Dubai: The first carbon ambassadors have been chosen to learn and practice sustainability in the UAE as part of efforts to create a green economy.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) announced the first class of the Carbon Ambassador 2014-15 programme as part of a ceremony celebrating World Environment Day on Thursday.
The programme will run every year with 40 ‘elite’ university students selected for their “extraordinary” will to “contribute to the UAE’s transition to a leading low-carbon economy,” Saeed Al Tayer, CEO and managing director of Dewa, said.
The first ambassadors, mostly Emirati girls, were present at Dewa’s certified sustainable building in Al Quoz during the launch.
Initiated by Dewa, the programme was launched by the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE), established in 2011 by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Carbon ambassadors are also supported by Dewa and UNDP. The programme includes completion of a key project, attending core training programmes as well as participating in one international event to be organised in the UAE.
The ceremony was marked by the signing of an agreement between DP World and DCCE, whereby DP World will partner in sustainability programmes and will oversee Carbon Ambassador in designing and implementing a plan to convert a 20-foot container into an “attractive self-contained roadhouse in bus stand area.”
