Purely think. How to raise environmentally responsible youth in Russia?

The younger generation is precisely those who in the future will have to solve non-trivial tasks related to the environment and the conservation of natural resources. Growing environmentally conscious citizens can be equally effective in Swedish Stockholm and Russian Chelyabinsk.

According to experts, a system of continuous eco-education, support for specialized youth projects, and involvement of children in eco-volunteering can help with this.

Today, the solution of environmental problems is puzzled in a number of regions of Russia. There is only one planet, and you cannot argue with the fact that it must be protected. To solve these problems, the national project “Ecology” was launched in the country. It includes large-scale work to eliminate landfills, recycle waste, and reduce the burden on atmospheric air. But, in addition to these global areas, there is also household ecology, which directly depends on us: on how we handle waste, how reasonably we use water, how we behave in nature and treat animals, and, most importantly, whether we form environmental habits in children. Experts agree that today, more than ever, it is important to pay attention to the environmental education of children. A number of regions are already taking steps in this direction. Educational institutions join the all-Russian campaigns “Ecolyata – Young Defenders of Nature”, “Bumbatl” for the collection of waste paper, “Let’s Save the Forest”.

One of the leaders in the development of environmental education among million-plus cities in Russia is Chelyabinsk. In this city, one of the first, in 2020, a natural science center for children “Ecostation” was opened. According to its leader, Anna Volkova, the classes help to educate schoolchildren on the “green” professions of the future that are scarce for the country. Thus, the direction “Forestry” introduces students to the technology of reforestation, the direction “Ecomonitoring” will tell about general and applied ecology, the organization of environmental monitoring studies. And in the design classes, the children will be introduced to the basics of eco-volunteering, recycling of household waste, “green” energy, and they will also be taught how to create “green” startups. In total, training here is conducted in six directions. In the future, such centers should operate in every subject of the country.

It is clear that in additional education, in addition to the natural science direction, there are also a number of circles and sections. And not all children will be able to immerse themselves so deeply in the problems of the environment. The experience of Chelyabinsk is interesting in that a system of continuous environmental education is being introduced here. At the same time, not only in the regional center, but also at the level of the entire region. So, from this academic year, new classes “Practical Ecology” began to be conducted for first grade students. More than 46,000 textbooks have been delivered to local schools. They were developed with the participation of leading scientists from Chelyabinsk universities. And industrial enterprises sent funds for their publication. This indicates the desire of local enterprises to invest in the environmental well-being of citizens. Now the Ministry of Ecology of the Chelyabinsk Region is preparing the relevant teaching materials for the second grades.

This project was presented at the IX Nevsky International Ecological Congress in St. Petersburg. Now it is planned that this experience will be replicated in other cities of the country.

Chelyabinsk is distinguished by the fact that they are trying to give environmental education a mass character, using different forms. Thus, a number of schoolchildren and students joined the EcoDozor-74 public environmental volunteer association. In October, the first All-Russian Children’s and Youth Ecological Forum was held here. It was decided that this event would become an annual event. Special children’s grants have been established in the region to support eco-projects. Children will be able to promote them according to their interests and age. Of course, this will gradually prepare them for solving more serious problems in the field of ecology.