GREEN HOME COMMISSION

The Green Home Commission revives and sustains cultural heritage and traditional knowledge within local industries to build a sustainable economy and environmental well-being. We do this through:

  • Authentic Rural Development Programs: Connecting traditional products and practices to consumers. Training farmers, producers, and craftsmen on developing a viable business model with traditional practices and products, including on a strategic level: Responsible tourism, festivals and events.
  • Conserve and revive traditional knowledge: Empowering targeted groups on diverse skills and practices, product development, quality assessment, including on a strategic level: Authentic product development and reviving cultural heritage. Empowerment of local producers through connecting them In the Syndicate of Craftsmen and `authentic Producers.

Impact: Delivering capacity-building for economic development

Authentic Aley

Integrated Rural Development Plan of 72 Municipalities


Starting 2018: Authentic Aley envisions a thriving Aley district with a strong economy built on agriculture, tourism, and Aley’s unique environment. The mission of Authentic Aley is to develop and implement a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to preserve, protect and promote the cultural heritage, natural resources and economic development of Aley District in Mt. Lebanon.

Working in partnership with the municipalities that comprise the Aley District, concerned governmental bodies and local business community, Authentic Aley will develop and promote authentic, affordable experiences for existing and potential local travelers which will educate people about all this region has to offer.

Partners: Municipalities of Aley District, MOT, MOE, USAID through Land O’ Lake.

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Authentic Catering

25 families trained, more than 60,000 guests served

Started 2006: Provide authentic catering for events. This involves training women from underprivileged families on hygienic procedures and professional applications, while providing them with high standard utensils to produce best quality of authentic food. Also, local ingredients and natural products obtained from local farmers are used in the preparation of food,         

Partners: Lions Club, Shouf Biosphere Reserve,

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Authentic Green Home exhibitions

Authentic Herbal Recipes

More than 150 Exhibitions, more than 1500 Beneficiaries

Started 2007: Providing a platform to learn sales skills and exchange expertise between craftsmen and producers. We provide capacity building for the design aspect of products. The exhibitions are sponsored by partners, which allows the participants to pay affordable fee to join. Tailored events are executed at different venues, while we also facilitate and coordinate the participation in other events and exhibits; like The Garden Show where Authentic Green Home Village has been a constant presence for 7 years. Through binding the training with the actual participation, producers are able to execute their own events too.

Partners: Municipalities, Ministry of Social Affairs, Hospitality Services, Afkart, UNIDO, UNHCR.

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Capacity building

For producers, farmers, craftsmen

486 producers

From 2002: individual capacity building targeting small producers in villages, to enhance quality of products (hygiene, best practices, conserve traditional product, design, packaging, branding) to make it market compatible/competitive. Also, group vocational training on basic accounting, management, cost and pricing, sales and marketing.

Final intervention involves linking producers to various market venues and micro-creditors to apply all training methods and launch their own small businesses.

Partners: AEP, Spanish Embassy, Souk Al Tayeb.

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Empowerment through Vocational Training

2946 Trainees

Benefiting under-educated/under-skilled women in: English literacy, computer literacy. Producers, craftsmen and farmers were specifically trained on: marketing, simple accounting, branding, management of products.

Youth were offered training in advanced computer programing.

Training programs were conducted in GH offices in: Aley, Tripoli, Akkar

Partners: Microsoft, Cisco, Spanish Embassy, YMCA.

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Folklore Units Lebanese

More than 100 events, plays and folklore shows

Started 2003: Promote tolerance and differences reconciliation between communities through conducting folkloric, cultural and traditional events.

Partners: Municipalities, USAID, Private Sector.

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Green Responsible Tourism

Herbal Trails

5967 participants

Started 2010: Organize group soft-hiking trips to selected areas, that aim to empower local communities, revive cultural heritage and encourage responsible tourism. The targeted trails are known for specific population of herbs (Zaatar, Halfa, Akkoub, Cyclamen, … Trails). Benefits of the specific herb are highlighted to visitors; such as using it as food substance (if edible), and using weeds in certain crafts (i.e., chairs, baskets). Also, those trails are adjacent to unknown archeological sites, to which visitors are also taken for a tour. Moreover, the tour includes visits to local producers and craftsmen, and local products are showcased. Breakfast and lunch are offered to visitors and are made of authentic local ingredients. Locals prepare all the meals for visitors.   

Target: Private Sector, Embassies, Agencies.

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Mobile Shop

Ongoing: Establish an interactive venue for local producers to promote and sell their products, while decreasing the overhead and logistics costs that incur from having to participate in exhibitions and farmers’ markets. The concept is to upgrade a traditional bus to a mobile shop that will travel to all areas of Lebanon to participate in events and festivals. The sustainability of the project is based on the interactive aspect of binding the availability of fresh food, conserved food and crafts and a live cooking station, all in one place. The Shop is designed to be managed by the producers themselves alternatively and operates in fixed and scheduled locations.

Partners: Municipality, Syndicate of Craftsmen & Authentic Producers, Hivos, Acted, Cesvi.

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Murals for Cultural Exchange

5 Murals

Connecting youth from all parts of Lebanon, artists, university students in artistic activities that encourage cultural exchange and promote themes of environmental and cultural aspects, in collaboration with various municipalities in Akkar, Mount Lebanon and the South.

Partners: Municipalities, Lebanese University, Private Sector.

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Producer Market

Concept 2017: Establish an interactive venue for local producers to sell their products, while decreasing the overhead and logistics costs that incur from having to participate in exhibitions and farmers’ markets. The concept is to execute a landmark through upcycling a shipping container for the building and various materials for the interiors. The sustainability of the project is based on the interactive aspect of binding the availability of fresh food, conserved food and crafts and a live cooking station, all in one place. The market is designed to be managed by the producers themselves alternatively and open all week days.

Concept Update: Project Design, Portfolio and Specs are ready and require funding

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Product of Origin

Tabakh Batloun, Barouk Artisanal Food Products,

Kwashra Halfa Products

Developing and/or reviving products that reflects the cultural heritage, traditions and agricultural practices of certain areas or villages. This is accomplished through conducting thorough assessment of the region/village, selecting the unique product that they are known for, developing production protocol while maintaining authenticity and traditional practices. Producers are then trained on the selected craft/recipe, hygiene conditions for production, fair trade standards.

The impact is sustaining such practices through creating ownership and pride for producers as well as the community members.

Partners: Italian Cooperation, CEPF, Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Municipalities.

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Relief Contribution

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Syndicate of Craftsmen and Authentic Producers

Started 2017: With the growth in numbers of craftsmen/craftswomen working with Green Hand, and the lack of proper regulations that govern the sector, it was urgent and necessary of establishing a platform that demands for and protects their rights. This platform empowers them on individual level, which allows the sector to develop progressively. It also provides the tool to organize this vital cultural and patriotic sector.

Partners: Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism.

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Youth and Municipalities

A New Participatory Approach

893 Youth, 21 municipalities

From 2008-2012: Empowering the youth to be part of their local governments through decision making/taking, and through execution of their communities’ needed projects. The initiative involved: Creation of youth groups (began with a nucleus of 10 Groups, which extended to 21 groups with a total of 893 youths), training on leadership skills, management, community assessments, environment social and cultural aspects. The phases which composed this process are: Capacity building, community need assessment, linkage with municipalities, developing project responding to community’s needs, execution. This served the purpose of creating future environmental leaders through actively linking youth to their municipalities and allowing them to have a direct social impact in their villages. As a result to connecting youth to local governments, many NGOs that are compliant to local government were established.

Partners: USAID through AMIDEAST, municipalities, local businesses.

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