United Arab Emirates Pledges to Pursue Sustainability

One million residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be coming together on October 17th, 18th and 19th to make a nationwide pledge to pursue policies that encourage sustainable living as part of the ‘Mission Green Earth – Stand Up and Take Action 2008’ campaign.  The campaign aims to mobilize and inspire people to go green through activities planned in schools, organizations and institutions across the emirates.

From Zawya:

In Her capacity as the UN Messenger of Peace and Patron of the campaign, Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein has asked UAE residents from all walks of life to join the campaign and take a stand in support of environmental sustainability.

“… Last year, over 43 million people stood up across the world at the same time to remind their leaders of the promise they made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Those 43 million individuals represented a strong united voice against a plague that is threatening the future of our planet; poverty; reminding us of the responsibility we have towards the future of this earth.” She said, adding that “This year, our “Stand Up & Take Action” commitment is not only about mankind, it is also about our planet. Why? Because reducing poverty and achieving sustained development must be done in conjunction with a healthy planet, and because climate change must be addressed as a humanitarian emergency, the ‘environmental sustainability’ goal is the focus of our campaign this year. Let’s give the UAE’s voice to this global wake-up call and stand up altogether on October 17, 18 & 19.”

How exciting! This is a huge deal for the United Arab Emirates, since they have the world’s largest ecological footprint per capita. They definitely need to take action now, and just the fact that they’re recognizing that is a step in the right direction for sure. The people who pledge to work toward sustainability will be committing to conserve energy and water, reduce waste and plant trees and other landscaping with low water needs.

The ‘Stand Up’ in the UAE will be reported and photographed for inclusion in the global total, which will hopefully be added to the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of people standing up for a cause.

For more info on Mission Green Earth, check out the website at www.missiongreenearth.ae.

Link [Zawya] + [Mission Green Earth]

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