Public and private sector come together to contribute to environment conservation and safety in UAE

In line with its commitment to promote the highest levels of social awareness regarding the issues of environment, safety and health in the UAE, Shell, in coordination with the Knowledge & Human Development Authority in Dubai (KHDA), has recently announced six winning schools that participated in the Shell Better Environment Awards (BEA) 2011, which covered topics including environmental cleanliness, protection of national resources, promotion of sustainability, and environment, health and safety issues in the country. The winning schools were announced at a ceremony held at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium, Indian High School, Dubai. The award ceremony was attended by senior officials from Shell and KHDA, representatives from the 27 participating schools, and the renowned polar explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan who made a special presentation on the urgent need to protect the environment.

The list of winning schools of the Shell Better Environment Awards 2011 include New World School under the Alternative Energy category; Zayed Bin Sultan School in the Water & Electricity category; Our Own English School and the Indian High School under the Ecological Footprint category; Haya Bint Al-Hussein School in the Global Warming category; New Arab Unity School in the Health Nutrition category; Jumeirah Model School and the Central School under the Safety at School category.

Omar Al Qurashi, Director of Communications, Shell in Dubai, said, “This cycle of Shell BEA was launched in cooperation with the Knowledge & Human Development Authority with the aim of raising awareness and inspiring the younger generation to contribute towards addressing key challenges concerning the environment, health and safety.”

“Sustainable development is integral to the way Shell does business in the UAE and throughout the world. In all our efforts to meet growing global energy demand we never lose sight of the importance of maximizing the impact of our work on the quality of life and safety of society as well as the health of the environment. The Better Environment Awards reflects our utmost commitment to safeguarding the interests of the local communities that we operate in and serve,” he added.

Fatma Al Marri Chief Executive Officer for the Schools Agency at the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said: “I strongly believe in the commitment of Shell to help create a better environment as I have been involved in various environmental programs organized by Shell when I was still a school principle in the 1996. Having witnessed the impact and the contributions of Shell towards establishing a sustainable, healthy and safe society, I am certainly very eager to continue to support and contribute towards the success of the Shell Better Environment Awards.”

As part of the preparations for this cycle of BEA, Shell conducted a series of site visits, in coordination with KHDA, to different schools in Dubai, to promote health, safety and environment (HSE) issues and encourage students to participate in programmes that support the protection of the environment. These site visits were conducted to follow up on the projects and to assess the level of awareness, at the school level, about climate change, road safety, obesity and smoking, as well as to educate students on how to achieve sustainable development goals. Shell had also organized an exhibition to showcase the projects of students participating in BEA 2011.