00:00We are standing here in the nursery, the Expo nursery.
00:04It's 22 hectares big and this is where the magic happens
00:09when it comes to our plants and our trees and everything that will go on site.
00:13So all of the plants and the trees that we have here
00:16are mainly focused on native and adaptive plants
00:19and we do that for a very good reason.
00:21It saves us on water and it saves us about 50%
00:26of the water needed for plants and trees.
00:30Native and adaptive plants are plants that are for the region,
00:34are in the region and are not brought from outside
00:37or can adapt in the climate and the area and the environment that we are in.
00:43For example, the gaff tree, as everybody knows,
00:46and it's the year of tolerance and is the symbol of the year of tolerance.
00:50Actually, the roots for the gaff tree go down 30 meters,
00:55down to the soil and the leaves are small for a reason
01:00so that it doesn't lose all the water that comes out.
01:03So the tree itself is a symbol of resilience here for the UAE.
01:09But also, when I talk about native plants,
01:12of course the palm trees that are behind us right now,
01:15they are native plants.
01:17They provide fruit for the country and for the region itself,
01:21but at the same time we have other plants that are adaptive.
01:25Adaptive means that they come from another region
01:28but they thrive well in the area that we live in.
01:31The water that's used here is treated water from the waste
01:36and this is basically the way we do it.
01:39We don't use potable water or drinking water to irrigate our plants
01:44and that's part of the savings that we do.
01:47I see sometimes that the Expo is a testbed for sustainable innovations
01:51for the rest of the region and for the rest of the country.
01:54And if we see it that way, then we can showcase to the world
01:58how sustainable we can be, but also how sustainable we are
02:02because I truly believe that there are so many things happening
02:05in the UAE when it comes to sustainability.
02:08My top three tips for even saving water, it's little things,
02:11is if you put a brick in your tank, in the flusher tank,
02:17that reduces the amount of water that's in your tank.
02:20When you flush, you're actually using less water to flush.
02:23Make sure that there are no leaks.
02:26Just bring a plumber in to check and maintain what you're doing.
02:29Simple things like that will actually save you water.
02:32In your garden, do what we're doing here.
02:35Plant native, plant adaptive.
02:38Make sure that you're watering on a regular schedule,
02:41but not watering too much.
02:43So little things like that can make huge differences
02:46to not just the environment, but also to your water bill.
02:50So the economic value of sustainability is quite high,
02:53and I think people are starting to see that.
02:55The more efficient you are, the more sustainable you are,
02:58and the more money and resources you save for the future.
03:09Pottery Barn
03:11Please visit www.potterybarn.com for more ideas and inspiration.
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