INTERVIEW OF MAJDAH ABURAS 1ST LEADER ENVIRONMENTAL AMBASSADOR OF SAUDI ARABIA

USPA NEWS - Dr Majdah Aburas is the first leader environmental ambassador given from the President of the presidency of Metrology and Environment, HRH Prince Turki Bin Naser Bin Adbulaziz, Aburas is also the founder, Vice President of Saudi Environmental Society & the chairwoman of Euro Arab Organisation

EURO ARAB ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATION IS A NON GOVERNMENTAL SPECIALISED IN ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ORGANISATION IS BASED IN GENEVA AND DEALS WITH ARAB AND EUROPEAN COUNTRIES The Euro-Arab Environment Organisation is a nongovernmental organisation that has been established in December 2007 by a team of scholars and environment specialists in the Arab and European countries for the purpose of fostering the relations and building communication bridges between the Europeans and the Arabs. This aims at supporting the exchange and reciprocity of advanced sciences and technologies as well as protecting the environment. Moreover, the Euro-Arab Environment Organisation provides environmental consultancy to the Arab and European countries, and helps provide financial support to the environmental projects from the international donation funds, in addition to reciprocating the experiences and cooperation between the Arab and the European sides in different environmental and technological issues which contribute to mitigating pollution, developing the environment related systems and technologies, improving the international environmental quality between both sides. Moreover, the Organisation strives to launch initiatives related to environment and alternative energies as well as honouring international figures that support environmental work.

INTERVIEW OF DR MJADAH ABURAS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States Press Agency´s Rahma Sophia Rachdi sat down with Dr Majdah Aburas and had a candid conversation about passion, knowledge and astounding success of her works and activities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad.  So let´s talk about Environment and sustainable development !------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION 1 : YOU ARE A SCIENTIST WHY DID YOU STUDY SCIENCE AND SPECIALISED IN OIL DEPOLLUTION?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : During my first year college my father wanted me to be educated, he was supporting me since I was young and invested in my education and my brother´s. But not only my father wanted us to become doctors or more, leaders with strong personality, to help in the society. After one year I promised him I´ll be a doctor in another way, so I went to a science college to study biology, finished my BS there and got my first Master degree in physiology. Since then I studied the micro-organisms when my country gave us a chance to get a Master degree called “ Bioremediation de-pollution“ in this field. I was the the first Saudi ti study that in Surrey England. After that I made a PhD in the same field and I made special technics rise micro-organisms to enhancing to degrade the hydrocarbures back to the raw material, like crop plants.----------------------------------- QUESTION 2 : WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SPECIFICALLY THE CROP LANDS AGAINST THE HYDROCARBURES?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : In our country the land is poor of water so I had to imagine a method that does´t use much of water to reduce the pollution due to the hydrocarbures. So I used retained water material of 70% so I did a concentration of that material and used the 30% left of using for the micro-organisms for their metabolism. We reached then 99% of de-pollution through 3 methods, such as 1- Natural heat by oxygenation process with microorganisms as bacteria, fungi, or spores. For instance this process is 10 times than in England in comparison with the Middle Gulf soil. Secondly, the mixing technique by volatilising to grow the microorganisms with the potassium (K), Phosphorus (P) to build their metabolism. And thirdly, the way of retaining 70% water. The last method is these of Calotropis used in pharmacology, it is a cactus very spread everywhere in the desert. It doesn´t need water but it takes long time for growing. We then use it after cleaning it, sterilise it and produce it in a large scale, because it is cheap for producing. We then put it back to soil with the qualities of retaining water, used as a compost and rich of high carbon nutrients. We call it the Black Gold.

QUESTION 3 : HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO BE INVOLVED IN EURO ARAB ENVIRONMENT ORGANISATION? ------------------------------------ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : Usually we as scientists working in high schools college, universities know their experiments and results. I was myself involved in society and the activities of the school. I was busy, as a married woman, my master to finish, being mother, I had to get organised to spare some time for family, lecturer activity at the University. This is how I was feeling concerned about environment but necessarily make an action.------------------------ QUESTION 4 : HOW TO GET INVOLVED OFFICIALLY AS CHAIRWOMAN OF SUCH AN ORGANISATION ? ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : I owe this to my country. I was thinking that teaching is good but not enough. I need to make a practical action, even my students I give them ten degrees. I help them to think and how to active citizen. Hamdoullah. After all one feels that he can do really something and to encourage the others to make reports after the workshops. Since 2006 I founded the first and only non profit organisation fir for the environment and the first and only lady on the board in the kingdom (Saudi Arabia) under the umbrella of the government.--------------------------------------------------- QUESTION 5 : EXCEPT FROM YOUR STRONG PERSONALITY AND DRIVE TO ACHIEVE THIS ROLE DID YOU HAVE ANY MENTOR DURING YOUR PATH?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : When I chosen this field I had to experiment seven measures to study spend on the masters. In 2004, for my PhD I choose Biotechnology and my teacher encouraged me to go to this field. It was avant-garde at that time, and from where I was coming and as a lady. I say that because even when I had to make my lab experiments using enzyme and microorganisms, it was physically demanding. I mean not only I had to be strong mind but also with strong muscles. I had to cry big plants and batches from one pice to another, from soil to the lab and vice versa. During the exam, my supervisor was famous in physiology, the “Father of physiology“. I wanted him to be my supervisor, so I called Jim Lynch, the so called professor, and luckily he answered to me and accepted ! That was a part of luck ! My two other professors are France Delley, who is French and the Saudi Dr Saleh Garmi . They changed my They helped me building up my strong min and in a scientifically approach . At that moment I could reach a solid step. Dr France Delly called Dr Slash and told him “ This student overpassed the master, she had very bad times, but nos success comes without hard work“.

QUESTION 6 : WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP OF YOUR EURO ARAB ORGANISATION TOWARDS THE REST OF THE WORLD TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES? ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : Since 2006 I started my first national action called “Environmental awareness sustainable program“. That was the starting point to get more involved in the society through plans, and programs, with Saudi citizen involved from the civil society. The aim is to make them question What is the priority, the concern ? I sent this questionnaire to 1500 people, and te results appeared as their 9 priorities, through 9 national strategies. QUESTION 7 : WHAT ARE THESE PRIORITIES AND NATIONAL CONCERNS ? ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : 1- Coast ocean conservation, 2- Air pollution Climat Change, 3- Water consumption, 4- Electricity consumption, 5- Over consumption, 6- Health and environment to protect children and food, 7-Wild life, 8- Safety and security, 9- Waste Management. This is how our society awareness is establishing human and environment added to the civilian information can find answers to companies, recycling and in a data info center. That is the message we´d llke to address about climate change towards the rest of the world.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION 8 : DO YOU THINK THIS IS POSSIBLE AND DO-ABLE IN THIS WAY?------------------------------------------ ANSWER DR MAJDAH ABURAS : Our government signed the programs, including the Ministry of education. We have now a set up a committee with them to implement it in 2011. My program was the EAAO under the umbrella of the Arab organisation in Berne, Switzerland. HRH Turki Bin Naser Bin Abdelaziz, President, Presidency of Meteorology & Environment. He is also Chairman of Saudi Environmental Society and the responsible for the protection of the environment and the conservation and development of natural resources in Saudi Arabia.------------------------------------------------------------ HRH Prince Turki Bin Nasser holds a masters degree in Political Science.  Before his appointment at PME, he rose to Lieutenant General/Special Advisor to HRH, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence and Aviation. He never stopped me and supported me in my actions. EAOA has partnerships with national programs from Geneva and Saudi Arabia, we work together with the Arab League and European countries . The Arab Leaders women in environment have been chosen, four women by the Arab League and I was proud to be one of them. I was then awarded environment ambassador female. Our organisation is also now signing a partnership with Corinne Lepage, former minister of Ecology in France, and Leader of “Universal Declaration of Humanity Rights“ for Climate Change, appointed by the French President Hollande during the COP21. For that instance I was invited to make a talk before an audience at the Economic and Social Council in Paris at that occasion on November 2nd.