Planting a Greener Future

• To increase the green cover base in the member schools of the Emirates Environmental Group • To promote and encourage the planting of native trees as they contribute to ecosystem restoration and can stand the harsh environmental conditions including salinity in and the scarcity of water. • To develop gardens in government schools, national charities and special needs schools across the United Arab Emirates • To increase the number of trees in schools as they provide multiple benefits; energy savings through shading, air quality improvement through filtration and absorption resulting in direct cost saving benefits in electricity bills for schools • To raise awareness amongst the student community about the importance of planting indigenous trees in the country • To contribute to the national efforts of habitat restoration • To provide an enabling environment for native wildlife to thrive • To contribute to a healthy ecosystem Launched in 2014, “Planting a Greener Future” was initiated in three phases. The first two phases included the planting of indigenous trees and the third phase included tree planting as well as educational workshops. The following is the breakdown of the number of trees planted during the three phases: Phase 1: 350 trees in 7 schools Phase 2: 350 trees in 7 schools Phase 3: 200 trees in 4 schools After careful measurements, it was also found that these trees will be successful in mitigating 5.31 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions upon maturity between 3-5 years. Apart from this, the project is in line with the UN SDG No.4, 15 & 17 (Quality education, Life on Land and partnerships to achieve the goals) and with target 15.3 on combating desertification, restoring degraded land and soil. 1. Collaborate with more local organisations for irrigation and landscaping during the execution of the project in schools 2. Partner with government agencies, NGOs and private organisations in every Emirate of the UAE for easier access to schools 3. Collaborate with media houses to ensure the project receives greater visibility for higher participation 4. Invite more entities to come on board to enable EEG to roll out more such fruitful projects in the educational institutions.