Dubai:On the special date of 19.12.19, the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) organised its annual “For Our Emirates We Plant” under the kind patronage and presence of H. E. Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, member of the Executive Council of the Government of Ras Al-Khaimah and Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Ras Al Kahimah at a beautiful Sidra nature reserve in Al Minei area and a second tree planting took place in the Emirate of Dubai
at the famous Al Qudra Lakes. During the event, environmental enthusiasts representing different sectors of society – governments private entities, academic institutions, VIPs and students from all over the UAE –planted total of 1,747 indigenous Sidra and Ghaf trees across the two sites. These trees on maturity in 5-7 years will help mitigate more than 37 MT of CO 2 emissions annually.
Emirates Environmental Group continues its legacy of creating carbon stocks in the UAE through its unique afforestation programme that has been linked with community engaging recycling efforts.
Under the umbrella of the Campaign that kicked off in 2007, EEG has managed to plant over 2,098,669 indigenous trees in the UAE. These trees sequester 6159.5 MT of CO 2 from the air annually which is equivalent to removing 13, 390 cars of the road for a year.
In his opening speech, of H. E. Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi said, “Platforms such as these are crucial to ensure that we as a nation are on the right path towards sustainable development. The farm here represents more than just a green patch in the map of UAE, but also a vital component in achieving food security in the UAE”.
Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, Chairperson of EEG said “As the world slowly moves to reducing its emissions, it is vital that we also actively create carbon stocks through nature based solutions such as afforestation programmes to complement the work being done by the other sectors” Talking about the Sustainable Development Goals, she added that “through this single initiative we are ensuring diversion of waste from our landfills, protecting local ecosystems, creating carbon stocks and ensuring food security and thereby effectively implementing the UN SDGs”. She concluded her
speech by thanking His Excellency, “We thank you for providing this beautiful piece of land upon which we have been able to conduct this event for the second year in a row now. Last year 1,000 trees were planted in this land and we are fortunate to once again conduct this afforestation programme here.
EEG has uniquely combined its recycling programmes with tree planting and continues to encourage participants to be engaged in both these pro environmental platforms. This event marks the end of EEG’s action programmes brought the curtains down on five of the most important recycling programmes of EEG and for the year 2019. These were the, “Green Call”, “Recylce. Reforest.
Repeat”, “You Can for a Tree”, the “Neighborhood Recycling” and the “One Root One Communi- Tree”.

The second tree planting took place in the ecologically sensitive area in Al Qudra where 500 Ghaf trees were planted with the active support of ‘Seih Al Salm Protected Area Management’.
This afforestation programme conducted with the active participation of various sectors of society consisting of people from different backgrounds, nationalities, religions, age and culture is a meaningful way of concluding 2019, the ‘Year of Tolerance’.
The event witnessed a live cooking demonstration by local Emirati Women, invited by EEG, who served local cuisine to all the participants and dignitaries present on the day. This unique attraction highlighted the Emirati culture of togetherness and hospitality This year, “For our Emirates We Plant” project saw the participation of 86 companies, 56 schools and 197 families. This unique benefit, of having a tree planted under one’s own name goes a long way in showing EEG’s appreciation and respect to the participants and thanking them for their enthusiasm and commitment throughout the year. This initiative allowed our participants to get a unique ‘hands
on’, experience to instill in them a sense of ownership and responsibility towards the protection of our planet.
EEG would like to thank H. E. Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi for his unwavering support and active participation and Seih Al Salm Protected Area Management for providing the land and trees for this national campaign. EEG would also like to thank Orient Irrigation for the shovels and Nestle and JustSalad for the water and snacks respectively.