I organized a workshop to educate and involve children and youth across the UAE under the theme of Energy Conservation.

For a country as dry and resource-limited as UAE, energy conservation lies in the very roots and culture of the nation. This makes it equally necessary for energy conservation methods to be disseminated and instilled in the minds of the  young residents of the country.

One of the key examples of regional energy-saving practices was the unique heritage of architecture that allowed easy ventilation in domestic households and eliminated the need for an electric fan or air conditioner to cool off for residents.

This saved millions of units of energy per year and also reduced costs simultaneously. Later,I also explained how the dawn of modern technologies overshadowed the rich environment-friendly conservation practices and made them vanish with time.

For example, the rapid growth during the last decade has been accompanied by active construction which, in some instances, neglected the impact on the environment and human activities. The impact of developments on the traditional heritage has not been taken into consideration although the latter represents a rich resource for sustainable building practices.

Eventually, we moved to the agenda of energy conservation at the global level  and how individual action was in direct relation to it.

While discussing global action, I also cited Goal 7, 11 and 13 of the UN-formulated Sustainable Development Goals and explained the positive impacts of energy conservation towards climate action, sustainability in building and also investment in renewable energy.

My lecture concluded with new and innovative ways in which their small-scale individual action such as turning washing machines during peak hours and increased use of LED bulbs can create the big change required to achieve the future we want and need.

Simultaneously, I also conducted a poster-making contest and presentation to allow them to explain their idea of a sustainable world and what we need to make it a reality. All the participants presented their posters with prolific public speaking skills and unexampled views on the topics, exhibiting how well they had absorbed my green message.  The questioning from me and other participants helped to improve ideas into more viable forms  and also helped in generating more!

The session was winded-up with a Energy Conservation Quiz in which groups of participants competed and won prizes such as the TUNZA Eco-gen pens.

The massive success of the green workshop was evident from the pledge by the participants to be greenie-minded global citizens and ambassadors of Mother Earth who religiously followed conservation of energy techniques in day-to-day life and to spread such green  values among individuals around them.