OREANDA-NEWS. In all, over 300 people attended the environmental lectures, part of an open education project called “Green Paradigm for Life on Earth” that was organised in Veliky Novgorod by Acron in cooperation with the Open Environmental University at Moscow State University and the V. S. Petrosyan Centre for Environment and Health.

The goal of the project was to promote environmental awareness, improve local residents’ environmental safety knowledge and encourage an environmentally friendly approach to nature. Over the course of a month, renowned Russian scientists gave lectures about pressing environmental issues to Veliky Novgorod residents.

The Company emphasizes environmental awareness and knowledge because it believes that all Veliky Novgorod residents should be aware of environmental issues both globally and locally.

The first lecture, on chemical safety, was delivered by Valery Petrosyan, UN Chemical Safety Expert and distinguished professor at Moscow State University. “To my knowledge, there are about 9 million different scientifically acknowledged substances, while in everyday life we use around 30,000 of them, and 6,000 of them are considered extremely toxic. In addition to the main organochlorine compounds (including those that can be formed incidentally), our task group has distinguished 16 groups of toxic substances, including industrial products and pesticides. Perhaps the most dangerous of them are those substances that are formed during combustion and methylmercury. The latter causes severe brain damage and memory impairment’, Petrosyan explained.

Olga Sergienko, Head of the Industrial Ecology and Life Safety Department at the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, gave a lecture titled “Green Economy and Sustainable Growth”. She noted that the issue of environmental friendliness should be taught at home from an early age. She also said that 15% of Russia’s territory is considered to be ecologically unsafe due to environmental damage accumulated over the years, as well as industrial activity, the use of environmentally harmful equipment and many other factors.

Citing statistics, Sergienko said: “It has been identified that there are over 30 billion tonnes of production and consumption waste and 340 environmentally harmful sites in Russia. The statistics are alarming. That is why the country’s economic development should also focus on environmental issues, resource and energy conservation, and reducing environmental stress.”

According to Sergienko, the development of a legal and regulatory framework for sustainable growth is almost complete. Furthermore, environmental legislation is being reformed, and companies are implementing a new system of environmental regulations. The main emphasis is on production processes and the use of innovative equipment, with less attention paid to public attitudes towards the environment.

Sergienko defined Acron’s sustainable growth strategy as consistent and thorough. She concluded: “The Company’s activities are a telling example of an elaborate environmental policy and responsible attitude to conservation. It is very inspiring that Acron is implementing innovations to reduce human impact on the environment.”

Acron Industrial Safety Manager Maria Nalitova noted, “Acron understands the importance of complying with the requirements of Russian environmental legislation. Our efforts are based on environmental friendliness, full compliance with environmental laws, efficient use of natural resources and improvement of environmental activity”.

In 2016, Acron invested RUB 578 million in environmental projects.