Recipients of the Shell Better Environment Award 2006 honoured by UAE Minister of Education

Organised jointly with the UAE Ministry of Education, the Award promotes awareness on the importance of the environment, its protection and care, by encouraging students to collectively plan and implement environment-related projects.

Five schools out of the 15 institutions competing in the Environmental Field Study category were declared winners of the Shell BEA 2006. Muaad Bin Jabal High School from the Sharjah Educational Zone and Al Falah Secondary School from the Western Educational Zone bagged the first prize jointly. The second prize was shared by Aisha Bint Othman School from the Sharjah Educational Office and Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal Secondary School from the Sharjah Educational Zone while Falaj Al Mualla School from Umm Al Quwain Educational Zone, won the third spot. The finalists were selected by a 12-member panel of judges comprising representatives of educational and environmental institutions, experts and officials from Shell companies.

Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Dr Hanif Hassan, who was present at the ceremony, Abdullah Bilal Al Shamsi, Director of Students and Scouting Activities, UAE Ministry of Education said: "The future of our planet rests in the hands of today's youth. As responsible denizens of this earth, it is binding upon us to impress upon the younger generations, the importance of taking care of their environment through judicious exploitation of resources, sustainable socio-economic development, use of clean technologies and preservation of the region's diverse flora and fauna."

"Under the farsighted leadership of its founding father, the late President of the UAE, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE pioneered initiatives to preserve, nurture and regenerate the local and regional environment. The Shell Better Environment Award scheme is a welcome addition to the ongoing environmental conservation efforts in the country, and the Ministry of Education is happy to extend its support and participate in this laudable programme aimed at enhancing eco-consciousness and fostering collective action among the country's students," Al Shamsi added.

The 10th edition of the Shell BEA received a huge response this year, with a total of 187 public sector schools enrolling for the scheme. Out of these, 106 participating schools were short-listed for receiving cash grants from Shell for implementation of their projects. Sixteen schools were short-listed in the category titled 'Towards Sustainable Less Polluting Forms of Transportation' along with another 75 schools in the Environmental Awareness Campaign category.

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Head of External Affairs and HSSE (Health, Safety, Security and Environment), Shell said: "The Shell Better Environment Award has emerged as one of the foremost initiatives for promoting environment preservation in the UAE, and demonstrates the company's commitment to the UAE, its people and its environment. Over the years, Shell has initiated and backed various schemes such as the entrepreneurship development Intilaaqah programme and Enviro-Spellathon, the environmental education programme, to develop the potential of young people in the communities in which it operates, thus helping to nurture a generation of future leaders and responsible citizens. "

Congratulating the recipients of the Award, he added: "Shell will expand the scope of the Award by relaunching it this September, to include the themes of Health, Safety, Environment and Social Performance to the existing categories. By encouraging students to collectively work on projects that focus on the urgent need for protecting the environment and sustaining development, and by rewarding them for their efforts, the Award helps Shell fulfill its Corporate Social Responsibility."

Prizes were also awarded in the education zones category, for schools that put together the best Environmental Exhibitions as part of the Shell BEA initiative. In this group, the Western Educational Zone and the Sharjah Educational Office won the first prize jointly. Umm Al Quwain Educational Zone shared the second place with Ras Al Khaimah Educational Zone while the third prize was bagged by Sharjah Educational Zone.

The Shell Better Environment Award is organised in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Education and enjoys the support of the Federal Environment Agency, the UAE General Secretariat of Municipalities, the Environmental Agency, Emirates Heritage Club, The Abu Dhabi Environmental Authority and Zayed International Prize for the Environment.