THE third international Earth Hour will be held on Saturday with public and private sector organizations and members of the general public turning off their electricity from 8.30 P.M. to 9.30 P.M. local time. Earth Hour organizers hope that more than one billion people will participate in the event in all corners of the globe. Earth Hour, which is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and in the Kingdom by Saudi Wildlife, aims to raise people's awareness of the effects of climate change and the use of energy resources on our environment. Joe Avance?a in Dammam, Shahid Ali Khan in Riyadh, Habib Shaikh, Maha Sami Aboulola, Fouzia Khan and Afifa Jabeen Quraishi in Jeddah talked to a cross section of people to gauge their views on Earth Hour. Although the official response to Earth Hour in Saudi Arabia has been somewhat unfocused and even lackluster, Saudi Gazette reporters in major cities of Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah found that members of the public have learned about the event through unofficial sources and are extremely enthusiastic. All of which augurs well for the Kingdom's participation in Earth Hour next year. The environmental community in the Eastern Province is not very much involved in marking the occasion. We tried nevertheless contacting some companies, particularly the hotels to join the event, but many declined to get involved. The ETMA member-institutions, like Saudi Aramco and KFUPM, however, are quietly observing Earth Hour, given the need to adjust our resources to highlight the event. – Faisal M. Al-Zawad, chairman of the forthcoming 40th Earth Day celebration on April 21 and an active member of the Environmental Technology and Management Association (ETMA), a non-government organization, Dammam The aim is good, but I have not received any official communication regarding this; it is unclear whether the business community here will participate or not. – Adnan A. Al-Naeim, secretary general of the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Eastern Province It is not a bad idea to observe Earth Hour. But what will its impact be on our people? – Najeeb A.R. Al Zamil, a member of the Shoura Council and a social activist This is a laudable event, very significant and symbolic, because it will tell us that there is indeed a global unity. The urgency to protect the global environment and conserve energy remains critical. The disruption in power will certainly affect critical sectors of the economy. The production and services of these sectors will be disrupted; this would mean cut in productivity. Of course security is another issue, and the Ministry of Interior is expected to provide safeguards against elements taking advantage of the situation. – Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Shukri, professor of physics at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) Very few people in Saudi Arabia know about Earth Hour. However, the idea behind the event that encourages people to turn off lights is good. But the issue of global warming is so serious that the world should observe Earth Hour at least once a month. There is a need to create awareness among people at all levels on how important it is to turn off lights that are not in use. – Saad Al-Nufie, general prosecutor, Riyadh I have a big house with 10 high-power electric bulbs. I usually ask my wife and children to turn off lights that are not in use. However, I will make sure that on Saturday my house and in my neighborhood participate in Earth Hour. – Faiz Al-Ahmari, educationist and PR manager, Riyadh Simply participating in Earth Hour will not be sufficient to educate people … there is a lot more to be done. Teachers could play an important role by educating children about turning off lights. It is a fact that children often keep the lights and other electrical gadgets such as ceiling fans on. – Sami Abu Farah, auditor, Riyadh As we are dealing with people's health care, we will try to comply and follow Earth Hour. As part of Earth Hour we will turn off the lights of display boards and neon lights outside the clinic. We will also switch off the power of medical instruments not in use. Besides, we will keep the lights off in unimportant areas in the clinic. – Dr. Rajshehkhar Muniswamy, director Shifa Al-Jazeera Polyclinic, Riyadh ABB Saudi Arabia would like to see Earth Hour become Earth Year. Yes, ABB will be turning off its lights for Earth Hour. We have been active for years in pushing home the message of energy efficiency. ABB worked with the Saudi Ministry of Electricity and Water to support their conservation program. We also regularly meet with customers and universities to promote the idea that we can do more with less. By promoting the use of more energy-efficient products, such as energy saving halogen light bulbs, by turning the television off rather than putting it in standby mode, or turning off lights not in use, we can make a difference. – Zeid Al-Rumaihi, country HR manager, ABB Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's participation and support in this campaign is very encouraging for people. We need to create more awareness in this drive. We plan to switch off all the lights at Riyadh Marriott except for some important and necessary facilities. – Khaldoun Hayejnah, general manager, Marriott Riyadh The Kingdom's contribution to the international event is welcome. It is in keeping with the teachings and principles of Islam. The whole exercise will definitely be helpful in creating awareness about the importance of power and energy. I learnt about it through the media, which shows that the Kingdom's media is also active in performing its social responsibility. – Dr. Bakr Bin Hamza Khoshaim, member of the Shoura Council Conserving energy is a prime requirement in today's world and all of us should contribute to save the resources available on our planet for the present and future generations. As a leading energy nation, Saudi Arabia is supporting the event and the international effort in a strong way and making people at large aware of the necessity to save energy. I leant about the event from Saudi Gazette. – Zahoor Siddiqui, exhibitions director Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), Jeddah One hour is not enough. If we have to save energy we have to do more. There are many other ways. We should work out long-term solutions. Leading countries such as the United States, and those in Europe, should make substantial contributiona to prevent climate change. On the whole the idea is not bad. The Kingdom's participation is welcome. – Ezuddin A. Hafez, training manager, TVTC, Jeddah I heard about Earth Hour on Facebook, and I feel that it is a very important issue in today's world. My friends and I are participating in this event by switching off the lights in our homes. I think the government should participate in such environmental events because the Saudi government cares very much about the environment as evidenced by the fact that we recently had the Gulf Environment Forum in Jeddah. – Aasia Kamyab Khan, a teacher in Jeddah Yes, I know about Earth Hour. I learned about it through Facebook. We should turn off our lights to save money and energy. It would be good if the government or municipality would participate. Most people learned about Earth Hour through Facebook and forwarded e-mails. Saudi Arabia should take part in the event to raise environmental awareness in the Kingdom and to support major causes in the world. – Mahdi Al-Husseini, a university student in Jeddah It is very good step, and I learned about it through Facebook and through my friends, but I am too busy to take part. Yes, Saudi Arabia should take part in such environmental events, just like other countries of the world. – Younus Nizam Bin Abdad, businessman, Jeddah I don't know that much about the subject, but I heard about it on TV news channels. Earth Hour is one way to raise the awareness of people and help them realize the importance of light and electricity. I don't know if the government is doing anything, but individually we can all participate. – Haifa Malik, student at CBA, Jeddah I heard about Earth Hour from my father who works in a hospital in Jeddah. I truly believe that taking part in the event will raise people's awareness about the limited resources of the Earth. People should take part in such causes to protect the environment and save our planet. We have the social reasonability to do so. – Anam Minhas, a student in Jeddah Saving the environment is very important and a serious global issue. I always make sure I do not waste electricity and water as these play a very important role in our everyday life. This is the first time Saudi Arabia is taking part in a save the environment issue, which is very good. – Qudsia Najmuddin, university graduate, Jeddah I support Earth Hour and plan to take part at home. I wish that everyone would participate because after all we are doing it for the safety of the planet. Switching off the electricity for one hour will also relax you physically and mentally, so Earth Hour is not only good for the environment but also for your health. – Abdallah Al-Taher, admissions office supervisor, Jeddah We taught our students about saving the environment, and they did great projects and had an excellent exhibition on the topic. We are participating in Earth Hour as it is very important to send out a message of awareness. Saving the environment is an important issue, and we should all participate on public and private levels. – Saher Kamran, principal of PISJ I heard about Earth Hour in my school, which is going to take part in the event. I believe that it is a great gesture to darken the world for one hour to help ensure a brighter tomorrow. I think that not only the Saudi government but all the countries which are not participating this year should take part next year.” – Syed Shahryar Shahid, a student in Jeddah I will also participate in this event to save the environment. I think that turning off the lights for just one hour is not that bad, as our forefathers lived healthy lives when there was no electricity at all. Participating in such an event not only helps the Earth, but helps our own future, so it should be done on a governmental level.” – Ahmed Saleem Ismail, optometrist in Jeddah Earth Hour is a hot topic. My friends will all participate and so will I. We should all take part to save the environment. – Hattan Hamza Al-Hindi, lab technician, Jeddah I will participate by turning off the lights in my apartment, and I volunteered at the Earth Hour website to set up a temporary blog to help people get more information about the event by taking pictures during Saudi Arabia's participation in Earth Hour. I hope to see more participants from Saudi society next year. – Mowaffag Sami, bank employee, Jeddah Since Earth Hour is at night, many schools and universities have not organized any special event to participate on that day. I think that we should educate the new generation about how important the environment is to our lives by participating in such events. Earth Hour does not require any real effort or sacrifice and it shows our support for energy conservation. That is why I will turn off all the lights in my house. – Azza Abubakur, sociologist, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah I learned about Earth Hour when I received emails and invitations to participate from volunteer groups via the Internet. Reading more about the positive effects of this hour encouraged me to involve my students in this event. I asked them to deliver brochures and leaflets about Earth Hour inside and outside the university campus to help as many people as possible be aware of the importance of taking care of the environment. – Dr. Talal Abdulmalik, professor at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah After I learned about Earth Hour from some of my friends, I decided to participate by asking my family and friends to take part in the event in order to spread awareness as an individual effort since we have not seen any official ones from the government. – Mansour Radain, a university student in Jeddah I read about Earth Hour for the first time on the Internet. It has a good message that makes us sit up and think about issues, such as, climate change, environmental care and energy conservation. The Saudi government is a progressive one which is why they are part of any such global cause. Islam promotes the idea of participating in any good cause for human beings and that is why we are supporting it. – Mohammed Aqil, Jeddah Dawah Center coordinator and president of New Delhi-based Noor Welfare Trust It is imperative that we all participate in this event, which is why I too am willing to do anything for Earth Hour. Though it is getting the much-needed support from most countries, there are still a lot of people who don't know about it, and hence, there should be continuous awareness programs. Like other countries, Saudi Arabia must do its part for Mother Nature. – Eduardo S. Liboon, regional service engineer, Binzagr Company, Jeddah Participating in Earth Hour is a matter of pleasure and an effort to seriously deal with the reality. I will educate the community and stress the importance of protecting the planet from pollution. In the Middle East, there is a need for more awareness of the importance of protecting the planet's environment from pollution. The Kingdom's participation stems from its adherence to Islamic law, which calls for non-wasteful use of energy from air, water or trees and prohibits any extravagant splurge of wealth. – Adnan Saleh, lawyer and legal adviser, Jeddah I feel the government is pulling on the same strings as the people, which is good. Participation is important primarily for the people and also because it reflects well on the Kingdom being one of the nations with high pollution output. – Toni Riethmaier, assistant general manager, Il Villaggio Restaurants and Lounges, Jeddah Will I do anything for Earth Hour? There is a 70 percent chance. If it hadn't been for a few friends, I doubt I would know about it. I'm happy to hear Saudi Arabia is joining an important issue, especially if it's the start of a wider campaign. Pollution, waste, etc. are major issues that need a greater focus. – Amatullah Bantley, publisher, Dar Abul
