As part of Earth Day celebrations, which will be held around the world on April 22, two American speakers will give lectures on solid and liquid waste and student sessions will be held from 9.30 A.M. to 3 P.M. at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday. The two special speakers are David Eisenberg, an expert on green building materials and Brad Lancaster, an expert on water harvesting and water management. Eisenberg has spent his career as an advocate of sustainable development. He promotes the use of indigenous, low-tech and traditional building materials to conserve resources, protect natural habitats and local culture, and save money. He is the author of “The Straw Bale House”. Brad Lancaster, on the other hand, promotes methods to conserve and exploit available water resources, such as, rainwater, household wastewater, topsoil, sun, and plants. He is the author of the award-winning series “Rainwater Harvesting for Dry Lands”. The two speakers will lecture and lead workshops on financial benefits to sustainable commercial or residential development, importance of indigenous building techniques and materials, exploitation of domestic wastewater and rain runoff, creation of building regulations on a municipal scale, energy-saving building materials and designs, and raising awareness on environmental issues. Earth Day is a time to celebrate achievements and to create new visions in order to accelerate environmental progress. Earth Day represents a time to act to protect our planet as well as a time to unite around new initiatives said one of the officials from the American consulate. The Earth Day celebrations have been organized under the patronage of Prince Turki Bin Nasser, General President of the Meteorology and Environmental Protection Department and the president of the Saudi Environmental Society. Dr. Ibrahim Abdulhamid Alim, secretary general of the World Environmental Society of Saudi Arabia, said that the society has planned a number of different events for the program with the cooperation of the American consulate, the Reef Chief, the environment youth club, Priority Options and other organizations.
