A group of students from The Modern Skills Private School visited Nad Al Hamar service station in Dubai to get a closer look at Emirates General Petroleum Corporation “Emarat’s” efforts in the field of protecting and preserving the environment and the community.

The students got to observe the Corporation’s experience in the use of wastes recycling units which are installed in select service stations.

The students were welcomed by Mr. Hussain Kazim, Manager Corporate Communications at Emarat. Mr. Kazim pointed out that organizing such field trips is in line with the Corporation’s commitment and its support to all activities related to the environment, especially when school students are involved, as Emarat seeks to enhance the concept of environment protection in the behavior of the upcoming generations who should understand that it is their responsibility too.

Mr. Kazim further added that environmental issues are now at the top of the social and economic development agendas. It is important to achieve positive social interaction between community members and the various social establishments, especially the institutions that care about environmental issues in their activities and different practices. He also emphasized that cooperation should be established in order to create a model and healthy environment that realize the ambitions aiming at making people more creative, developed and giving.

Mr. Marwan Al Marzouqi, Retail Marketing Executive, also welcomed the students at Nad Al Hummar service station, where he highlighted the importance of the recycling units, each of which can process 25 tons of wastes per year, through sorting and recycling such wastes and turning it into material that can be used, or into raw materials for other industries.

Mr. Al Marzouqi told the students that there are 16 wastes recycling units in 16 service stations in Dubai. A promotions campaign was launched to encourage customers to use these units, which will reward them for these good deeds.

The students tried out the recycling unit at Nad Al Hummar service station, using aluminum cans and empty bottles. They also got to see how the user is rewarded. They also got to know how the unit works from the inside, from the moment the recyclable material is entered and how it is sorted and classified within.

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al-Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has approved the development of a number of national reserves in the emirate as part of its environment and tourism objectives. The initiative will help drive Sharjah’s research, education and entertainment sectors.

The Ruler’s directive came as part of his commitment to conserving and developing environmentally protected areas for the benefit of future generations.

The announcements came as an outcome of a meeting chaired by His Highness with senior representatives of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA).

The meeting was attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al-Qassimi, Chairperson of Shurooq, His Excellency Salah Bin Butti Al-Muhairi, Chairman, Directorate of Town Planning and Survey, Her Excellency Hana Saif Al-Suwaidi, General Manager of EPAA, His Excellency Marwan Al-Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, as well as a number of environmental specialists.

During the meeting, a number of development projects in Sharjah related to environmental reserves were brought under review. His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan approved the Kalba reserve, one of the largest environment and tourism projects in the UAE, which is home to Al-Qarm trees and the historic Al-Ghail Fort.

This reserve will be developed as a collaborative effort between EPAA and Shurooq. The development of the projects will be launched in a phased-out manner.

The Kalba reserve is a unique and integrated environmental project encompassing a variety of flora and fauna, including wetlands (mangrove forests), environment plains (Al Ghail valley), as well as mountain and marine landscape. The importance of Khor Kalba nature reserve falls under the priorities of Sharjah’s strategic approach towards maintaining the environmental, social, and tourism distinction that the reserve is reputed for and as an important pillar in the strategic plans of EPAA.

As part of the development plans, the Kalba reserve will house rare wildlife such as Gazelle Al-Jebel, Al-Tuhr Al-Arabi, Al-Maha Al-Arabi and Reem Gazelle that will be released from the breeding centre of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA). It will also ensure the conservation of endangered species of birds such as herons and halcyon white that hatches only in Kalba. This is in addition to the rare Al Shadi bird and the green turtles that lay their eggs on the shore of the nature reserve. Moreover, the reserve is home to different breeds of marine life including rare birds and crabs that burrow quarries to protect themselves from gulls.

The Kalba reserve will particularly ensure the growth of Acacia trees. Centres of research and development will be also set up at the reserve.

Furthermore, during the meeting, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah endorsed the Wasit Nature Reserve in Sharjah, where a global learning institute will be established. This institute will encompass various types of birds, rare in the Arabian Peninsula. The park will also include distinctive areas for visitors to enjoy the appeal of the reserve. This project, which was established in 2005, will hold the status of a global environmental destination and is currently in the process of being registered as a nature reserve within the range of wetlands.

Kuwait, 15 January 2012:  Warba Bank, established by virtue of an Amiri Decree, is slated to open for business to the public during the first quarter of 2012. The bank aims to offer a range of customized Shariah compliant services and solutions which will be presented through the bank’s three divisions: Retail, Investment and Corporate Banking.

Warba Bank is  regulated by the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Ministry of Commerce while its biggest shareholder, Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), owns 24% shares of the bank whereas the balance 76% of shares, fully subscribed by the government, have been equally allocated among all Kuwaiti nationals. With quality services delivered by high competencies, Warba Bank expects to attract clients and investors to invest throughout the Kuwait financial system. The bank’s approach will combine traditional values with modernity to give the customer a range of solutions and services to their banking and investment needs.

The bank has already started working in the investment sector, in addition to launching several operations in the corporate sector through the accomplishment of major deals. It is also set to launch its retail operations in the coming stage by providing end-to-end Shariah compliant services.

Warba bank will bring personalized service to clients in Kuwait that will help manage their liquidity needs while allowing them to grow their business.  It has specially designed its operations to be client-centric and strike the right balance. The bank adopts a direct and practical approach which caters to the client’s needs with comprehensive and innovative solutions.

Coupled with its ambitious plans, Warba Bank aims to open new investment possibilities to clients interested in taking their portfolios and businesses to a new level.

Dubai, January 12, 2012: A delegation from the Emirates Post Holding Group arranged a  visit to Albarza Club for the Elderly at Mamzar, which is run by the Community Development Authority in Dubai , as part of the Group’s corporate social responsibility activities.

The delegation was headed by Mr. Ibrahim Bin Karam, Chief Commercial Officer, and included a number of officials from the Group.

Bin Karam expressed his joy on spending quality time with  the elderly members of society and said this visit would strengthen humanitarian activities and foster love for parents and recognition of their role in the social development.

The delegation was welcomed by Sheikha Al Muhairi, Director of Albarza Centre, who took them on a tour of the premises. The delegation members talked to the residents and presented them with  gifts. Sheikha Al Muhairi explained that the Albarza Club offers many services, including cultural activities, health facilities, recreational and sports activities and training them on  the use of electrical appliances, in addition to training caregivers on the right methods for handling the elderly.

January 12, 2012

Al Hilal Bank, a progressive Islamic bank, has launched a new ‘Plant a Tree’ initiative in partnership with the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG). The program forms part of the bank’s commitment to promoting a ‘greener’ Earth and preserving nature for future generations to enjoy. The Memorandum of Agreement governing the initiative was signed in the presence of Saif Al Dhahiri, Executive Vice President- EVP, Human Capital and Facilities Management, Al Hilal Bank.

Under the ‘Plant a Tree’ program, a tree will be planted under the name of every child opening a ‘Seghaar’ Savings Account at Al Hilal Bank. Children and their patents will be able to follow the growth of their particular tree either in person or through updated pictures to fully appreciate the contribution they have made to the environment.

“Our ‘Plant a Tree’ initiative is important to the Bank as it embodies our full commitment to the community and the environment. It empowers the future generations to make concrete contributions towards environmental preservation.

Moreover, it complements the admirable work of the EEG in ensuring a ‘greener’ future for the people of the UAE. We thank all of those who are supporting this initiative and assure our customers, partners and the general public that a greener Earth will continue to be a key priority for our organization,” said Mohamed Jamil Berro, CEO of Al Hilal Bank.

“We hope that more members of the private sector will follow Al Hilal Bank’s example and take more proactive steps towards preserving nature for our children and future generations,” added Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson, Emirates Environmental Group.

Al Hilal Bank is fully-owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, the investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It manages 21 local branches and 112 ATMs across the UAE as well as three overseas branches in Kazakhstan.

Volvo Ocean Race organisers hosted a beach clean on Lulu Island yesterday with the collected rubbish becoming the raw materials for a sculpture that is to be created this week at the Destination Village in Abu Dhabi. Held in each host port throughout the nine-month, 39,000-nautical mile race, and in conjunction with art group Skeleton Sea, the Volvo Ocean Race is spearheading a call to arms to reduce pollution and share a simple message through its Keep the Oceans Clean! initiative.

More than 80 members of the Abu Dhabi community and Volvo Ocean Race family of different ages and nationalities participated in the morning beach clean along with local dive centre Al Mahara. The more adventurous of the participants were able to kayak or paddle-board out to the island where they collected rubbish from the shoreline.

Jacqui Smith, project coordinator for Keep the Oceans Clean!, said:

“It was fantastic to see so many people participating in the Abu Dhabi Beach Clean, showing the commitment we have to maintaining the natural beauty of our oceans and beaches. With the rubbish haul collected yesterday, our Skeleton Sea artist is well on the way to turning flotsam and jetsam into a stunning sculpture to be created this week (8-14 January) at the Destination Village Abu Dhabi. Adults and children alike can get involved in the artistic action by attending the art workshops where they will have the chance to make their own individual contribution to the unique installation.”

João Parrinha, Skeleton Sea artist, said:

“The beach clean was a great success, with lots of people turning up to help us collect the rubbish. We’ve been getting as much rubbish as we can so we can make a fish sculpture for display in the Destination Village. In the workshops we’ll be making the fish’s scales with the kids. It’s amazing to work with them: what they do and what they create is very unexpected and wildly creative. It’s a lot of fun to work with them.”

Rubbish and debris collected by the group will go towards Volvo Ocean Race’s Keep the Oceans Clean! art workshop campaign, an initiative organised in collaboration with international artist-activists, Skeleton Sea. Beach rubbish, including old plastic bottles, wrappers and other beach trash plus weathered and dead materials, are brought back to life by the group to form skeleton-like art.

Three of Skeleton Sea’s fantastic sculptures will be on exhibition in the Destination Village in Abu Dhabi until the end of the stopover on January 14. Parrinha, one of the Skeleton Sea artists who headed up the beach clean at Lulu Island, will be holding the Keep the Oceans Clean! workshops on the beach in the Destination Village every afternoon from January 8-14.

On January 9 at 8pm, the artist will give a talk on the story behind Skeleton Sea - their background, the artwork and their values. There will also be an opportunity to watch the short film created by Skeleton Sea called ‘Albatross Exhibitionist’ which tells the compelling story of the thousands of albatrosses that are killed each year because they fatally mistake floating rubbish for food.

The beach clean was successfully coordinated with support from Al Mahara Diving Centre, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, CNIA (Critical National Infrastructure Authority), Emirates Diving Association and the Center for Waste Management.

The nation’s deserts are its pride and joy. It is the country’s history and heritage, it accommodates hundreds of species and it is the perfect place to have the perfect relaxing outing with friends and family. Sadly, due to the large number of outings at the desert and the inability of people to clean up after themselves, our deserts are becoming increasingly dirty.

In keep with its commitment to keeping the country’s deserts clean, Dreamland Aqua Park, one of the region’s largest water theme parks united with devoted individuals to clean the desert and raise awareness towards the natural surroundings, the environment and innocent camels that are dying from eating the harmful garbage left behind.

The event was organised by Emarat 4×4 Club and Dreamland Aqua Park was happy to be the main sponsor of the event. The other sponsors included Nitto Tyres, Apollo Tyres, Tadweer (Dubai municipality), Volunteers in Dubai and ALEC.

The Clean Up Drive took place on the 23rd of December 2011, 80 enthusiastic and energetic volunteers met up at the Dragon mart parking at 8:00 a.m. and set off into the Al Awir desert at 9:00 a.m. in 29 cars to help clean up the area. By 9:30 a.m. the 80 volunteers split into 5 groups of 5 cars each lead by a Marshal car and a sweeper car that lead the operation smoothly and safely. By 11:30 a.m. the event had ended and they were able to fill up 30 garbage bags and other objects that are harmful to the wildlife.

Participants were offered free and discounted admissions to Dreamland Aqua Park and many other benefits. Dreamland will continue to help such causes and events that protect the nation and keep its inhabitants both human and animal safe.

The Dubai Roads and Transportation Authority (RAT), in cooperation with the Warehouses and Logistics Department at Emirates General Petroleum Corporation “Emarat, held an awareness program for all the drivers of fuel tanks.

The program was held at Emarat’s central workshop in Al Qusais, and aimed to identify the drivers with the latest systems and measures related to the timings and places of tanks traffic in Dubai. The drivers were also given a Trucks Safety Handbook that addressed the transportation of hazardous material.

Mr. Ibrahim Yacoob Al Tamimi - Terminals & Logistics Manager at Emarat, expressed his gratitude to RTA’s initiative, which reflects the Authority’s commitment to the application of safety and security measures on the roads, especially regarding trucks and tanks that transport hazardous material.

In addition, the Authority carries out regular and intensive maintenance on all these trucks to ensure their readiness to operate on roads without facing any problems. The Authority further holds continuous training programs for tanks drivers to enhance their skills and raise their awareness regarding traffic regulations, roads rules and emergency cases.

During the program, the representatives of the RTA presented a detailed explanation of the regulations related to the use of roads in Dubai by trucks and fuel tanks, and distributed the safety handbook that includes important information related to safe driving on roads, the risks of exceeding the vehicle’s carriage capacity, the importance of maintaining the vehicle’s sound mechanical condition, daily maintenance checks, the risks of speeding and reckless driving, maintaining reasonable spaces between different vehicles, not exceeding the specified speed limit for heavy vehicles, compliance with the various traffic signs, and the importance of taking breaks in order to stay alert and vigilant while driving.

Dubai-UAE: – Recycling took centre stage when Dubai Properties Group (DPG), a member of Dubai Holding, organized a ‘Recycling Week’ at its headquarters to highlight the importance of reusing paper and other materials and to introduce staff to the new DPG recycling centres.

Organized in cooperation with Goumbook, the event also featured a lecture on the number of recycling opportunities available in Dubai and the impact of plastic pollution on the local environment.

Additionally there was an exhibition that focused on the wealth of environmentally friendly products available in the market; this included: organic products range for children, ecological cleaning products and air purifiers and camelback products.

The initiative was launched by the DPG CSR team and is in line with its ‘Responsible Living” theme.

Under its ‘Responsible Living’ banner, DPG is committed to promote living in responsible way to its stakeholders.

The Elaf Group recently held a series of meetings with its key partners – including travel and tourism agencies from Turkey, Egypt and Morocco – to support the Saudi tourism sector particularly in attracting future Hajj and Umrah visitors from Arab and nearby countries.

Elaf discussed the KSA’s touristic potentials and attractions such as its efficient visa issuance facilities. It has also shared its thoughts and expertise with major regional and international companies and agencies dealing with specialized tourism programs and providing Hajj and Umrah services. As part of its expansion, Elaf announced that it will provide 5,000 rooms across its new projects offering three-, four- and five-star tourism services to attract the largest segment of the travel, tourism and hospitality market.

Present during the meetings was an Elaf delegation led by Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, President, who was accompanied by Deputy CEO Tarek Nabulsi and a number of department managers. The Group also held an annual ceremony on the sidelines of the exhibitions to strengthen relations, identify future goals, pursue further success, and honor its valuable partners. High-profile figures from Turkey, Egypt and Morocco, were present during the special event.

“Turkey, Egypt and Morocco are three of the most important travel and tourism markets for Saudi Arabia. In the past years these markets have proven themselves as excellent religious, business and leisure travel destinations. Our partners in these areas deserve or recognition for their remarkable efforts and ongoing dedication to achieve our objectives,” said Bin Mahfouz.

“Participating in travel- and tourism-oriented events in Turkey, Egypt and later on in Morocco reaffirms our commitment to providing high levels of service and extending our investment portfolio to include new hotels such as the Elaf Al-Moltaqa Hotel, Elaf Bakkah Hotel by 2012 and Galleria Hotel in 2014. These upcoming projects are in line with our goal of embracing the growing number of tourists visiting landmark destinations across the Kingdom, as well as supporting governmental efforts to promote tourism as part of the drive towards a solid and diverse economy,” added Bin Mahfouz.