Interview conducted by Abeer Aslam, a Sustainability Practitioner in the Middle East on April 8th, 2013. Monaem Ben Lellahom is a Co-founder and Head of Sustainability Consultancy services at Sustainable Square Consultancy and Think Tank, a regional United Arab Emirates based consultancy firm. He has experience in developing Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) strategies and programs for clients in many industries in the MENA region. Here are a few questions Abeer has asked him to gain further understanding of his take on the Middle East market for CSR. CSR and sustainability; trendy con.....

Sustainable Square is located in the Al Amiri building in the Tecom area of Dubai.  We are pleased to be a part of the Tecom family, a Dubai government organization that provides a platform for various businesses and non-profits in telecommunications, education, training, and spread of knowledge.  We are confident we will fit in splendidly. A second reason we chose to locate in Tecom was the unique vantage point of our specific building.  From our 23rd floor unit we have a direct view of all Dubai’s major landmarks.  We are inspired to act locally and always consider the vision of our first main partner Dubai and the whole United Arab Emirates.  To our left is the Palm Jumeirah, the pinnacle “rise to the challenge” project the first of its .....

The founding members of Sustainable Square attended the opening of the 2012 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on Monday the 16th of January to engage with professionals in the booming global sustainable energy market.  His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, inaugurated the event with keynote speaker the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao.  Additional speakers included the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, South Korea Prime Minister Kim Hwan-sik, and a passionate speech from the fourteen-year-old American innovator Aiden Dwyer who modeled nature to demonstrate a more efficient solar panel design.  Ban Ki-moon raised a strong concern regarding energy shortages around the world and noted that many people still rely on burning wood, an.....