The first smart kinetic energy park opens in the region
In presence of HE Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of Happiness, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and HE Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment, Al Saada (Arabic for happiness) Park opened today at Dubai Ladies Club. The Park is the first smart platform of its kind in the MENA region that promotes exercise, entertainment, and sustainability.
Al Saada is unique in its ability to transform kinetic energy generated by exercise into electricity, using innovative devices. Al Saada supports DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility. The Park also supports Dubai Women Establishment’s goal of providing special services that complement Dubai’s ongoing development and support its transformation through the adoption of smart solutions in different fields that will turn Dubai into the smartest city in the world. The park provides a range of exercise equipment that generates clean energy, highlighting DEWA’s role in achieving Dubai’s healthcare objectives to provide a healthy environment for everyone. The Park provides an innovative experience to enhance the culture of sustainability, and deliver DEWA’s major messages.
It provides a direct and an interactive experience through which the user can transform kinetic energy - generated by exercise - into electricity, using innovative devices, and become familiar with DEWA’s major work values and principles, while enhancing the individual’s contribution to rational consumption, through entertainment, in a healthy and educational manner.
HE Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of Happiness, speaking at the launch, emphasised during her participation in the launch that Al Saada Park is an innovative initiative that reflects a clear vision for advancing the role of women and working to achieve their happiness through an activity which combines social, physical, entertainment and educational elements so they can play active roles in achieving the happiness of the community.
She hailed the cooperative efforts between DEWA and Dubai Women Establishment to launch Al Saada Park, highlighting the importance of joining national efforts to introduce initiatives, programmes and projects that positively affect women’s lives and those of community members in general in order to achieve their comfort; and expressed appreciation for the role played by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, led by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), in launching and sponsoring initiatives and projects aimed at different segments of society and promote happiness and positive values.
HE Al Roumi also commended the efforts of HE Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment and Dubai Ladies Club towards happiness of women who play a central role in the happiness of their communities, and to enable and create a model environment to stimulate their energies for participation in a positive spirit in nation building.
HE Al Roumi also urged women to participate in and benefit from available activities at Al Saada Park, pointing out that modern scientific studies confirm that exercising regularly increases happiness and raises spirits, improves the mood and motivates positive and happy ideas, bringing smiles to people’s faces.
Furthermore, HE Al Roumi emphasized the importance of raising community awareness on practices that achieve sustainability, as it supports continuity and the happiness of the community, in line with the goals of the National Happiness and Positivity Programme which focuses on encouraging initiatives that make happiness and positivity a social culture and lifestyle.
“Moulding a happy and healthy individual who has a deep awareness of her role and capabilities and a positive outlook is the utmost goal of the work of the UAE Government,” said HE Al Roumi. She urged all government and private entities to launch similar initiatives and encouraged teams to suggest innovative projects applicable to this field.
HE Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, and Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, Director of Dubai Ladies Club, DEWA staff, and members and employees of Dubai Ladies Club, attended the opening.
The move also underlines the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of both DEWA and DWE, who support the social development of the Emirate. The application of the experience to other locations enables all members of society to make use of the platform, including those with special needs and children from the age of six onward. The park makes use of sustainable material, and features a rubber floor.
There are three main zones that make up the park: the Energy Zone, the Educational Zone, and the Fun Zone. The Energy Zone has fitness equipment that transforms workouts into watts, powering the park, as well as charging smartphones and tablets or other similar devices. The energy zone features equipment such as cycling machines, cross-trainers, and an energy display unit that shows how much electricity has been generated. The Education Zone features a number of programmes in regard to conservation and the environment, with DEWA’s lovable electricity- and water-based mascots, Noor and Hayat. The Education Zone is equipped with screens to display videos and information about conservation, an energy table to charge devices while you are cycling, and a story ball that plays stories or music when you spin it.
The Fun Zone is a play area with a climbing and activity frame, which also generates electricity from the movement of children playing on it. The Education Zone also features games and music stands to liven-up the outdoor atmosphere.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with DWE through this project to promote a culture of exercise, energy conservation, and sustainability. This supports Dubai’s objective to be a smart and sustainable city that is home for happy, creative, and empowered people. As HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once observed, "Sport should be the everyday culture of every member of society and the lifestyle we live and practise daily, because it refines a person’s soul, body and behaviour,"" said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.
“Happiness is central in DEWA’s strategy to support the Happiness Agenda, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in May 2016, to lead a citywide transformation that delivers the best possible services that improve people’s experiences to make them happier, and turn Dubai into the happiest city in the world. The Happiness Agenda encompasses a series of projects, services, and programmes that are designed to discover, influence and satisfy society’s essential needs for happiness. Happiness is something that we should all aspire to achieve in others, which brings its own reward,” added Al Tayer.
“In line with the DEWA strategy 2021, and Dubai Plan 2021 to promote happy and positive environment, we are committed to our stakeholders’ happiness, while promoting the leadership’s and Dubai’s vision, by delivering sustainable, reliable and efficient energy infrastructure projects in an innovative and efficient manner, and with minimal impact on the environment. This stems from our commitment to the happiness of the Emirate, where we go beyond our core services by our corporate social responsibility programme, in our continual efforts to always make Dubai the happiest city in the world. This is why DEWA has a holistic approach to happiness. We do not just look to be happy, but to make our customers, our employees, and our society happy.
Our recent society satisfaction survey score of 87% and our customer satisfaction survey score of 95.7%, shows that we are making real progress in our happiness indicators,” continued Al Tayer.
Al Tayer noted that Al Saada park is the first kinetic park in the region and is an innovative approach to the happiness of society. This park brings not only happiness, but also fun, education, sustainability and the importance of conservation to our community. Furthermore, it does so in an engaging manner, showing how hard we are working to achieve a brighter sustainable future, based on clean energy for the citizens and residents of Dubai.
“We are making sustainability a reality today at the grass-roots level. Our children can understand why we have to conserve electricity and water, and use them wisely. They can directly experience the human energy required to generate power, and put it to good use without waste. They can learn how to save our natural resources, which in turn reinforces a culture of sustainability that shows how they can become responsible citizens of the UAE, and the world. Parents can exercise and also enjoy family time with their children, who are also having fun and learning a purposeful way of combining learning, rest and play, together. This means real improvements in the wellness, education and environment of local communities that result in a better, happier society,” said Al Tayer.
“Our wise leadership puts people’s happiness as their priority. This is achieved according to well thought-out plans, strategies, and initiatives. This resulted in the UAE ranking first in the Arab World according to the World Happiness Report 2016, issued by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The UAE is ahead of countries such as France, Spain, and Japan. The UAE has ranked first in the world in public trust in government and business and government's ability to promote innovation, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. For the fourth year in a row, the UAE has been named as the country in which most young Arabs would like to live, as well as the country they would most like their own nation to emulate. I urge the community to adopt positivity, optimism, and ambition, which are all key pillars for achieving individuals’ happiness and they should a part of everyone’s lives. This spreads joy and smiles in community. This contributes to promoting happiness in society as a whole and further driving the UAE into new levels of, development, growth, and prosperity,” concluded Al Tayer.
HE Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment, expressed her appreciation for DEWA’s leading efforts in sustainability and its outstanding contributions, projects and initiatives in this field. Al Marri expressed her pride in the cooperation between DWE and DEWA in launching this leading initiative which is an important addition to Dubai Ladies Club. The Park is of great value in many aspects, as it provides health benefits by encouraging innovative forms of exercise and then using such activities to generate clean energy that can be used in several useful applications.
“I am glad to cooperate with DEWA in a unique social initiative which is the first of its kind in the region. This shows unity in recognising the importance of such initiatives in actively and positively getting the community involved in applying the strategic plan for producing clean and renewable energy in a manner that combines education and entertainment to achieve a high-quality health life. Al Saada Park is a result of the ideal partnership and collaboration with DEWA. We trust that its future results will bring many opportunities that will enable us to participate in achieving more strategic goals for the benefit of society,” said HE Al Marri.
Al Marri emphasised that the Dubai Women Establishment is committed to launching unconventional initiatives and projects that depend on innovation and go beyond traditional frameworks. “We strive to expand the services that Dubai Ladies Club provides to enhance women’s contributions to the community in different ways. The Establishment welcomes all innovative ideas that come in line with its strategic goals. It strives to enhance its partnership with different entities in the UAE to provide all elements that can help advance women’s roles and expand their contributions to the country,” added Al Marri.
The park is equipped with 8 machines that can generate a maximum of 800 watts per hour when used by 8 persons. For every 12 hours it can generate a maximum of 9,600 watts, resulting a saving of 41 grams of carbon dioxide emissions. The average user will generate 50 watts per hour. A young boy can produce 30 watts, and an athletic person up to 100 watts. For every 1,000 kilowatts (kW) generated at the park, you can power a round trip of 3 miles or less in your car with your lights, heater, and wipers running, 1,200 electric shaves, microwave 20 meals, or dry your hair for 15 minutes. 50 watts generated in this park is equal to 20 hours of smart tablet time. The park also provides health benefits, for every kW of energy generated; an average human being will use approximately 10,000 calories. As it is proven that communities become healthier by benefiting from parks like this, where movement is encouraged, World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise/movement a week for adults. According to the Global Burden of Disease Report issued by WHO in 2013, studies in the UAE has shown that more than 66% of men and 60% of women are obese and overweight.
Social benefits include enhanced health of individuals and the community. The park allows for family bonding, through awareness activities that promote conservation. To benefit the environment, the equipment is only as powerful as the user, and can produce 100 watts of energy per hour of exercising, contributing to a saving of 43 grams of carbon dioxide emissions per hour. This instils a culture of sustainability and clean energy. The exercise equipment is certified, and adheres to the EN16630 safety standards for outdoor fitness equipment.
In regard to economic benefits, physical inactivity is known to be the cause of many diseases, from breast and colon cancer, to diabetes, and heart diseases. For example, globally 1 in 4 adults who are not active enough are prone to disease at an earlier age. This puts pressure on the economy of every country. This costs the economy of any country. UK physical inactivity costs the national economy GBP 8.2 billion per year.
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