Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi’s leading shopping, dining and entertainment destination, has designed a series of community-focused activities to be held through this month with art, sustainability and health taking centre stage as key themes.

A special focus has been placed on students, underlining the importance of learning about arts, as well as preserving the environment for future generations and educating the adults of tomorrow, said a statement.

As a leading sustainable mall in the region, Yas Mall has established a commitment to creating a sustainable future for the capital and has been designed based on world-class eco-friendly standards.

The mall has achieved a commendable two-pearl Estidama sustainability rating in the UAE and best practice is carefully applied to all areas of mall management including waste disposal, cleaning and landscaping.

In addition, with 116,000 sq m of outside shrubbery carefully designed to reduce water consumption, the mall currently holds the largest landscaped area in the country.

To raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and play a part in educating youth about preserving the environment, Yas Mall had invited 125 school children from various schools in Abu Dhabi, to learn about recycling and take part in a fun exercise in which the children plant seedlings into biodegradable pots in Town Square, as part of its corporate social responsibility programme held in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council and Aldar Academies.

The exercise took place in Town Square, home to many of Yas Mall’s events and activities.

To further engage students and families and promote arts and creativity, Yas Mall’s event series also included a two-day art weekend, in which students participated in a drawing competition, followed by a series of insightful art workshops and exhibition hosted by local and regional artists, who provided visitors to Yas Mall with insightful workshops into various art styles and techniques.  

In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Police, Yas Mall was also a lead sponsor of the annual GCC Traffic Week, which launched  under slogan “Your Choice Determines Your Destiny” in an effort to promote traffic awareness and achieve the future vision of zero fatalities in road accidents through the “Vision: Zero 2030.”

The week-long campaign provided visitors with a series of informative and entertaining activities focused on raising awareness about traffic safety.

This included an ‘X-Ray’ simulation of a car crash, a demonstration of the new traffic radars, an exhibition of the history of Abu Dhabi Policy, and a virtual reality simulator; as well as the unveiling of the 2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom, the latest addition to the UAE police fleet.

Adding to the list of community-driven activities, participants in the annual Color Run can also visit Yas Mall to collect their tickets and enjoy a colourful show to be held for the first time on Yas Island.

Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief development officer at Aldar Properties, said: “It is a top priority for Aldar to ensure that it continues providing services which enhance the lives of residents and visitors of the UAE. Throughout the year, Yas Mall will host exciting activities and entertainment, designed to meet the interests of families and visitors of all ages and nationalities.

“Visitors to the mall will also continue to see an enhanced range of offerings at Yas Mall to ensure that it continues providing the ultimate experience in shopping, dining and entertainment.” - TradeArabia News Service