Members of the Friends of Corniche Campaign for Protecting the Environment, along with Scouts carrying the “Clean Corniche” message and volunteers holding other distinctive messages, turned out in big numbers for the environmental drive. — SG photos Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH – In one of the biggest environment drives in the city, citizens and residents turned out in large numbers to tweak people's conscience and asking them to do their part in keeping the Corniche clean. Four hundred members of the Scouts movement, officials of Jeddah Mayoralty, volunteers and people with special needs joined forces to put across the message of keeping the Corniche clean. The Friends of Corniche Campaign for Protecting the Environment embarked on a unique awareness promotion by flashing ‘cards' to the visitors. The yellow was given when a negative conduct was witnessed, and the green for a positive act. The group, with the distribution of the cards, aimed to shame the picnickers and visitors with the yellow from not negatively impacting the environment, and encourage those to spread the word and positive action with the green cards. The group issued 4,000 cards during the weekend. The drive aims to instill a culture of environmental concepts among visitors to the Corniche, including citizens, expatriates and tourists. The Saudi Environmental Society in cooperation with the Social Responsibility Unit in Jeddah Mayoralty launched the first national Saudi environmental initiative that included members of the Scouts, Jeddah Mayoralty and also physically challenged people. This comes within the scope of the national program for environmental awareness and sustainable development — “My environment – green flag and green nation”, which was launched from the northern part of the Corniche in Jeddah. The program has won the first place as the biggest project in the Middle East. Special needs children participated along with children from schools and kindergartens. The campaign turned into a festival with many participants waving patriotic slogans and others highlighting the Kingdom of Humanity. The over 20,000 participants congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah successfully undergoing an operation. The campaign coincided with the weekend that saw a large number of visitors to the Corniche. They reveled at the beautiful projects at the Corniche behind whose construction is a king who cares for his people and knows their needs. The awareness campaign for environmental protection started from Al-Nawras Mosque near Movenpick up to the Border Guard station, before the members retraced their steps along the same route. Four hundred Scouts, who are friends of the environment, besides 30 physically challenged persons, 20 friends of the Mayoralty and 2,500 children and students spent their weekend in the city by walking for over 40 km. They carried awareness placards, and monitored the visitors. In addition, 200 placards, explaining environmental issues, were carried by volunteers, along with over 100 drawings depicting positive and negative conduct. They also distributed 100 colored drawing pencils to children among the visitors. They distributed 2,000 green cards to the picnickers who kept the location clean. The participants presented them with membership for Friends of Jeddah Mayoralty and free membership to the Saudi Environmental Society to citizens and expatriates. The Friends of Corniche group distributed garbage bags to the picnickers and medals to all participants. Dr. Majidah Abu Ras, an environmental activist who came up with the idea of the national program “Green flag, green nation”, said what is being witnessed is an environmental drive that reflects the acceptance of the Saudi society, with all its segments, of the concept of the environment as a civilized conduct. Abu Ras stressed that the Friends of the Corniche campaign is an initiative to encourage children, Scouts and the physically challenged to protect the environment and increase awareness on harms facing the environment in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, Muhammad Al-Yami, Director General of the Social Responsibility Program at Jeddah Mayoralty, stressed the importance of the national initiative for the environment. He said it emphasizes the sense of responsibility and collective work that the current generation is capable of contributing in the service of the nation.
