Sharjah: Bee’ah, Sharjah based environment management company, has announced the launch of the Environmental Excellence School Award (EESA) and Inter-School Recycling Competition (ISRC), with registration now open for both competitions.

Marking a new milestone for the EESA, the annual event has expanded to schools across Abu Dhabi, making it a UAE-wide initiative. A unique addition to this year’s event is the inclusion of ‘The Great Battery Challenge’, a first-of-its-kind battery recycling competition, created through a partnership between Bee’ah and the leading, global battery manufacturer, Duracell.

Now in their ninth and sixth editions respectively, the EESA and ISRC are signature competitions of the Bee’ah School of Environment (BSOE), a unique environmental education programme developed by Bee’ah in 2010 to inspire positive environmental behaviour from a young age. Reaching more than 200,000 students and 5,000 teachers across the UAE, the programme has been hugely successful in nurturing a proactive approach to environmental challenges and encouraging environmentally conscious activities. The EESA has provided students with a platform to exhibit their own creative and innovative solutions to environmental issues, while the Sharjah-based ISRC has made students active advocates for recycling.

Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, said: “Through our competitions, we are rewarding participants for their efforts and encouraging them to raise the bar of sustainable living at their homes, in the community and across our nation”.

Great Battery Challenge

This year’s new addition was launched with the objective of championing battery recycling, sustainable practices and energy saving to protect the environment. Millions of batteries are purchased in the UAE every year, and the majority are discarded in landfills after use.

The Great Battery Challenge aims to change behaviour from a young age and promote sustainability through responsible disposal of batteries as well as demonstrating the positive effects recycling can have on the environment compared to landfilling.

The EESA will compete across several categories including film, invention, sustainable school and science experiment, for cash prizes ranging from Dh5,000 to Dh25,000. Winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on May 1 2019.

Hind Al Huwaidi, education manager at Bee’ah, said: “Through competitions like the EESA and ISRC, we have constantly motivated students to explore their full potential and find innovative solutions to pressing challenges. Pushing the bar of creativity, this year’s theme for the EESA allows students to use their love for technology to create solutions that could define their future. We have high expectations and we look forward to seeing their interpretation on this resourceful field.”

To support all participating schools in their efforts, the BSOE is conducting comprehensive training workshops. Teachers and students can register for the competitions on the BSOE’s online portal, www.bsoe.ae.