UAE students save water, energy worth Dh24 million

Dubai: Nearly 30,000 students from public and private schools achieved unprecedented savings in electricity and water use — equivalent to financial savings of Dh24 million — it was announced Thursday.

The 13th edition of the Conservation Award hosted by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) broke records this year as 27.732 students from 459 schools saved 34.2 gigawatt hours of electricity and 188 million imperial gallons of water, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 19,000 tonnes.

Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa on Thursday honoured winners of the 13th Conservation Award and presented them cash prizes of up to Dh400,000.

The Conservation Award celebrates educational institutions that implement best practices in saving electricity and water as well as individual achievements in the education sector. It is held annually in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation and other senior government officials and faculty members were also present at the ceremony.

During the ceremony, Al Tayer said the Conservation Award supports the UAE’s shared vision to protect the environment and preserve natural resources, contributing to the sustainable development of the UAE.

“The award’s theme ‘Together for a Sustainable Future,’ shows the importance of concerted efforts for achievements as teamwork is the foundation we follow in the UAE,” he said.

“At Dewa, we have an integrated strategy to encourage everyone to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. Our year-round conservation programmes include many innovative awareness initiatives and activities that encourage all consumers to adopt a sustainable lifestyle in electricity and water use.

Over the last 13 years, the Conservation Award has achieved total savings of 283 gigawatt hours of electricity, and 1.698 billion imperial gallons of water, which reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 152,000 tonnes, equivalent to financial savings of Dh192 million.

Al Tayer noted that Dewa’s conservation programmes and initiatives throughout the year achieve significant savings in electricity and water use within various stakeholder groups. Cumulative savings between 2009 and 2018 reached two terrawatthours (TWh) of electricity and 7.4 billion gallons of water, equivalent to Dh1.2 billion. These savings contributed to reducing one million tonnes of carbon emissions.

Dr Al Zeyoudi applauded Dewa’s commitment to raising awareness of sustainable production and consumption that contribute to achieving sustainability across the board in line with the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021.

“Community motivational campaigns are powerful tactics in shifting the public mindset to embrace positive behaviours and involving individuals and the wider community in implementing government-led visions and strategies. The Conservation Award, organised by Dewa in partnership with the Ministry of Education and KHDA, is one of the most effective campaigns in the country in achieving this goal, as it targets youth — the strongest change agent in our sustainability efforts,” Al Zeyoudi said.

Winners of the 13th Conservation Award

Distinguished Education Institution in Conservation (total prizes Dh230,000)

Public Schools: Nad Al Hamar Kindergarten, Al Khulafa’a Al Rashideen Boys School, Jumeirah School for Basic Education, and Al Waha Girls’ Primary and High School.

Private Schools: Dubai British Foundation Kindergarten, The Children’s Garden Nursery — Al Barsha, Clarion School Dubai, Raffles International School, and Cambridge International School. Dubai Police Academy was the winner from universities and colleges, and Emirates Down Syndrome Association was the winner from People of Determination Centres.

Distinguished Conservation Leader (total prizes Dh20,000)

Public School: Al Ahamadiya Model School for Basic Education

Private School: Cambridge International School

Distinguished Conservation Team (total prizes Dh73,000)

Public School: Al Shrooq Kindergarten, Al Maktoum School for Basic Education, and Al Salam Girls School for Elementary and Secondary Education

Private School: Hemaya Schools- Kindergarten, Dubai International School — Garhoud, and American International School.

Distinguished Conservation Project (total prizes Dh60,000)

Cambridge International School won the 1st and 3rd places in the Distinguished Conservation Project category, while Dubai International Academy won the 2nd place.

Best Educational Institutions in Implementing Energy Conservation Techniques (total prizes Dh15,000)

Al Dhahrah School for Basic and Secondary Education; Al Ebdaa Model School; and Our Own High School- Al Warqa’a.