Certainly in the West, there is a firm view that the priority in developing countries is for growth and that concern about climate change and the dangers it poses to the planet come a poor second. Oil-exporters such as Saudi Arabia are accused of being particularly uninterested in the state of the environment. In Jeddah, that is not the case.
Green Jeddah (GJ) is the first interest group of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Launched in July 2009, the youth-led organization — its motto is “we should live, and let the environment live as well” — addresses the general lack of environmental awareness and conservation in Jeddah during a time of extensive industrialization and climate change. GJ is driven by innovative youth-led initiatives that are geared towards ecological preservation and waste management.
The group was born out of dialogue at the US-Saudi Women’s Forum on Social Entrepreneurship hosted by Dar Al-Hekma College in partnership with ICF International, Babson College, and Wellesley Centers for Women. GJ was just one of six social enterprises formed after the forum’s closure.
GJ comprises a group of female students who are deeply concerned about mankind’s perceived irresponsibility to the environment. When the group was formed its members acknowledged the issues of toxic waste and environmental degradation in Jeddah and tried to develop solutions.
GJ comprises six college students including Alaa Al-Mizyen, Lulwa Bin Mahfooz, Rana Jan, Menal Hussen, Mona Eusman, and Mona Maghrabi. They see their work for the group as a way of giving something back to the community. GJ aims to promote environmentally safe practices by implementing sustainable recycling systems in educational institutions and business organizations in Jeddah and raise awareness amongst the Saudi Arabian community.
The world’s latest environmental and climate-related challenges and their intention to introduce reusable fabric bags as a replacement for harmful plastic bags in grocery markets in Jeddah provide the motivation for the group.
Green Jeddah uses different methods to reach their target audience. They hosted educational seminars to explain the benefits of recycling and being environmentally conscious.
They also currently tour schools and universities to brief students on the green movement and encourage them to be involved in helping save the environment. They also use social networking and video sharing websites such as Facebook, Wordpress (greenjeddah.wordpress.com), Twitter and YouTube to reach a large number of people all over the world.
“We identify (ourselves) with solutions, not problems,” said Alaa Al-Mizyen, a banking and finance student at Dar Al-Hekma College and co-founder of Green Jeddah.
The GJ team is prepared to engage with skeptical people and communicate the facts and statistics of how pollution and toxic waste can damage the earth, as well as how preserving our world is the right thing to do for the sake of future generations.
GJ targets Jeddah’s youth for two reasons. Firstly, because 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 21 and secondly, they are perceived as the leaders of tomorrow.
“The youth are like seeds. If you take good care of the seeds, they will grow and become flowers,” said Lulwa Binmahfooz, banking and finance graduate from Dar Al-Hekma and another co-founder of GJ.
Co-founder Rana Jan believed that the movement would inevitably expand as a result of GJ’s unique ethos.
“GJ will be indirectly helping us live in a safer environment through the implementation of proper eco-friendly initiatives in our society,” she said.
GJ has proven it is never too late to start changing things for the better. Publicity and education are important to raise such awareness with regards to environmental conservation, climate change and waste management.
