Nr. 151 - April 2015
Sustainability
SEKEM Publishes Report for 2014
Editorial Dear Readers, 8 years ago SEKEM decided to join a growing number of international companies who publish sustainability reports on a yearly basis. SEKEM calls the document its „Report on Sustainable Development“ to emphasize the developmental aspect: sustainability is not a state to be attained through one-time action but a continuously unfolding process of commitment to the holistic development of people and nature.
Your Team of Editors Find SEKEM also on the Internet at:
Leaders Meet in SEKEM
Spring Festival
SEKEM Celebrates Together
„We are Proud and Grateful“: SEKEM‘s Sustainability Report 2014 For the eighth time, SEKEM and its companies publish an annual report on sustainable development. The comprehensive documents recounts the steps taken by the initiative towards greater sustainability in four dimensions.
The visible expression of this process is this summary, the 2014 edition of which has just been published. In this issue, we would like to introduce you to it in our lead article. The document highlights in detail the importance of sustainability for SEKEM’s enterprises and social initiatives and explains where SEKEM already meets its goals – and where it does not. Plus, if you do not yet have any other plans on 21 May and live in Hamburg, you may also take the chance to learn more about sustainability at an event SEKEM is organising together with GLS Bank and OIKOCREDIT. See the last page for details.
Associations
The sustainability report of the SEKEM Initiative annually informs of the main advancements in the four dimensions of social, economic, cultural and ecological development.
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We are proud and grateful“, Helmy Abouleish writes in the preface to this year‘s sustainability report by the SEKEM Initiative. „The last four years have not been easy for us and yet we can now say: Yes, we did it!“, the Managing Director of SEKEM’s companies further adds. The current report on sustainable development published by the Egyptian initiative is also a sign of gratitude to partners and friends who have supported SEKEM to successfully complete
the year of 2014 in spite of great economic and social challenges. The report was presented to the general public at an event on 12 April 2015 which was attended also by some of these companions, for instance shareholders of GLS Bank and OIKOCREDIT, two financing partners who have invested heavily in SEKEM. As long-term SEKEM partners, they have for many years financially committed themselves SEKEM Insight | April 2015 | Page 1
Economy
to working for and with the initiative in Egypt to advance its organic business. An Integrated Approach to Development For the eighth time, the SEKEM initiative and their companies publish their annual report on achievements in four dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, cultural life and ecology. The summary document reflects the desire of SEKEM to advocate for an integrative approach to the care for human and natural development. Instead of concentrating on “business as usual” and to later fix the problems cause by such behaviour, SEKEM encourages ethical business behaviour that integrates with environmental and social initiatives in the first place. Its „Flower of Sustainability“,
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We are grateful to have come through the revolution years relatively unscathed.
the management approach that guides the SEKEM companies’ performance, has been the basis of the work of these enterprises for years. It aims at a holistic and equitable interaction of man and nature in all regions of society.
In SEKEM, man and nature are supposed to develop in unison – an cross-fertilize each others spheres of life.
Waste and Recycling Four years after the revolution, the situation in Egypt has somewhat calmed down and the country is slowly regaining economic stability. In this gradually improving business climate, the SEKEM companies managed to increase their sales by 27 %. This development was necessarily accompanied by an increased production of waste, which was, however, limited to a rise of only 10 % – a very positive achievement in the light of strongly improving business. Thus, the productivity ratio of the use of natural resources by the SEKEM firms is continuously improving.
packaging material used is also already recycled. The rate of waste recovered is steadily increasing. For 70 % of all products, its companies now create a certified CO2 footprint. The emission of climate-damaging CO2 could be reduced from 21 to 13 kilograms per 1,000 EGP in sales.
SEKEM is already able to recycle all organic waste it produces and in addition is recycling about one-third of its non-organic waste. Just under half of all
In agriculture, SEKEM could continue with its efforts to green the desert over the past year. Today, it cultivates a total of 1,628 feddans (around 684 ha)
SEKEM could also significantly reduce the still unavoidable employment of fossil fuels on its farms. Reclaiming More and More Desert Grounds
of ground that was reclaimed in this way. This represents roughly twice the size of New York‘s Central Park. The majority of this ground is farmed bio-dynamically. Agriculture on these soils always has to cope with the challenges of irrigation. The preciousness of water is on the minds of everyone involved in agriculture in Egypt and SEKEM strives every day to use as little water as possible and preserve the most valuable resource of the desert. With the help of custom-built irrigation systems, SEKEM could reduce agricultural water consumption by a further 25 % in 2014. SEKEM also places great importance on the preservation and protection of seeds. Since 2009 the initiative has been Continued on page 3
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Social
Heliopolis University Still in the Focus
The executive members of the European SEKEM support associations recently met in Egypt to share their achievements and deliberate common future strategies. Heliopolis University remains in their focus. Continued from page 2
to the coexistence of man and nature”, Hans Werner commented the effort. The German medical doctor has been supporting SEKEM for more than 35 years. Together with his wife Elfriede Werner, he had been one of the founders of the German SEKEM association. Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish spoke to him on the occasion of the meeting, expressed his gratitude, and congratulated the long-time friend who had just recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
Members of the European support associations recently met in SEKEM.
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epresentatives of the SEKEM support associations in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Austria visited SEKEM at the end of March to discuss their future activities and develop new common strategies for furthering the SEKEM cause. Together with local SEKEM coworkers, they received the chance to personally examine developments at the cultural and social facilities that all of them have been tirelessly supporting from Europe for the past years – and not just financially. Helping to Understand Islam Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish thanked all those who had come for their exceptional commitment and stressed the importance of both ideological and financial support. To him personally, it was a particular concern that the groups would keep on communicating the meaning of Islam in Europe clearly and openly both individually and as a group of like-minded organisations.
„We would like to consider more thoroughly how we can understand Islam in new ways, especially with regard
Heliopolis University Continues to be in the Focus The support for the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development remains the key cause for all of the European groups. SEKEM’s foundational idea, that the seeds for individual freedom can best be sown through education, is still at the forefront of all their efforts. The Heliopolis University is still in its infancy and therefore relies heavily on outside support. That support may not only be financial but also includes the discovery of qualified teaching personnel. For instance, Professionals are sought who contribute to the expansion of the existing faculties. Contrary to artists who wish to contribute to the Core Programme of fundamental studies, academic staff is also needed who are willing to stay with the institution for an extended time. Moreover, there is demand for qualified instructors – specifically Waldorf teachers – and craftsmen for the other educational institutions. After the meeting, the associations’
staff members reaffirmed their goal of continuing to spread the SEKEM impulse as widely as possible. The next meeting is planned for spring 2017.
You can visit SEKEM yourself:
www.SEKEM-reisen.de
Christine Arlt
maintaining its own seed bank that presently boasts 234 different varieties – an increase of 22% compared to 2013. Social Initiatives Extend Their Reach SEKEM’s social institutions could also expand their activities in 2014. The medical centre, for instance, has treated a total of over 41,000 patients that year.
Aside from receiving treatment for existing illnesses, residents from the surroundings of SEKEM have also benefited from 194 micro loans to help them start their own small businesses. That‘s almost twice as many as during the year before. In 2014, the SEKEM companies have also continued their engagement for equal opportunities for women and men. In this context, the demand for early child care has significantly increased. More and more mothers are choosing gainful employment when they know their children in good hands. In 2014 twice as many infants as last year were cared for in SEKEM facilities. Opened in 2012, the Heliopolis University is also developing rapidly. The number of students increased to 554. 20 % of them receive a scholarship. Generally speaking, the development of SEKEM is giving cause for celebration: „We are grateful that we have mastered the revolutionary years, and are pleased that we can continue promoting sustainability“, says Helmy Abouleish.
„We confidently look into the future.
Christine Arlt
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More information: http://issuu.com/SEKEM/docs/rsd2014en
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Impressions
Impressions from SEKEM
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right reds, rich greens, and stunning yellows – on 26 April, the whole of the SEKEM farm bristled with the colours of spring April. Equally colourful was the cheerful mood of the SEKEM coworkers, pupils, apprentices, and students who participated in the first big celebration of the year. As every year, it was time for the SEKEM Spring Festival to not only celebrate the birthday of Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, but also that of the SEKEM initiative itself. Firstly, the SEKEM community gathered on the farm in a large circle. It represents the solidarity of its members and the unity of the SEKEM family of individuals. Then, a versatile stage program with music, drama, eurythmy, and even sports performances took place in SEKEM’s Roman theatre. The children of the department for curative care performed a play on the topic of environmental awareness. The SEKEM students then gave a number of artistic performances and the students of the Heliopolis University impressed everyone with short skits, songs, and modern dance. Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was honoured with a poem and a portrait crafted by Heliopolis University students. A special highlight was the surprise visit of Samir Iskandirani. The famous Egyptian singer is a longtime friend of Dr. Abouleish and came to participate in the Spring Festival 2015 again on the SEKEM farm after 17 years. SEKEM Insight | April 2015 | Page 4
News in Brief
SEKEM, GLS Bank and OIKOCREDIT to Dedicate an Event to Sustainability
People in SEKEM: Asmaa Mohammed Ibrahim
Asmaa is married and a mother of two sons. After the birth of her first child, the SEKEM coworker took a maternity leave of two years. It was then that she noticed how important it was for her to work: „I have indeed enjoyed being able to put all my energy into my children, but I noticed that I missed something. My job gives me the opportunity to fully realize myself and that boosts my self-esteem. It is certainly not easy to have a full-time job and to be a mother at the same time, Yet, I am much happier this way.”
Asmaa Mohammed Ibrahim works for SEKEM‘s company Mizan as an engineer.
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First and foremost, my family is my life. But my work, too, contributes a lot to the fact that I am very happy with it“, Asmaa Mohammed Ibrahim confidently states. The 33-year-old engineer is working at Mizan, SEKEM’s company dedicated to the production of seedlings to spread organic agriculture in the country. At the plant, she works as a Head of Department in the field of plant breeding. Depending on the season, she is responsible for ten to 30 staff members. Asmaa is a very cheerful woman with a strikingly positive aura. She studied agriculture at the University of Zagazig, the capital of the administrative region in which also the SEKEM farm is situated. Since 2007 she has been working for Mizan. She started out as an assistant to a farm manager who had brought her on board the SEKEM company because of her exceptional motivation and reliability. „I want to grow professionally. While it is nice to be in a position where you feel safe and have a regular work routine, I always want to learn something new. I have the ambition to be the best in my field of professional responsibility.”
SEKEM’s child care facilities are a substantial help to her and many fellow women coworkers at the initiative. Asmaa brings her children to the care centre on the SEKEM farm in the morning and fetches them again in the afternoon on her way home. „I am grateful to know that our children are in good hands at the centre while I pursue my profession. It is especially important to me that they receive the holistic education that SEKEM offers them”, she adds. „The importance of such a education – that is what I try to convey them.“ The development of her children currently has the highest priority for the sympathetic coworker from Mizan. „I also wish to convey to them that it is not at all important to attain a high rank in life, but to always give the best you can at the point in the world where you are.” It is also the holistic view of man and nature that Asmaa Mohammed particularly enjoys with regard to her work environment at Mizan. Moreover, Asmaa loves the general atmosphere at the SEKEM enterprise and the great care its staff takes for its natural environment: „When I set foot on the clean grounds of our company every morning and see the countless blooming flowers and the blossoming trees, I feel so well. This atmosphere certainly positively influences the way I work”.
A
griculture - the term itself evokes images of happy cows on lush green meadows, full of summer flowers against a backdrop of picturesque traditional villages. We know, though, that this advertising imagery rarely corresponds to reality. But how does agriculture really work? What role does it play for the development of rural areas throughout the world, for the people who live there, and for their ecological wellbeing? On May 21, 2015 at 19:00h SEKEM, GLS Bank and OIKOCREDIT will organize an evening dedicated to a closer look at organic farming at the GLS Bank’s new branch office in Hamburg. Two experts will answer these questions from their different perspectives: Bijan Kafi from SEKEM, a partner of Oikocredit, and Dirk Grah, regional director of the GLS Bank in Hamburg. SEKEM and its partners are excited to learn more about the similarities and differences of organic farming in Egypt and Northern Europe. Where: GLS Bank branch office Hamburg, Düsternstraße 10, Meeting Room 5th floor, Hamburg.
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More information: Please RSVP at norddeutschland@ oikocredit.de or via fax +4940306201461.
Masthead: The editors of SEKEM Insight wish to thank all contributors to this issue. Editors: Bijan Kafi (Chief Editor), Christine Arlt (Cairo Correspondent) Contact: SEKEM-Insight Gotzkowskystr. 15 10555 Berlin Germany bijan.kafi@SEKEM.com Pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4: SEKEM; 5: Christine Arlt No republication without written consent by the publisher.
Christine Arlt
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