Creating a generation of young sustainability leaders

It is a week where young people are not being told what sustainability is instead they are being shown how it works.

This week, the Save and Sustain Green Ambassador Programme is bringing sustainability to life through hands-on learning and real industry exposure, enabling students to experience environmental responsibility beyond theory. Through structured workshops and field visits, students are seeing how sustainability operates in real systems and how these practices can be implemented within schools and communities.

A total of 120 students, 12 teachers, 5 EFP Oman team, and representatives from the Ministry of Education are taking part in the programme’s first official field trip series, marking a key milestone in the programme’s implementation journey.

This week, students began their industry learning journey starting with JW Marriott Muscat, where they observed sustainability systems in action, including waste segregation, composting, energy efficiency, and the hotel’s in-house water production and bottling system using glass bottles. The hotel reported saving approximately four million plastic water bottles in two years through this initiative alone.

During the visit, the Director of Engineering shared a message that resonated strongly with students and educators alike: ‘Sustainability starts from home’.

Save and Sustain is now active in eight government schools in Muscat, five boys’ schools and three girls’ schools, supported through sponsorship by Be’ah, Ooredoo, Petrogas E&P, Phoenix Power and Oman Refco. The programme is delivered in close coordination with school leadership and relevant authorities, ensuring consistency, accountability and long-term integration within school environments.

Over the past four months, students have completed four practical workshops focused on implementation and behaviour change: Empowerment, Green Habits, Journey of Waste, and Energy Champions. Students have been trained on correct segregation practices, supported with facilities where possible, and engaged through gamified activities designed to make sustainability learning memorable, measurable and student-led.

With its structured model of seven workshops and three field trips, the programme is designed to be scalable and replicable, allowing more schools to benefit from the same quality learning experience while maintaining consistency and impact.

Currently, 18 additional government schools in Muscat are ready and waiting to join this journey. With the right support, the programme has the potential to develop up to 540 Green Ambassadors across Muscat — creating a generation of young sustainability leaders equipped with real skills, real exposure and real responsibility.

By engaging students at school level and exposing them to real operational systems, the programme supports long-term behavioural change that extends beyond the classroom and into homes and communities.

As the programme expands, there is a strong opportunity for corporate partners to support wider participation, including increasing sponsorship for girls’ schools, ensuring equal access to these impactful learning experiences.

Organisations interested in supporting youth sustainability education and meaningful long-term ESG outcomes are encouraged to explore partnership opportunities with the Save and Sustain Green Ambassador Programme.

SADIYA AL BAKRI

The writer is the Founder of the Save and Sustain Green Ambassador Programme