March 3rd, 2015: Canadian University Dubai (CUD) professor, Dr. Rami El Khatib, was invited to share his environmental expertise at the Dubai leg of the Waste Free Environment (WFE) campaign held recently at the City’s Al Mamzar beach.
Hosting an awareness-raising session that highlighted the importance of recycling, Dr. El Khatib addressed 800 volunteers, including students from 17 schools at the campaign event, which was part of the global WFE initiative running across 18 locations in 13 cities throughout the GCC, India and Europe.
The event was inaugurated by the UAE Minister of Environment, His Excellency Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, who spoke about the importance of strengthening cooperation in the reuse and recycling of waste, in line with the agenda of UAE Vision 2021.
Hosted by Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the event attracted 660 children from local schools who joined with other volunteers to collect waste from the shoreline of Al Mamzar beach. Alongside the clean-up, the event placed a strong emphasis on educating the public about responsible waste disposal, and tackling the challenges associated with plastic litter.
As Chair of CUD’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Dr. El Khatib is a recognized local expert in the field, and was called upon by GPCA to present the awareness-raising session, in which he revealed the significance of recycling to future environmental sustainability.
Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary General of GPCA said, “At its core, WFE is a campaign that revolves around education, as litter is fast becoming a pressing environmental issue that can only be solved if people are engaged in the 4 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover. We are grateful for the participation of so many students, and are hopeful that these young minds make habits of the lessons learned.”
Gallery
