OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2013. The Shaybah Producing Department, recipient of the 2011 Saudi Aramco President’s Stewardship Award, once again exhibited its commitment to environmental sustainability through its annual Clean Up Campaign, reported the press-centre of Saudi Aramco.   

The event brought together more than 300 leaders and staff members from the department, support organizations and contractors to embark on a desert-wide mission to pick up waste, leftover construction materials and debris.

While the flurry of new projects presently gaining ground in Shaybah has led to heavier traffic in the oil field, participants rose to the challenge by putting in the extra effort to clean up facilities, roads, sand dunes and salt flats.

"Through active communal engagement in our battle against negligent waste disposal," said Fahad al-AbdulKarim, department manager, "we hope to impress a deeper understanding of the importance of preserving the environment upon our small community."

The cleaning campaign saw employees collect nearly 170 plastic bags of garbage.

This type of event is common practice for Saudi Aramco, wherever it operates in the Kingdom. 

Meanwhile, the department continues its quest to create a wildlife sanctuary in the midst of the barren landscape. The reserve will protect the Oryx and other endangered desert species and will be inaugurated in 2015.