Dubai: 10-year-old Indian boy honoured for ‘green message’

The Dubai Municipality has honoured a 10-year-old Indian boy for distributing hand-decorated, plastic-free bags to a number of groceries to help reduce pollution and spread environmental awareness, according to a media report.

“The Dubai Municipality honoured Faiz Mohammed and named the youngster one of the municipality’s ‘Sustainability Ambassadors’,” The Khaleej Times reported.

Mohammed, using Dhiram 150 of Eid money, purchased around 130 reusable plain bags to distribute them among the groceries.

“Mohammed distributed hand-decorated reusable bags to a number of groceries near his home in Karama, after he grew tired of seeing so many plastic bags being wasted on home deliveries,” the report said.

On an average, each small grocery was using about 1,200 bags a month to deliver goods, according to Mohammed’s survey, who distributed the free tote bags in place of plastic ones to combat excess wastage.

Dubai’s Waste Management Department Director Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Saifaie on Tuesday named the youngster one of the Dubai Municipality’s Sustainability Ambassadors.

“I was so proud and happy to see the story. If you keep doing what you’re doing, we will see big change. Going forward, I want you to keep in close contact with my team and give more ideas to help tackle waste here in the UAE,” Saifaie told Mohammed.

“The fact that this boy didn’t use his Eid money to buy a ball, toy, or something for himself is commendable. He has a good hobby. If his family and community keep encouraging that, he will have a good future and so will the environment,” Saifaie added.

Thanking the municipality for the opportunity, Mohammed said he felt honoured to be named the Sustainability Ambassador.

“I feel so glad to be here. It gives me much encouragement to meet the director of waste management. He has been telling me to continue in my path to help curb waste. So I will keep urging friends, family and shop workers about the importance of using reusable bags in place of plastic ones.”

Aiming to train students on how to carry out lectures and workshops on various environmental topics, the municipality’s Ambassador for Sustainability initiative was launched in 2013.

(With inputs from PTI)