EcoSwitch Festival II
The second festival for green enterprises!
Virtual event: 23 & 24 November
3.00 – 7.00pm
Physical gathering: 25th November
4.30 – 7.00pm at BDD 1280
We are very pleased to announce the second EcoSwitch Festival for green enterprises organized by the EcoSwitch Coalition, a network of 24 organisations, institutions, and corporations that support eco-entrepreneurs in Lebanon!
Why this Festival?
The EcoSwitch Coalition has been formed in 2020 to strengthen the support to Green Entrepreneurs in the country, with the aim of collectively empowering eco-entrepreneurs to develop innovative ideas, establish themselves, and thrive in the long-term.
The idea of this Festival is to introduce sustainable entrepreneurs in Lebanon to the EcoSwitch Coalition; highlight how we are supporting them or could support them; link them to Partners and Experts; inspire them; transfer knowledge useful for enterprises –in particular during these times of high uncertainty—; provide a space for networking with like-minded eco-oriented entrepreneurs… and hopefully have a bit of fun too along the way!
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Welcome to all our green entrepreneurs!
02:30pm: Online registrations start!
03:00pm: Key Note Speech
03:05pm: What What has been achieved by the EcoSwitch Coalition?
03:30pm: World Café with Partners
Speed Dating with the Coalition’s Partners in breakout rooms
Meet the 4 Partners of your choice!
Choose ahead of time the Partners you’d like to meet, click on this link
04:25pm: Virtual Coffee Break
04:40pm: Inspiring Interventions from four successful Green Entrepreneurs
Learn about their journey, success stories, struggles, and more 🙂
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Nadim Inaty is a Lebanese-born architect turned product designer who’s been designing innovative sustainable projects for the last 9 years. Nadim designed a published human-powered electricity generator that doubles as a workout machine. He’s currently the founder of 3 companies, one of which is FLIXPY, a sustainable shopper marketing point of sale solution for brands.
Hanan Ismail holds a master’s degree in Marketing and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics. She is the founder of GARBALISER Company and is passionate about nature and agriculture. Furthermore, Hanan has extensive experience in the business sector, specifically in finance, marketing, and management, and she has worked for reputable companies and run her own businesses.
Ziad co-founded Mruna, a homegrown start-up dedicated to transforming Lebanon’s sanitation infrastructure into a decentralized circular model. Mruna is a transliteration of the Arabic word for resilience, and in 2020, the G20 crowned Mruna, the global winner of the Infrachallenge Prize. Our solution, BiomWeb, is locally manufactured in Bikfayah to export worldwide.
Ziad has international experience in Planning, GIS, and Sustainable Construction within the Middle East and the US. In addition, he’s held various roles in both the private and public sectors, which offer a holistic understanding of the broad spectrum of stakeholders and professionals involved in urban development.Soumaya Merhi is a Lebanese entrepreneur that founded TAQA snacks, a pioneer in producing GMO-free and vegan healthy snacks. She returned to Lebanon from Montreal in 2013 shortly after completing a BA and a graduate diploma in business administration from Concordia University. Today TAQA is a leading brand in the Food and Beverage industry in Lebanon and is distributed across Lebanon and the Middle East.
06:00pm: Virtual Coffee Break
06:10pm: Online Networking
Meet & Greet and Network with like-minded green entrepreneurs from all over Lebanon!
Select your breakout room from one of the following sectors:
Sustainable Products
Sustainable Agriculture and Composting
Sustainable Wastewater & Water
Sustainable Food Systems
06:45pm: End of Day 1
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02:30pm: Online registrations start!
03:00pm: The EcoSwitch Coalition Platform
Updates & highlights of the EcoSwitch Coalition website
03:15pm: Expert Panels OR Challenge Sessions
You now have the option to either follow two expert panels, or one session aiming at solving a specific local challenge! Select one of the 2 breakout rooms based on your preference 🙂
We will all convene back after in the main room for a quick recap!OPTION 1 – Attend two Expert Panel sessions
03:20pm: Expert Panel Session – Round 1!
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Lynda’s strongest passion is serving entrepreneurs, small business and startups to grow and reach higher revenues. This was the reason behind her actual position as certified business coach at Centre Mine, center for careers, Innovation & entrepreneurship at the Lebanese University and instructor at the
Antonine University.
Lynda has delivered a wide number of entrepreneurship programs with UNDP Lebanon, UNICEF, INJAZ Lebanon, Challenge to Change “C2C”, Nawaya Network, and lately with Berytech, Goethe Institute “Fantasmeem” & Fondation DIANE where the focus was on training and capacity building online webinars using the SwitchMED green entrepreneurship methodology ( Gimed “ GBM & GBP” , StandUP ) and recently SwitchMED training of trainers.
Lynda has participated in several programs as online mentor for startups in Armenia, Palestine & Tunisa. With more than 15 years of professional work experience, Lynda holds a Master Degree in Finance from the Lebanese University in collaboration with University Pierre-Mendes France, Grenoble II and Aix-Marseille. She is currently perusing her PhD.
Lynda is a defender of gender equality and her motto in life is “View every problem as an opportunity”.Marc has joined Berytech as QOOT Cluster Manager in March 2022. His main mission is to implement the three pillars of QOOT Cluster strategy which are: innovation for agri-food SMEs readiness, innovation for agri-food SMEs competitiveness and innovation for agri-food SMEs internationalization. Marc is an agricultural engineer and holds a Ph.D. in food microbiology and biotechnology. He has more than ten years of experience in research and academics and published eight peer-reviewed scientific articles.
Marc has been involved in the agri-food industry as a technical consultant for several years in fermented food production of dairy, alcoholic beverages and other sectors, focusing on R&D and innovation processes. He has also developed several vocational training curricula and trained many trainers on topics related to sustainable food value chains. In 2017, Marc has co-founded Elmir Brewing Company, a high-end craft brewery that has been awarded several global awards for its innovative “Produits de Terroir” categories.
Marc is a nature lover and grabs every opportunity for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing and camping.Antoine is a hands-on leader & executive with robust expertise in agile business development and deep understanding of the renewable energy, energy efficiency & sustainability sector.
He started FREE energy in 2012, a firm specialized in customizing energy solutions, and grew the company towards it successful acquisition in 2017. Antoine is still acting as CEO and is currently leading the business development in KSA and other GCC countries.
In 2015, he co-founded RIEGO, an IoT, agritech solution that manages water consumption. RIEGO was later integrated as service offering by FREE energy.
Antoine is very passionate about putting a dent in the planet’s carbon footprint by creating the utmost value for the beneficiary and the environment.
Antoine is a Mechanical Engineer; he holds a MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management, CMVP®, CRM®, CWEP®, ReGrid Manager, PCF® and Green Energy Finance Specialist.Valerie was born into the world of packaging machinery, I have since an early age developed a love for industry and trade, working alongside my late father for many years learning the challenges and requirements of serving customers in the various industrial fields. Today I am managing my own company Zakka Technologies, offering innovative packaging and processing solutions as well as technical service, always finding ways to bring greater value to our customers in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
I love Lebanon, languages, travelling and connecting with people.Georges Youssef is the Mayor of the municipality of Menjez, and the General Manager of Agro Cedrus sarl, he is also certified in social innovation and sustainable development.
Agro Cedrus is a small Lebanese enterprise (SARL) established in 2017 in Menjez – Akkar, working to develop a sustainable approach to organic farming through growing and producing new innovative healthy and tasty sustainable organic carob-based products.
Behind our products exists a passionate team who believes in the huge benefits of the carob fruits on human health and the environment.
Agrocedrus team is very motivated to reach high success in the carob industry. Their aim is to develop the carob value chain vertically by innovating new organic carob-based products answering market needs, and horizontally by reaching out to local and international markets.
Agro Cedrus has a direct social impact since its core business relies not only on a clear commitment to buy the carob fruits from a cluster of carob famers in the region of Akkar and assuring their income, but also to help farmers in implementing good farming practices and planting new fields of carob trees that are beneficial for the environment.
04:10pm: Virtual Coffee Break
04:20pm: Expert Panel Session – Round 2!
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Carine Lteif is a development consultant, researcher and academic. She is currently a senior lecturer at the American University of Beirut. She also sits on the board of the NGO “Nahnoo”, a youth-led NGO advocating public spaces, participatory governance, and cultural heritage. Carine has consulted for several local and international NGOs (projects implemented and funded by American and European donors like USAID, CIDA, the European Union and partners like Oxfam-Quebec, WEPASS and Première Urgence) as well as private businesses on agriculture, food security, water, business development, entrepreneurship, and landscape. She has researched financial risks in agriculture and agricultural insurance in Lebanon. She is also the author of several scientific articles on urban agriculture landscapes in Beirut. Carine holds a PhD in Geography and Spatial Planning from the University of Montpellier-France, a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the American University of Beirut (AUB), and a master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering/Agricultural Economics from the Lebanese University.
Samah Karaki is a franco-lebanese neuroscientist, lecturer and the founding director of the Social Brain Institute. SBI is an NGO based in Geneva and operating in Europe and the Middle East where it implements research-based strategies to organise and facilitate individual and organisational change. Samah holds a master 1 degree in ecology and evolution, a master’s degree in cognitive neuroscience and a PhD in Neuroscience.
Nabil is a behavioral scientist with 7+ years of MENA-focused experience in research methods, experimental design and data analysis. He is an expert in designing, implementing and evaluating nudges in several policy areas including health, inclusion, and violence prevention.
Nabil is the Executive VP at Nudge Lebanon. He has been part of the founding team at Nudge Lebanon since 2015 and is responsible for directing the organization’s operations and overseeing successful implementation and execution of projects.
He has been involved in setting up more than five ‘Nudge Units’ and Behavioral Insights Teams in public and private institutions around the Middle East, including B4Development (formerly the Qatar Behavioral Insights Unit) – the first Nudge Unit in the Middle East – where he is currently a senior visiting fellow. He has also led the delivery of several academic graduate-level courses as well as masterclasses in Behavioral Science.
Nabil holds an MSc in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics as well as a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut.
Guglielmo Mazzà is an environmental engineer and social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of ReFuse, a social enterprise based in Beirut that offers community-based solid waste management services. Guglielmo worked in development initiatives and humanitarian response in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene and financial inclusion. Projects implemented reach Italy, Kosovo, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda. As a member of the Green Inclusive and Climate Smart Finance Action Group of the European Microfinance Platform and working with Microfinanza Srl, Guglielmo focused on the development of sustainable microcredit strategies and products for microfinance institutions in Africa and the MENA region. His passion is combining equitable access to resources with ecosystem justice and restoration.
Omar’s journey in entrepreneurship started at a young age when as a high school student he started his own waste management student company with friends called Visio. It was then that he discovered the importance and efficiency of social enterprises and the power of youth and civic engagement, capable of solving social and environmental problems. Itani is the winner of numerous competitions including the prestigious Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) in 2018 which helped develop FabricAID into the scale and shape it occupies today. He won the Denis Pietton Award by the French Institute in 2018 as the most distinguished young social entrepreneur from the Arab World and was awarded Young Champion of the Earth for West Asia in 2019 by the United Nations for his work in fabric waste reduction – the highest award given by the UN for individuals under the age of 30. Business savvy and social by nature, Itani has succeeded in growing FabricAID from a seed idea into a full-blown company, putting his problem-solving skills to good use. Previously, Omar Itani studied industrial engineering and engineering management at the Beirut Arab University with a minor in economics. He represented Lebanon at Georgetown University in the United States in an intensive exchange program funded by the US Department of State. He also worked as a Researcher at ARA Research and Consultancy in 2016 and as a Development Manager with ISIC Lebanon from 2013 until 2017 alongside his university studies.
OPTION 2 – Solve the Banana Waste Challenge!
03:20pm: Let the Challenge Begin!
In this session, we will be exploring with a variety of different stakeholders the potential usage for agricultural waste from banana plantations in Lebanon, with the objective of collaboratively figuring out if, how, and under which conditions this type of waste can become a useful resource for our country instead of being discarded, rotting, or burnt by farmers.
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Maya Karkour is an Environmental and Circular Economy Specialist, an Eco-Entrepreneur, and the Managing Director of EcoConsulting, a specialized sustainability consultancy which she founded in 2003 in the UK and in 2007 in Lebanon.
Maya has directly worked on numerous projects aiming at reducing their environmental footprint. She has been a keynote speaker or moderator at various sustainability/environmental conferences in Lebanon and other countries; and has organized and conducted numerous sustainability, green building, circular economy and environmental seminars & workshops. She has been coaching environmental start-ups with innovative entrepreneurial solutions and is mentoring eco or social entrepreneurs to help them establish themselves and scale up. Maya has been actively promoting the Circular Economy and sustainable practices in Lebanon, more recently by launching the Circular Hub.
Maya holds an MSc in Environment & Sustainable Policies from LSE, she is a Circular Economy Specialist with the Circular Economy Club, and holds the Permaculture Design Certificate, first level.Completing a degree in chemical engineering with a focus on product development & project management from the American University of Beirut, Aya currently applies her collected knowledge, learns avidly, and engages with multiple ecosystem pillars in the private and public sector within her capacity as a senior consultant at Beyond Group. To-date, she has been active in the local and regional development & innovation ecosystem since 2012. As an UNLEASH Innovation Lab collaborator, Swedish Institute Fellow, and MIT Media Lab collaborator, she has been venturing into sustainability and circular design since 2015. After building the first fully sustainable fashion brand in Lebanon in 2016 and establishing a zero-waste ethical production hub in 2022 (Atelier Miqias), Aya served as a mentor and a panelist in multiple spaces and events such as MedaWeek Barcelona 2019 and Green Innovation Days 2022.
Georges studied design and manufacturing under a Mech. Eng. Bachelors in AUB and Concordia University and seasoned that with a minor in economics out of pure curiosity!
Then started off as a Mechanical Engineer in Saudi Arabia and later in Lebanon. Worked in contracting, design and technical control for more than a decade.
The main reason I moved back to Lebanon was to use the opportunity to develop my own business portfolio.
Along with a group of partners, we saw potential in the touristic and agricultural sectors in Jezzine, that potential led to viable touristic developments, an agricultural cooperative and recently an Avocado Plantation.
In parallel, with diversification in mind, I was working on a business portfolio abroad.
The 2019 Lebanese economic downturn made importing raw materials a major obstacle for Lebanese businesses; LEBAMOZ was born as a result, with the idea of turning local banana farms waste into raw materials for the fashion/textile and/or construction industries.
Unfortunately, with the intensification of the crisis in Lebanon, I had to switch gears and dedicate more time and effort to my work in Cyprus, so LEBAMOZ was put on ice!.Michèle Braidy is an architect and a multidisciplinary designer based in Beirut, Lebanon
She graduated in 2008 from the department of Architecture and Design at AUB, Beirut with a minor in Archaeology. After several years of working in architecture, interior design and scenography she pursued her studies in 2014, with a Master in Advanced Interaction at IAAC, Barcelona.
Since 2015 she offers her expertise in interior design and creates furniture pieces and installations upon commission.
In 2022 she launched her own furniture line and products.
Her educational background and work experience cover a wide palette of diverse design fields and allow her to adopt a holistic approach throughout her design process.
Her work with a strong thematic predilection for the weaving of time is based on specific design ethics that associate artisanal recognition and environmental considerations.Karim Osseiran is an Energy Expert with a passion for Sustainable Agriculture. In 2019, he founded the ‘House of Lilies’: a Family Farm with a Sustainable Outlook. He has been exploring since sustainable & regenerative farming practices for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide wholesome farming products. The challenge of our time is to find the most effective ways of working with the natural rhythms of the soil, plants, people and microorganisms to grow excellent tasting food without the environmental and health risks that can accompany chemical intensive farming practices. Changing the paradigm of modern agriculture from increased yields and profits to wholesome food and healthy society is the challenge of our time.
Nadine Mneimneh is a French-Lebanese fashion designer. She creates under her eponymous label limited-edition capsule collections with a socially responsible ethos, using methods which involve traditional artisanship and upcycling.
With more than 15 years of experience in the fashion industry, Nadine is also a consultant for start-up and established brands, lending her expertise in creative direction, product development and manufacturing. In 2014 she served as founding faculty member and instructor at the Lebanese American University School of Fashion. Nadine holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut and a BA in Fashion Design from L’École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode.Badria el Osta is an papermaker and a fiber artist working exclusively with organic material.
In 2000 she started upcycling cardboard and paper waste into jewelries, home accessories and furniture. She also used banana leaves to produce paper.
In 2002 she started working with palm leaves, weaving and braiding them into notebook covers
In 2019 she extended the use of banana waste through banana fiber extraction, and started producing home accessories from weaved and braided organic fibers.
She is a trainer in papermaking, paper upcycling, fiber extraction, weaving and braiding. She exhibited in more than 135 exhibitions.Mohamed was born in Gabès in Tunisia, Mohamed Amine HAMOUDA visual artist, scenographer and university teacher at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Gabes. In recent years, he has focused on experimental research that consists of exploiting what our mother Earth offers us, through its pigments and colored fibers, breaking away from all that is industrial and chemical. It manufactures its dyes and papers made only from natural plant ingredients.
Mohamed Amine exhibits since 2010 in Tunisia and abroad in group exhibitions (Morocco, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Kuwait …) and artist residencies.
Three personal exhibitions: Transcendance in 2016 in Gabès, À fleur de Papier 2018 in Elbirou, Sousse and Transe-Papier in 2019 at the gallery of the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Gabès. Group exhibitions “Will the XXIst century be African?” 2019 “TRIVIUM” 2020 “you are the Dance” 2021 at the Yosr BEN AMMAR Gallery. “Inside space” AGORGI 2021 gallery.
1st taken from festimed festival. Hammamet. 2007
2nd Kuwait Arab Artists Biennial Prize 2019.
04:10pm: Virtual Coffee Break
04:20pm: Challenge Continues
05:10pm: Virtual Coffee Break
05:20pm: Panels & Challenge Recap with Moderators & Experts
05:40pm: Interactive Fun Time
05:45pm: Eco-Entrepreneurs Challenge Duel
Ready?! Pull out your eco warrior hat (we don’t promote swords here) and join us for the Duel Challenge ?, an engaging and fun activity that of course ends in winners & a few prizes*!
We won’t leave you to duel alone though! You will be split in groups to discuss some of the daily challenges faced by eco-entrepreneurs in Lebanon, come up with ideas & best practices to solve them, then argue & debate your way to win the Challenge Duel!
*We can’t disclose the prizes now, but you know they will be eco-friendly!-
Samar is the Executive Director of INJAZ Lebanon. She has extensive experience in marketing and management in the private sector in Lebanon and the UAE where she worked for several years. Samar’s passion for innovation & education led her to INJAZ Lebanon where she works with youth to amplify their voices & build their confidence so they can make an influential impact on the world. Samar is passionate about people & leadership. She loves ideas and making ideas happen. She is especially inspired to turn ideas into actions that help youth become the leaders of change, creating a better future for themselves and their communities.
Talar is the communication and project officer at cewas, supporting national regional and international communication of programs cewas’s team is managing. She is a business administration graduate with over 5 years of experience in marketing, communication, and fundraising. After taking courses in municipal solid waste management and greening the economy, she’s taken the initiative to apply the knowledge learned in two projects that graduated from incubation programs tackling solid waste management challenges with a focus on working with municipalities in Lebanon, Jordan, and Algeria based on circular economy principles. She is currently a certified trainer of sustainable Business Model Development for green entrepreneurs under the SwitchMed Programme.
Stephanie is identified as a world citizen – networking and travelling is her ongoing passion since her younger age. In 2008, She graduated in Hospitality Management at Sagesse Hospitality Industry (SHI), in partnership with EHL Lausanne; and worked more than 10 years in the field, in France, Spain, UAE, Qatar, Cyprus and Lebanon, meeting people from many different cultures.
She left the field to focus on international NGOs such as Greenpeace, social enterprises and co-founded her green startup Tote3aBeirut. She then took on environmental projects as a freelancer in project coordination with enterprises such as Eedama, MENAQUA, Live Love Recyle to name a few.
In 2020, she worked as Programs Manager with INJAZ Lebanon, leading on the Generation of Innovation Leaders (GIL) program, empowered by UNICEF.
She currently mentors young green/social entrepreneurs with SwitchMed and Eedama, and has started her master’s in International Relations at IRIS’Sup Paris (online) to keep working for Lebanon.Stephanie Shaar is the Community Engagement and Event Coordinator at Bloom, an NGO that provides online entrepreneurship support in the region. In September 2022, she was elected to the EcoSwitch Coalition’s Executive Committee. Stephanie has a BA in Social Sciences and Education from Université Lumière Lyon 2.
She’s also a member of the Global Shapers Community’s Beirut Hub, running multiple social impact projects in Lebanon. She’s also a certified snack lover, cat-mom to three, and cartoon aficionado.
06:45pm: End of Day 2… but feel free to keep chatting online!
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Networking day – Physical gathering at BDD 1280
4:30pm: Introductory & Welcome Notes from Fondation Diane, MedWaves (SwitchMed representatives), Asfari Foundation, and other EcoSwitch Coalition partners
Pascale Assaad is a Senior Project Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in projects implementation and development in public & private sectors. Pascale is currently leading on the Programs department at “Fondation Diane”, she is experienced in implementing local, international and multilateral programs with ministries and international organizations, related to strengthening quality infrastructure in Lebanon, providing support to reforms in environmental governance, providing technical assistance for Lebanon’s energy efficiency & renewable energy in addition to supporting social, green and blue entrepreneurship. Passionate about fostering eco-innovation & green entrepreneurship, Pascale utilizes her skills to the benefit of the circular economy in specific and the economic growth in Lebanon in general.
Abdulrahman Alhalawani
Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Programme Manager at the “Asfari Foundation“
Abdulrahman is a development practitioner with diverse international experience. He is currently working at the Asfari Foundation, a grant making charity registered in the UK. He responds to chronic challenges faced by youth in the Levant and the UK by partnering with impactful organisations focusing on entrepreneurship, innovation, and lifelong learning. Abdulrahman has worked in India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the US focusing public policy, youth empowerment, refugee response programming, social inclusion, and gender justice. Abdulrahman has a BSc in Computer Programming from the University of Jordan, a Post Graduate Diploma in NGO Management from Amity University in India, and an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University in the USA.
Daniel Pelufo is an International Development Cooperation Expert with over 20 years’ experience working in various development, conflict, and post-conflict contexts to provide solutions regarding community development, civil society organizations management, vocational training and job creation and improving resilient livelihoods. He has been working at international development agencies along with public development agencies mainly at MENA region.
Actually he’s the SwitchMED program manager at Middle East aiming to accelerate the transition towards a green and circular economy in the Mediterranean Region through the creation and development of a green entrepreneurship. He is mainly concerned with the improvement of living conditions for the most vulnerable population through the creation of green economic opportunities and decent job among youth and women, finding the balance between growth and climate justice.
4:50pm: Announcement of the Duel Challenge winners!
4:55pm: Speed Dating to get to meet other sustainable entrepreneurs and EcoSwitch Coalition Partners
5:25pm: Nibbles & Drinks & Free Networking time
6:15pm: Concert & more Networking 🙂
7:15pm: End of Gathering
