Abu Dhabi: Children can now express their creativity on "green" issues in a magazine launched Sunday by the Ministry of Environment and Water.
Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water launched the magazine named Our Environment at a press conference in Abu Dhabi.
"It is part of the strategy of ‘catch them young' to build awareness on environmental protection in the society," he told Gulf News on the sidelines of the event.
The 14-page magazine will be distributed to children in grades one to six in all schools nationwide, the officials said.
About 10,000 copies will be issued during the first week of each month, they said.
In the first edition, only one page has been set aside for the contributions of children but that space will be increased gradually, according to the officials.
The magazine opens with a message from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan about the need to protect the environment.
The contents include the environmental projects in the UAE, tips on nature conservation, information on cactus, terminologies related to environmental issues, and tips from the UAE environmental protection law. The law portion in the first edition explains the provisions of the ban on the hunting of turtles.
Agreement
The ministry has signed an agreement with Prographix, a publishing company based in Dubai which is sponsoring the publication of the magazine.
Obaid Mohammad Al Matroushi, the Acting Director General at the Ministry, and Medhat Fanous, CEO of Prographix, signed the agreement at the function.
The minister said the initiative shows that environmental awareness projects are not the sole responsibility of the government but private sector can also contribute to it. A group of pupils from Al Asla school in Abu Dhabi presented a show depicting environmental issues.
