UAE company nurtures eco-conscious pupils through hands-on projects

An Abu Dhabi company, Indkarta, recently was awarded for a biodome project in a local school.

ABU DHABI // A company in the capital is taking hands-on education in sustainability to school pupils to foster a generation of eco-conscious adults.

Indkarta, in Masdar City, was recently given the Khalifa Award for Education for building a biodome with local mangroves at Aisha bint Abi Baker School in Abu Dhabi.

The company also recently completed a sub-surface irrigation project in Al Foaa School in Al Ain, the first of its kind in a UAE school.

Unlike usual ground level drip irrigation, sub-surface irrigation uses low-pressure water that is naturally directed towards the roots of the plant.

“When we see trees and plants uprooted here due to storms, it is because they are watered from the top and the roots are not strong,” said Syed Amir, chief executive of Indkarta.

“We give workshops to the students on what we are doing and they always have questions about why they see the opposite going on around them.

“This makes them aware that not everything they see is right and they can grow up to change these little aspects of the environment.

“Currently, students don’t have anything related to sustainability in their curriculum so these practical ways really open their minds to new and important aspects of life.”

The sub-surface irrigation project was tested on 800 metres of the schools green area, which recorded a 60 per cent decrease in usage of water for the same area.