Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Hanif Hassan, the UAE Minister of Education, a formal ceremony was held in April to announce winners of Shell’s Better Environment Award 2006 (BEA 2006).

The ceremony was attended by Hussain Al Mahmoudi, External Affairs and HSSE Manager, Shell Markets, and representatives of the UAE Ministry of Education, the Federal Environment Agency, the UAE General Secretariat of Municipalities, the Environment Agency, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi Environment Authority and Zayed International Prize for the Environment.

Organised jointly between Shell and the UAE Ministry of Education, the award promotes awareness of the importance of environment protection by encouraging students to collectively plan and implement environment-related projects.

The first prize was jointly awarded to Muaad Bin Jabal High School from the Sharjah Educational Zone and Al Falah Secondary School from the Western Educational Zone. The second prize was shared by Aisha Bint Othman School and Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal Secondary School, both from the Sharjah Educational Zone.

The third prize went to Falaj Al Mualla School from the Umm Al Quwain Educational Zone. The finalists were selected by a twelve-member panel of judges comprising representatives of educational and environmental institutions, experts and officials from Shell.

Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Hanif Hassan, who was present at the ceremony, Mr. Abdullah Bilal Al Shamsi, Director of Students and Scouting Activities at the UAE Ministry of Education said: "Under the visionary leadership of its founding father, the late President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE pioneered initiatives to preserve, nurture and regenerate the local and regional environment.

The Shell ‘Better Environment Award’ scheme is a welcome addition to the ongoing environmental conservation efforts in the country, and the Ministry of Education is happy to extend its support and participate in this laudable programme aimed at enhancing eco-consciousness and fostering collective action among the country’s students."

In his speech during the ceremony, Hussain Al Mahmoudi said: "The enthusiastic response the Award has elicited over the past ten years has made it one of the UAE’s foremost initiatives for raising environmental awareness among the local student community.

This year too, the response has been overwhelming with 187 schools across the UAE participating."

In a ceremony held in May, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) honoured organisations and schools committed to its environmental awareness programmes. Attending the ceremony were H.E Majed Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD, Dr. Mohamed Defrawi, Managing Director of Shell Abu Dhabi and Mr. Qasem Al Taher, Head of Student Activities at Abu Dhabi Educational Zone.

During the ceremony, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Abu Dhabi, Shell Abu Dhabi was honored for its efforts to help protect the environment. Thirty-one schools, one hundred teachers, three-hundred-and-fifteen students and a number of organisations were also honoured during the ceremony. In his speech during the ceremony, H.E. Majed Al Mansouri said: "with 2005, the United Nations kicked off the "Decade for Education for Sustainable Development".

This goes to show how vital education is if we want to achieve Sustainable Development in the future. Throughout the academic year of 2005/2006, EAD continued its commitment to environmental awareness programmes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and remained steadfast in its belief that increasing awareness is the key to conserving our fragile environment in the UAE."

Dr. Mohamed Defrawi, said: "The commitment to environmental programmes has been Shells concerned for a long time. Today, we are proud to see the outcome of our commitment to the welfare of the Emirate. Our partnership with the Environment Agency has successfully resulted in raising environmental awareness among the new generation."

In its effort to promote environmental appreciation and show the hard work of students in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) organised the Environmental Competition Exhibition, displaying the artwork, photographs, 3-D models, posters and research papers submitted by students during EAD’s Environmental Competition for the academic year 2005/2006. The exhibition was sponsored by Shell Abu Dhabi and was held at the Marina Mall in May. The Competition’s theme was "Green Cities: Plan for the Planet" with a total of 165 government and private schools eagerly participating. Overall, 730 entries were submitted by students from different age groups. An independent panel of judges oversaw the competition, including experts from Zayed University, the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil