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W.A.S.T.E. project: teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk took part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education

         At the end of March 24 teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk took part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education within the W.A.S.T.E. project.

Within the program of the trip participant visited Centre of recovery of materials in Helsinki founded in 1990. This Centre accepts different used things (furniture, dishes, clothes, books and so on) free of charge and then sell them at low prices. This Centre conducts it activities on the basis of sustainable development.

Moreover, within the program participants visited one of the biggest centers of waste utilization in the North countries, waste classification yard Ämmäsuo and landfill. Participants got information on the process of waste sorting, treatment and utilization, and secondary industry of paper, cardboard, metal and glass.

Also participants had a meeting with the representatives from the state specialized educational institute SYKLI. The main goal of SYKLI is to extend ecological knowledge, develop clients’ activity according to the principles of sustainable development.

And then participant had an opportunity to visit ecological school “Lapwing”, school Helsinki University-owned and private kindergarten Sotkankoto. Activities within these organizations are based on the principles of sustainable development, environmental protection and proper waste treatment. 

SKBIC Steering group meeting took place in Petrozavodsk

On the 28^th of February SKBIC Steering group meeting took place in Petrozavodsk. Official delegation from the County of Västerbotten which consisted of 6 members of Steering group arrived to participate in the meeting. Tatiana Klekacheva, SKBIC executive director, made presentation on SKBIC activities in 2011. Steering group gave high appraisal to SKBIC activities in 2011 and emphasized importance of SKBIC. Besides Steering group meeting, members of Swedish delegation had opportunities to visit the Ministry of economic development of the Republic of Karelia, the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia, Administration of Petrozavodsk, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Karelia, the Ministry of culture of the Republic of Karelia and Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 

Implementation of the W.A.S.T.E. project continues

Every day major cities of the North-West Russia produce several tons of waste, most of which is delivered to landfills, polluting the environment and harming human health. It is estimated that 70-80% of this waste can be recycled.

In the Nordic countries the problem of waste management is solved by high cost of disposal in landfills and strict legislation which requires sorting and recycling of waste.

The experience of the Nordic neighbours is being studied by some Russian regions, which start to introduce a new system of waste handling. Thus, within the NCM project “Waste awareness: Sorting, Treatment and Education” several training events were held in Sestroretsk and Petrozavodsk on 8-9 February.

The seminar in Sestroretsk brought together representatives of municipalities, experts of environmental NGOs and business companies. Speakers from Finland and the Russian cities participating in the project (Petrozavodsk, Sestroretsk and Pskov) shared their experience in implementing a system of selective waste collection and education technologies; spoke about the current situation in disposal of solid waste. Great interest was aroused by the young environmental activists from St. Petersburg who presented “Battery” project on dealing with hazardous waste.

Events in Petrozavodsk were arranged for different target audiences: experts from the Environmental School of Finland (SYKLI) conducted a training for teachers of schools and kindergartens in Petrozavodsk - the project participants which carry out educational programs for children on waste handling.

The W.A.S.T.E. project involves 13 schools and 5 kindergartens in Petrozavodsk, in which activists of “Green Wave” NGO conduct interactive training sessions and games. Both Nordic and Russian partners agree that environmental awareness should be raised from childhood.

Teachers were neither forgotten: for them the Centre for the Development of Education in Petrozavodsk held a training course on sustainable use of resources. At the end of March 2012 teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk will take part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education.

A separate meeting was held for the representatives of Petrozavodsk communal services, which either already installed containers for separate waste collection on their territoties or are planning to do so. Important issues were discussed with the representatives of city enterprise Avtospetstrans – how to charge for disposal of selected waste, what are the best options for the installation of containers, how to raise awareness of the citizens.

In total about 120 people participated in the events in Petrozavodsk and Sestroretsk.

W.A.S.T.E. Waste Awareness: Sorting, Treatment, Education

The project “W.A.S.T.E. Waste Awareness: Sorting, Treatment, Education” is based on the experience gained from the previous project “Introduction of waste sorting methods in Petrozavodsk”, which was initiated in 2009 by Petrozavodsk City Administration within the frames of an environmental campaign.

As a result of the first stage of the project, pilot house yards in Petrozavodsk (Republic of Karelia) were equipped with new vandal-resistant containers for paper, plastic, glass and tin for further recycling, and residents of the chosen houses started separate collection of solid waste.

Raising the environmental awareness of the residents became an important part of the activities. Also within the frames of the project several trainings for representatives of communal service companies and study visits to Finland and Denmark were organized aiming at introducing the Nordic experience in waste management. The project was coordinated by SYKLI, Environmental School of Finland, who offered their expertise in ecological education and training of specialists.

Successful implementation of the project attracted much public attention and a favourable environment has been created for continuing the work in this direction. The W.A.S.T.E. project was initiated in order to involve other regions of North-West Russia into cooperation and to spread the positive experience of waste treatment further. Other districts of Petrozavodsk, as well as the Kizhi open-air museum and Sestroretsk municipality, will be involved in the pilot activities. The opening of the Waste Info-Center in Petrozavodsk and launching a web-site on environmental protection and information campaigns in schools are also scheduled in the project plan.

 

Both projects were supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers within the Knowledge Building and Networking Programme for the North-West Russia.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1. Preparatory stage. Negotiations among partners, adaption of the final activity plan: September-November 2011

2. Kick-off seminar in Petrozavodsk: 30 November 2011

3. Practical work. Installation of containers for separate collection of waste in Petrozavodsk and Sestroretsk: November 2011-February 2012

4. Preparatory work and Opening of the Waste Info-center in the premises of Avtospetstrans municipal company in Petrozavodsk: January-May 2012

5. Educational component. Seminars and trainings in Sestroretsk, Petrozavodsk and on Kizhi Island: September 2011-June 2013

6. Study visits to the Nordic countries, workshops:

·         Finland (Helsinki) – ecological education in schools: March 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki, Turku) and Åland – cultural objects and challenges of waste utilization: May 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki) and Denmark (Copenhagen) – establishment of a system of waste collection and recycling: autumn 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki) and Norway (Oslo) – utilization of hazardous waste: spring 2013

 

7. Information campaign: April 2012-April 2013

8. Evaluation: May-June 2013

9. Final conference in Petrozavodsk: June 2013

10. Auditing and reporting: September-October 2013

PROJECT PARTNERS

Administrative partner:

Swedish-Karelian Information and Business Center, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia

Partners:

Petrozavodsk City Administration

Avtospetstrans Municipal Waste Management Company, Petrozavodsk

Center of the Development of Education, Petrozavodsk

The Kizhi State Open-Air Museum

Sestroretsk City Administration

Apatity City Administration

Murmansk City Administration

Pskov City Administration

 

SYKLI, Environmental School of Finland, Helsinki 

Norrebro Environmental Center, Copenhagen, Denmark (Miljøpunkt Nørrebro)

Association of Waste Management Companies of Norway, Oslo (Avfall Norge)