ABU DHABI, UAE (22 January, 2015)—More than 3,000 students attended the 2015 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) held in Abu Dhabi, 17-24 January. Masdar—Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company—is committed to educating children about sustainability and the most recent advancements in clean energy to inspire their interest in science and technology.
“Every year we invite students to Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and introduce them to our various clean energy projects,” said Mahra Al Qassimi, director of marketing and corporate communications at Masdar. “This is an excellent platform for them to learn more about pioneering energy and clean technology solutions being developed, especially as ADSW 2015 marks the start of the UAE’s ‘Year of Innovation.’”
The UAE Year of Innovation is a federal strategy designed to incorporate a spirit of innovation across all sectors of society, including renewables, transport, water and education, and reinforce the country’s position as one of the world’s most technologically advanced and progressive.
This edition of ADSW included a new education program for students called Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Schools (ADSWS), an emirate-wide initiative involving thousands of students from 30 public and private schools that increases awareness of sustainability through hands-on projects. Through ADSWS, students learned how to build a model green home for a family of five and a model solar-powered car which teaches the basics of energy generation, conversion and efficiency.
ADSW is a global platform that addresses the interconnected challenges that affect the widespread acceleration and adoption of sustainable development and clean energy. To seriously address the global energy challenge, the relationships between economic development, poverty eradication, energy security, water scarcity and climate change cannot be overlooked. ADSW, the largest gathering on sustainability in the history of the Middle East, encourages actionable outcomes to carve a pathway toward sustainability worldwide.