As a signatory of the Talloires Declaration, Kherson State Maritime Academy is moving in the direction of sustainable development, which is based on the balance between economic and environmental interests of the society. One of the steps to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Declaration was the eco- action “Search for NON-treasures” held on July 2, 2021 by employees and cadets of the academy together with the pupil environmental team ZeroWasteSchool, employees of the Center for Environmental Information HOUNB n.a. Oles Honchar and the Department of Ecological and Educational Work of Nyzhniodniprovskyi National Nature Park, with the support of Kherson City Council.
The divers of KSMA and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine cleaned the bottom of the Dnieper River from plastic bags and other garbage within several hours, while the cadets sorted garbage on the shore. The event was dedicated to the International Day of the Dnieper and the International Plastic Bag Free Day.
Specialists of Kherson Marine Specialized Training Center at KSMA took an active part in the event. The center provided equipment for the action. Director of KMSTC Serhii Dudchenko and his colleagues made several dives and cleared a part of the river soil from garbage.
The action “Search for NON-treasures” was aimed at drawing public attention to the issues related to the protection and reproduction of water resources. The Dnieper is the main waterway of our state, 26 Ukrainian cities are located on its banks, and it is impossible to protect the river from pollution without the active participation of the population.
The eco-action participants showed to the residents of the city the consequences of the low culture of household waste management and careless attitude to water bodies, and drew attention to the excessive use of plastic bags.
There is an Indian proverb: “When you kill the last animal and poison the last water source, you will realize that you do not eat money.” Only the maintenance of ecological balance based on the principles of sustainable development gives hope for solving socio-economic problems and ensuring a proper standard of living.
