RAK FTZ helps protect the desert
Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone is fulfilling one of its main objectives: to generate awareness for environmental protection. During a press conference on the 20th of January, attended by Oussama El Omari, RAK FTZ CEO, Aref Al Abbar, Hobbies Club CEO and Osama Al Shehhi, RAK FTZ Environmental Health and Safety Officer, RAK FTZ announced its involvement, as one of the major sponsors, in the Desert Environment Protection Campaign 2010.
Organised by Hobbies Club and supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water, the campaign aims to encourage the nation’s youth to spend their holidays and leisure time responsibly enjoying the region’s beautiful natural environments. This twist puts prime importance on educating campers, especially young nationals, on how to adopt sustainable practices with regard to the desert environment in the seven emirates.
“We have pristine deserts in the UAE, and we would like both locals and expatriates to enjoy them. Ensuring that they are duly-informed that they are responsible for leaving the bit of land they use as clean and as pristine as when they came is the number one objective,” Oussama El Omari, RAK FTZ CEO commented.
The campaign participants will also be able to interact with each other, while engaging in a variety of activities, such as horseback riding, swimming, desert cycling, falconry and hiking, which can easily contribute to the formation of new friendships and strengthen social relations among them. This will help them gain skills and knowledge pertaining to traditional hospitality, as well as learn responsible and eco-friendly camping practices.
“We need to band together to be able to make a dent in the environmental crisis that the world is facing. This not a problem of only the West or Europe or even only the wealthy nations; we all are contributors to environmental degradation, pollution and global warming,” El Omari added. “As such, we must all actively be a factor in the solution. It doesn’t always have to mean big campaigns – we can start recycling and reusing on the individual level. As for RAK FTZ, we are committed to saving our environment, and we will actively do everything we can to move forward. Supporting the Desert Environment Protection Campaign 2010 is only the first among many environmental protection campaigns in which we plan to participate this year.”
This new bid to save the desert follows a successful first campaign organised in 2009. The Hobbies Club, headed by Arif Bin Ali Al Abbar, saw the positive effect last year’s event had on the youth, and this inspired them to, again, work in coordination with the Dubai Municipality to launch the second year of the Desert Environment Protection Campaign 2010, which will run from the 1st of January until the 3rd of March 2010.
