Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Executive Council and Crown Prince of Dubai, launched the ‘Dubai Can’ sustainability initiative in February this year, and within just two months, there are 40 water fountains already around the city. The initiative strives to increase these to 50 by the end of 2022.
Considering that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) — Goal 6 focuses on assuring available water for all, initiatives like Dubai Can are vital towards creating the world we want to live in.
Dubai Can become the only campaign of its kind in the city to concentrate on decreasing the utilisation of single-use plastic bottles around the city and promoting a refill water bottle culture. The initiative has received unbelievable support from the Dubai Department of Economic and Tourism’s stakeholders, communities, and partners.
Till date, around 500 hotels, destinations, malls and tourist attractions around the city have come on board, and hundreds of individuals have committed to using refillable water bottles to show strong support for the initiative of ‘Refill for Life’.
Since Dubai Can be launched, it has resulted in a decrease of around 551,650 500ml single-use plastic water bottles, alone from the water fountains.
The Executive Director, Tourism Development and Investments, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism, Yousuf Lootah, said, “The Dubai Can ‘Refill for Life’ campaign is a motivation for helping acquire the UAE’s sustainability targets and supports Dubai’s ‘Smart and Sustainable’ city initiatives this Earth Day and every day.”
“This year observes more than five decades since Earth Day was established to rally individuals from around the world as part of a unified international reaction to battling climate change. Since 1970, Earth Day has developed a new generation of environmentalists and sustainability advocates and has committed billions of people worldwide. From literary climate campaigns empowering communities to educational curriculums reaching millions of children, the effect of Earth Day has been far-reaching,” Lootah added.