What’s On previews Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, January 17 to 24, a series of events designed to help improve the UAE’s carbon footprint.

More…
– Solar Impulse
– Abu Dhabi Festival
– WWE Live

Are you doing your part to save the planet? Abu Dhabi wants you to do more and is promoting sustainability at a week-long event.

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week runs from January 17 to 24 and features a solar-powered car race and global forums on renewable energy and sustainable development. Also in town is the Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), a solar-powered plane preparing for a record breaking fuel-free flight around the globe.

“Promoting innovation – be it through novel ideas or new technology – is fundamental to preserving resources, diversifying sources of energy and mitigating climate change,” said HE Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE minister of state and chairman of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company. “This January, the global community will be in Abu Dhabi to forge viable, commercial solutions that enable sustainable development locally and globally.”

As part of the showcase the Si2 plane, which is preparing to circumnavigate the globe in a historic flight later this year, will be on display. Piloted by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the flight is expected to take off from the capital in March.

Other noteworthy events at ADSW include the inaugural Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge, an international road competiton for solar-powered cars. Twenty teams of international university students – including a team of students from the capital’s Petroleum Institute – will compete from January 15 to 19. The multi-day race will see students manoeuver across 1,200 kilometres in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

“The entire UAE community will have an opportunity to engage with this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week,” added Al Jaber. “From a road competition – showcasing the latest is automotive technology – to the arrival of the Solar Impulse, people of all ages will see first-hand what innovative thinking, personal ambition and technology can achieve.”

A series of programmes will also be hosted during the week, ranging from the fifth assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency, eight World Future Energy Summit, International Water Summit and EcoWASTE exhibition.

STEP UP FOR SUSTAINABILITY
How can you do your part for the environment? Check out these tips from ADSW…

– Use low-flow showerheads during showers to reduce water consumption by 50 to 70 per cent
– Set your air-conditioner thermostat to 24 degrees C to save energy
– Unplug computers and electronic devices when they aren’t in use
– 80 per cent of energy used in washing machines is due to heating water, so wash clothes at colder temperatures
– Cutting your showers down by two minutes can save up to ten gallons of water
– Bike, walk or use public transport to save energy

For more details visit: abudhabisustainabilityweek.com