Annual Sustainability Festival to Return to Masdar City

The Festival at­­ Masdar City is set to return for a third year, continuing Masdar’s tradition of hosting a weekend of fun-filled activities for the family at the end of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). Running 22-23 January from 10am to 9pm, the Festival will welcome the community for an entertaining and educational program against the backdrop of one of the world’s most sustainable cities.

Launched to inspire UAE residents to adopt more sustainable habits, the annual event invites the public to take part in a series of interactive activities that relate to clean energy and sustainability. Special educational zones will highlight different themes of sustainable living and renewable energy, with the help of interactive workshops for children and the family. Masdar City will also welcome local exhibitors promoting sustainable living solutions, organic produce and eco goods, along with food stalls and music performances.

Other highlights include a workshop on growing your own food, an arts and crafts station with recycled materials, an Eco Lab with a range of renewable energy experiments, as well as recycled and upcycled art installations.

Masdar Sustainability Director Dr Nawal Al-Hosany reflected, “Awareness is one of the four key pillars of ADSW 2016, and we are keen to engage the community in our activities.  Sustainability is not only an academic concept, but it is also a lifestyle – and that is what the Festival is designed to show.”

“We hope to inspire the UAE community, families, and specifically our youth, through fun and free activities that put sustainable living at the core of everything we do,” said Dr Al-Hosany.

In light of 2016 being named the Year of Reading in the UAE, the Festival will also support the community to learn more about sustainability and renewable energy. Hosted at Masdar City, a living laboratory for all aspects of sustainability, the Festival will involve the City’s tenants in the weekend’s programme. Visitors will get a chance to check out the LEED Platinum certified regional headquarters of Siemens.

Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation and Security Solutions will provide an overview of Sustainability practices at Lockheed Martin and aircraft simulator training for lucky winners of trivia that will run on social media.

Masdar’s partner network will also join the Festival to support outreach efforts. Notably, Liter of Light, the 2015 winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, will host a special class on how to make your own solar lighting system.