One Good Thing Partners with Emirates Environmental Group and Goumbook to Supply Schools with Environmentally Impactful Face Coverings

One Good Thing continues to give back to the community whilst positively impacting the children’s growing and learning environment further by planting trees on the school grounds.

As schools are set to open with new social distancing norms, parents and schools purchasing face coverings from One Good Thing will be making a small but significant contribution towards providing their children with a positive environment. By partnering with the Emirates Environmental Group and Goumbook, each time a certain amount of school masks are purchased from One Good Thing, one indigenous tree will be planted in the name of the school. Each tree planted in the school grounds will serve as a reminder for pupils in the coming years of the tumultuous events of 2020 and the growing importance of looking after the natural heritage of the United Arab Emirates.

“Like so many, our business has changed considerably over the past couple of months. A conversation with a local tailor, a radio interview and partnerships with local designers have, with our customer’s help, enabled us to make an impact and give back in the place we call home,” explains Co-Founder Bridgett Lau. “Since April we have sold over 5000 face covers, gifted an additional 1250 face covers to someone in the community in need and kept a local tailor in business for over 70 days.”

The newly designed reusable face coverings have double layered breathable cotton and include a pocket to insert a surgical mask if desired. The machine washable masks have soft fabric insides and ear loops are designed to be gentle on the skin. An additional neck strap prevents children from losing their mask (attached with Velcro for safety), and children can ‘own’ their mask with name tags. The 95% cotton masks are available in plain 5 colours to match individual school colors.

“COVID-19 has put the world in a testing period as it threatens to shake the foundation of societies by destabilising entire economies, especially those poorer countries that are lacking in infrastructure and resources. Globally, the virus has spread to more than 700,000 and the numbers continue to rise as countries scramble to contain it before it completely overwhelms and inundates the health structure.” Explains Emirates Environmental Group Chairperson Habiba Al Mar’ashi.

“The aim of ‘social distancing’ is to ‘flatten the curve’ of the spread of the virus so as to give some breathing space to the hospitals and the doctors that are working round the clock to get a grip on the situation. The level of spread varies from country to country depending on its level of preparedness. Despite being a central transit location, UAE has once again proven its worth by being able to successfully manage the spread of the virus to an absolute minimum. A major reason for this has been sustainable best practices that have been placed in policies that have ensured that the system does not fail us even in times of emergencies.” Concludes Al Mar’ashi.

Tatian Antonelli Abeela, Founder and Managing Director at Goumbook added: “This tree is a great survivor! Fierce temperatures, searing winds and high rates of water loss, the Ghaf tolerates them all. Just as the Ghaf is resilient, we need to show strength and give hope during these challenging times, and what better way than to plant Ghaf trees! We are delighted to be collaborating with One Good Thing in order to make this happen”.

“One of our foremost missions at Fairgreen International School is to promote sustainability in all its forms. We are happy to encourage our families to support One Good Thing and their social and eco-conscious efforts to benefit sustainable enterprises around the world.” Graeme Scott, Director.

“One of DIA Al Barsha’s focus areas is sustainability but even more importantly creating an environment where our students can learn how creating opportunities for others can benefit our community too. During these trying times safety has become a buzz word for everyone, but by ensuring our students, staff and parents are safe we can also ensure that we do our part in safeguarding the livelihood of others who have been effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that through our efforts we will inspire other schools in Dubai to support this fabulous initiative and at the same time benefit their own communities,” Concludes Natasja Ludka Dames on behalf of Parent Association of DIA Al Barsha.