Spanish company Acciona talks on sustainability at UNWTO in Riyadh

RIYADH: Acciona, a Spanish company involved in the development of infrastructure, renewable energy, and drinking water, organized a dialogue at the World Tourism Organization’s regional office in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss sustainability and its part in shaping the future for coming generations.
Brandie Janow, founder and design strategist at Kingdom Creatives consultancy, hosted the dialogue and introduced panelists Salman Alarifi, an architect; Jose Luis Blasco, a global director of sustainability; Nura Elghaib, an interior design manager; Anna Laura Petrucci, an adjunct professor at King Saud University; and Majed Abu Obied, a sustainability planning and disclosure director.
Blasco, who works at Acciona, spoke of sustainable solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the planet.
He said: “It is a challenge for all of us; it is the challenge of this generation. But I am convinced that we are all still capable of overcoming this situation.”
Elghaib, who is director of interior design at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, shared her views on sustainability at the event.
She said: “Though I am a designer, my passion for sustainability came for my children. I want the best environment for them at home, at school, in their hometown, and in the places they travel to. So, it started from there.”
The panelists talked about the role of Spain in setting the benchmark for sustainability via its efforts to manage water and use recently developed technology to generate energy without carbon emission.
They also spoke of the power of diplomacy in creating collaborative partnerships, the impact of promoting sustainability efforts, and making the world better for future generations.
Obied, who works at Saudi Telecom Company, said: “The question is how big corporations can support social and environmental contributions for each country.”
He explained how creating shared values and gaining financial benefits, as well as social and environmental values, were today’s great objectives.
Blasco stressed the importance of teamwork to execute sustainable endeavors and encouraged individuals to implement adequate solutions through collaborative work across industries.