Being a six-year-old entails playing with friends or watching cartoons. But, when Ghaya Al Ahbabi was six, she already knew that she wanted to become an environmental activist.
“At that time, I didn’t know about sustainability by its deep and dedicated meaning. But I wanted to do something with environment,” Al Ahbabi told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
Now 13, Al Ahbabi, who is based in Al Ain, became the youngest United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) youth advocate for the Conference of the Parties (COP)28, held at Dubai Expo City, last year.
Not only is she a Unicef ambassador, but she is also the youngest Emirati climate activist on the global stage.
As a young girl, Al Ahbabi, was noticed by Sheikh Dr Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Environmental Advisor to the Government of Ajman and the Founder of Green Sheikh Academy, also known as ‘The Green Sheikh’, at a volunteering event. He had spotted her stepping aside to feed a stray cat. It was at this event that he named her ‘Green Ghaya’.
“I always felt a very deep connection with the environment around me. But that nickname, ‘Green Ghaya’, gave me the motivation to start acting for the environment,” she said.
Think twice before you act. Because whatever you do, it has a really big impact on our planet.
Not only is Al Ahbabi an environmental activist, but she is also the founder and leader of the Green Buds community team. A community where young members work on creating a sustainable environment and development.
“What we give to our planet, we’re always going to get it back. And it’s our choice whether if we want to live in a good and sustainable way or if we neglect it and leave it in a bad way," she said.
Al Ahbabi mentioned her experiences from various volunteering events she has been a part of over the years. One such experience was visiting a strawberry farm in Europe. “Because of the climate change, the farm wasn’t producing strawberries, during the season,” she mentioned.
For Al Ahbabi, the environment and the Green Buds community are like personal goals.
“In the beginning of every year, I have a list of goals that I want to achieve. And at the end of each year, my family and I come together, and I personally take the goals that I want to focus on and separate them into parts. What can I do to achieve that goal?”
Al Ahbabi also gave us a few tips on how we can start our journey of sustainability right at home - by using solar panels, converting energy to renewable energy, and even using bamboo instead of plastic.
“Once you throw the bamboo out, it can regrow again. So that’s something important,” she said.
So, how do we start our journey of sustainability?
“I used to say, start with small steps, and then achieve big goals. But now what I’m going to say is, think twice before you act. Because whatever you do, it has a really big impact on our planet. It’s your choice, you could start from today.”
