Year of Sustainability 2024 unveils 'Sustainability Champions Society' to engage the public in sustainable action

Abu Dhabi [UAE], March 8: Following the announcement by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to extend the Year of Sustainability into 2024, the initiative reveals its tagline "Plan to Action" with the aim to engage the public through planned activations in four key focus areas: on green transportation, water and energy reduction, responsible consumption and planting wisely.
The team leading the initiative revealed its first activation - the launch of the Sustainability Champions Society - a platform inviting sustainability enthusiasts of all ages to share their stories nationwide and join the Year of Sustainability in events, initiatives, and gatherings across the Emirates throughout the year. All ideas for impactful activities, innovative initiatives, and community-driven projects are welcomed and can be shared by filling out the form on the official Year of Sustainability website https://uaeyearof.ae/champions.
"We want to build upon the success of last year's initiative and continue the momentum towards sustainable behaviour change by taking into account everything we learnt last year. We saw an opportunity for increased on-ground activations owing to a public desire to be part of the change. There is a deeper understanding now of what changes we need to make collectively, as well as greater research that indicates an impactful shift towards embracing sustainability as a life-long commitment," said Eisa Alsubousi, Project Lead of the Year of Sustainability.
"Our aim is to catalyse sustainable action by bringing together all those who call the UAE home towards this common goal through community engagement, on-ground activations and enhanced cooperation with public and private entities towards sustainability leadership. It is through this collective, concerted effort - inspired by our inherited values of sustainability - that we can truly have a positive impact on climate change and achieve a prosperous future for the next generation," Alsubousi added.
The Year of Sustainability team will be unrolling various activations throughout 2024. These include meaningful collaborations with government, private and public entities through a focus on building sustainability leadership. In addition, the initiative will also be hosting several community events and on-ground activations, such as Duroor Nights, Sustainability Stops, Farm To Haseer, and many more, designed to engage the public towards sustainable behaviour change.
In addition, the Year of Sustainability will also be engaging the public in legacy projects that were developed during the 2023 Year of Sustainability. One such project is the "Material Lab", a collaborative model for sustainable production launched by the Year of Sustainability team, through which it engages UAE-based creatives, innovators and businesses to rethink production and design, from conception to manufacturing. The programme's two-tiered approach consisted of Sustainable Production and Repurposing Materials that emphasised on material innovation and reusing existing resources and materials.
Furthermore, the Year of Sustainability is set to launch a unique experience for younger audiences that will be used as a visual learning tool across classrooms to educate students in learning how to respond to environmental challenges through innovative problem-solving skills.
Throughout 2023, the Year of Sustainability initiative promoted collective sustainable action change through a range of community-driven initiatives and sustainability-themed activities rooted in the UAE's heritage, focusing on three focus areas: responsible consumption, conservation and climate action.
For instance, the Year of Sustainability team developed three sustainability guides designed to encourage the public to adopt more sustainable habits through practical advice, expert insights and helpful information to inspire collective action. In a nation-wide effort, the initiative also hosted several on-ground activations including mangrove-planting events for the public, to encourage conservation practices. In alignment with the UAE's agenda, the Year of Sustainability also worked with the COP28 team to host community-action events known as PopCOPs, as well as showcased the nation's deeply-rooted values of sustainability at the UAE House of Sustainability and the Actionists' Hub.
Source: Emirates News Agency