Youth Environmental Debates We Can Agree as Part of the Project International School of Environmental Diplomacy

On February 20, in the venue of the regional branch of the Movement of the First, environmental debates We Can Agree were held within the framework of the project International School of Environmental Diplomacy.

The event brought together 50 school and university students from Omsk and the Omsk Region. A total of 10 teams took part:

    1. Leaders-Ecologists (Omsk Children’s EcoCenter);

    2. Ecorussia (Omsk Multidisciplinary Technical College);

    3. Green Mission (Slavyanka Secondary School);

    4. Prospekt Ekologa (Troitskoye Secondary School);

    5. River Patrol (Omsk Institute of Water Transport, a branch of the Siberian State University of Water Transport);

    6. Anti-Microplastic Coalitions (Omsk SAU);

    7. H2Omsk (Omsk State College of Management and Professional Technologies);

    8. B-11 Technosphere (Omsk SAU);

    9. Herbal protectors (Synergy College);

10. By the Fir Tree (Ecological Center, Omsk Regional Children’s and Youth Public Organization).

The jury included the following experts:

1. N.A. Popolzukhina, Chair of Omsk Regional Public Environmental Organization The Earth Is Our Common Home, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor;

2. O.A. Kozlova, Project Leader, Doctor of Economics, Professor;

3. E.G. Bobrenko, Project Executive, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor;

4. O.A. Konovalova, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor;

5. V.V. Kosterova, Project Executive, Senior Lecturer;

6. S.A. Mukanov, Project Executive, Postgraduate Student of the Department of Ecology, Nature Management and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agroecology, Land Management, Water Use and Forestry.

The participants of the debates discussed issues of environmental well-being of the Irtysh River, the importance of protecting and managing this cross-border natural object. They also talked about biosphere conservation, global climate change, and the use of nuclear energy. The discussion touched on the environmental problems of Omsk and possible ways to address them.

The winners of the debates were: among school students — the team Green Mission (Slavyanskaya Secondary School); among secondary vocational education students — the team Ecorussia (Omsk Multidisciplinary Technical College); and among university students — the team Anti-Microplastic Coalitions (Omsk SAU). The winners were awarded diplomas, while all participants received certificates and sweet prizes.

Over tea and coffee, students got to know each other better and continued to discuss environmental issues.

The organizers thank the participants for their active involvement in the debates and sincerely appreciate the contribution of the experts, the team of the Omsk branch of the Movement of the First, headed by its First Deputy, Samat Mukanov.

The project is implemented by Omsk Regional Public Environmental Organization The Earth Is Our Common Home with funding from the Presidential Grants Foundation and the Ministry of Internal Policy of the Omsk Region.

N.A. Popolzukhina