Abu Dhabi: Activities aimed at increasing environmental awareness among students and the public kicked off at the Abu Dhabi Men's College (ADMC) with the launch of the Environmental Club's "green week" campaign last week.
Organisers said they were following in the footsteps of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan in line with his vision of a "greener" UAE.
ADMC founded the Environmental Club, whose charter is to raise public understanding and encourage actions to address environmental issues facing the UAE.
The students put together a programme with the core objective of adopting a sustainable lifestyle. Students pledged to be disciplined in taking simple measures in their daily lives which could help save the environment. Examples included water and electricity conservation, recycling and minimising waste.
"Among the UAE's environment issues are water conservation and industrial waste," said Yousuf Al Hammadi, a student in electronic engineering and member of the Environment Club.
Several organisations participated in the event, conveying information on environmentally friendly products. The Emirates Wildlife Society distributed energy efficient light bulbs while Al Fahim car dealership presented the hybrid S400 Mercedes. Adnoc distributed brochures on tips to save water and energy.
Responsible citizens
The university leadership encourages students to take on global problems and devise practical solutions for them, at a local level. "We have good links with the community and they were very supportive of this topic," Dr Simon Jones, Director, ADMC said.
He added: "The purpose of the club is to get the students to have a real passion for a sustainable environment that works at all levels and makes them feel that their actions make a difference."
Al Hammadi said that students in the club took up interesting environmental research projects. He used an example of a recent study about the health of mangrove plants on the UAE coast, which are extremely sensitive to environmental changes.
Change of view
A change in the ways students see their responsibilities as citizens is apparent. "I want to change the environment here in the college and outside, then in the whole of the UAE," said Abdul Rahman Saif, a second year business student and member of the club.
All students accepted the commitment and signed a pledge to avoid wastage.
Success isn't simply the implementation of massive programmes. Individual efforts such as recycling, printing on both sides of a paper and car-pooling may appear insignificant on the individual level; but collectively these habits can contribute to a "greener" and more environmentally friendly UAE, said Jones
"The key is for everyone to recognise their individual roles and responsibilities," he added.
