Heroes of the UAE Energy & Water Reduction Competition comes to an end

As part of the School Heroes campaign, EWS-WWF organised an Energy & Water Reduction Competition inviting all government and private schools in the UAE to participate. This competition, generously sponsored by HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd and supported by the Ministry of Education and Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, aimed to raise awareness among students of the urgent need to conserve energy and water as a way to mitigate the impact of Climate Change on our planet.

More than 70 schools from all over the UAE participated in the competition that took place over a period of three months. Participating teams were expected to come up with innovative methods for conserving energy and water in their schools as demonstrated by their utility bills for February, March, and April 2010. Consumption units in these three months were then compared with the respective months in 2009 to identify how awareness and behavioral changes could have a positive impact on our consumption habits.

A panel of judges comprising representatives from HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd, the UAE Ministry of Education, and EWS-WWF had a tough time choosing the winners from the entries received. After some heavy deliberation, winners and runners-up from the three categories were eventually decided. The winners were awarded an Energy & Water makeover for their school, worth AED100,000, while the runners-up were given laptops for their schools.

The quality of entries received was a clear indication of the keen interest among students to bring about positive changes in their environment through simple modifications in their behavior coupled with basic technological innovations. Students also commented on an increased sense of team-spirit among themselves while carrying out these activities and their willingness to gently switch to a more sustainable lifestyle to ensure longevity of our planet’s resources.

This competition concluded on May 31st.

Winners in the three categories were:

Private School category :

Winner - Al Shoala School, Sharjah

1st Runner up – Raffles International School, Dubai

2nd Runner-up – Our Own English High School, Sharjah

Government Schools (Boys)

Winner – Ibn Al Haitham Intermediate School, Ajman

1st Runner-up –Al Halaa School for Boys, Fujairah

2nd Runner-up – Al Rams School Secondary School, RAK

Government Schools (Girls)

Winner – Al Zawra Intermediate School, Ajman

1st Runner-up – Idhin School for girls, RAK

2nd Runner-up – Sheikha bint Saeed School for girls, Ajman

At a grand ceremony organised by the Ministry of Education on June 22-24, 2010, at the University City Hall, Sharjah, the winners received their prizes from the Acting Director of Schools, H.E. Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi.