Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) will once again bring everyone to work ‘Together for a Better Environment’. This slogan will be made even more meaningful this year, with it being the Year of Tolerance. EEG has always functioned as an inclusive platform that welcomed and engaged all sectors of society for one common goal – protecting and conserving the environment.
EEG has engaged students and schools in all of its educational, recycling, outreach, and action programmes, including an Environmental Drawing Competition; Can Collection Day and Drive; Inter School Environmental Public Speaking Competition; One Root One Communi-Tree (Phase 1 and Phase 2); Recycle. Reforest. Repeat.; Your Can for a Tree; Paper Walk; and Neighborhood Recycling Projects, amongst others.
As a result, an increasing number of schools and establishments are making green initatives a focus. Students are actively being educated to contribute to a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. Families can get involved in all of these programmes, too. Check out the website and social media platforms for all ongoing and upcoming events.
Since 2007, EEG has planted over two million indigenous trees in the UAE. This has resulted in the mitigation of over 12,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in the country.
Data collected in the first two months of 2019:
2,839 gallons of gasoline saved
7,421 million BTU energy saving
1,449m3 volumes of landfill saved
Here’s a look at what some schools have been doing themselves to focus on ‘going green’.
Raffles Starters
From a very early age, children are introduced to creating awareness on the importance of saving resources, reusing, and recycling. They are encouraged to use the easily accessed recycling bins for paper and plastic, as well as learn to dispose of waste in the correct manner.
Raffles International School
The environment club has channeled its efforts towards sustainability, with club members organising presentations across the school on the harmful effects of plastic, and also starting a campaign to collect plastic bottle caps.
Dubai International Academy
The school’s Model United Nations (DIAMUN), one of the largest and most anticipated MUN conferences in the Middle East, returned for its 11th edition. Delegates discussed and debated the impact of technology through its theme ‘Globalisation through Technological and Environmental Advancements’.
The schools has also partnered with Simply Bottles to eliminate the use of plastic from the community and to stop polluting the marine life. Simply Bottles take single used plastic bottles and converts them into fabric. A further partnership has been agreed with EEG, which will see the academy taking part in an art competition for creating awareness posters.
For the first time, DIAMUN was completely paperless and ran entirely on an application that connected all participants together, and allowed them to debate and discuss resolutions using the app.