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Sharjah Museums Department Marks Earth Week With Activities That Drive Sustainable Development |
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Aimed at increasing public awareness and appreciation of the environment of SharjahAs part of its ‘Because We Care’ initiative, Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) is celebrating ‘Earth Week’ across its various museums from March 22 to 27, 2010 with programmes to raise awareness on conservation of marine life as well as water and energy use efficiency, and thus contribute to the region’s sustainable development initiatives. Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD, said: “By headlining the Earth Week activities in the Emirate, Sharjah Museums Department is highlighting the social role that the museums can play in enhancing the awareness of the community about sustainable development and environment conservation. Museums play a vital role in preserving one’s identity – and the environment is a strong part of a region’s cultural identity.” She added: “Through a diverse portfolio of events, we are reaching out to the community to help them appreciate the beauty of nature and encourage them to become active partners in understanding the importance of adopting energy and water use efficiency measures. We also aim to educate them on the importance of recycling and reducing waste, because these small steps by all individuals will collective contribute to our future generations.” Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services in cooperation with Sharjah Aquarium and Sharjah Maritime Museum will hold special awareness workshops on March 22 targeting schools and youngsters. The event will include drawing and recycling initiatives that will enhance awareness about the environment in the young minds. Sharjah Aquarium will organize ‘World Water Day’ on March 23 with specialists from the Ministry of Environment and Water, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Beeah and Emirates Wildlife Society - World Wildlife Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) to discuss with the audience the importance of water, water-related concerns faced by the UAE and ways to enhance water use efficiency. In co-ordination with the British Council, the event will include the regional premiere screening of the acclaimed documentary on climate change, “Age of Stupid’. On March 24, Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum will organize an exhibition under the title “Together for a Better Generation”, which will focus on Islamic principles relating to the environment, global warming, desertification and water scarcity. It will also address the reasons that contribute to these issues and how they can be addressed. A workshop for children and adults will also be held under the title "The solution is the green plant”. Sharjah Aquarium will organise a ‘Fishy Fashion Show’ day on March 25. It is envisaged as a fun and informative event that involves local schools focused on marine biology. The participating children will wear costumes based on ten marine species found around the Sharjah waters including starfish, clownfish, green turtle, shark, jellies, boxfish, pufferfish, crab, seahorse, and lion fish. Entry for the competition is open to kids aged between 6-12 years. Sharjah Aquarium biologists will give short informative talks on marine animals. The first and second prizes will be awarded to the children for the best costumes representing each of the ten animals. Sharjah Science Museum will organize on March 26 an awareness lecture entitled “Earth and Energy” on efficient use of power. The event will also include car racing using solar energy, a hair-raising investigation into static electricity by using the Van de Graff Generator, recycling of used paper, interesting crafts for families such as making a model of the earth, and watching the solar houses at the museum’s front yard. Sharjah Museums Department is also organizing the ‘Earth Hour’ event on March 27 in various museums. The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization will organize a lecture entitled ’Ecological Master planning in the Architecture and Garden Projects of Sharjah’ outlining and explaining the basic sustainable principles. The museum will also host an event “Switch On” where visitors can discover the history of lighting throughout the Islamic civilization by touring the galleries and participating in an interesting quiz on the topic. The main sponsor of the activities is Mega Mall; the golden sponsor is Petrofac and silver sponsors are Ashjan and Beeah. The supporters of the Earth Week event are Sharjah TV, SEWA, Krispy Kream, Masafi, Sharjah Premier Hotel and Resort, Sharjah City of Humanitarian Services, EWS – WWF and 60 Earth Hour. “We are happy to align ourselves with Sharjah Museums Department’s call for social responsibility towards preserving our planet. It is high time for us to make a collective effort that will benefit not only the people living now but as well as future generations. We fully support the Earth Week awareness campaign, especially the activities lined up to reflect the differences that need to be addressed,” said Vanessa Lazatin-Steiner, Marketing Manager, Mega Mall. Petrofac’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Maroun Semaan, said: “We are committed to contributing to the communities in which we operate and, through our actions, particularly in education and training, seek to raise awareness to ensure positive impacts on social and economic development. The Earth Week activities at Sharjah Aquarium are perfectly aligned with our objectives in this area and we are delighted to be supporting the event.” The Sharjah Museums Department, established in 2006 by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, aims to promote the emirate’s rich legacy of arts, heritage and culture. For more information on Sharjah Museums Department, please visit the website www.sharjahmuseums.ae. |
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