Dake Rechsand partnered with Goumbook and JA Hotels & Resorts to plant a total of 20 Ghaf saplings in Dubai’s resort, supporting the social enterprise’s long-running ‘Give a Ghaf’ campaign to conserve the threatened indigenous plant.
Goumbook teamed up with Dake Rechsand, a Dubai-based company offering sustainable solutions in water conservation and desert farming, to run a series of experiments in the UAE, in order to grow plants and trees in desert regions. Dake Rechsand’s proprietary breathable sand, with its ability to retain water for extensive periods and allow free passage of air, helps overcome challenges such as water scarcity and arid climate, to make desert cultivation easier. The breathable sand enables optimal productivity, while reducing water requirements by up to 80%.
Ghaf, the national tree of the UAE, symbolizes the region’s quest for sustainability and desert greening. Since 2010, Goumbook, a leading social enterprise promoting sustainability and green practices, has been at the forefront of planting ghaf trees across the region, in collaboration with municipalities, local companies, landowners, and passionate individuals. Goumbook has thus far planted over 95,000 ghaf trees.
Chandra Dake, CEO and Founder of Dake Rechsand, lauded JA The Resort’s tree planting drive, citing it as an example of leadership in sustainability. "We partnered with Goumbook to power their campaign using our water-wise medium. The involvement of a brand like JA The Resort has the potential to influence the rest of the hospitality sector, and will hopefully drive similar projects across the entire industry," Chandra added.
Commenting on the industry-first undertaking, Samuel Njoroge, Cluster Quality Assurance Manager of JA The Resort, articulated the company’s commitment to contributing to a more sustainable UAE. "Thanks to our partnership with Goumbook, JA The Resort was pleased to get introduced to Dake Rechsand and experiment with their new breathable sand technology, which is a game-changer towards water conservation efforts. We strongly advocate such sustainable solutions and, as Dubai’s Most Sustainable 5-star Resort, our aim is to continue supporting and accelerating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through strengthening our partnerships with such companies. JA The Resort will continue its long-term partnership with Goumbook and Dake Rechsand, to accelerate reforestation, water conservation and sustainability in the UAE," Samuel Njoroge said.
Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, said: "We are glad to partner with JA The Resort, Jebel Ali Beach, and try this new technology to plant ghaf trees within the resort. The ‘breathable sand’ by Dake Rechsand is a welcome innovation in the tree planting community, where water conservation is very essential."
"Reducing the water requirements in tree planting will encourage many to support tree planting and make planting a more meaningful act, particularly in harsh conditions. With this new technology introduced in Dubai, we hope to inspire more people and companies to support ghaf tree planting and ensure that their efforts are leading to sustainable use of water," she concluded.
The coming together of JA The Resort, Goumbook and Dake Rechsand is a synergy that can inspire many more projects of this kind. It is a partnership that lays the blueprint for businesses to take on a leadership role in promoting holistic sustainable development in the UAE.