The 4th Open Forum on Ecology and Preservation of Water Bodies, held within the frameworks of the Ecological Well-Being national project, began its work at South Ural State University. The forum brought together more than a thousand participants from 18 regions of Russia, including heads of large enterprises, government officials, scientists and public figures.
At the beginning of the forum, important agreements on cooperation and partnership within the frameworks of the national environmental policy were concluded, including between the Centre for the Implementation of the "Clean Air" Federal Project and Motorinvest company for the production of environmentally friendly cars of the EVOLUTE brand. SUSU (represented by Rector Alexander Wagner) and the Ministry of Ecology of the Chelyabinsk Region (represented by Minister Igor Gilev) signed an agreement on partnership in the field of scientific and technical expertise, scientific and educational activities, organization and information promotion of innovative technologies, development of environmental education and other areas of mutual interest.
At the plenary session, the forum participants were greeted by the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Alexey Texler:
"In 2018, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin outlined the national goals that national projects are aimed at achieving. Among them is the Ecology national project. Chelyabinsk has become one of the active participants in this project, actively promoting it. We do this in the most systematic way, with a wide range of participants, and, of course, the most important task that we set for ourselves is the most comfortable life for our citizens, a quality life. Today, this is impossible without environmental well-being. And I would like to say a huge thank you to all those who help us: these are experts, ecologists, public organizations who are present here today. Without you, this work would have been impossible. You cement this entire professional community, and together we make our region better. Thank you very much for this."
After the plenary session, the work of the environmental forum continued with numerous seminars and master classes dedicated to children's environmental education, ecological tourism and scientific cooperation. In total, 16 thematic platforms were open that day.
At the scientific part of the forum, participants discussed current issues of air protection activities, the use of new methods for calculating emissions, monitoring compliance with standards and the introduction of hybrid environmental monitoring systems.
Much attention was paid to water bodies: specialists considered the effectiveness of hydrological measures, the restoration of lake and river ecosystems, as well as modern remote sensing for continuous monitoring of the state of the aquatic environment.
A topic that is no less pressing than clean air and water is the handling of industrial and household waste. The forum presented proposals for the implementation of a closed-loop economy, cost optimization and innovative recycling methods.
During the closing ceremony, participants received awards for their contribution to the environmental movement. Among the laureates were outstanding entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and young researchers whose efforts are aimed at preserving our region's natural resources.
After the main block of events, the "I Choose Clean Air" federal project, supported by all entities of the Ural Federal District and central agencies, was launched.