Under the patronage and in the presence of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, DEWA honours 13th Conservation Award school winners

AED400,000 total prizes for the winners

459 government and private educational institutions took part

Savings of 34.2 gigawatt hours of electricity, and 188 million imperial gallons, equivalent to AED 24 million

Al Khulafa'a Al Rashideen Boys School saves 48% of electricity and 44% of water

Cambridge International School wins 4 awards in 3 categories

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) have honoured winners of the 13th Conservation Award. DEWA organises the award under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The Conservation Award celebrates educational institutions that implement best practices in saving electricity and water as well as individual achievements in the educational sector.

The ceremony was attended by HE Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment;   HE Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower); HE Major General Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Bin Fahd, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Academic Affairs And Training at Dubai Police; Dr Eesa  Bastaki, President of the University of Dubai; Professor Abdullah Mohammed Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of the British University in Dubai; Ghia Al Muhairi, Director of Dubai Educational Zone; Marwan Ahmed Al Shehhi, Director of Compliance at KHDA; and a number of officials and faculty members and directors of educational institutions in Dubai.

This edition of the award achieved unprecedented savings in electricity and water use with 459 government and private schools taking part, involving 27,732 students. The award contributed to saving 34.2 gigawatt hours of electricity, and 188 million imperial gallons of water, which reduced 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to financial savings of AED 24 million. DEWA presented the winners with a total of AED400,000 in prizes.

In his keynote speech at the ceremony, which was held at Armani hotel, Dubai, Al Tayer thanked the Ministry of Education, KHDA, and the educational institutions that participated in the Conservation Award. He also commended the teachers, administrators and students for their role in achieving these remarkable results.

“The Conservation Award which attracted 459 public and private educational institutions this year, is a role model for constructive cooperation. It supports our shared vision to protect the environment and preserve natural resources, contributing to the sustainable development of the UAE. The Award’s theme ‘Together for a Sustainable Future,’ shows the importance of concerted efforts for achievements as teamwork is the foundation we follow in the UAE. As His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once said, ‘Working as a team, everybody takes part in building the UAE.’ Working together has supported Dubai’s many key achievements in its progress towards sustainability. Last month, as a result of the fruitful collaboration of DEWA, with its strategic partners: the Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Statistics Centre, and Dubai Health Authority; Dubai achieved a global success by receiving the Platinum Rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Cities certification from the US Green Building Council. This makes Dubai the first city in the Arab world MENA region to receive this global rating, which measures sustainability performance in 14 metrics covering energy, water, education, health, and safety,” said Al Tayer.

“At DEWA, we have an integrated strategy to encourage everyone to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. Our year-round conservation programmes include many innovative awareness initiatives and activities that encourage all consumers to adopt a sustainable lifestyle in electricity and water use. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world, the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce emissions by 16% by 2021, and the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce energy and water use by 30% by 2030,” he added.

“Sustainability has always been an integral part of our culture in the UAE. Our grandfathers and founding fathers cared about the environment and realised the importance of preserving its natural resources. The Conservation Award and other programmes and initiatives that we launch throughout the year contribute to promoting this culture among students and raise awareness about the importance of the rational use and conservation of natural resources. This helps raise a generation both aware and capable of taking the responsibility to lead our sustainable development. Educational institutions participating in this year’s award, achieved unprecedented results, such as savings of 34.2 gigawatt hours of electricity, and 188 million imperial gallons of water, which contributed to the reduction of 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to financial savings of AED 24 million. Over the last 13 years, the Conservation Award has achieved total savings of 283 gigawatt hours of electricity, and 1.698 billion imperial gallons of water, which contributed to reducing 152,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to financial savings of AED 192 million,” noted Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that DEWA’s conservation programmes and initiatives throughout the year achieve significant savings in electricity and water use within various stakeholder groups. Cumulative savings between 2009 and 2018 reached 2 terrawatthours (TWh) of electricity and 7.4 billion gallons of water, equivalent to AED 1.2 billion. These savings contributed to reducing one million tonnes of carbon emissions.

“The Conservation Award celebrates the best practices implemented by educational institutions to reduce electricity and water use and limit waste, but the ultimate goal is to make rational and responsible consumption a daily habit at school, home, and work. This contributes to reducing climate change and carbon emissions, preserving natural resources and ensuring their sustainability for generations to come,” concluded Al Tayer.

Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

HE Dr Al Zeyoudi applauded DEWA’s commitment to raising awareness of sustainable production and consumption that contribute to achieving sustainability across the board in line with the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021.

“Community motivational campaigns are powerful tactics in shifting the public mindset to embrace positive behaviours and involving individuals and the wider community in implementing government-led visions and strategies. The Conservation Award, organised by DEWA in partnership with the Ministry of Education and KHDA, is one of the most effective campaigns in the country in achieving this goal, as it targets youth – the strongest change agent in our sustainability efforts,” said Al Zeyoudi.

Ministry of Education

HE Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, affirmed that the Conservation Award is one of the country’s most distinct and leading initiatives that aim to promote the concept of sustainability to preserve national capacities, the sustainability of natural resources, and the reduction of electricity and water waste to the lowest levels. It is particularly important because it targets the educational community and promotes environmental awareness and culture by consolidating efforts, energies, and awareness on the importance of rationalisation.

“The volume of participation in this year’s edition of the award affirms its position among prestigious awards whose objective is to build a community-based cultural system that targets an important segment: the students. We are in close cooperation with DEWA, which is a national institution with a vision of development and sustainability, and share its vision and objectives of promoting community awareness. The curriculum of the award provides a broader perspective for the culture of young people on the need to protect the environment, biodiversity, and national resources,” said Al Hammadi.

His Excellency affirmed the importance of preparing generations conscious of their role in enhancing national gains and building on previous achievements, stressing that the Ministry of Education is keen on instilling responsibility and positive thinking in our students and schools in the UAE.

His Excellency praised the award’s achievement through its effective contribution to reducing water and electricity consumption rates in educational institutions and honoured relative individual initiatives and contributions. He also emphasised that participation in the award reflects the growth of this positive culture that the wise leadership has always sought to instil in society for successive generations to live in a sustainable environment.

KHDA

“We are proud of schools and universities who have played a pioneering role in spreading this message of sustainability. Every student who contributes towards energy conservation, both inside and outside the education community, is a champion of our future energy goals,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

“Since the inception of DEWA’s Conservation Award, students have come together with teachers and families to develop ideas that can positively contribute to our sustainable development needs. The Award puts in place a real emphasis to conserve energy and we are seeing schools and universities come up with innovative initiatives that are making change possible when it comes to being more sustainable,” added Dr Al Karam.

Winners of the 13th Conservation Award

Distinguished Education Institution in Conservation (total prizes AED230,000)

Winners in the Distinguished Education Institution in Conservation - Government Sector included Nad Al Hamar Kindergarten, Al Khulafa'a Al Rashideen Boys School, Jumeirah School for Basic Education, and Al Waha Girls' Primary and High School. Winners from the Private Sector included Dubai British Foundation Kindergarten, The Children's Garden Nursery - Al Barsha, Clarion School Dubai, Raffles International School, and Cambridge International School. Dubai Police Academy was the winner from universities and colleges, and Emirates Down Syndrome Association was the winner from People of Determination Centres.

Distinguished Conservation Leader (total prizes AED20,000)

Winners in the Distinguished Conservation Leader category included Al Ahamadiya Model School for Basic Education in the Government Sector and Cambridge International School from the Private Sector.

Distinguished Conservation Team (total prizes AED73,000)

Winners in the Distinguished Conservation Team category included Al Shrooq Kindergarten, Al Maktoum School for Basic Education, and Al Salam Girls School for Elementary & Secondary Education from the Government Sector. Winners from the Private Sector included Hemaya Schools- Kindergarten, Dubai International School - Garhoud, and American International School.

Distinguished Conservation Project (total prizes AED60,000)

Cambridge International School won the 1st and 3rd places in the Distinguished Conservation Project category, while Dubai International Academy won the 2nd place.

Best Educational Institutions in Implementing Energy Conservation Techniques (total prizes AED15,000)

During the ceremony, DEWA honoured the best educational institutions in implementing energy conservation techniques. These included Al Dhahrah School for Basic and Secondary Education, Al Ebdaa Model School, and Our Own High School- Al Warqa’a.

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