Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) organised an induction workshop to familiarise educational institutions with the criteria of the 12th Conservation Award for the academic year 2017-2018, under the slogan “Together for a sustainable future”. The Award is held in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai Energy Efficiency Program (Taqati), and Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO). The workshop was attended by 40 educational institutions, representing all educational stages, from kindergarten to college, in addition to adult learning centres, and centres for people of determination.
The workshop aimed to introduce the four award categories which are: Distinguished Educational Institution in Conservation, Distinguished Conservation Leader, Distinguished Conservation Team, and Distinguished Conservation Project, which motivates students from high schools and universities to present innovative projects in water and electricity conservation at the premises of their respective educational institution. This has been developed in line with Dubai Government’s vision, which supports innovation and involving the youth in achieving sustainable development. The winning project will receive an award worth AED 25,000.
“The Conservation Award sets an example for collaboration between the public and private entities and institutions in Dubai. This comes in line with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. We are pleased to have a fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Education and KHDA, to support the objectives of the long term national initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to build a green economy in the UAE under the theme ‘Green economy for sustainable development’, and to achieve the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 to have a sustainable environment in terms of air quality, and the conservation of water resources, and increasing dependency on clean energy and applying green development. This also supports the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai a smart sustainable city, with clean, healthy and sustainable environmental elements, and the Carbon Abatement Strategy, to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
Al Tayer highlighted that during the past eleven years, these joint efforts have resulted in impressive outcomes, with the participation of 443 educational institutions in Dubai. Thus far, DEWA has delivered 1,421 sessions and workshops to approximately 334,000 students. The total savings achieved by the educational institutions, from 2007 until last year, is 157GW/h and 1,400,000,000 gallons in water consumption, which is enough to fill 2,504 Olympic swimming pools. This contributed to reducing nearly 90,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to planting 102,000 trees. These cumulative savings in electricity and water are worth approximately AED 122 million.
During the workshop, Taqati and Etihad ESCO gave an introductory presentation to help the educational institutions increase their energy efficiency, through retrofitting building services, using solar energy, and applying smart technology solutions, to contribute to the conservation of energy.
The Award team also provided a detailed explanation on how to register for the award, its conditions, and the required technical and awareness standards, as well as the valuable cash prizes offered for the winners in each category. The team urged educational institutions, students, members of educational institutions, and administrators, to participate effectively in the award, to achieve its objectives. The award aims to promote rational lifestyles, as well as applying best practices in the fields of conservation and energy efficiency.
The Conservation Award aims to honour educational institutions in Dubai for their efforts to reduce electricity and water consumption. The Award also recognises the efforts of individuals in educational institutions, including students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
To register for the award and for more information, please visit the Conservation Award’s section on DEWA’s website www.dewa.gov.ae