UAE: New app to reward users for making sustainable lifestyle choices

Abu Dhabi has introduced a new and unique mobile app that will reward residents and citizens for making sustainable lifestyle choices, such as reusing consumer products to reduce waste, switching to organic foods or eating vegetarian meals.

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) on Monday launched BAADR in partnership with Borouge to help protect the environment across the Capital.

BAADR is a free application designed to change the environmental behaviours of Abu Dhabi adults and the youth and put them at the forefront of driving positive change, according to authorities.

Available to download for free on the Apple Play Store and to be released on Android at a later date, BAADR is the first app in the UAE to offer incentives for environmental actions with more than 20 tasks to choose from. It will aim to reduce carbon emissions, food waste and the consumption of single-use items, conserve energy and encourage people to reuse and recycle their products.

BAADR, which means ‘initiate’ in Arabic, is the latest programme launched by Sustainable Campus Initiative and strengthens EAD’s and Borouge’s long-standing partnership as part of their vision towards building a sustainable environment for a sustainable future.

As well as promoting sustainability and increasing environmental awareness, BAADR will also help change people’s behaviours in their everyday lives and inspire the youth, placing them at the forefront of supporting the government’s drive to creating a greener city that will benefit residents and citizens.

It will enable people to live a healthier lifestyle, explore new ways of saving money such as double-sided printing and growing your own vegetables and fruits, as well as helping support the economy by buying locally.

Earn points through the app

Through the simple-to-use app, users can earn points by completing a wide range of tasks that are based on BAADR’s seven different environmental themes: Reuse, Switch, Grow, Initiate, Conserve, Join and Move.

Among the tasks users can engage in include switching to organic foods or eating vegetarian meals for one day and finding different ways of reducing the amount of water and electricity that they consume.

People can also attend workshops or events to improve their environmental knowledge while BAADR will help encourage people to live a healthier and sustainable lifestyle by walking or cycling to their destinations. In addition to using their own mugs, cups and containers when ordering at cafés or restaurants, people can also get involved and organise clean-ups in Abu Dhabi Emirate.

Points, which will vary accordingly to each task, will be awarded to users who upload a picture of their completed action on the app using their smartphone. People can then visit one of the nine participating vendors across Abu Dhabi that have partnered with EAD to redeem their points.

BAADR app to promote environmental awareness

The app will also play an instrumental role in raising awareness on the importance of the environment for the younger generation.

As part of its association with EAD’s outreach schools and universities programmes that partner strategically with ADEK and Ministry of Education, EAD will aim to encourage youth of the Sustainable Campus Initiative to use the app through engaging and informative social media posts as well as working alongside with Federal Youth Authority.

Khansa Al Blouki, director of Environmental Outreach at Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, said: “As individuals, the responsibility lies within all of us to ensure we protect the environment and preserve our planet for ourselves, our children and future generations.

"We sometimes may not realise how much our consumption is creating an impact on our surroundings but with more importance on the environment than ever before, we strongly believe that BAADR can be a catalyst in driving positive change across Abu Dhabi when it comes to caring for our environment.

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“Together, if we all engage with the app on a daily basis and encourage people to use BAADR often, we can significantly change the way we live and be more mindful of our consumption and behaviour - all of which can help create a better tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.

Maitha Al Marashi, vice-president for Sustainability at Borouge, said: “The new application is very important to encourage a change in lifestyle, by adopting sustainable best practices of reusing consumer products to reduce waste and cut carbon emissions.”

BAADR users can look forward to availing a wide range of rewards at popular destinations and establishments, which are adopting environmentally-friendly practices to reduce their impact on the earth.

• Abu Dhabi