Saudi Readathon Results in 4,000 Trees Planted
Readers of all ages in Ithra, a community-oriented development in the city of Dhahran, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, launched their annual three-day readathon on Thursday, this year joined by readers in Riyadh and Tabuk. Collectively, they read 422,307 pages over the course of 72 hours. And because a tree was planted for every 100 pages read – part of Ithra’s commitment to the Saudi Green Initiative – the result was the planting of 4,223 trees.
The Saudi bookworms more than doubled their initial goal, which was to read 200,000 pages and plant 2,000 trees.
Readers had to read their books in person at one of three participating libraries: the Ithra Library in Dhahran, the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh, and the iRead Library at the First Secondary School in Tabuk. They could choose from any of the books available in the libraries or bring their own books from home, in any language. The books could be read in whole or in part, and readers could participate for just part of the three-day readathon or all three days. Top readers were awarded medals for their efforts.
