More than 300 students, both male and female, from different schools participated in the launch of the first environmental initiative under the slogan “Residents Are Responsible.” On Friday, they cleaned Jeddah’s central historical area known as Al-Balad.

The initiative for cleaning of the city and environmental protection was launched by the municipality with the cooperation of the Saudi Environmental Society (SENS). The aim is to increase the involvement and participation of citizens in socially responsible acts.

A team of volunteers was established with the help of Friends of Jeddah, the official partners of SENS, for voluntary work which aims to involve millions of youth in the initiative under the National Program for Environmental Awareness.

Jeddah Mayor Hani Aburas said the initiative aims to encourage a large number of citizens and residents to participate in the environmental protection programs.

He said that youth was responsible for the homeland environment and that it was time to strengthen environmental concepts within the city in general and in the historical center in particular.

Majdah Aburas, deputy chairman of the Saudi Environmental Society, said: “Cleanliness is part of our religion and our culture and participation of citizens and residents reflects the importance of harmony between different bodies in building a system of clean cities that highlight civilized behavior.”

She said that SENS and municipality officials and the teams of volunteers would work to locate environmental problems and put the locations on the map of the Kingdom in different colors according to their situations. Those shown in red would take priority for action. She noted that citizens and residents could help in locating problems.

She advised the municipality team in each city to monitor the sites and label them according to different colors — yellow for waste, black for street-drilling problems, brown for waste and stagnant water problems, red for security and safety and blue for pollution of beaches.

“We are seeking harmony between societal sectors and communities with the establishment of a single system for clean cities, preserving and protecting the environment, preventing pollution and supporting and assisting the relevant government authorities for the completion of sustainable development systems for our beloved country,” she said.