Sustainability has been the holy grail of worldwide trending topics in 2022. Subsequently, many industries have attempted to realize one or more of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as best as their mission and beliefs allowed.
And that stood true at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) on Nov 6– 18 in Sharm El Sheikh. Amidst the many thought-provoking installations, initiatives, and conversations that happened, one business, in particular, went to great lengths to show its dedication to the human factor of sustainable development…Mountain View.
So, let’s take a look at how the Egyptian real estate developer tackled this critical factor . . .
Mountain View’s Blue Zone Panel Discussion: An Inspiration for Egypt’s Real Estate Industry
The developer’s COP27 panel discussion took place at the Blue Zone area under the name “Enhancing Wellbeing – Designing for People and Planet”.
The Blue Zone is the UN-managed space at COP27. And it’s where several general and private sessions, exhibitions, and booths were visited and attended by heads of state, official delegations, and media outlets. Mountain View’s panel discussion shed light on the human component of sustainable development by exhibiting its latest project, ICity, the first application of a sustainable city in Egypt using the science of happiness, which comprises visionary properties uniquely designed for its residents, as well as the planet; making Mountain View an exemplary leader in the real estate industry.
Mountain View’s devotion to the human factor was made clear when Eng. Amr Soliman shared the company’s people-oriented goals, and how this promotes the well-being of communities and environmental sustainability. The panel served as a beacon of knowledge for developers seeking to adopt the same practices in overcoming social, economic, and environmental challenges while preserving the planet in the entirety of their operations.
Mountain View’s Green Zone Panel Discussion: How Egypt Can Actively Realize the UN SDGs
The Green Zone is where business, youth, civil, academia, and art communities came to express their thoughts -and in some cases, suggestions- to resolve climate change through events, exhibitions, workshops, and talks. It’s also where Moutain View hosted its panel discussion “Sustainable Development Goals and Well-Being in Egypt” featuring prominent business figures that shared a similar vision for a greener world and how local institutions can contribute to that vision.
Taking a sharper focus on the UN SDG #17 “Partnership for The Goals”, the panel’s focal point was how collective efforts lead to exponential results. The panelists leading this discussion made their case in point by demonstrating how private cross-industry collaborations can contribute to achieving many SDGs; thus proving their interrelation.
One of the noteworthy remarks during this discussion was made by ENG. Amr Soliman, Founder, and Chairman of Mountain View, who noted that businesses should follow a value model known as the Happiness Index. The basis of this index is that long-term business value is created for people by people.
“The science of Happiness has always been something we preach and believe in! We have seen what a happy individual does, in our headquarters we applied the science of happiness because it has been proven that a happier employee increases their productivity by 21%, innovation by 300% and bottom-line sales by 37%”.
-Amr Soliman, Founder & Chairman of Mountain View.
Mountain View Builds the Workforce Egypt Needs Through Education
In an active effort to create the sustainable workforce Egypt needs, Mountain View signed an MOU with the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), promising to develop vocational training centers across the country within the next 5 years.
This partnership served as a gateway for Mountain View to develop the skills of Egyptian calibers in all economic sectors and stimulate their entrepreneurial skills in the labor market. The partnership is also set to promote the growth of the national economy by providing skilled and trained labor in several industries; which is Egypt’s pressing prerequisite for adopting sustainable practices. And this is what Soliman tackled during the aforementioned panel discussion.
The MOU was witnessed by ENG. Amr Soliman, and ENG Mohamed Zaki El Sewedy, Chairman of the FEI, signed by Eng. Tamer Nabil, Mountain View Chief Operations Officer, and Dr. El-Sayed Turki, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Sector at the FEI.
Mountain View Becomes An International Sustainability Knowledge Hub
Mountain View’s efforts in COP27 also included signing a cooperation protocol between its community arm, Mountain View Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ministry of Education to establish “Mountain View International School for Applied Technology“. The Environmentally Friendly school will be established in cooperation with the ministry and “workforce project Egypt” funded by USAID.
The official inauguration of this project was witnessed by Egypt’s Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and seven other ministers at the COP27 Climate Summit dinner. The establishment of this academic institution aims to provide a world-class integrated educational system that equips its graduates with the technical know-how needed in various disciplines, all while being synonymous with the ministry’s plan to increase the number of technical schools to reach 100 by 2030.
Mountain View will provide the technological infrastructure for the school, as well as specialists and monetary incentives to teachers and students. The developer also intends to aid in employing high-performing graduates, whereas the ministry will offer the school’s physical building, staff members, and facilitation of all legal procedures. As for “Workforce project Egypt”, they will develop the school’s curricula, manage its faculties, ensure the implementation of quality standards, train teachers and administrators, and hold workshops.
What We Can Learn From Mountain View’s Efforts in COP27
If anything is made clear, Mountain View isn’t just in the business of developing aesthetic integrated communities. Instead, the developer has placed the core of why businesses operate at the forefront of its identity: people. And COP27 is just the latest example of its promise to cater to the planet by catering to its people first.
And if we were to extract one final thought from their efforts, it’s that all businesses can drive the same impact even with smaller initiatives. But the key to doing so is to enhance your most powerful asset: the people who will help you get there.