The Clean up UAE campaign by EEG

EEG (the Emirates Environmental Group) recently conducted the 20^th ‘Clean Up UAE’ drive under the leadership of the distinguished Patronage of Ministry of Climate Change and Environment with contributions from the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services.

This was a major event in the campaign with the participation of more than 1200 people in Maliha Sharjah. In total, there 1005 kg of waste was collected over an area of 5km. They further helped in segregating paper and plastic for recycling. 150 kg of paper and 35 kg of plastic was removed from the total waste and was sent to be recycled. I had the privilege of being involved with EEG during the time I lived in Dubai and have participated in previous clean up drives and other campaigns. Seeing the progress and increase in members in the time I have been out of the country is amazing.

It started as a formal event with speeches by the chairperson, Ms. Habiba Al Mar’ashi and the vice-chair. The even was also graced with the presence of the deputy director of Al Mileha Municipality. The volunteers were given special T-shirts and caps to commemorate the occasion. Another highlight of the event was a performance by the Sharjah Police band and a special performance by children from the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services.

There was an eye for sustainability throughout the campaign with the participants making sure to clean up after themselves as well. Rather than using disposable gloves, reusable cotton gloves were used and normal trash bags were replaced with biodegradable garbage bags. Even the food and drink services were chosen to support local businesses including Oasis water, Lacnor Juice and Royal Bakers.

The primary goal of the campaign has always been to educate the people living in the Emirates about the issues that arise with the improper disposal of waste. The vice-chair of EEG, Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Midfaa also mentioned how this is only the beginning of the campaign and the EEG and volunteers span over all the emirates. They aim to cover the next 6 emirates as well in the coming future.

Another commendable contribution was the fact that there was representation from the academic, government, and private sectors to ensure a full contribution. These members took absence from work and participated in the clean up drive under the hot sun with the idea of reaching closer to the environmental sustainability goals of the country.

Some of the major organizations that took part in the campaign included Zurich Middle East and National Food Products Company. Reena Vivek, the CEO of Zurich mentioned how in her company, sustainability is a mindset and this was seen through their partnership with EEG. Another major partnership was that between the Oasis Kids Council for the Environment and EEG. The CEO of National Food Products Company, Mr. Ali Bin Hamoodah expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and shared his ideals with the volunteers. He believes that it is our duty to embark on this long-term mission to reach sustainability to inspire the youth for a healthier tomorrow. He believes that we should lead by example, and the awareness and education that the ‘Clean Up UAE’ campaign promotes is a great first step in taking action and setting a milestone in not only the Emirates or the Middle East region but the whole world!