Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has won the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in the Middle East. The award was presented in a ceremony held recently by The Green Organisation in London, UK.

Nada Jasim, director of Safety, Risk, Regulation and Planning at RTA’s Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector who received the award in UK, said she was thrilled with the award as it came from a reputed global entity known for its integrity and competence in environmental sustainability.

“The award is a testament to RTA’s efforts in carrying out power-saving initiatives including replacing conventional lighting systems by LED power-saving system and endorsing the use of solar power at operational sites. Initiatives also include undertaking sustainable transport projects (metro & tram), and delivering smart services to clients to minimise the use of paper and carbon emissions,” she said.

“The success of these initiatives is driven by RTA’s commitment to forging partnerships with public and private sectors, which cement RTA’s leading role in sustainability practices. It also reflects RTA’s corporate agility and the ability to quickly adapt to changes in the internal and external environment,” Jasim added.

“Entitled ‘Excellence in Environmental Protection and Reducing Carbon Emission’, our submission shed light on RTA’s efforts to curb carbon footprint in 2018 by 1.71 per cent (70,000 tons of CO2 equivalent) compared with 2017 levels. RTA’s practices saved 19 million litres of fuels, 100 million litres of water, and 32 million kilowatts of electricity. These figures clearly depict RTA’s endeavours to improve its environmental performance through operational agencies and sectors and reducing emissions in the Emirate.

“RTA is taking further steps to enhance its pioneering role in environmental sustainability and excellence such as the use of artificial intelligence in jobs and services that save power. Obtaining this award underlines RTA’s continued efforts to keep pace with Dubai Government’s Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched in 2012,” Jasim concluded. – TradeArabia News Service