DEWA to observe Earth Hour on 28 March

DUBAI, 19th March, 2015 (WAM)--Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has stated that DEWA is part of Dubai’s efforts to raise environmental awareness. This supports its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility. Al Tayer noted that DEWA is organising the Earth Hour based on the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. At a press conference at Armani Hotel, in Downtown Dubai, Al Tayer announced that Earth Hour will be organised on Saturday, 28 March 2015 at Bay Avenue Park in Dubai from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Dubai is joining 7,000 cities worldwide in observing Earth Hour, which is the largest environmental event worldwide. The press conference was attended by Mohammed bin Essa, Executive Director of Retail and Commercial at Masat Property Management, which is managing Dubai Properties Group’s portfolio, on behalf of Arif Mubarak, the company’s CEO, Ida Tillisch, Director General of Emirates Wildlife Society in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, Stephane Le Gentil, CEO of Etihad Energy Services, Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Amal Koshak, Senior Manager of Marketing Communications at DEWA, representatives of government and private organisations in Dubai, and the media. Al Tayer invited all Dubai’s residents to actively participate in Earth Hour, which DEWA is organising under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, in partnership with the Emirates Wildlife Society in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund, and with the support of Masat Property Management. Earth Hour will be organised at Bay Avenue Park from 5:00pm. Al Tayer also called upon Dubai residents to be part of the Earth Hour walk, which will start at 8:30pm. "Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has laid down the foundations for a sustainable future for present and future generations through a vision, creative initiatives, and quality programmes. The directions of His Highness have been translated into real initiatives with close follow-up from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which has helped Dubai to become a world model for clean and renewable energy, sustainability, and other environmental issues that are of interest to governments and individuals alike," said Al Tayer. "Organising this important event, under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, in partnership with the Emirates Wildlife Society and in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund, and with the support of Dubai Properties Group, supports our efforts to achieve the UAE Vision 2021, and the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative to make the UAE one of the global leaders of sustainability and a hub for the export and re-export of green products and technologies, while maintaining a sustainable environment that supports long-term economic growth. It also complements our efforts to achieve the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030. In this context, DEWA recently increased the renewable energy target in Dubai’s energy mix to 7% by 2020 and 15% by 2030," he added. "I would like to emphasise the need to combine the efforts of individuals, and government and private organisations to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart, integrated, and connected city whose resources are sustainable. The collective efforts will conserve energy and will help reduce the carbon footprint, create a sustainable future for coming generations, and promote the Emirate as a global hub for trade, finance, tourism, green economy, and sustainability. In this context, I am pleased to say that DEWA, as a socially-responsible organisation, is leading Dubai’s efforts to raise public awareness on environmental issues and sustainability," he added. "Our efforts at DEWA are not only limited to supporting national efforts to achieve the sustainable development of Dubai and the UAE, but also extend far beyond that. DEWA has become a key element in supporting global efforts to develop sustainable solutions for climate change and global warming. In this framework, we sent five of our staff to Antarctica, earlier this month, as part of the 2041 International Antarctic Expedition, which is organised by 2041. The expedition highlights the effects of global warming and raises awareness on the need to protect Antarctica from drilling, mining and other activities. It also underlines environmental phenomena that result from climate change." Al Tayer noted that Dubai was the first Arab city to participate in Earth Hour in 2008, underlining its leadership in supporting and incubating initiatives and events that promote public awareness on environmental issues and support the sustainable development of the UAE, the region, and the world. "DEWA achieved significant results in reducing electricity use over the past 6 years, at 1,163 GWh of electricity and 5.4 billion imperial gallons of water. This is equivalent to Dh 752 million, and over 536,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions." "During Earth Hour 2014, we managed to reduce electricity use by 255MWh and 153 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in just one hour. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once observed, "Success is not a destination, but a journey. Each time that you reach a summit on this journey, you must look ahead to the next one." Similarly, we look forward to increasing savings during Earth Hour 2015. In this regard, I would like to commend the important and key role the media plays in raising environmental awareness and in supporting our efforts to communicate the message of Earth Hour to everyone. We thank you and really appreciate your efforts," he concluded. "On behalf of our parent company Dubai Properties Group, we at MASAT are privileged to be working with DEWA and EWS-WWF for the second year running to support this important global initiative. Climate change is everyone’s responsibility and we are committed to helping our communities better understand how they can reduce their ecological footprint. We are doing this through a number of methods including the implementation of enhanced metering system to drive awareness of energy consumed by individual home users within our communities. Along with hosting the Earth Hour event at one of our flagship properties, Bay Avenue, we are encouraging the 55,000 residents in our communities to be a part of this movement," said Mubarak. "It is an exciting time of year, and it is really wonderful to see individuals and businesses from all sectors participating in Earth Hour year on year. Earth Hour will not be the success that we know it to be without their efforts. I would like to thank DEWA and its partners for leading Earth Hour in Dubai, and for using their power to mobilise UAE society towards a more sustainable future. Climate Change is a global threat that will affect each and every one of us, and will require united action from us all, which is what Earth Hour is all about. Earth Hour is the perfect time to renew our commitment to do everything we can to protect our planet," said Tillisch. "By organising Earth Hour, we look forward to enhancing public awareness about environmental sustainability and encouraging individual and organisation to embrace environmentally-friendly practices that help to reduce electricity and water use. This will help limit the negative effects of climate change," said Koshak. "Society’ participation should not be limited to reducing its use of electricity and water on a certain day or for a certain hour during the year. What we look forward to is a responsible lifestyle in using precious natural resources, and adopting this lifestyle every day at home, in the office, and anywhere. Collective efforts enable us to achieve sustainability in all aspects of life," added Koshak. Earth Hour activities will include various entertaining and family activities including clowns, stilt-walking, flower displays, face painting, entertaining contests, souvenirs, heritage activities, and a traditional food corner. Children will also celebrate the first anniversary of DEWA’s conservation mascots Noor and Hayat. Dubai is hoping to achieve a new world record during the event by displaying the largest infinity mirror that is lit by LED lamps. The mirror creates a series of endless reflections although it is only a few centimetres thick. Earth Hour is one of the largest environmental events in the world, where millions of people get together to meet threats to planet Earth that result from wrong and irresponsible practices in using natural resources. Participants switch off lights and unnecessary appliances for one hour to underline the need to embrace a sensible community and culture of energy conservation. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/general/1395278133152.html