The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy announced that 80 schools in Abu Dhabi Emirate have been awarded financial grants ranging between AED 3000-10,000 each for establishment and management of Eco club.

Establishing successful Eco-clubs is one of the four Sustainable Schools Initiative (SSI) components. It empowers students to reach out to their parents and neighborhood about environmental issues. Sponsored by British Petroleum (BP) and supported by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, SSI was developed by EAD specifically for UAE youth.

Eduardo Goncalves, Director, Environmental Awareness Sector, EAD said: "As the leaders of tomorrow, it is critical that we engage children effectively in the environmental challenges that our society is facing. The Sustainable Schools Initiative has gone from strength to strength since we launched it last year and we believe that these grants to support Eco clubs will be fundamental in helping to change attitudes and encourage positive behaviors in our communities." "Thanks to the commitment of our partners, we are able to extend the reach of essential environmental education tools such as the Eco club. Together we are helping to engrain responsibility and community leadership in young people, ensuring that they will grow up to become positive and influential members of society and effective community environmental leaders," he added.

Dr. Lamya Faisal, Head of the Environment Programme at the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy, said: "Emirates Foundation is proud to be involved in EAD’s Sustainable Schools Initiative. The Foundation allocated AED 700,000 to fund the Eco clubs in 80 schools. The Foundation expects to engage around 1,300 students and their communities in useful and effective environmental activities. These activities will positively impact the school communities, parents and teachers." "We are also thankful to Parsons and the General Holding Company for their contribution in funding the Eco clubs. Our goal is to contribute to the positive environmental behavior of the students and encourage them to implement activities that would result in creating sustainable environmental development," she added.

Jay Pearson, General Manager of BP in Abu Dhabi, said: "Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. BP is proud to lend support to SSI as we strongly believe that this initiative will help train teachers, students and schools in a way that a quantum leap can be achieved for a sustainable future in the Emirate. This initiative targets the very heart of any sustainability debate, that of changing perceptions. It is also heartwarming to see that the Emirates Foundation has joined in this effort. Together we can empower our children for a brighter tomorrow." All schools registered under the Sustainable School Initiative have to set up an Eco club to translate awareness into action and to reach out to their parents and neighborhoods.

Students in SSI schools also have to measure their schools’ environmental impacts and then set targets to address this impact. Also, schools are helped to train their teachers to deliver environmental education programmes and to help students experience nature through field trips.

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