On the 10th of October 2010, EEG organized a massive tree planting event in tandem with 7000 other international events looking to combat and mitigate the climate change crisis. Through this event, EEG supports the 350.org, which is an international body that aims to inspire the world to reduce the CO2 levels in our world to just 350 part per million. This event was organized under EEG’s Million Tree Campaign, which falls under the aegis of UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign. EEG’s 10/10/10 event this year was an amalgamation of tree planting, exhibitions and a never-see-before level of community involvement.
EEG members who were successful in collecting and depositing the prescribed amounts of paper, mobiles and Tetrapak for recycling were awarded innovatively. They received the opportunity to plant a tree exclusively in their name in Mushrif Park in Dubai, where a total of 150 trees planted in this day. This campaign was met with a wave of enthusiasm as individuals, families, corporate bodies and government organizations competed for their coveted trees. In the end, EEG was able to collect and divert from the landfill a total of approximately 66 tons of paper, 450 mobiles phones and 864 kilograms of Tetrapaks within a period of two weeks. There was a sense of excitement and pride in the air as all participants planted their trees and inserted placards with their names next them.
Apart from Mushrif Park, EEG also organized simultaneous tree planting events in five schools in Dubai and Ajman, with the support of the Ajman Free Zone. Headed by EEG committee members, these schools saw students excitedly planting their respective trees. In all, EEG and its supporters planted a total of 245 trees on the 10th of October 2010. The tree planting events in schools are sponsored by corporate bodies such as Friends Provident International, City Center Hotel and Dubai Land.
But that was not all! EEG, in association with the Naturalization and Residency Administration – Dubai (DNRD) and Al Noor School, organized an exhibition at the premises of the DNRD. Paintings of the winners of EEG’s Environmental Drawing Competition as well as art and craft made out of waste materials by the students of the school were up for sale. Regulars at the DNRD as well as those coming on official business were pleasantly surprised to see this colorful corner and stopped to appreciate the efforts made.
According to EEG Chairperson, Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, “Just like the recent “My Tree in Dubai.com” campaign, EEG is giving people the chance to recycle their paper, mobiles and Tetrapak into trees and see the results for themselves. We have seen a thunderous response of this campaign. The people of UAE must pat themselves on the back for their determination in collecting such huge amounts of materials that can now safely be diverted from the landfills.”
The act of planting trees may be simple, but it has long term effects. These sapling planted by EEG and its supporters, when 10 years old, will be able to mitigate 8774 Kg of carbon dioxide. That in itself can make a huge difference to our generation and those to come.
EEG would like to thank Dubai Municipality, Omar Bin Al Khattab School, Friends Provident International, Al Kuwait School, City Center Hotel, Al Ibdaa’ Model School, Dubai Land, Ammar Bin Yasser School Ajman, Al Nu’aimia School, and Ajman Free Trade Zone for their support throughout the event.
