Emirates Environmental Group Hosts a Unique Paper Recycling Campaign on Earth Hour 2018

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), an active Associate Member of the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), organised the Earth Hour 2018 celebration on the 24^th of March at the Al Marasi Promenade, Business Bay, Dubai. The event was held for the tenth consecutive year in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. The ten-year anniversary of the DEWA organised event was particularly meaningful during the Year of Zayed, as the celebrations of the global event in the UAE aligned with the founding father’s vision of sustainability for the generations to come.

In its endeavor to support and forge sustainable partnerships with like-minded entities, EEG has been actively participating in Earth Hour since its inception alongside DEWA. This year, EEG formed a delegation, consisting of 350 of its student, corporate and academic members and set up a stand at the event.  As part of its mission to raise awareness on the importance of recycling, EEG organised a unique campaign, named “Paper Walk”, wherein its members brought waste paper to the Earth Hour event and handed it over to EEG for recycling. Through this unique campaign, EEG collected 2,310 kg of paper, which saved 39 trees, 7 cubic meters of landfill space and 17MW of energy and saw the mitigation of 9 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, greatly contributing to Dubai’s overall Earth Hour achievements.

Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, EEG Chairperson, commented on the success, emphasising that “The successful Paper Walk campaign connected the importance of climate change with that of recycling and initiated a fun hands-on action programme for EEG members. We are proud to join the international efforts, which aim at minimising carbon emissions and provide sustainable solutions for climate change”.

The EEG stand further prepared wonderful interactive activities, including a free origami class for its youngest visitors. The children were taught how to fold an origami paper crane, also known as the “bird of happiness”, which was a meaningful highlight of the Earth Hour event, symbolizing hope for a sustainable future and longevity of environmental conservation.

Earth Hour witnesses an active participation of more than 170 countries every year, who contribute by switching off the lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour, between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm, to express the need to rationalise electricity consumption, conserve natural resources, and protect the environment.  On this day, Dubai achieved record energy savings of 323 MW in the consumption of electricity, and a reduction of 140 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions. EEG congratulates DEWA in hosting yet another successful Earth Hour.