Shell announces winners of Better Environment Awards for 2007-2008

The announcement was made at a ceremony held under the patronage of UAE Education Minister Dr. Haneef Hasan and attended by Mosbeh Al Noeimi, General Manager of the Ministry of Education, Omar Al Qurashi, Communications Manager of Shell, and Basil Shaaban, Formula 3 driver.

The BEA, UAE's premier platform to tackle and raise awareness on environmental issues, focused on three themes: Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). Schools across the UAE participated in the contest, submitting project proposals on home safety, road safety, global warming, energy, obesity, and smoking.

In addition to the awards ceremony, students also organized an exhibition to display their projects based on the different themes of the award.

"This is the twelfth year in which we cooperated with Shell within this unique educational framework," Ministry of Education General Manager Mosbeh Al Noeimi said.

"Shell gave all our students a distinguished opportunity to find creative solutions to tackle issues they face in their daily lives in the areas of driving, energy and health. The award helps spread awareness in our society and sheds light on important issues like water and energy rationing, recycling to protect the environment, safe driving on roads, and the risks that smoking causes to health".

Shell's BEA for 2007-2008 was held in cooperation with some Environment Specialists which through their experience helped develop the "Environment" category of the award as well as Zayed International Prize for the Environment, and Dubai Health Authority, which developed the "Health" category.

"Shell constantly works to provide the best for the UAE society by supporting initiatives that encourage mental, professional and cultural creativity," said Omar Al Qurashi, Communications Manager, Shell. "There has been a remarkable progress in student creativity this year as compared to previous years. These high standards have been developed as a result of a consistent increase in commitment, innovation, and content each year. This shows the maturity of the BEA program".

Al Qurashi added: "We thank the Ministry of Education for its longstanding cooperation with us, and we look forward to the award developing further and also to the implementation of the projects proposed by the students".

In a presentation on safe driving, Formula 3 Driver Basil Shaaban explained how people can drive safely and avoid accidents through the use of seat belts, the avoidance of high speeds and anything that might endanger life during driving.

This year the BEA segregated the levels and standards of the competition to focus primarily on projects that suit the students' age and level of education.

The judging committee planned a surprise visit to government and private, primary and secondary schools across the UAE to see them in action and to review their progress.

The judging panel included representatives from the Ministry of Education, Dubai Health Authority, Zayed Environmental Prize and Shell.