Blue Earth Summit

Adib Dada is an award-winning environmental strategist and architect, founder of theOtherDada Regenerative Consulting and Architecture Practice. Firmly committed to the UN Decade of Action, Adib is engaged in rewilding the city and reclaiming public space by planting native Miyawaki forests in urban landfills through his new initiative: theOtherForest, a nature-based tool for ecological and social regeneration. Adib trained in the Miyawaki Method of afforestation under Shubhendu Sharma and Afforestt, as their partner for afforestation projects in the Middle East. Since 2019 he has planted over 20 forests. Adib’s story has been produced into Growing Back Beirut, a short documentary about his environmental advocacy and forestmaking work.

Adib is a regular lecturer on environmental topics with institutions such as Cambridge University, Goethe Institute, The Slow Factory, World Expo Dubai, and SxSW eco. His work has been published in books, most recently in Hannah Lewis’ Mini-Forest Revolution, Naomi Zurcher’s Connecting Trees with People, and his writings are part of several publications. Adib is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, such as the McNulty Foundation Impact Grant, D&AD Development Grant, D&AD Future Impact Award, iF Social Impact Prize and was listed as one of GOOD Magazine’s GOOD 100 for his project Beirut RiverLESS. He has been profiled in Monocle Magazine, Damn Magazine, The Grist, Vogue Arabia, Vanity Fair France, Society for Ecological Restoration among others.

Adib is a Bio-Leadership Fellow, a community helping transform human systems and the paradigm of leadership by working with nature. In 2010, Adib founded theOtherDada [tOD] Regenerative Consultancy & Architecture firm, which mission is to activate projects across architecture, living systems, and art. Based on Biomimicry thinking, tOD’s work promotes a symbiotic relationship between nature and the built environment by exploring new ways of creating generous and regenerative habitats for humans and other organisms; in essence working with nature to develop resilient and generous cities.

Adib earned a BA in Architecture at the American University of Beirut - Lebanon, a Master’s Degree in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU – USA, completed the Biomimicry graduate certificate from the Biomimicry Institute and Arizona State University, multiple trainings in the Miyawaki Afforestation method most recently in Japan, and a certificate in Ecosystem Restoration Design from Gaia Institute.