak to any customer about how good your services or products are, they’ve already made a judgment about the same, whether knowingly or unknowingly, just by looking at your landscape. It's called subliminal messaging. You should use it to your advantage. How? Read on. https://www.planters.ae/blog/exterior-landscape-features-for-business
Your Journey to a Greener Office: Why it Should Include LEED?
At a global level, buildings and the construction industry are jointly responsible for nearly a third of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2018. [2] Transforming commercial and residential buildings and adopting sustainable design, construction and fit out approaches is one of the major actions we can take to tackle climate change. The UAE has placed combating climate change as one of its core objectives, even renaming the Ministry of the Environment as the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and expanding its mission to implement comprehensive programmes to protect the UAE’s unique environment and to reduce the impact of climate change. The Green Agenda 2030 specifically addresses sustainable building and construction.
If you are a UAE-based company, project developer or owner, you will be aware of the multiple initiatives undertaken by the government to promote sustainable building and the various certification schemes. Wanting to be more environmentally-aware is not just an ethical choice for business; it is becoming an operational necessity. In previous posts, we’ve discussed the many benefits of sustainable office fit out. There are countless benefits to having a green office in terms of productivity, and profitability. “ Green” certification is important because it ensures that contractors are complying with all the relevant local regulations and international standards for a sustainable build and that there is an objective third-party verification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the most popular and wide-spread green building rating systems in the UAE and globally. [3]
In 2017, Core Savills identified over 550 projects in Dubai undergoing LEED certification. At that time, Dubai was one of the top 10 countries with the most LEED projects (outside the US). [4][5] The UAE is a trailblazer in terms of environmental action in the region. For example, in April 2019, it was announced that Dubai is the first city in the region to receive the highly prestigious LEED for Cities Platinum certification. [5] The LEED City rating is measured across 14 metrics relating to the energy and water sector, waste treatment, transportation, human experience, education, prosperity, equality, and health and safety. The intent of the rating is to encourage all cities to measure and improve performance, and focus on the effects of ongoing sustainability efforts.
As humans, living in modern developed economies, we spend much of our time indoors. On average, Americans spend 87% of their time inside buildings and an additional 6% in vehicles. [6] Improving conditions in buildings can have a measurable impact on occupant health and well-being. According to the IEA (International Energy Agency), the buildings and building construction sectors are together responsible for 36% of global energy consumption and nearly 40% of CO2 emissions. [7] Any sustainable interventions to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions have to include changes to the ways we construct and inhabit buildings. LEED, as the most widely known green building certification, can help companies and contractors improve human health, increase productivity and reduce negative environmental effects.
Everything You Need to Know About LEED
What Is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)?
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organisation that was one of the first initiatives to address the need for a green building standard by developing LEED – an independent verification system for green building. Beginning in 1998, LEED has evolved from: “…one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of interrelated standards covering aspects from the design and construction to the maintenance and operation of buildings”. [8]
LEED is a point based green building rating system certified by US Green Building Council, and has synergy with other external best green building practices (e.g. ISO, ASHRAE, Cradle to Cradle and WELL). There are four levels of LEED certification based on points awarded – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum being the highest level of certification.
LEED certification provides evidence from an independent third party that a building was designed, constructed, fitted out or maintained to improve environmental performance. The certification can also help to guarantee that projects have been implemented or maintained at the highest levels of sustainability.
Sushi comes in all shapes and forms and it’s the duty of a true sushi lover to know even the slightest differences. Some amateurs may even consider only the rolls to be part of the sushi branch, but a true connoisseur knows that the family tree includes a vast selection of raw fish dishes with various tastes and flavours.
Originally from Japan, sushi unites under the same umbrella a big mix of dishes that use rice and seafood as main ingredients. Though it originated on the Asian continent, the unique taste and flavour of this food tradition extended to affect even other territories nearby the Pacific coastline. If you are taking your first steps in the world of Japanese cuisine and you want to find out more details about sushi, be sure to check our previous blog entry about sushi FAQs which will offer you the best information and all you need to know both about sushi and sushi restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
But let’s do the introductions: three of the most delicious sushi dishes of the moment.
Cost control in the food service industry is simply the practice of identifying and reducing business expenses as a means to increase profits. To make the most out of this process, you need to continuously identify areas of improvement and formulate solutions that will give positive results. Things like expired food in stock, or your staff secretly eating meals meant for the guests during their shifts can have a large impact on your costs of operation. Effective cost control seeks to minimise losses incurred by such means to ensure profitability.
What are the advantages of cost control in the F&B Sector?
It enables the company to increase its profits and use those funds to improve the efficiency of the restaurant operations.
The restaurant is able to improve its financial strength, therefore, increasing its credit ratings.
An established food and beverage control process will develop a cost-saving culture among the employees. They will deliberately keep looking for ways to cut down costs even without supervision.
In the lead up to Dubai Expo 2020, which is expected to be the largest global exposition ever in terms of exhibitors and visitors, it is interesting to look back on the interwoven history of global expositions.
Exhibits have evolved from simple display cases crammed with objects in the case of museums, and standard wooden booths displaying equipment or products, to colourful and complex installations that tell a story about the brand. Today, the primary objective of exhibition stands is not just to move products or promote services, but to create engaging, immersive experiences that will resonate with visitors a long time after the event. This means focusing on how to generate an emotional connection with people to lock in brand loyalty and to lead to recurring business, and not just one-time sales.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that is believed to enhance every part of our lives using everything around us. It is believed to help improve health, career, relationships and even wealth. Whether we are aware of the role that our environment plays or not, Feng Shui believers claim that it always has an impact on you. They believe that Feng Shui teaches people how to balance energies in different spaces in our lives such as our homes or even in the offices. With this technique, our living or working spaces are considered a mirror to our energy and this energy affects us within.
Plants, on the other hand, are related to the element of wood and represents new beginnings. According to the Feng Shui Bagua map, you can use green plants to cultivate compassion and human kindness. They also express growth and can help put you on a new journey. For many years, people have used living green plants for Feng Shui. But is this true in warmer countries like the UAE?
More and more Chinese expatriates are making the emirates their home, opening businesses and creating a vibrant Chinese community in the UAE. With that being said, having good artificial plants for Feng Shui can give your business a competitive edge. Furthermore, Feng Shui has become popular over the recent past and is widely known even to non-Chinese.
Although many people prefer using living ones, faux or artificial green plants may also be a suitable option. There are occasions when using a real plant may enhance the Feng Shui of your premises but other reasons such as natural light may prohibit it. In such instances, your best option may be to get a high-quality artificial plant that will still bring some energy to your space. But what exactly is good Feng Shui? Article originally published by Planters Artificial. Read it full here https://bit.ly/2LIHbAM
In an increasingly interdependent world, environmental challenges are on the agenda of all nations, whether highly developed or still developing. These challenges include climate change, loss of biodiversity, over-use of natural resources, and rising pollution levels. Environmental issues are intimately connected to economic development and sustainability. This connection has been recognised by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). There are many international agreements focusing on carbon emission reduction, including the Kyoto Agreement and the Paris Accord. However, the sense of crisis continues to grow. More people than ever are paying attention to environmental news and trying to modify their own behaviours to help the environment. Businesses are also playing their part with environmental sustainability becoming an important part of CSR.
For the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), environmental and economic sustainability are overlapping critical issues. The unique climate of the Emirates presents special environmental challenges, including a hot climate and water scarcity. Both these factors contribute to extremely high demand for cooling and for desalinated water production. The UAE’s reliance on petroleum has led to it being one of the countries with the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world [2]. Rapid economic development and high population growth in the past decades have also led to high energy consumption (exacerbated by subsidised prices, until recently), rapid urban development and rising pollution. These environmental pressures impact population health and the economy. For instance, a 2010 World Wildlife Fund Report (WWF) found that the UAE had the largest ecological footprint in the world.
