Bio & Profile:
Hamdi Hato is a green social entrepreneur with a technical background in civil and environmental engineering, graduating with his BA from Birzeit University in 2017. His care for constant professional development has pushed him to EIT and LEED Green Associate certifications, bolstering his skillset as a leader in the sustainable development field. With roots in Ramleh, Hato has taken a long and enriching journey from his home in Ramallah, Palestine to now work with the Chicago community. Growing up in al-Ama’ri refugee camp with zero green area has given Hamdi a personal value and passion for the inspiration that comes from community centered green initiatives.
Hamdi’s history of participation in global and locally scaled organizations has given him a unique approach to entrepreneurship and community value in the environmental sector. In his own neighborhood, he was a founder of Planting Hope, a green rooftop implementation and training program stewarded by the al-Ama’ri Women’s Center which promoted economic engagement and food security amongst the camp’s population of women. Today, 50 green rooftops exist where there was previously an uninterrupted jungle of cement. Hato has also served as President of the Ramallah Global Shapers hub, one of over 500 hubs of the World Economic Forum’s network of active changemakers. Currently, Hamdi works as CEO of Babylon Sustainable Enterprise, a startup venture that encourages community connection and environmental education on a hybrid physical and digital interactive platform.
Sustainability and enthusiasm are foundational values with which he approaches all of his work, believing strongly that the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic synergy should be considered in any undertaking. These values have led him to the Chicago Muslim Green Team, where he completed Tree Ambassador Training in the spring of 2024.
As a Chicago resident for 2 years, Hamdi is excited to grow with the CMGT. The green team exhibits exemplary growth and outreach strategy due to a strong and hands-on leadership team. He shares with the organization the belief that faith, sustainability, and community engagement can work together to strengthen the foundations of hope and empower people of all walks of life while making the world a greener place.
Awards & Recognition:
- Most Social Project Award- EcoPeace- Water Diplomacy Program 2022.
- 2nd place, Hackathon- EcoPeace- Green Social Entrepreneurship track 2021-2022.
- Best Media Article Competition addressing water innovation provided to CEWAS Middle East. Published article in REVOLVE magazine, “Technology Solutions Empowering Agency in Food Production”. (1)
- Chatham House- CASCADES MENA- Youth Ideas for Europe-MENA Cooperation on Climate Resilience, “Planting Hope– urban gardening in climate-vulnerable Palestinian refugee camps– Hamdi Hato and Brian Crann”.(2)
- Featured in the book Climate Optimism: Climate Wins and Creating Systemic Change Around the World by Zahra Biabani (2023). “Planting Hope project in Al-Amari Refugee Camp”.
Certifications:
- Acumen Academy by NovoEd, “Designing for Environmental Sustainability and Social Impact”
- USGBCLEEDGreen Associate.
- NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.), Certified EIT.
- Global Shapers Community and World Economic Forum & Accenture, ”Responsible Leadership Program”
Speaking Engagements:
- “My Entrepreneurial Journey” (2018, 2019), Good City Foundation- Hong Kong and China.
- “Greening the Future” (2017, 2020), Future City Summit- Indonesia (Bali and Jakarta).
- “Urban Remedies” (2020, 2021), Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp: Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia.
Personal Blog:
https://hamdihato.medium.com/
Articles:
(1) Technology Solutions Empowering Agency in Food Production | REVOLVE
(2) Planting Hope– urban gardening in climate-vulnerable Palestinian refugee camps | CASCADES