The Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University (PMU) Environmental Group has signed an agreement with Lexmark International Middle East to support activities that promote environmental awareness among university students. The environmental group has clear objectives: emphasize the PMU's social role in the community of Saudi Arabia, raise environmental awareness of PMU students, increase the level of environmental responsibility among PMU students and empower students to become leaders in environmental awareness within their respective communities. “By participating actively in the different activities, students shall acquire skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving. I expect that the Environmental Group will address environmental issues that impact the surrounding community and help students to become more interested in voluntary work and more conscious of their responsibilities towards their society”, said Dr. Yousif M. Suleiman, university secretary general. “This agreement will enable PMU and Lexmark to work together on environmental projects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia”, added Mohammed Al-Addarrat, general manager of Lexmark International Middle East. “As part of our corporate social responsibility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lexmark is committed to the creation and development of the environmental group of the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University and accompany students who care about sustainability.” PMU is a private university in Al-Khobar named after Prince Muhammed Bin Fahd, Governor of the Eastern Province. The university was inaugurated in April 2006 and was formally opened on Oct.8, 2008 and offers bachelor's degrees in 17 academic programs with courses taught in English. It is divided into five colleges: College of Engineering, College of Administrative Sciences and College of Information Technology for males and the College of Administrative Sciences and College of Information Technology for women. Separately, in Beirut, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development Conference started on Thursday under the auspices of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAAD). Minister of Environment and Water Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahd is leading the UAE delegation participated in the two-day conference held at the Habtour Grand Hotel and Convention Center that concluded on Friday.. The conference was in preparation for the World Summit on the climate change scheduled next month in Copenhagen. EAAD also participated with its own pavilion showcasing its activities, programmes and achievements in protecting the environment. Addressing the first day of the forum, the minister said “climate change is becoming a reality in the Arab world, which is suffering from growing desertification, water scarcity and depletion of natural resources.”
