World Environment Day festivities came to a close on Friday, June 7 in Qatar as participants in the celebration’s green competitions were crowned winners. The message of the celebration is to save resources for future generations, an important message for the emirate hooked on natural gas and cheap non-renewable resources.
In Qatar, things are looking up: The celebration has grown more successful over the years in terms of participants from schools, colleges, and the larger community. This year, more than 5,000 families and 3,000 contestants participated the celebration’s festivities and competitions.
The celebration’s newest competition, the eco-fashion design competition, was successful for its first year. The competition saw close to 200 entries with more than 500 student participants. Young models showed off the designs that were made out of recyclable materials.
The top three winners of the competition were from AIS Designers, Eco-Friends, and PECians.
The winners were awarded with cash prizes, Apple iPads, Faber-Castell Premium Products, gift vouchers, certificates, trophies, and many more.
Katia Aboud Saba, who is head of PR for Oryx GTL, a sponsor for the event, said, “While the contestants and other activities associated with WED were about having fun, they aimed to convey a serious message. Through WED, we wanted to teach children about the importance of environmental care and conservation in fun and creative ways to drive this message back home.”
Aside from the eco-fashion design contests, winners for the painting competition were also announced. Along with the crowning of the winners, the closing ceremonies also featured musical and dance performances by students of International Academy for Intercultural Development.
Here’s hoping for another successful World Environment Day celebration next year!
Author: Brandi Brands
Brandi Brands is a senior at Temple University in Philadelphia, studying Political Science with minors in French and Italian. Brandi hopes to make a difference in the world of international affairs and environmental issues following her graduation from Temple University by traveling the world and learning about different cultures and societal issues. Brandi is also interested in languages and doesn’t plan on stopping at learning French and Italian, hoping to learn Arabic, Chinese, and Swedish to name a few.
