EPIC Expo: Pass the parcel

With summer vacations round the corner, a top official of Dubai Police has warned the public not to accept packages from strangers when travelling in and out of the country. "It is dangerous to accept packages from strangers," said Major Mohammad Salim Al Muhairi, Head of Awareness, Crime Section of Dubai Police, during EPIC Dubai, a sustainable living expo that was launched at the Dubai Mall on Wednesday. Pointing to a list of guidelines prepared by the General Department of Airport Security and the General Department of Communication for airline passengers, he said residents should not give in to requests to carry packages as they "might be used as a crossing bridge for smuggling illegal or dangerous materials". Major Al Muhairi, who drew attention to a number of other issues concerning public safety, said the EPIC or ‘Eco-Wise Progressive Intelligent Consumer' Expo gave government departments another platform to create awareness. Among the other public departments present were the Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and the Roads and Transport Authority. The Dubai Municipality, which sought to create awareness about cosmetics that have been banned in the market, displayed some of these items. They included: Gold Ginseng Soup, Elmore Crème Bleach, DAX Wave & Groom Hair Cream, DR Brightening Cream, Latif Eyeliner, Zeniac Dermo Purifying Lotion, a Chinese cream which had no Arabic or English markings and Vera Vamp Body Cream (banned for its obscene packaging). The pest control section of the municipality educated the public on how they could protect themselves from mosquitoes and other pests. EPIC Expo also introduced a host of eco-friendly products for consumers. Stealing the show was a set of six solar cars built by the Dubai-based Lootah Technical Centre. "These cars are in the R&D stage but they are a predecessor to improved versions that will eventually go into mass production," said Denis Lefrancois, General Manager, Sustainable Media Group, on behalf of the Lootahs, as two of the cars made a grand entry at the Grand Atrium. Inside the mall, a kiosk with degradable clothing stood out. "We've used 100 plastic bottles to make a pair of shorts and three to make a T-shirt," said Kris Barber, director of Degrade, the UK company behind the Dirtball brand. "The plastic bottles are washed, crushed and chopped into chips. They are then melted and converted into fibre which is knitted on its own as 100 per cent polyester or blended with cotton." Also present were electronics brands like Philips which, among other things promoted a 42-inch Green TV made of recycled aluminium. It comes with a solar rechargeable remote and is priced at Dh5,200. Nokia also promoted its eco-friendly mobile phones like the E6-00, E7-00 and N8-00. "We save up to 80 per cent of energy using our eco-friendly chargers," said Tala Wazzan, a sales representative. From / Gulf News