.DUBAI // Staff from The National will help judge a video competition that aims to raise awareness among school pupils on environmental issues.
Experts from this newspaper will join others from co-organisers Canon Middle East and Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund to judge entries to the UAE School Environmental Sustainability Competition.
To enter, private and public schools across the country must nominate a team of five pupils and an adult supervisor.
Each team must submit a 1,500-word proposal on how their school is sustainable, how they can improve their sustainability approach, and why they should win the competition.
The essay must be submitted via the Canon Middle East Facebook page by Sunday, April 19.
A panel will then judge the proposals and five schools will be shortlisted by April 23 for the finals.
The five finalists will receive a Canon LEGRIA HF R68 video camera to create and submit themed promotional videos. They will also win a trip to Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah.
Pupils in the shortlisted teams will take part in a workshop on video production, environmental conservation and social media promotion led by Canon and EWS-WWF on April 29. The deadline for submitting the promotional video is May 21, with voting via Facebook starting on May 23. The winner will be announced on May 31, and pupils from the winning school will be supported in planting a sustainable garden in their school to connect with nature and learn about local plants and water issues.
The Canon Middle East managing director, Anurag Agrawal, said environmental education was one of the most cost-effective ways of promoting long-term sustainable use of natural resources.
“We believe that to successfully move forward, sustainability must be at the core of our business,” Mr Agrawal said.
“We are committed to spearheading local initiatives that are core to our EMEA-wide business and continue inspiring younger generations to live in a pollution-free environment.”
Ida Tillisch, the director general of EWS-WWF, said: “Engaging schoolchildren creatively, and providing them with opportunities to connect to the natural system around them is key to getting them to understand and care about the environment.
“We hope this initiative will get them inspired to continue engaging with nature and its conservation, now and in the future.“
newsdesk@thenational.ae
