From Time to Time, YallaTeen features the work of aspiring young writers. This piece comes from Al Mamoura Academy.
Sustainability is a topic that is being discussed more and more every day and simply means avoiding using up our natural resources and to maintain an ecological balance. It also means reducing the amount non-renewable resources and replacing it with renewable resources like solar and wind power. Sustainability will help to meet our present needs without compromising the future generation of their own needs.
In the UAE, there are many sustainability projects and Masdar is perhaps the best known. Masdar hosts both national and international projects, careers, and so much more. Some of the national strategies they have done include a waste to energy project in Sharjah. Even though the project still under construction, it has already received numerous awards. It will help divert 300,000 tonnes of solid waste from landfills every year. It also helps the UAE to achieve its goal for 2021, which is to redirect 75% of solid waste from landfills. There are other projects like the Abu Dhabi Solar Rooftop Programme and the Solar Hub. Both projects are to do with increase the amount of solar energy being used in the country.
The country is doing a lot to ensure sustainability, but a country cannot do this without the help of its people. So, as UAE residents, there are many little things that we can do that aren’t too hard to implement in your life. Firstly, reduce household energy use. For example, open your curtains to allow as much natural light as possible before switching on your lights and turn off your lights when you leave a room.
You can also hang your wet clothes on a drying line or rack instead of using a dryer. You can also recycle as much as possible. Have two separate garbage bins; one for general waste and one for recycling. An easy way to live more sustainably is to conserve household water use. Things you could do are as simple as turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth and washing your hands when you’re not using the water, also to cut back on baths and take more showers. Finally, using less plastic is also a great idea. Try using a reusable produce bag at a supermarket instead of the plastic ones or try buying products that come in boxes, because cardboard doesn’t take as long as plastic to degrade.
Sustainability is important and should be implemented into our daily lives because one day we will run out of fossil fuels. The consequences of ignoring the climate are staggering. Thousands if not millions of animal species will become extinct. We will run out of lumber. We will damage the atmosphere beyond repair and all the things we rely on will disappear if we don’t act fast. And the root of that change lies in understanding and striving for sustainability in our own homes, in our communities, in our ecosystems, and around the world
Words by Janna Al Riyami, age 14, year 10, Al Mamoura Academy. Janna explains, ‘Ever since I was younger, I would ask my father why we didn’t have solar panels in our house. I also wondered why other houses didn’t use them. I used to have many ideas of creating a sustainable future for our country. Then, in Year 5 and 6, we had ‘Sustainability Weeks’ at school. Those weeks opened my eyes and I realised that it was more than just recycling and solar panels. This spark of wanting to help our environment was ignited within me. It has not been extinguished, and it is still burning inside’.
