EPAA honours Sharjah Sustainability Award winners

Sharjah / Emirates Business

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA) honoured the winners of the 4th Sharjah Sustainability Award 2016.
The award ceremony was held at the Sharjah Cultural Palace, on Thursday, and was attended by HE Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the EPAA, HE Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Sharjah Education Council, HE Abdullah Salem Al Mashwi, Director of Human Resources for the Government of Sharjah, Colonel Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, HE Mubarak Rashed Al Shamsi, and Director-General of Hamriya Municipality.
Other attendees included members of the Sharjah City Municipal Council and the Central Region, officials and employees from government departments in Sharjah, professors and faculty members of several Sharjah-based universities and students from participating schools.
The ceremony began with the national anthem, followed by a recitation from the Holy Quran, by student Omar Rashid Al Marzouqi. After that, Al Suwaidi delivered a speech, in which she said: “Environmental protection and conservation are among the critical ingredients of sustainable development and the Sharjah Sustainability Award is a platform from which we can recognise efforts being made towards developing a sense of environmental stewardship, in our communities.”
In his speech, Al Kaabi said: “The Sharjah Sustainability Award has both a national and educational value that stimulates the spirit of positive competition among various students, in schools and universities. By conducting scientific research into environmental projects, with an emphasis on produce innovation and productivity relating to natural resources and conservation, we aim to serve our environment and achieve a sustainable green future.”
Rashid Mohammed Al Marzouqi, from Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), added: “The Sharjah Sustainability Award is a fantastic initiative and SEWA is pleased to note major milestones and achievements it has delivered, in just four years. The awards stimulate student creativity and enables them to demonstrate their awareness of environmental stewardship.”
After the awards had been given, across the five different categories, students from Grade 4 at Aisha bin Othman School, sang a song titled “Beautiful Environment” that praised the beauty of the environment and the importance of conservation.
In conclusion, Al Suwaidi thanked the partners, representatives and sponsors of the event, which included: HE Saeed Al Kaabi, Sharjah Education Council; Eng. Ghada Jumaa, SEWA; Jassim Al Midfaa, Sharjah Education Zone; Ghadyja BaMakhrama, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS); Dr Mohammed Abulaish, American University of Sharjah; Dr Faiza Shadoud, University of Sharjah; Firas Al Tabaa, Skyline University College; Abdullah Al Shehhi, Emirates Photography Society; Amna Al Ghafli, Sharjah Media Corporation; Ammer Salemin Al Murri, Cinevision Art Production; and Mohammed Baniyas, Theatre Department.
Members of the Judging Panel were honoured, including Mariam Al Shamsi from Sharjah Education Council, Rashid Al Marzouqi from SEWA, Eng Ghada Jumaa from SEWA, Jassim Al Midfaa from Sharjah Education Zone, Ghadyja Bamakhrama from Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), Dr Mohammed Abulaish from the American University of Sharjah, Dr Faiza Shadoud from the University of Sharjah, Abdullah Al Shehhi from the Emirates Photography Society, and Ammer Salemin Al Murri from Cinevision Art Production.
Winners of the awards in various categories:
Al Amal School for Deaf Students was honoured in the sustainability domain in the Green School category, and Al Shola School received the award in the Biodiversity Conservation category. The Outstanding Student Efforts award went to Sama American Private School, and the winner of the award in the Rationalisation of Electricity and Water Consumption category went to the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services. Al Nawf Model School for Basic Education was selected winner in the Environmental Awareness Poster category, and student, Hassan Ahmed Al Dhahouri from Al Khalidiya Secondary School, won the award in the photography category. Lastly, a student team from Delhi Private School was selected as the winner in producing a short film on the topic of the dangers of raising predatory wild animals.
Awards to Universities:
HE Hana Al Suwaidi honoured students of Skyline University College in the Outstanding Student Team category for designing a smart application for Arabia’s Wildlife Centre, and the American University of Sharjah was honoured for developing a smart interactive map for nature reserves in Sharjah and the biodiversity in each. Students from the University of Sharjah were selected as the Outstanding Student Team in the Applied Scientific Research award category, and students from the American University of Sharjah were honoured in the Scientific Research category.
HE Hana Al Suwaidi expressed her delight in honouring the winners. She praised the huge number of entries from students, with the participation of more than 200 students and 100 coordinators.
She clarified that there are new categories in every edition of the award. She said: “The ‘short film production’ award, our new category for this year, was aimed at university students in Sharjah to discuss the risks of keeping predatory wildlife as pets and the effect it has on the health and safety of members of the community. The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness among students and youth about the dangers of keeping wildlife, and about the importance of the implementation of the Administrative Resolution No. 15 of 2014, issued by HH Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, prohibiting the breeding of dangerous animals. The resolution was issued as a result of frequent incidents encountered recently by people due to the breeding of predatory animals that were acquired illegally.”
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‬Al Suwaidi extended her thanks to the partners of EPAA for their organisation of this award: the Sharjah Education Council, Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA), Sharjah Education Zone, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah (UOS), Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah, Skyline University College, Emirates Photography Society, Sharjah Media Corporation, and Cinevision Art Production.