My Experience At The ZFEP 2017
On the 16th of January 2017 Green School Bali won the Zayed Future Energy Prize, Global High Schools category. The Green School team arrived to Dubai on the 14th very early in the morning. We started the car ride to Abu Dhabi while looking and being amazed by the architecture there. When we arrived at the hotel we finally met Aishah whom we’d be speaking with prior to the event. I felt amazed that we had come so far and had managed to become finalists from over 1,700 entries. The next day we would have the rehearsal and media briefing so we decided to take it easy. On the 15th I got the chance to meet a lot of the other schools from all over the world and the fact that there were people from 5 continents made me learn a lot about everyone’s different thoughts and opinions. It was really great to see everyone getting along so well with each other because we all had something in common, we all wanted to change our communities both locally and globally.
This was it, the big day. Today we would find out if we were one of the winners announced in person to over 3,000 and broadcasted live internationally. We were all feeling more hopeful than ever, we came here with nothing to lose and might leave with a prize and an award. When our introduction video was displayed I immediately felt immensely proud that we had this opportunity and even more proud that I was chosen to go and represent Green School at such an event. I also got the chance to see the rest of the school’s videos to be able to visualize what they had talked to me about. After seeing some of the other winners announced I felt so amazed and happy when I heard green School announced as the winner of the Asia category. When I was there in line with all the other winners waiting to go up on stage to receive the award, I started thinking about how grateful I was for such an opportunity to bring such an idea to life.
After the initial ceremony there was a lot of press to deal with and they all wanted to know why in a room full of suits, dresses, Abayas and Thwabs, we were wearing the clothes that we were. Each winning school sat at a round table that the media and press could come and talk to and photograph. The whole press conference was quite relaxed with us being able to sit in nice seats while being asked by multiple news outlets all sorts of questions. When the Press and Media segment was finished we then proceeded to change into something more casual to go to the informal dinner that followed. At the dinner we met Illac, the founder and executive director of Liter of Light which is a global movement committed to providing affordable, sustainable solar light to people with limited or no access to electricity. What was cool was that they actually installed a couple of their bottle lights at Green School.
The rest of the week we used to network at the renewable energy expo which showed off renewable energy, waste management and water purification and distribution. We also connected a lot more with the other school and I have made some good friends on this trip. From some that go to a British school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Spanish students from two schools around Valencia, Spain. All the way to seniors on their last year at a school in Dublin, Ireland. Which have promised to come to Bali to see me and Green School. I have never had such good friends that were as interested in the kind of engineering and science work that I have done and am hoping to do, then at the Zayed Future Energy Prize.
Overall this experience has been great both for future contacts, friends, universities and companies.The way that the ZFEP brings such diverse cultures together for a singular reason is an example that other companies and funds should follow. Because the world will be my generation’s within the next decade so it is not just students from one school that should focus on sustainability, but students from everywhere, all corners of the earth.
Mikel Gutierrez 26/01/17
