The JVT Community Blog recently caught with a neighbor, John van Zuylen, co-founder of Keep It Clean, a new company providing a unique recycling service and simple help with waste management  for anyone.

John has been in Dubai since 2009 and moved to JVT two years ago. Coming from Belgium, John was raised with a permanent “eco-conscience”. Arriving in Dubai, he was surprised by the way waste is being handled in the country, as well as by how little some people seem to care about the environment. One day at the beach, John realized how littered it was, mostly with cigarette butts. He started thinking about a way to help people do the right thing rather than simply complaining about the bad behavior of some. He felt that if you make things simple enough, everyone will make the small effort that can actually make a big difference. From that starting point, he invented “MrBin”, the trash bin for the beach.

After achieving some tangible success with this simple idea, John and his team of five were motivated to keep looking for more simple ideas that could improve people’s lives and the environment. After 3 years of operation, they now offer MrBin (for the beach),  CarBag and Bagoto, (trash bins for the car), and now most recently the HomeCycle service, which allows everyone in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to recycle at no cost and without even leaving their home!

The ultimate goal for Keep It Clean is to contribute to a society where we send “zero waste to landfills”. The leading example for this is Sweden, where 99% of residential waste gets recycled. When I asked John the best thing about running his own company, he said, “the beauty of our work is that we run a business and at the same time have a positive impact on people’s life. Every day we receive comments from our users telling us about how great this concept is, and as a business leader, this is extremely rewarding.”

What makes this service unique is that it costs nothing and they take the hassle out of recycling. No need to find the time to take your trash out by car, Keep It Clean comes to you !

It’s inspiring to see the many great projects that motivate the Villagers from JVT. John also told us how much he likes living here. “We have amazing neighbors, great tennis facilities, green areas and an easy connection to the main highways. Not everything is perfect of course, but compared to many other places, JVT is just unbeatable for us,” says John.

I haven’t tried the service yet but from what I’ve heard about it, it sounds like it couldn’t be easier to do. Create your profile on www.keepitclean.co and start recycling !

Furry Friends, a new grooming service and pet store recently opened in JVC is having a launch day packed with fun for all the family.

The event will take place at the Furry Friends shop on Friday 28th November. We have lots planned for the day, including lots of freebies and activities.

The fun-filled event will run from 3pm til 7pm – so do come down and see us!

For more information, visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Furry-Friends/474919355943273

Shop 3, Sobha Daffodil Building, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai

A fellow JVT Resident works for Riding for the Disabled (RDAD).

Do you want to volunteer? They are taking new candidates on 17th or 18th October.

See below flyer with all the details. Click to download document:

Volunteer training RDAD

Soon there will be plenty of room for family and visiting friends!

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced plans for the Park Inn by Radisson Residence Dubai Jumeirah Village Triangle. The mid-market property being developed in collaboration with Dubai-based property investment firm Aqua Properties is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2017.

By 2017, JVT will be home to a Park Inn 29-storey hotel consisting of 261 studios, one and two bedroom apartments. It will have facilities that will include an outdoor pool, fitness center and a multi-purpose meeting room. It will also have all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge and a gourmet pantry.

The planned hotel will be located on Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Road.

Story announced on BNC website.

As reported today in designMENA:

Dar Al-Handasah to engineer Nakheel Jumeirah project

Nakheel’s shopping, dining and entertainment hub at Jumeirah Village Triangle has moved a step closer with the appointment of international engineering consultancy Dar Al-Handasah.

The mall will be built alongside Dubai’s Al Khail Road, on the southern edge of Jumeirah Village Triangle.

It will feature a multi-screen cinema, supermarket, department stores, speciality shops and an array of cafes and restaurants, the developer said in a statement.

It added that Dar Al-Handasah will undertake design, engineering and supervision services for the project, for which a construction tender will be released in Q1 2015.

Dar Al-Handasah has worked on a number of other Nakheel projects, including The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah, the Dragon Mart extension and nearly 3,000 villas which make up the Nakheel’s Jumeirah Park residential community.

25 August 2014 – Staff Writer, DesignMENA

Note from Editor of JVT Community Blog:

It is interesting to note that we also now see a billboard on 311 across from JVT announcing a new City Centre shopping mall. Soon, the options may be overwhelming !!