Simple acts if done collectively could mean millions in savings

Dubai: Who would have thought not using lifts, ensuring lights and taps are turned off when not in use, and using natural light would save Dh16 million in a year?

These acts may seem simple. But students and faculty of schools and universities in Dubai have proven that if they are done collectively, it goes a long way, especially for Mother Nature.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Wednesday honoured 20 institutions and individuals in the educational sector through the ninth Conservation Award in their year-long effort to reduce electricity and water consumption.

Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Dewa managing director and CEO, Dr Abdullah Al Karam, director-general of Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and Dr Ahmad Eid Al Mansouri, director of Dubai Educational Zone, were present at the event.

“The award enables students, faculty, and educational institutions to collectively reduce electricity and water consumption by 10 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. The Residential Consumer category reduced 11 per cent and 19 per cent in electricity and water consumption respectively,” Al Tayer said.

Manipal University Dubai (MUD) made the biggest savings with a 45 per cent reduction in water consumption and 25 per cent in electricity. The university managed to cut Dh632,544 from their utility bills and saved 393,835kg of carbon emissions.

Clinton Stephen, 21, president of the conservation team at MUD, told Gulf News: “We asked people not to use the lifts but to use the stairs instead, which the students did.” Their buildings have three storeys each.

Farzeen Hasharaf, another MUD student, said they placed stickers inside the lifts to encourage students to think and act. “The stickers read, ‘Don’t burn electricity, burn calories.”

Soham Shukala and Barath Masamsetty, both MUD students, said the main credit should go to the school management for using green building principles in their new school campus. Thus, natural light passes through the glass windows of the building, which stays cool because white paint used in the building reflects heat, among other benefits.

Conservation can be done by anyone; it only takes will power. The Dubai Centre for Special Needs proved this when they bagged first place for the special education category.

Maya Choueiri, public relations coordinator of the centre, said the 140 special needs students were taught conservation methods based on their learning capability. Using natural light and recycling are some of the efforts that made them win.