By Jalal Said Karim Garawi
Most of us know that Environment Day in the Kurdistan Region falls on 16 April each year. This official day, set by the Kurdistan Parliament, commemorates the chemical weapons attacks on the Balisan valley and its surroundings. Its main aim is to raise environmental awareness, increase green space and fight pollution. On this day various events and wide tree-planting campaigns are held in different cities.
At Bahar Factory we mark this occasion differently, by announcing the project “Benefiting from the residues of Bahar Factory products to protect the environment”. A living example is the reuse of oil residues: part of them is made into healthy flour for baking bread (walnut, sweet almond, sesame, flax and others). The importance of this flour and bread lies in the absence of gluten, the protein found in wheat and barley flour that some people are sensitive to.
Another part of the oil residues is mixed into feed for animals and poultry, because of their considerable content of high-quality plant protein and useful fibre.
Besides these examples, vinegar residues (apple, grape, pomegranate, mulberry, date pulp and others) and herbal distillate residues (mint, rose, rosemary and others) are, after pressing, turned into compost and peat moss.
So we mark this day by keeping the environment clean and reusing production residues, in practice and not only in words, protecting the environment of Kurdistan and reducing waste.
