British Council and HSBC foster environmental leaders for Qatar's future

The "Sustainability Champions" programme touches upon the themes of energy, water and waste management and hopes to help offset Qatar's high carbon emissions and water consumption by educating young students on environmental sustainability.

"Qatar faces great environmental challenges, and it is important for us to help raise awareness among tomorrow's leaders around the importance of maintaining their environment for a sustainable future", commented Mr. Martin Hope, Director of the British Council in Qatar.

Hope later added that "The British Council is committed to making a difference within its local community, and it is a privilege to have a hand in empowering these children to make a difference by developing their skills and knowledge".

These first workshops focus on the "Energy" strand of the programme and bring together a group of carefully selected students from eight schools to learn from energy specialists brought in from the UK. The workshops will touch upon important issues such as the effects of climate change on energy production and aim to teach basic energy saving skills that can be used in their daily lives.

Mr Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Qatar, emphasised the need for environmental awareness amongst younger generations, stating: "At HSBC our approach is to partner with institutions that are making a difference in the community. Our partnership with the British Council in this worthy environmental education project will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the youth in Qatar over the long-term. We are very excited to see how the programme will influence the understanding and behaviour of the students involved."

These students will leave the workshop as the first "Sustainability Champions" in Qatar, tasked with the dissemination of the vital information they gained to their fellow students. Participating schools will compete against one another by implementing environmental initiatives following each workshop.

The programme comes at a very opportune moment, just as the country prepares to host this years Conference of Parties (COP18), and endeavours to establish itself as a leader in sustainable development, in keeping with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Developed through the British Council's Science in Schools programme, the "Sustainability Champions" series will continue over the coming months with water and waste management workshops to be held at various schools in Qatar.

The initiative will culminate with a graduation event and awards ceremony in April 2013, celebrating Qatar's Sustainability Champions and awarding prizes to individual competition winners and the overall winning school.