DEWA and KHDA Honour Winners of 8th Conservation Award for Educational Sector

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), have jointly honoured the winners of the 8th Conservation Award 2012-2013 for the educational sector, held under the theme, ‘For a Better Tomorrow,’ at an award ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Dubai, in line with their strategy to promote environmental awareness and encourage organisations and individuals to adopt best practices for conservation. The event was attended by HE Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, HE Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, HE Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA, Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, representatives from government departments, senior managers and department heads of DEWA and KHDA, as well as faculty members, teachers, and students from educational institutions in Dubai. The Conservation Award honours the efforts of institutions and individuals in the educational sector to reduce electricity and water consumption. It also recognises best practices of individual students, faculty members, teachers, and administrators. “The 8th Conservation Award is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to drive sustainable development in Dubai, and to promote the Emirate as a global hub for trade, finance, and tourism. In accordance with these directives, we, at DEWA, spare no efforts in conserving our precious natural resources and in protecting the environment. We are committed to providing a sustainable future for generations to come. We consistently launch awareness initiatives and conservation campaigns through the year, to further raise awareness on the importance of conserving electricity and water, among the various segments of our community. Energy and water conservation plays a pivotal role in minimising carbon emissions, which are also known to have negative impacts on health,” said Al Tayer. “The Conservation Award underlines the leading role of DEWA in enhancing the sustainability of natural resources, and protecting the environment. Last year’s award achieved significant results in savings on electricity and water. The Award encouraged students and faculty members to save 8% in electricity usage and 27% in water consumption. The consumer category encouraged residents to save 28% of electricity and 33% of water used. With all categories combined, the award helped save 21 Gigawatt of electricity, 144 million gallons of water, and 10,000 tons of carbon emissions, together equivalent to AED 16 million,” explained Al Tayer. “The Conservation Award monitors and measures the results achieved by the educational institutions, spanning schools and universities. Since its inception, the award has promoted the principles of responsibility and accountability, building on the global challenges in the energy sector,” said Dr. Al Karam. “The lack of natural resources and the growing challenges facing our modern world are a clear message that we have greater responsibility to spread awareness and educate the younger generation on the importance of conserving natural resources and rationalising the use of electricity and water,” concluded Dr. Al Karam. “The award has placed an emphasis on encouraging students and individuals in the educational sector to integrate water and electricity conservation into their daily lifestyles,” said Dr. Ahmed Eid Al Mansouri, Director General of Dubai Educational Zone. “As one of the most integral resources, it is our duty to preserve water. However, people are unaware of misusing this resource through irresponsible consumption. We launched the Conservation Award for the education sector in 2005 in collaboration with the KHDA, and the award has become the model in conserving electricity and water. Led by our vision to become a sustainable world-class utility, we consistently place the wellbeing and prosperity of our community as our highest priority,” said Amal Koshak, Senior Manager of Marketing Communications at DEWA. Private and governmental educational institutions in Dubai took part in the initiative with the Ministry of Education praising the pivotal role of DEWA in supporting the sustainable development in Dubai, and launching effective initiatives and conserve natural resources. Having acknowledged the importance of the award in promoting sustainable development and protecting the environment, the Dubai Educational Zone announced its participation in the 9th Conservation Award 2013-2014 to promote the award amongst the public schools in Dubai. The award’s recipients include: 19 educational institutions, 19 coordinators representing respective winning institutions, 6 Best Conservation Teams and Team Coordinators from the Academic Level, 5 nominated Facility-Management workers, 4 Best Nominated Parents from the winning institutions, and 3 residential consumers. Dr. Bin Fahad, Lt General Tamim, Al Tayer, and Dr Al Karam, honoured the winners. Al Noor Training Centre For Children with Special Needs won the honour in the ‘Special Needs Centre’ category, while Bilal bin Rabah Adult Education Centre won in the ‘Adult Education Centre’ category. Winners in the Nurseries Category included: Safa Kindergarten Nursery (first place), Kids Island Nursery (second place), and British Orchard Nursery - Mankhool (third place). In the Kindergarten category: Al Baraah Kindergarten (first place), Al Anwaar Kindergarten (second place), and Al Shorouq Private School (third place). The Primary Schools Category winners included: The Kindergarten Starters (first place), Al Aqsa Private School (second place), and Second of December Girls Intermediate School (third place). The Intermediate Schools Category winners are: Dubai International School – Al Garhoud (first place), Razi Primary School for Boys (second place), and Al Diyafah High school (third place). The Secondary Schools Category winners include: Al Waheeda Secondary School (first place), Greenfield Community School - Investment Park (second place), and Asma bint al-Nu'man Secondary School (third place). The Islamic Azad University (IAU) won the first place of ‘Universities’ category, followed by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) in second place. Al Tayer thanked the winners for their efforts and urged the various community members to adopt eco-friendly practices in their daily life by conserving electricity and water consumption, to sustain natural resources for generations to come. DEWA and KHDA collaborate to organise the Award annually to raise awareness about conservation and sustainability. The conservation award won the partnership category of the ‘Dubai Government Excellence Programme’ in 2009, in appreciation of the significant role played by the Award in the field of conservation.