Actually, I don't see much green in Jeddah...
A quick foreword: This post isn't meant to criticize Jeddah, but rather to provide an honest account of what I see, as well as to educate.
I've been here for about one month and I've seen very little in terms of environmental awareness or an environmental movement. Think United States before the 1970's...
I've seen a total of three people riding a bike - everybody else who isn't walking is in a car. When I ask my environmental science students how many of them walk to school, ride a bike, or use public transportation, no one raises their hand. This is as much of a culture issue as it is a city design and climate issue. They don't really have a choice.
For me, the Jeddah metro can't come soon enough.
Recycling, like bicycling, is almost non-existent as well. The only recycling options I've seen are on campus, and even those aren't really utilized. This is just part of the overall problem of waste management in the city, which has much room for improvement.
Recycling programs, like those in the United States, where about 1/3 of the waste stream is recovered, can be very effective at reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. The contamination of drinking water supplies is a potential scenario if the landfills are not designed, built, operated, and closed properly.
Clean drinking water and transitioning to clean, renewable sources of energy are two other human and environmental health issues that will need to be addressed.
I'll keep looking for signs of green in Jeddah, but I don't have high hopes, at least not in the near future. This does mean one thing though: opportunity.