The activities of the International Advanced Water Technologies Centre

Summary

The Centre on training and skill improvement of water industry professionals named «The International Advanced Technologies Centre» was established as a result of cooperation between SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» and «LADEK Lahti Region Development Centre» Finnish Company within the frames of the Northern Dimension Business Council working group on environment and nature conservation. The Centre is holding lectures and seminars where the experts from Russia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland are sharing their knowledge. To provide for the feedback with the students questionnaire surveys are carried out. Cross border study courses for Russian water professional are being held to provide for the familiarization with the advanced methods of operation and innovative water and wastewater treatment technologies. Foreign students are also trained. In May 2012 the Centre held the first educational seminar for students from Finland trained for doctoral degree, and for the academicians from the Lappeenranta University of Technology and Aalto University (Helsinki). In the course of studies the students got familiarized with the advanced technologies applied at the water and wastewater facilities of the SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg». The International Centre was awarded by TEKEL, the Finnish Science Park Association, for the «best international initiative».

Key words

educational centre , skill improvement , advanced water technologies , environmental education

Cultural creative technologies in the environmental education system

Summary

Environmental issues have been the most important global problems of the «nature – society» system; the origin of them being the prevailing spontaneity in the control of natural and public processes based on the consumptive exploitation of natural resources as well as the low level of the ecological culture of the population. To fulfill this challenging task the development of an efficient system of information sharing, social education of teenagers and young people on the environmental issues is required as well as the development of advanced technological approaches to the ecological education. Environmental awareness building will be efficient if it starts from the very childhood and provides for the acquisition of environmental knowledge, rules and standards of behavior. The importance of cultural creative technologies in the system of environmental education is considered; the main components of the cultural creative model are defined. The use of these technologies adds to the environmental education the integrity that makes the system that provides not only for the class activities program but also for the extra-curricular activities of children, teenagers and young people in the process of their active free time. The main components of the cultural creative model have been to the full extent reflected in the educational activities of «Information and Training Centre» Branch of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» in relation to the environmental education of children and young people. The Branch comprises: multimedia exposition «The Universe of Water» and Youth Environmental Centre. Over the period of the Branch existence large-scale projects of the municipal, regional, all-Russia and international levels have been implemented.

Key words

environmental education , information-communication environment , cultural creative model , cultural creative technologies , ecological culture

Comprehensive approach of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to tackling the environmental problems

Summary

The challenge of any vodokanal is not only delivering qualitative water and wastewater services to the customers but also reducing the negative impact on the environment. Saint-Petersburg has been the biggest megacity on the coast of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea; therefore SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» assumes a special responsibility for the Baltic Sea basin conservation, for the ecological state of the entire Baltics. Setting the activities of the enterprise the management of Vodokanal is striving to ensure ecological risk management and gradually reduce the environmental impact. The comprehensive approach of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to ecological risk management is described. The role of the enterprise in the activities on improving the ecological state of the megacity and the entire Baltic Sea region is explained. Alongside with implementing the measures on reducing the negative impact on the water bodies Vodokanal runs campaigns contributing to the rehabilitation of the Gulf of Finland and restoration of the Baltics biological resources.

Key words

energy efficiency , ecological management system , environmental education , environment , energy management system , environmental risks , environmental and resource-saving technologies , reduction of the negative impact