To celebrate Arab Environment Day, over 5,000 energy-saving light bulbs are being handed out this weekend in Ras Al Khaimah as part of a continuing outreach initiative by ‘Heroes of the UAE’ . This inspirational campaign was developed to tackle the UAE’s ecological footprint, climate change and rising energy demand and is part of an ongoing series of activities throughout the UAE.
Organised by the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) and the Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority (RAK EPDA), the awareness event will take place in Manar Mall, Ras Al Khaimah, from 11.00am - 11.00pm on October 15th 2009.
The aim of the initiative is to encourage sustainable living, urging local residents to take direct action at home by installing energy-saving light bulbs as a first step to reduce their own household carbon footprint. Remarkably, if all 5,000 energy-saving light bulbs replace existing traditional light bulbs, the potential carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions savings will be equivalent to taking 250 cars off the road.
“Over 80% of the UAE’s footprint is related to CO2 emissions mainly due to energy consumption, with lighting an important contributor,” commented Razan al Mubarak, Managing Director, EWS-WWF “We are visiting Ras Al-Khamiah as part of our ongoing road show to galvanise all of the UAE in the fight against climate change.”
Commenting on the event, Dr Saif Al Ghais, Director of RAK EPDA stated;
“We are delighted to bring the Heroes of the UAE campaign to the residents of Ras Al Khaimah. Our emirate is developing rapidly and we are facing rising demand for energy from all sectors of society. Individuals can make a huge difference by conserving energy in their households and I would encourage every resident to contribute by implementing the energy saving tips of the heroes campaign.”
During the promotion, campaign volunteers will be on hand to distribute the ‘Heroes’ energy-saving light bulbs, provide useful information and energy conservation tips to visitors of Manar Mall, and encourage visitors to take a personal pledge to reduce their household energy consumption. They will be stationed on the ground floor of Manar Mall by the main entrance and everyone is welcome to visit the stand and receive a free energy-saving light bulb.
Mubarak continued: “We hope as many people as possible will come visit our volunteers at the ‘Heroes of the UAE’ stand and take away energy-saving light bulbs to install in their own home. It’s just one very simple action where we can all join in the fight against climate change, and know that we are making a real difference.“We look forward to continuing the implementation of the campaign in Ras Al Khaimah and other emirates in the future as well as helping local communities to live more sustainable lifestyles.”
As part of an ongoing commitment across all levels of UAE society, the initiative will be launching a water awareness drive, a schools engagement phase as well as initiatives tackling the private sector and government institutions in coming months. The campaign was developed in association with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and has been endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Energy, and sponsored by the ADWEA, Masdar and the Abu Dhabi Media Company.