The Energy and Environment Park (ENPARK), a sustainable community model for commercial and residential use and a member of TECOM Investments newly created Sciences Cluster, today announced it marked the United Nations' World Environment Day (WED) 2010 with the launch of a light disposal unit to recycle the electric bulbs and lamps at TECOM business parks.
ENPARK also rolled out a month-long campaign encouraging companies and individuals to exchange conventional bulbs with energy efficient bulbs that are provided by Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) in association with WWF (EWS-WWF). The campaign that kicked off on 5 June runs from 09:00am to 05:00pm every Sunday at the ENPARK offices in Dubai Knowledge Village.
The light disposal unit launched by ENPARK can crush up to 5,000,000 bulbs dividing the mercury from the glass and the iron contained in common light bulbs. The glass and the iron are collected and recycled while the mercury is safely disposed without harming the environment.
Fluorescent lamp waste causes more mercury contamination of the environment than any other consumer product. A toxic metal, mercury is hazardous to both the environment and human health and currently one of the most-discussed topics across major environmental organizations. There are more than 500 million lamps that end up in the environment every year. For human beings, acute exposure to mercury can cause impairment of cognitive skills and pulmonary function, as well as cause insomnia, chest pain and cough.
Ali Bin Towaih, Executive Director, ENPARK, said: "We are committed to implementing community-wide measures for protecting and preserving the environment. By spearheading this initiative, we own up our responsibility to provide a healthy and secure work place to our employees as well as our business partners.
"This is part of ENPARK's programme to raise awareness on environmental issues that are relevant to today's communities, specifically on mercury disposal. It is also linked to TECOM's 'green building' initiative and confirms its proactive and continuous commitment to sustainability and green buildings across the UAE."
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of EWS-WWF, said: "We are confident people in large numbers will continue to visit the 'Heroes of the UAE' stand and receive energy-saving light bulbs for their homes and offices. It is just a simple gesture that we all can participate in to fight the effects of global climate change and impact a real difference."
Instituted in 1972, World Environment Day that iscommemorated annually on 5 June is themed 'Biodiversity — Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy" for 2010. It is one of the principal vehicles through which the UN seeks to raise awareness of the environment worldwide and encourage political action.
TECOM Investments and its entities adopt a proactive approach through various initiatives to inform and educate on green issues and reduce carbon footprint in the region. Recently TECOM Investments issued the 'Sustainable Development Report' - the first report of its kind to be released by a company based in the Middle East.
