Bohra community hosts Green drive for World Environment Day in UAE

The Dawoodi Bohra community across the UAE successfully organised a Dawoodi Bohra Green Drive on Sunday to mark World Environment Day. The event was organized to promote sustainable living and raise awareness of the importance of taking care of the environment and tackling climate change.

The Dawoodi Bohra EV Club — featuring Electric Vehicles & Hybrid Vehicles — led a 300+ km green drive across four community centers in Ajman, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.

The event included inspirational talks in the four Dawoodi Bohra community centers on living more sustainable lifestyles, followed by an opportunity for community members to drop off their plastic, paper, and e-waste for recycling.

More than 350 kgs of recyclable E-waste was collected across the UAE.

The event was part of the Dawoodi Bohra’s Green Hand Initiative, which promotes environmental sustainability in the UAE through collective action for a greener tomorrow.

The Green Hand initiative is inspired by the UAE's Year of Sustainability and in support of the upcoming COP28 UN climate change conference, taking place at Dubai Expo city later this year.

Various experts from government and non-government organisations were present at each community centre to share their knowledge and experience in the environmental field.

In Sharjah, more than 500 children aged five to 15 years from the Dawoodi Bohra community, created artwork on the themes of sustainability and environment for an art competition to mark World Environment Day 2023.

In his address to members present at the Dubai community centre, Peter Farrington, Principal
Environmental Studies and Research Specialist from Dubai Municipality, said, “I’ve had the honour of witnessing the remarkable efforts by Dawoodi Bohra volunteers in terms of promoting environmental sustainability. The activities, functions and themes organised by various groups are truly inspiring, and I am sure these efforts to fight climate change will continue to evolve, focusing on engaging every member, including children, in adopting a sustainable lifestyle.”

Mustafa Fefco, a coordinator of the event, said, “The Dawoodi Bohras are grateful to all community members who participated in the event and who are contributing towards building a greener future. We hope that this initiative will inspire others to take action towards protecting our environment.”

Maria Poonawala, a student from Abu Dhabi said, “Although we do talk about World Environment Day every year at school, and in various social clubs within students, and hear about it in the media, It struck me way more this time and made me realize it's importance and significance in our lives.”

Nine-year-old Burhanuddin Saif from Sharjah said, “I took part in an art competition on sustainability and learnt that our planet is like a big family and we all have a duty to take care of it. I learnt that even small things like picking up trash or planting a tree can make a big difference.