SDG7. Affordable and clean energy

His Excellency Professor Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Dawood, the University President, affirmed that achieving environmental sustainability is one of the most important pillars of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, in order to raise the efficiency of waste management and reduce pollution. As an active member of the international community, especially the G20, which strives to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, he pointed out that the issue of waste management is linked to a number of UN goals, including industry, innovation, infrastructure, sustainable cities, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

This came during the sponsorship of His Excellency the University President for the First International Conference on Natural Resource Sustainability: Sustainable Management of Solid Waste, which kicked off this Tuesday morning, corresponding to 8/3/1441 AH. The conference is organized by the College of Engineering at the University and the Sustainable Development Center. It is being held at the main hall of the male campus and the theater of the College of Economics and Administration for women, and will last for two days. Thirty-six speakers will participate to cover all the themes and objectives of this scientific gathering, which aims to discuss the necessary measures to transition to sustainable food systems.

Al-Dawood added that the university seeks to achieve sustainability through its centers, research, and scientists, by means of a system of integration and cooperation between its units, and its educational and research programs. He thanked the conference sponsors, the Qassim Region Secretariat, and all contributing sectors inside and outside the university.

His Excellency the University President also inaugurated the exhibition accompanying the conference, in which 6 government and private entities are participating, including a booth for the Qassim Region Municipality, a booth for the College of Engineering, a booth for the Sustainable Development Center, a booth for the Madinah Cement Company, the Cleaning Equipment Manufacturing Company Limited, and Al-Fahd Company. The ceremony also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the College of Engineering at the university and Madinah Cement Company.

For his part, the head of the conference organizing committee, Professor Dr. Khalid Bani Al-Harbi, Vice President for Planning, Development, and Quality, spoke about the importance of this conference, which aligns with the university's strategic role in the Kingdom in general and the region in particular. He highlighted that it embodies the Kingdom's aspirations stemming from its Vision 2030, which places great importance on economic fields and quality of life. He noted that the university has adopted a number of academic activities to embody this role, most importantly these types of scientific gatherings, in addition to supporting research in this field, incorporating sustainability concepts into academic program curricula, and most recently launching the university's sustainable project, which is supervised by His Excellency the University President and under the kind patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of the region – may God protect him.

Al-Harbi added: “The organizing committee has held more than 12 lengthy meetings to prepare for the conference, while other executive committees” meetings exceeded 30 working meetings, 19 of which were for the scientific committee. The preparatory team's working hours reached over 150 working hours, and the team included more than 36 members. This work resulted in the participation of more than 15 countries with 168 participants, and more than 120 scientific papers were reviewed.".

Al-Harbi explained that the organizing committee and those in charge of this conference, which is dedicated to sustainability as a concept and a subject of research through participants and interested parties, decided that the conference should go beyond that to be sustainable even in its organizational aspect. He offered thanks and appreciation to the partners of success, represented by the strategic partner, Madinah Cement Company, the silver sponsor, Al-Fahd Company, and the supporting sponsor, the Qassim Region Municipality, as well as the cooperating entities with the conference, foremost among them the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, represented by the Environmental Agency and the Ministry's branch in the region, represented by His Excellency Engineer Salman Al-Suwina, as well as the General Directorate of Education in the region, represented by His Excellency Professor Saleh Al-Jasser, for their constructive cooperation in making this conference a success.

After that, the Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Meshaal bin Ibrahim Al-Meshaiqah, spoke, stating that the College of Engineering at the university attaches great importance to natural resource sustainability issues due to their specialized nature. The college aims to be one of the university's most important arms in achieving this noble purpose, alongside other specialized entities from other colleges and units, most notably the University's Sustainable Development Center. The center is a partner in organizing and a host for the conference with the college in holding this distinguished international forum.

Al-Mushaiqih pointed out that the conference aims to demonstrate the volume of wasted natural and economic resources and to estimate the environmental cost of waste. It will also discuss the necessary measures to transform into sustainable food systems with reduced losses and decreased food waste. Additionally, it aims to stimulate integration among partners from different disciplines for sustainable waste management, explore opportunities to incentivize investment in waste recycling technology development in the Kingdom, and study the obstacles to investment in waste processing industries. This will be achieved through several pivotal themes discussed at the conference: effective management, valued food and responsible citizens, attractive and ambitious investment, and a cohesive team for environmental protection and sustainability.

The conference organizers aim to contribute to the development of a vision for sustainable solid waste management at the national and global levels. This will be achieved through the participation of experts, academics, and specialists from 15 countries in this field. They will discuss the results of the latest studies, research, and scientific papers related to sustainable solid waste management over six sessions during the two-day conference. The goal is to reduce per capita consumption rates of certain goods and services in Saudi Arabia, which are among the highest globally, leading to an increase in the volume of solid waste generated. Additionally, the conference seeks to curb the depletion and degradation of natural resources due to high consumption rates, and to transfer and localize modern global technologies in waste management in a way that is compatible with the Kingdom's circumstances.

The Dean of the College of Engineering added that the conference also seeks to address the challenges arising from waste, which is the responsibility of every member of society, and to raise community awareness of the risks resulting from waste generation, encourage initiatives aimed at improving sustainable waste management, and provide an opportunity for the exchange of experiences and knowledge among specialists in waste management and sustainable development.

And then, the CEO of Madina Cement, Mr. Majed bin Abdulrahman Al-Osailan, delivered the sponsors' speech, in which he emphasized the existence of millions of tons of municipal waste, estimated at billions of riyals, containing organic and inorganic materials from food and blessings that God bestowed upon this blessed country, as well as other materials that could have been recycled and converted into energy to achieve added value for the nation. Unfortunately, they end up in landfills, which is a type of waste and is contrary to our Islamic values and teachings, in addition to the negative environmental impacts resulting from burying waste underground, some of which takes more than 100 years to decompose naturally.

Al-Asailan highlighted the dangers of some harmful substances leaking from these wastes into the soil and groundwater, or the risk of fires. He pointed out that most advanced European countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, send almost zero waste to landfills. In cases where landfilling is necessary, very high fees are charged to limit these practices and protect the environment by replacing the use of petroleum fuel with renewable energy and alternative fuels. He offered his sincere thanks and appreciation to all colleagues at the university and those in charge of this conference for their blessed efforts and for how it will contribute to achieving our wise government's directives to raise awareness regarding the environment and sustainability, support coordination between the public and private sectors, and contribute to achieving the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to place the Kingdom among developed countries.

For his part, the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, Professor Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Rabdi, spoke about the Center's vision for sustainability by adopting a balanced and integrated approach to achieve equitable development between regions and generations, where everyone receives their rights and fulfills their duty towards their environment, society, and economy to complete the three clusters of sustainability. Sustainability addresses the issue of waste from its material, technical, social, technical, informational, financial, and economic dimensions.

Al-Rabdi explained that waste management is linked to a number of UN goals, especially Goal 9, which is industry, innovation, and infrastructure; Goal 11, concerning sustainable cities; Goal 12, on responsible consumption and production; and Goal 13, which addresses climate change mitigation. It is hoped that this conference will accurately diagnose problems and develop appropriate solutions through the gathered scientists and experts. We are all hopeful that the goals of this conference will be achieved and its recommendations translated into beneficial practical projects.

The conference was attended by the Vice President of the University, Dr. Muhammad Al-Saoudi, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Al-Othaib, the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Turki, Eng. Salman Al-Suwainie, Director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture branch in Qassim, Prof. Saleh Al-Jasser, Director of Education in the Qassim region, Eng. Abdul Mohsen Al-Fareehi, Director of Water Directorate in Qassim, Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Suleim, Undersecretary of the Qassim Region Municipality, college deans, faculty members, and university students.