The Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah organised the closing ceremony of the eighth edition of ‘Sustainable Trees Initiative’ yesterday at the EPAA’s headquarters. The ceremony took place in the presence of Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, who honoured the winning schools and collaborating parties. The honouring ceremony also included a special exhibition, where students and members from winning schools presented their activities undertaken during the 10 consecutive day-long initiative. EPAA had launched the annual initiative under the slogan ‘Sustainable trees are a national treasure, in cooperation with the Emirates Foundation for School Education, the Sharjah Private Education Authority, and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, with the participation of 123 public and private schools. The initiative included school children of all age groups, from kindergarten to secondary education. Hana Saif Al Suwaidi said, “The initiative launched by EPAA aims to spread a culture of awareness of the importance of preserving our local beloved Al Ghaf tree, and the role of mangroves in reducing climate change, in addition, to educate and introduce students to the types of long-term trees that inhabit the local environment in the Emirate of Sharjah and across the UAE. We continue to work diligently to establish a culture of environmental awareness among all age groups of students, deeming it a vital part of the educational process.” The initiative targeted all educational levels, as the special activities programme in each stage included various activities, including planting Al Ghaf tree seedlings, acting dialogues, writing short stories about mangroves, designing brochures and posters, and writing articles about mangroves tree, visits to Khor Kalba Mangrove Centre, and other activities. t the closing ceremony of the initiative, EPAA announced the winning schools across all dominions, namely: Victoria International School from the central region in the kindergarten division, which won first place, and Sidra Private School second place. l-Sidra Private School won first place, and the National Charity School for Boys and Girls of Sharjah Al- Nasserya won second place, respectively in the first grade division. Third place in the same dominion went to Masar Private School. For the second class division, the American School of Creative Science in Maliha won the first place, while the Leaders Private School was awarded second place, and the NIMS New Indian Model School won the third place.
Source: Emirates News Agency