Search by tag «Ecology» 43 results

  • ITMO University Students on Mapping Wildfires for Greenpeace

    In April 2020, Greenpeace Russia announced a project on wildfire prevention. The organization invited volunteers to participate in mapping of affected areas with the help of satellite imagery. One of the goals of this project is to create a neural network able to predict future fires and measure their area via satellite images. More than 300 people participated, as during self-isolation it’s one of the few available ways to help eco-activists. Anastasia Elnikova, a member of the ITMO.GREEN club and Ksenia Belkina, its head, discussed the project and shared what kind of results they expect.

    28.05.2020

  • 10 Rules of Eco-Friendly Behavior: Expert on Simple Sustainability Lifehacks

    Egor Zadereev, a PhD in biological sciences and member of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ research center, has recently visited St. Petersburg with a lecture “10 Rules of Eco-Friendly Behavior” as part of the Energy of Science project. In his presentation, Egor spoke about the myths existing around the eco-friendly movement and shared simple actions that have the power to help the planet. ITMO.NEWS reports with the keynotes from the event.

    01.10.2019

  • International Volunteers at Yagodnoe: Results of the Ecological Raids Camp

    On August 3-17, the Yagodnoe sports and recreation center hosted the annual camp Ecological Raids, which attracted volunteers from Germany, Italy, Spain, Palestine and other countries. Together, they cleaned rubbish off the center’s territory, beautified the space and learned more about each other’s homelands. This has been the fifth time that Ecological Raids is organized, by efforts of ITMO University’s students. Here is more on the international volunteers’ expressions and this year’s camp.

    23.08.2019

  • Baikal: Fighting for the Future of World’s Deepest Lake

    Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake and the largest natural freshwater reservoir. In 1996, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, like many other large bodies of water, is suffering from pollution. Today, a Greenpeace research team is preparing to carry out an evaluation of the lake’s water pollution levels. Continue reading to learn how the environmental organization has kept watch on Baikal for the past 24 years, which factors threaten the lake today, and what scientists know about this unique natural wonder.

    31.07.2019

  • Environmental Scientist Jaana Sorvari on Sustainable Waste Management in Europe and Russia

    Jaana Sorvari, a professor at Aalto University (Finland) and researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), has come to ITMO University to deliver the intensive course “Environmental Risk Assessment in Waste Management.” During the course, Master’s students from the program Industrial Ecology and Cleaner Production learned about Europe and Finland’s experience of sustainable waste management. ITMO.NEWS spoke with Prof. Sorvari about the challenges currently faced by Europe in terms of waste management and learned why excessive consumption is an issue not only in Russia, but even in eco-friendly Scandinavian states.

    21.05.2019

  • Two-Minute Beach Cleans and Plastic-Identifying AI: How Citizen Science Combats Plastic Waste in Oceans

    Plastic waste has become a global environmental threat. The production of plastic has seen exponential growth, increasing from 1.7 million tons in the 1950s to 335 million tons in 2016 (PlasticsEurope 2017). Incorrect disposal of this material leads to a stark upsurge of its presence in natural environments. Information about the rapidly escalating situation with marine waste is crucial for finding a solution to this global crisis and saving thousands of animal species. That’s why today a range of citizen science projects have emerged that aim to gather data about marine pollution and step up volunteer effort to clean away the rubbish where it is possible. This article presents some of the local projects by participating in which you can contribute to the solution of the global issue in question.

    16.05.2019

  • Green Campuses and Recycling: Sustainable Development by Youth International Forum at ITMO

    Last week, ITMO University hosted the Sustainable Development by Youth International Educational Forum. Organized by students of ITMO’s Faculty of Technological Management and Innovations, the forum is aimed at introducing the youth to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. At the forum’s plenary session, its participants discussed the role of universities in the promotion of the SDGs, as well as the issue of solid waste recycling in St. Petersburg.

    25.04.2019

  • Partying for Sustainable Development: How Festivals are Going Green

    Festivals all over the world regularly bring together thousands of people; few of them, however, are anywhere near as environmentally conscious as the Burning Man in Nevada, US, which leaves its desert venue even cleaner than it was before. Jürgen Forkel-Schubert, a senior expert on sustainable development at the Ministry for Urban Development and Environment of the City of Hamburg, explains how festivals can go green using Hamburg’s experience as an example.

    12.04.2019

  • Professor Alessandra Bonoli on Ecodesign, Circular Economy and Life Cycle Thinking

    In late February, professor Alessandra Bonoli from the University of Bologna (Italy) gave a series of lectures at ITMO University. Prof. Bonoli is an expert in the field of the Integrated Product Policy of the European Union, which aims to facilitate the transition from traditional manufacturing to environmentally responsible production. As part of the Industrial Ecology and Cleaner Production international program, Prof. Bonoli delivered the course “Eco-Design and Life Cycle Thinking”. ITMO.NEWS spoke to her and learned how circular economy, ecodesign and life cycle thinking contribute to sustainable development.

    05.04.2019

  • Different Volunteering, Eco Camps and Fresh Perspective on Things: Belgian Gloria Sagaradze on Interning at ITMO

    Belgian Gloria Sagaradze came to Russia to do a three-month internship at ITMO University’s Student Initiatives Development Office. Among the projects she worked on were collaborating with the organizers of the international ecological camp Ecological Raids held at ITMO’s sports and recreation center Yagodnoye, helping Nigerian students develop an events plan for their student club, and mastering student project management. ITMO.NEWS met Gloria to talk about the difference between volunteering in Russia and Belgium and the valuable lessons she learnt from traveling.

    05.02.2019