Dewa teaches 5,000 students value of saving power, water

The Conservation Team at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) organised 14 visits to government schools in Dubai as part of its annual participation in the Marhaba Madrasati (Welcome my School) initiative, organised by Dubai Education Zone during the new academic year. The visits are part of Dewa’s efforts to establish a culture of responsible use of resources among society members, especially students. The initiative targeted 5,000 students in kindergarten and the first grade, through interactive workshops in a simple and interesting manner, to remind them to preserve precious natural resources and avoid waste. The team also handed out gifts to the students and encouraged them to start the new academic year with positivity, interest, and perseverance.

“In order to achieve the vision of the leadership for sustainable development and transforming Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, we launch awareness initiatives and campaigns to engage all members of society in efforts to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world; the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021; and the Demand Side Management  Strategy that aims to reduce energy and water consumption by 30% by 2030,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

“Each year, Dewa organises hundreds of awareness lectures in the educational sector to introduce the new generation to the concept of sustainability, including using electricity and water responsibly, and preserving precious natural resources. Dewa participates in the Marhaba Madrasati initiative organised by the Dubai Education Zone during the first week of the school year.

“This  is an ideal opportunity for students to learn best practices to reduce electricity and water consumption and conserve natural resources for future generations to come,” said Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Government Communications at Dewa.

“The 13th Conservation Award achieved unprecedented savings in electricity and water use with 459 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 Dhs24 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 Dhs192 million,” said Amal Koshak, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Dewa.

Dewa organises the Conservation Award annually in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai to recognise the achievements of the  education sector in saving electricity and water and preserving natural resources.

Recently, Dewa revealed that 20 Emiratis visited the People’s Republic of China for two weeks as part of the ‘Ambassadors of Innovation – Leaders of the Future’ programme, which supports the UAE’s efforts to empower young people through creativity and innovation.

The programme, implemented by Dewa and the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, also supports volunteer work among the civic body’s employees whilst promoting Emirati-Chinese relations.

This follows the success of the first UAE Pioneers 2015 initiative, when Dewa sent 20 orphaned students on an educational trip to Singapore.

The Innovation Ambassadors team included 10 high school science students, five students from the Dewa Academy, and five Emirati Dewa technicians. The training areas included renewable energy generation and storage technologies, Artificial Intelligence systems, blockchain, fifth-generation network technologies, smart systems for electricity and water infrastructure, and electric vehicle technologies.