Good evening!
My name is Ismail Ouazzani,
I am 10 years old and I have always lived in Casablanca.
I love my city.
But I am really concerned about its future.
First, people pollute,
they build few green spaces,
and put lots of chemicals in the food.
Well, if we go on like this,
by 2050, it will be a disaster.
There will be fewer and fewer green spaces,
more and more chemicals in the food to produce more,
and fewer and fewer green spaces,
because as Casablanca will get overcrowded,
we'll have to find a place where to house its inhabitants.
So no space for green spaces.
And as there will be a lot of pollution,
many chemicals and few green spaces,
the population will be sick all the time,
unhappy and will live very badly.
And I imagine that you,
you do not want to breathe like that out in the street?
(Audience): No.
I can't hear you!
(Audience): No!
Ah, that's better!
Me neither!
I, like you, I want to live well, eat well, breathe well.
So to eat well, breathe well, live well,
I propose a solution.
To develop farms on building roofs.
OK, the idea may seem a little far fetched at first.
But in fact, it is extremely simple.
There are a few things to do: three things to be precise.
The first: to pass a law that requires builders
to plan for roof structures
that can withstand loads of 20 cm of hydroponics,
which means soilless cultures, such as clay,
or 80 cm soil if you want to get soil-grown crops.
Second, the residents get organized into cooperatives to develop
and plant in their urban farms: fruit, vegetables such as tomatoes,
carrots, broccoli... radishes, why not...
(Laughter)
What?
(Laughter)
They will also be able to breed rabbits, chickens for fresh eggs.
And this action will even allow the recycling of organic waste
to make compost.
And I also think about children in 2050, who will be my age, 10 years old.
They will be 10 years and won't have many opportunities to touch nature,
to see animals.
So, to give them a chance to touch nature and see animals,
I even propose to make educational workshops on the roofs of the buildings.
So the third point of my project is to improve air quality
by planting trees in pots.
As you can't plant trees directly on the roof,
well, we can just plant them in pots.
As a tree can capture 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year,
that could make the air more breathable.
That's why I called my project: "Casablanca, Casaverde"
And it's 'Made in Ismail ", you won't find it on Google.
(Applause)
And don't tell me that all this is not possible!
See what is happening in Beirut,
while the country is in war!
They have lots of worries, but they think about ecology.
So if they can do it, we can do it.
I want to tell you one last thing before I leave you.
I am 10 years old, as you know.
When you're 10, you cannot vote laws,
so I'm relying on you
to get the law passed and to make all this happen.
And goodbye!
(Applause)