The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) has received a major boost to its Green School Initiative following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with leading global and regional resource management company, Veolia Oman.
The company will be providing the much-needed funds to implement the new educational project and will also be supporting the capacity building of young Omanis in the field of environmental conservation. Both parties are strongly committed to protect the environment and biodiversity and aim to build a long-term partnership.
This initiative is also being supported by the Emily’s Garden – a memorial fund which has been set up by the Jewitt family in memory of Emily Jewitt, who passed away in 2018. Emily lived in Oman and The Netherlands. Each country left an imprint on her. She was deeply committed to the environment, and during her time in The Netherlands, Emily was an active member of the ECO committee at her school; setting up recycling projects, raising awareness of energy saving, and part of an ongoing tree planting project. She had big plans to improve the impact that humans have on the world.
The Green School Initiative strives to encourage eco-friendly awareness and promote a conservation culture within schools across the Sultanate. Students will be encouraged by ESO and Veolia Oman volunteers, to take the lead and be innovative in making their schools greener, focusing on the main themes of waste management, water and energy efficiency and maintaining Oman’s culture and heritage. A Green School Award would be granted to the schools which have implemented the best improvements to minimize their impact to the environment.
Her Highness Sayyida Tania bint Shabib Al Said, President of ESO, said: “The Green School Initiative is close to our hearts as it encourages environmentally sustainable behaviour through education. With the support of corporate sponsors such as Veolia Oman, we can make a difference. This initiative will empower ESO volunteers to contribute towards educational activities in different parts of Oman. It will also enable cooperation with government stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and the Ministry of Education. We hope this will be the first of many successful collaborations with Veolia Oman.”
Erwan Rouxel, Country Manager at Veolia Oman, said, “Today, natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce, while our needs are growing. It is everyone’s collective responsibility to conserve and protect resources. Veolia Oman employees will be directly involved in this initiative through participation in environmental awareness sessions and also training ESO volunteers to help them lead these sessions within schools.”
Ian Jewitt, father of Emily Jewitt, said, “We are proud that Emily’s memorial fund can make a contribution to the Green Schools Initiative in Oman. There are strong parallels between the ECO committee that Emily was part of in The Netherlands and the Green Schools Initiative. It is fitting that she can, in some way, give back to Oman, which was her home for five and a half years. We hope that the initiative inspires a generation of Omani students to help create a greener future.”
ESO is also dedicated to strong capacity building and increased professionalism in environmental knowledge. To date, it has hired and trained more than 15 Omanis in the field of community outreach, volunteer management, project management, field research, public relations and media. Veolia Oman employees will conduct ongoing discussions with the ESO team to provide them with technical advice and best practice consultation.
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