It is no secret that humanity must make major changes to protect its future. Thankfully, the Kingdom’s green-minded Crown Prince is supercharging the Saudi march to sustainability.
For example, October 2020’s Let’s Make it Green campaign planted a reported 10 million trees across Saudi Arabia in just six months. Mohammed bin Salman has also pledged to make Saudi Arabia carbon neutral by 2060, while at October’s Saudi Green Initiative conference, the Kingdom announced that at least 30 percent of Riyadh’s cars would be electric by 2030.
But while our leaders grapple with the environment’s macro challenges, such as how to power our cities or building sustainable new ones like Neom, figuring out what positive differences an individual can make often feels extremely, well, micro. We believe that small groups of committed people can change the world. That’s why we’ve compiled a range of fun activities and habits that you can adopt right now.
There is a bonus to diving into these sustainability shenanigans, too: you’ll get to know Riyadh and your local communities even better along the way.
Go organic at DQ’s Farmers Market
This vibrant weekly market was re-established in October, which instantly made DQ residents 35 per cent healthier (probably) and 90 per cent smugger (definitely). The market takes place in Oud Square every Saturday and offers organic fruit, vegetables, condiments, honey, pot plants and beauty products. You can grab a snack and enjoy live music here, too. Are you wondering why organic food is sustainable? The main reason is that neither pesticides nor artificial fertilisers are used to grow organic products, both of which ruin ecosystems by suffocating much-needed biodiversity and polluting streams, rivers, and eventually oceans. Simply put, the future is organic.
Sat 9am-7pm. Between roundabouts 4 & 5, instagram.com/farmers.sa.
Scoff vegan at Glaze Donut Boutique
Why vegan? In terms of sustainability, it’s all about land use. Farming animals requires another piece of land on which to grow the food for those animals. Think of the animal as a nutrient-processing factory between you and plants – you could just bypass the animal and eat the plant. Every time land gets cleared for livestock, carbon dioxide is released and the planet gets a bit warmer. There are nearly eight billion of us now; if we consume less animal products, we’ll use less land. While you ponder this, why not nibble upon a vegan doughnut – like the one on our cover – from Glaze?
Open daily 10am-midnight. Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Road, Seetah Center, Al Mathar Ash Shamali, 12312, instagram.com/glazedonuts.sa (011 214 9994).
Ditch plastic-wrapped bread
Plastic is miraculous: it’s cheap and it lasts forever. How many other products do both? The problem is, using a material that lasts forever to wrap food is bonkers. Furthermore, research conducted during the past 20 years by New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine has linked phthalates (chemicals found in soft, flexible plastic) to decreasing fertility in men. While we wait for plastic alternatives to kick in, there are ways to sidestep packaging. For example, Flourish Artisan Bakery sells raved-about sourdough, fresh from the oven daily and displayed with no packaging. Buy several at once and put the extras in the freezer – bye bye plastic-wrapped supermarket bread.
Branches in Hittin and Qurtuba Plaza, instagram.com/flourish_ksa (053 940 2800).
Re-enter the natural world at Nahda Park
Humans are hard-wired to feel happier in nature. You might disagree when the sand’s blowing in your eyeballs, or a gang of crows are making moves on your lunch, but strolling around a park does wonders for your physical and mental health. It is also a far more sustainable leisure choice than, say, a shopping spree, or binge-streaming TV shows. For all these reasons, a day out at Nahda Park is a no-brainer. There’s substantial strolling thanks to its 5km walking track and it’s relatively central, which cuts down on travel time. Nahda Park has enough space, shade, and amenities to keep you entertained all day.
Open 24 hours. Nahdah Road, Jarir.
Pick local fashion
What is the point of buying local? Simply put, the global shipping industry is not environmentally friendly. Choosing options closer to you not only minimises delivery distances, but that support will make your locality a more vibrant and pleasant place to live. Jeddah-based fashion designer Nasiba Hafiz has one eye on the sustainable market with her vintage collection, which includes pre-loved scarves and neck ties that she upcycles into one-of-a-kind dresses, skirts and tops. Orders made from her website are delivered anywhere in the Kingdom from Jeddah, which makes this a far more sustainable option than ordering upcycled fashion from, say, the United States or Europe.
nasibahafiz.com (050 772 5151).
Join the bike revolution
What’s more sustainable than pedal power? Chronically overlooked in the past, cycling in Riyadh is getting a major boost thanks to Saudi Vision 2030’s Sports Boulevard. When completed, it will include a 135km-cycleway that stretches east to west through the city.
We asked SPiN Rentals founder Manie Alkhaldi for his thoughts: “Riyadh City Strategy is planning to increase the population to 30 million and these people must have sustainable and affordable activities. Cycling benefits your health without the exhaustion and fatigue of a gym workout, while riding in the Hanifah Valley or along Olaya District’s sidewalks gives you another view of Riyadh. We started SPiN in 2019 and have noticed a big investment in sidewalks, bike lanes, parks, and other facilities to help people live an active lifestyle, thanks to Vision 2030.
SPiN offers regular group tours on Monday evenings, including to At-Turaif District, where they project an historical documentary onto its ancient walls.”
Locations in Alahssa, Dammam, Diriyah, and Nahdah, instagram.com/spin.sa (055 973 1117).
Embrace the all-plant menu at Wabi Sabi
Wabi Sabi is a Japanese word, but you’ll have to go elsewhere for a wasabi fix: this all-day restaurant specialises in Italian, Mexican, and Arabic cuisine. Wabi Sabi’s entirely plant-based menu concentrates on foods and recipes that promote human health. The menu explains its benefits to your gut and general wellbeing which, when you think about it, is what all restaurants should surely be aiming for. Jackfruit replaces chicken in The Unknown Fourth Burger and the Lady and The Tramp Spaghetti contains oat balls, not beef. The smart, modern dining room is painted in calming, earthy colours and decorated with – you guessed it – plants.
Open daily 9:30am-11:30pm. King Muhammad V, As Sulimaniyah, instagram.com/wabisabiksa (055 228 8284).
Buy second-hand at The Princess Souk
Shopaholics, brace yourselves: sustainability and fashion are not the best of friends. Consumption is trashing the planet, mainly because we have evolved to consume in
a straight line, from creation to landfill. We’re continually drawing upon Earth’s resources for fresh materials, which makes no sense on a planet with finite resources. It’s time to swap that straight line for a circle, by reusing and recycling. This is where Haraj Market’s beloved Princess Souk comes in, a garish dress explosion filled with hidden gems at tiny prices waiting to be discovered. Some turn their noses up at old clothes, but everybody else is having too much fun at The Princess Souk to care.
Haraj ibn Qasim.
Become a coffee cup pro
Fun fact: it is extremely difficult to recycle single-use coffee cups, because they’re lined with plastic to keep them watertight. Increasingly, disposable coffee cups are marketing as ‘eco’, because they’re lined with a plant-based plastic, rather than fossil-fuel-based plastic. This is a good start, but they’re still not recyclable unless you have access to an industrial composter. Running out of patience? Us too. The best strategy is to bring your own cup and, if you’re feeling brave, ask for a discount. Some businesses offer discounts already and it’s an obvious thing to do. Better yet, if you’ve got enough time, sit down and enjoy your drink in situ. It’ll taste so much better.
Go nuts at Al Sawadi Roasters & Mills Co
Manoeuvre among the multi-coloured mounds at Al Sawadi, which offers a more sustainable way to buy spices, dried fruits, coffee beans, and nuts. Choices are laid out in large containers across the shop floor, then you scoop what you need into the provided boxes and bags. Avoid excess packaging by bringing your own (hole-less) bags, or remove the packaging stage altogether by bringing clean containers. Tell the staff you brought containers so they can weigh them before you start – otherwise, you’ll accidentally pay for the weight of your containers.
Open Sun-Thu 7:30am-noon & 4:30pm-10.30pm; Fri 4:30pm-10.30pm; Sat 7:30am-noon & 4:30pm-10.30pm. Ad Dirah, 12651, instagram.com/al_sawadi1 (055 588 9212).
Buy quality fashion with a smaller environmental impact
The Jeddah-based Yasmina Q label claims to only use ‘deadstock’ fabrics, which means they were discarded and destined for landfill, or fabrics manufactured in a sustainable process. That process includes using a cellulose fibre derived from trees managed by the Forest Stewardship Council, while the majority of chemicals used during production are recovered and used again. Nothing is as sustainable as buying second-hand, but Yasmina Q is a strong option for lasting, quality fashion. Order online from local fashion hub Culture for express two-day delivery from Khobar on the east coast.
yasminaq.com; shopatculture.com.
Take an intercity train trip
Having a day out on the train is a really straightforward way to do something fun in a more sustainable way. While it depends on the age and type of train, taking a rail journey releases far less greenhouse gases per passenger than, say, a short-haul flight does. In terms of emissions-per-passenger, taking the train is also better than driving, unless your car is full. Then there’s the lack of parking and traffic worries – just sit back and enjoy the landscape with your mates.
Riyadh’s intercity trains follow two main routes, so you can either go to Dammam on the coast, or to Qurayyat at the border with Jordan via Al Majmaah, Qassim, Hail and
Al Jawf.
sar.com.sa.
Leave the city behind at Al-Haeer Park
This picturesque park dials up the back-to-nature factor, because being here is like you’ve travelled far further than 25km out of Riyadh. What’s that strange soundscape? It’s babbling waterfalls, sploshing fish, chirping birds and wind-rustled grass, minus Riyadh’s traffic hum. According to local news reports, the park’s recent afforestation scheme that reintroduced hundreds of trees to the park resulted in a sharp increase in catfish numbers. See? Even catfish appreciate sustainability. Do it for the catfish. Thanks to its expansive vistas, sunset is a particularly pretty time of the day to visit Riyadh’s ace
lake park.
Open 24 hours. Al Haeer.
Recycle your clothes
As you’ve probably heard three million times, landfill is bad and recycling is good. This applies to everything, even clothes. Ripped, stained or generally destroyed garments are routinely overlooked for recycling, but H&M will take them. In partnership with fashion recycling enterprise I:CO, every H&M store has garment recycling bins placed near payment counters. No, your items don’t have to be from H&M. Buying more fast fashion while you’re there isn’t ideal, so choose H&M’s various sustainable ranges. They currently account for a small portion of H&M’s full range, which is why it’s oh so important to pick these ranges if you can’t resist the racks.
sa.hm.com, ico-spirit.com.
Get to know the locals at Al Muruj Farmer’s Day
Like the DQ’s weekly market, this popular event takes place every Saturday. It kicks off after Fajr prayer and boasts a kaleidoscope of organic fruit and vegetables sourced from the Kingdom, alongside organic grains, dates, and milk. It’s particularly good for bulk purchases, which means you’ll avoid inheriting a minor avalanche of plastic packaging. Bring your own bags and you’ll be awarded extra Time Out points, which aren’t real and cannot be redeemed, but will give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Bear in mind that bulk buying gets heavy, so be prepared to hire a helper with a trolley, or bring your most muscular
chums along.
Open Sat 5am-6pm. North Al Muruj, 12282.
Have a vegan brunch at Moon Shell
Folklore and simpletons would have you believe that the moon is made of cheese, but there’s certainly no cheese at Moon Shell. However, you will encounter lots of shells. The majority of the café’s menu is served from coconut shells; the ‘Golden Light’ combines mango, peach, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, maca, almonds, grated dark chocolate, and coconut chips with flax, sesame and chia seeds. There are also oatmeal, pancake or granola options, and even mango sticky rice. If your sweet tooth is vibrating enthusiastically at the words ‘mango sticky rice’, you should know there’s also banoffee pie, sweet potato brownies and blueberry cheesecake.
Open daily 7am-11pm. Othman Bin-Affan, King Abdullah District, instagram.com/moonshell_sa (053 630 0962).
See regeneration in action at Wadi Hanifah
West of the city lies this living, breathing monument to sustainable practices. Developers began extracting water, minerals and building materials from the valley during the 1970s as Riyadh expanded west. By the 1980s, the valley’s water table had dropped drastically, dumped pollutants contaminated the soils and the extraction of materials had transformed the topography. But don’t be sad, there’s a happy ending: the Royal Commission for Riyadh City declared Wadi Hanifah an environmental reserve in 1987 and now it is a green, thriving region with no less than six parks to frolic among.
Open 24 hours. Utaiqah. rcrc.gov.sa/en/projects/wadi-hanifah.
Bring your own bags
This tip is an oldie, but it’s also a goodie. Aside from remembering to bring a collection of bags with you to the supermarket for a big food shop, it’s relatively painless to get into the habit of taking one plastic or paper bag with you wherever you go. Ladies, tuck it in your handbag. Gentlemen, fold it up in your pocket; if you can remember to leave your house with a cell phone and some money in your pockets, adding a small folded bag in your back pocket is no big deal – think of it as a tiny cushion for your behind.
Bulk buy at The Date Souk
Make a date with the… no, that’s terrible. Embark on a sweet jaunt to Riyadh’s thoroughly brilliant date souk. You’ll find all sorts of varieties for sale, including ajwa, sukkary, mabroom and rutab dates. From a sustainability perspective, the best part is that these celebrated morsels are presented loose, in large display boxes. That means you can bring your own containers or bags, then pick the dates of your dreams. Buy as many as you like, because dates are happy in the freezer for months. Rumour has it the guards often serve complimentary Arabic gahwa (coffee) at the main entrance, too.
Open daily 7am-11pm. 7623 Eastern Ring Branch Road, Ar Rawabi, 14215.
Bring a local farm to your doorstep
Founded in 2012 by Nidal Lababidi, Nidal Farms is an organic fruit and vegetable operation 450km to the east in Ras Tanura. Don’t worry, we are not suggesting a 450km shopping trip. Nidal Farms do the legwork for you, while you sit at home Googling trendy cauliflower recipes and waiting for the latest harvest to arrive. From eggplants, fennel, and beetroot, to black tomatoes, dates and pomegranates, the farm grows all sorts and the best news is that everything is organic. Nidal uses hydroponic methods, which all sounds very technical, but it means that it doesn’t require soil and therefore uses less water. So, not only will you receive a collection of healthy goods that haven’t been treated to a chemical blend, but you’ll be supporting sustainable farming.
Ras Tanura, instagram.com/nidalfarmsksa (053 941 1187).
Take on Veganuary with the Vegan Prince
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed has made no secret of his dietary preferences, and he recently launched the plant-based restaurant Folia, so we asked him to share his tips for success.
“My first suggestion is to pair up with a Veganuary buddy. Prepare meals together and discuss how to best incorporate flavours you both enjoy. If you can’t eat with your Veganuary buddy regularly, use your social or message each other recipes and ideas. Although it’s not great for you, vegan fast food is incredibly delicious.
“As part of your Veganuary rewards, have a fast food night: try a Beyond Burger, or a similar offering from a brand, with a side of fries, and dairy-free ice cream or gelato – whatever you like. Veganuary makes more sense and is easier to stick to when you get educated on how a vegan diet – or even a flexitarian diet – impacts your health and overall wellbeing. My two book suggestions for your New Year wellness kick are How Not to Die and How Not to Diet, both by Dr. Michael Greger.
“There are a few great films out there that explain the health implications and economic drivers behind factory farming, which is fuelling the climate crisis. Watch Eating Our Way to Extinction and Meat Me Halfway.”
Open daily 6pm-2am. Al Murabaa, Center Point, 2239 King Fahd Rd, Al Olaya, fourseasons.com/riyadh (011 211 5000).
Looking for more things to do? Click here for the latest features and news.
