Spare a thought for the environment when you pick a refrigerator, or a washing machine. Dubai is keen to do its bit for the earth by spreading the good word around about common household appliances and energy consumption during a six-week campaign.

Awareness begins at home and the ‘Do Good to Planet Earth’ effort will dwell on the importance of choosing environment-friendly home appliances and how to use them wisely to bring down water and electricity consumption.

The campaign by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) will run a series of workshops to consumers, brand owners, retailers from the electronic industry on the best methods and benefits of using environment-friendly home appliances.

Appliances included in the campaign are washing machines, refrigerators, air-conditioners, dishwashers and lights. Dewa will also engage residents about the most efficient home appliances.

The home appliances campaign will coincide with Dewa’s ‘Peak Load Campaign,’ which is launched in the summer each year when energy consumption is at its highest. The Peak Load Campaign is used by Dewa as a way to promote more responsible behaviour towards energy consumption.

Dewa will also use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as the official Dewa website as primary communication platforms to spread the word about ways to save energy.

The campaign supports the strategy of the Government of Dubai to create a sustainable future for the emirate and reinforce its position as a global hub for finance, business and tourism. “Dewa’s efforts are evident throughout this campaign, as they fit with the nation’s long term strategy for green development under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Dubai’s vision to reduce energy consumption by securing our precious natural resources and finding energy-efficient solutions. We also want to reduce energy consumption and wastage as part of our efforts to protect the environment and planet earth itself as part of our long-term goal for sustainable development,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa.

“Achieving long-term environmental sustainability requires efficient management of resources and deploying clean-energy techniques for energy integration and development. Therefore, it is essential to focus on guiding the public to improve their ways of energy consumption, not merely by reducing usage but also by using the right environmentally-efficient technologies, to drive greater individual and social contributions to sustainability,” added Al Tayer.

Amal Koshak, Senior Manager of Marketing Communication at Dewa, said the authority continually aims to inform and educate all sectors of society in an easy and friendly manner. ‘‘Through the Home Appliances campaign, home appliances are personified into approachable cartoon characters, speaking and guiding our audience on ways to reduce electricity and water consumption,” he said.

He said the campaign will involve special tutorial sessions on various appliances available in the market, and how they help in reducing electricity and water consumption.