Meanwhile, on the south Corniche, just along the Aramco refinery, staff from the US Consulate General, led by acting consul general C.B. Toney, were doing the same thing along with Reef Chief Saudi Arabia and officials from Jeddah municipality, PME, NCB and students (including around 100 from the American school).
On Tuesday, another team, also on the South Corniche, collected 800 kg of garbage - 400 of it recyclable — in 1,400 sacks.
Earlier during the week, the PME held a three-day exhibition at the Hilton Hotel. Opening last Sunday with a workshop and lectures on Monday, the exhibition highlighted the core issues of environmental protection and materials used for environmental control. It was visited by hundreds of students and members of the public. They joined with an estimated 190 million people in 40 countries engaging in events to celebrate Earth Day’s 40th anniversary.
“The whole event was organized by the PME under Prince Turki bin Nasser. Having found out about it some months ago, we were delighted to join with the PME as sponsor,” said Maier.
As a first for a volunteer clean-up event, it turns inland on Thursday and focuses on a clean-up on three streets in the Al-Rawdah district of the city. “The whole event was spread over three days and in three different places to maximize the exposure,” explained Gada Alamda for the Hilton.
“The North Corniche is particularly important because this is the face of the city and where most tourists come when they visit us.”
Maier was hopeful about the efforts he has seen to promote environmental awareness over his four years in Jeddah.
“I have noticed an increasing public effort to care about the environment. This kind of thing is done in other countries and it is good to see the Kingdom catching on and joining in.”
He added that it was particularly heartening to see busloads of schoolchildren visiting the Hilton exhibition and the MEPA display on the Corniche to be introduced to the Earth Day clean-up.
Saleh bin Muhammad Al-Shahri, vice president of PME, said that the campaign, a part of the Kingdom’s activities for World Earth Day, “aims to establish real partnerships between people and encourage them to deal positively with their environment.”
“A lot of efforts have been made by government departments and NGOs to enhance public awareness of the environment,” he said on Tuesday.
The government has set up a council to draft rules and regulations to protect the environment while ensuring sustained development. The new regulations include imprisonment and fines for those who pollute the environment and harm wildlife.
