By Shahd Alhamdan
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Planting a tree with an individual name, fixing on the tree until it grows, planting trees and ornamental plants, providing a landscape to vacant land plots and maintaining them afterwards, are some of the activities of the 5-day ‘Jeddah Green in our Hands,’ initiative that began on Sunday.
The initiative, located near Hilton Hotel, is aimed at planting one million trees and plants of different species to cover green areas of 6 million square meters. It is a vital step to increase environmental awareness among the people.
The planning stage of ‘Jeddah Green in our Hands’ was in December 2016 and around 500 people are now its part. Launched with the cooperation and supervision of Jeddah Municipality, it also includes the participation of community, especially youth.
Dalal Zagzoog, general manager of IHL company and one of the initiative’s founders, said: “We have signed memoranda of understanding with different government agencies and educational institutions such as the General Authority of Meteorology and Environment Protection, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah University and the University of Business and Technology.
Zagzoog explained that the initiative was created in order to promote environmental awareness among the citizens of Jeddah. She added that the whole initiative is expected to be completed within four years and landscaping and maintaining the plants and trees will be taken care of afterwards.
“This pioneering idea is a unique event of its kind and in line with the United Nations Development Program ‘Plant for the Planet.’ It is our vision to transform the city of Jeddah to be environmentally green, full of life and to show the civilized face of Jeddah city,” she said.
Zagzoog added that the initiative is focusing on making Jeddah one of the best cities in the Kingdom and further to gain its rightful place as among the world’s most beautiful cities.
“This initiative also will teach the values of patriotism and preserving the environment in the heart of citizens, most importantly the youth. Since this is a one of a kind pioneering project, the first struggle is how to introduce this to the stakeholders and community. Seeking approval from different agencies was initially a challenge, but when they see the beauty and impact of this initiative to the city, they have extended their support and cooperation,” Zagzoog said.
Asked about the impact of ‘Jeddah Green in our Hands’ event on the society, Zagzoog said, “This initiative will have a great social impact. It increases the environmental awareness of the citizens, especially the youth. It teaches also the value of volunteerism and patriotism by working together in making Jeddah a beautiful and livable place.”
