The theme of Tasmeem 2007, Sometimes, You Just Have To Do It Yourself, is based on the recognition that many developments in the sustainable design field begin where there is little social, regulatory, professional or economic support in place for sustainable design approaches. It often takes a single person or single community leading the way to get things started.
These initiatives often begin as reactions to conditions that many of us may be generally aware of but unsure of how or even whether to address. For instance, extensive global media coverage of the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina has amplified the debate over global warming as well as raised awareness of the efforts of designers addressing environmental and social issues. One of the most pressing natural resource concerns that frequently plays second fiddle to energy policy is water stress. The World Bank reports that 80 countries have water shortages that threaten health and economies while 40 percent of the world has no access to clean water or sanitation. The World Health Organization says that, at any time, up to half of humanity has one of six main diseases associated with poor drinking water and inadequate sanitation. In the Middle East water is a strategic resource; the Gulf Green Report states that water supply in the Arabian Gulf countries may reach only 67% of demand by 2015. Every peace agreement that has been proposed or signed in recent years addresses the control of water, prompting leaders such as Boutros Boutros Ghali and former King Hussein of Jordan to predict that the next war in the Middle East will be over water.