The Small Innovative Green Projects Competition, launched by the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) in collaboration with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), has concluded. Its goal was to support and develop innovative projects that make a genuine contribution to sustainable development.
A total of 62 projects were submitted, covering topics from renewable energy and agricultural technology to waste sorting/management and shared mobility. All fell within the competition’s four main themes—sustainable food systems, green energy, water management, and waste reduction. Applicants included associations, universities, municipalities and municipal unions, as well as private companies. Thirty-six projects made the short list, and 13 were ultimately selected as winners. Project durations range from four months to one year, and the total grant funding awarded is USD 170,500.
Below is an overview of each winning project:
1. Association for Passenger Rights – “Service Plus” App
Founded in 2019 amid Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis, this association promotes shared mobility, defends passengers’ and drivers’ rights, and works to make transportation services more inclusive and accessible. Confronted by rising costs and the lack of an effective shared-ride system, it launched a platform to map collective transport routes and developed the “Service Plus” mobile app. The app lets users book shared rides in advance at fixed times and locations, helping drivers lower operating costs and improve trip efficiency. It also facilitates ride-sharing among colleagues and students, reducing congestion and cutting carbon emissions—transport accounts for 23% of Lebanon’s total emissions. Funded by driver subscriptions, passenger contributions, and partnerships with universities and corporations, “Service Plus” bridges the gap between expensive, informal shared rides and random street hails, making mobility more efficient and sustainable for low-income and youth populations, and contributing to improved public transit nationwide.
2. Lebanese University – Recycling Agricultural Waste for Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation
Established in 1951 as Lebanon’s only public university, Lebanese University is the country’s largest teaching institution. Open burning of agricultural residues in Lebanon causes severe environmental pollution—greenhouse gas emissions and toxic releases that degrade soil fertility and spread respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This project repurposes pruning residues from cherry, peach, walnut, and almond orchards as a growth substrate for shiitake mushrooms, offering a sustainable and economic alternative to open burning and the use of cedar wood chips that require felling trees. Shiitake grow-out cycles last 2–3 months, generating steady income for farmers, reducing environmental impact, and supporting circular-economy principles in rural areas.
3. Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Biodiesel from Spent Coffee Grounds
USEK, founded in 1938, comprises faculties of engineering, business, law, medicine, arts, and more, plus centers of excellence. Lebanon imports roughly 20,000 tons of coffee beans annually, producing some 12,893 tons of spent grounds and emitting about 1,540 tons of CO₂-equivalent from their disposal. This project converts spent coffee grounds into biodiesel, achieving preliminary yields of 0.13 milliliters per gram of grounds. It aims to scale up to process 100 kg of spent grounds into 17 L of biodiesel, cutting CO₂ emissions by 12 kg per batch and offering a renewable, locally produced fuel alternative.
4. Association for Soil Environmental Programming – Mealworm Farming
Since 2014, this association has raised awareness of sustainable agriculture and soil management through environmental programming. Small producers face soaring costs for imported animal feed, threatening farm viability. Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) farming provides a locally producible, high-protein (44 g per 100 g) feed option that can be raised on organic waste residues, lowering operating costs and import dependence. This model empowers smallholders to produce their own feed, enhances food-system resilience, and creates new markets for insect farming as both livestock feed and organic fertilizer.
5. Nature Conservation Center at the American University of Beirut (NCC) – Solid Waste Management Improvement
NCC pursues sustainability and environmental protection through research, education, and community initiatives. The 2024 war inflicted massive human and infrastructural losses, worsening long-standing governance, coordination, and health challenges—especially in solid waste management. Building and demolition debris, including non-inert waste, increasingly pollute land and water and pose health risks. This project implements safe, efficient collection and disposal systems for construction waste, strengthening environmental protection, public health, and local economies by creating green jobs. It also fosters coordination among local authorities, international bodies, and private partners to ensure comprehensive monitoring and enforcement.
6. Agritek – Agricultural Pest Control
Agritek is built on scientific innovation, rigorously field- and lab-testing its products. In September 2024, in partnership with AUB’s Faculty of Agriculture, it successfully piloted an ozone-and-electrochemical water treatment system to combat root-knot nematodes—one of Lebanon’s costliest crop pests. This non-chemical approach safely treats soil and irrigation water, improving plant health and reducing agricultural production costs by over 30% in the first year, with no harmful residues.
7. Cedars for Care & Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture – The Blue Stone
Cedars for Care, active since 1997, leads diverse environmental and community development projects. Together with AUB’s engineering faculty, it launched “The Blue Stone” to collect tiny plastic pellets fouling Lebanese shorelines and convert them into sustainable concrete additives. This process reduces reliance on virgin aggregates, cleans coastal ecosystems, and supports a circular construction economy while creating new jobs in recycling and materials manufacturing.
8. Huggin Munin Limited (Agricom) – AgriSyncAI
Agricom develops advanced AI and predictive-model solutions for multiple industries. AgriSyncAI applies big-data analytics and machine learning to generate precise yield and demand forecasts. It integrates real-time satellite imagery and local weather readings to synchronize production schedules with market windows—e.g., aligning Hamah cherry harvests (May–August) to Gulf demand, and meeting European market gaps (December–February). By minimizing waste and optimizing logistics, AgriSyncAI boosts farmer profitability and enhances Lebanon’s export competitiveness, all while promoting sustainable resource use.
9. Dr. Osama Dimas / Arc En Ciel – Kishk Production from Acidic Whey
Dr. Dimas, a leading fermentation and dairy-science researcher, will direct the R&D of advanced fermentation processes to convert acidic whey—a nutrient-rich byproduct that clogs drainage systems—into high-value kishk. Partnering with Arc En Ciel and Laiterie du Couvent de Taanayel, the project will pilot modern facilities to refine product quality. By valorizing an estimated 135,000 tons of annual whey waste, it reduces pollution and creates economic opportunities in value-added dairy products.
10. Union of Upper Chouf Municipalities – Solar-Powered Waste Treatment Plant
The Upper Chouf Municipalities Union will install rooftop solar panels on its existing waste treatment facility in Baadaran, in collaboration with environmental-management firm MORES. The region’s waste volumes have surged due to the Syrian refugee crisis and internal displacement, straining facilities that currently rely on polluting diesel generators. Solar power will ensure reliable, low-cost operation, reduce emissions, and guarantee long-term project sustainability for some 35,000 residents.
11. AEMS Engineering & Management & Suwaijani Municipalities Union – Energy and Waste Management
AEMS, a specialist in engineering and management services, leads technical implementation while the Suwaijani Municipalities Union provides administrative and field support. Community groups will run awareness campaigns on waste separation, renewable energy, and sustainable practices. The project retrofits local waste-sorting plants—plagued by power outages and high fuel costs—with solar energy systems, reducing reliance on unstable grid and generator power and cutting environmental impacts.
12. Lebanese Association for Energy and Environment (ALMEE) & Manjez Municipality – Eco-Briquette Production Facility
Manjez Municipality, backed by the Norwegian Embassy since 2020, provides land and regulatory coordination, while ALMEE supplies technical expertise in renewable energy and sustainable environmental technologies. Lebanon’s firewood briquette production has plunged from 100 tons to just 25 tons annually, forcing residents to use costly bottled gas and unsustainably harvested wood. The proposed off-grid solar-powered briquette plant will restore annual output to 100 tons, lower heating costs for low-income families, and preserve local forests via a circular bioenergy model.
13. Al-Bireh Municipality – “Fethel” Terrace Farming System
A nine-member volunteer team of Lebanese and Syrian professionals with academic and field expertise leads this project, supported by a new community center that strengthens coordination and administration. Al-Bireh Municipality secures land, legal facilitation, and logistics. The “Fethel” system integrates a small greenhouse (≤100 m² per household) on otherwise underused rooftops, using wick-drip irrigation to maintain constant root moisture, cutting water consumption by 80% versus traditional irrigation and preventing evaporation. It boosts yields by 30–50%, creates local jobs, empowers women, and produces high-value crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, berries). After one year of pilot operation, the model proved scalable across Beirut’s dense rooftop environment.
All thirteen projects exemplify Lebanon’s drive toward sustainable innovation across energy, agriculture, waste management, and community development.