Sharjah

Seven Sharjah schools along with three individual pupils won cash prizes and trophies for raising environmental awareness on Sunday.

A total of 11 awards — hand-picked by judges from more than 250 submissions — were handed out to schoolchildren from kindergarten all the way up to Grade 12. The ceremony was held at a Sharjah auditorium.

Now in their seventh cycle, the Environment Awareness Awards are organised by Bee’ah, a Sharjah-based waste management body.

Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, better known as the ‘Green Shaikh’ for his environmental work, addressed the students.

“We cannot have zero waste,” said Al Nuaimi, who is a nephew of Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman. “It’s impossible. But we can reduce it to a minimum.”

The activist noted the UAE faced “a lot of challenges” in its efforts to help preserve the environment — including scarce water, food wastage, and a general reluctance to recycle.

But saving the planet is also a unifying cause, he added. “We can bring Muslims, Christians, other traditions, other faiths together. Because faith moves mountains.”

After more speeches, beaming pupils were called up on a gleaming green stage.

The winning school groups had been judged for their attempts to raise awareness for this year’s competition theme: ‘Climate Change caused by Air Pollution.’

One student’s environmental efforts won him first place and Dh10,000 in prize money for ‘outstanding individual achievement.’

“I’m going to save it for my higher education,” said Rohan Kapur, a student from the Sharjah branch of the Delhi Private School. “I plan to do [a degree] in environmental engineering.”

For him, winning the prize money was no easy feat.

Over the past year, the 16-year-old has led fellow students to plant 64 trees in Sharjah, and run environment-themed art competitions and quizzes.

He also led an e-waste recycling campaign that saw students hand over old mobile phones, chargers, batteries, and old televisions.

Hafsa Areen and Harshith Belagur won the second and third place, respectively, in the individual student’s award.

This year’s instalment of the event also marks the fourth year that Bee’ah orchestrated a competition for recycling waste.

For this competition, 107 schools took part in three categories, based on school size. The Sharjah branch of the Delhi Private School won first prize in the largest school category by collecting an impressive 30 tonnes of recyclable material.

Fatima Al Zahra School was the ‘medium-size’ school winner by collecting 17 tonnes, while the Al Sahwa School, in the smallest schools category, collected 11 tonnes.

All schools in Sharjah, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, were eligible to join the competition.

In the youngest category, the Awf Ibn Al Harith School won first place and the Maryam Primary School won second place for putting on the best plays about the environment.

For Grades 7 to 12, the top prize for Best Environmental Solution for a working invention or prototype went to the Sharjah American International School.

The girl’s branch of the New Filipino Private School came in second place.

The boy’s branch of the New Filipino Private School and the Sharjah branch of the Delhi Private School won third and fourth place, respectively.

Anjum Hasan won first place in the individual teacher’s award, while Rashida Adel came in second. They received trophies and certificates.