"The way to an adult's heart is through a child"

On January 20, a significant event took place to promote the topic of separate waste collection in Petrozavodsk: a meeting at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia with representatives of four schools of Petrozavodsk.

The meeting was organized by the State Enterprise of the Republic of Karelia "Karelpriroda", it was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Karelia, the regional operator for solid municipal waste management LLC "KEO", the Directorate of Naturу Protected Areas of Regional Significance of the Republic of Karelia, heads of educational institutions No. 13, 17, 36 and 55 and ANO "Energy Efficiency Center".

ANO "Energy Efficiency Center" is currently implementing, together with Norsk Energi (Norway), an advertising and information project on separate waste collection in Petrozavodsk. In the framework of this project, it is planned to purchase information, educational materials and visual aids for schoolchildren aimed at introducing them to the culture of proper waste management.

Opening the meeting, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Karelia Alexey Pavlov noted that the way to the heart of an adult lies through a child. If you tell and show children why it is so important to separate waste, how to sort it properly, how to give old things a second life, then children will bring this knowledge to their families, introduce parents to the careful handling of waste.

School principals who attended the meeting supported the idea of creating a single community uniting teachers and organizations involved in the treatment of MSW and environmental education of schoolchildren. As a result of the discussion, a slogan for a new community was born - #KareliaClean!

The participants of the meeting agreed on further steps of joint activity: to develop a unified methodological framework for conducting eco-lessons adapted for different school ages; to prepare motivational events for children (for example, trips to nature reserves for those children who collected the most waste paper); to organize training seminars and master classes for teachers.

This spring, ANO "Energy Efficiency Center" plans to purchase informational posters and special eco-suitcases – play sets for schools participating in the meeting, which include samples of recyclable materials and items made from recycled materials.