Cherishing nature goes beyond simply admiring its beauty; it also entails being prepared to offer assistance when needed. Orysia Krechko, a biology teacher at Turye-Remety Secondary School, arranged a field trip for 9th-grade students to the outskirts of their village as part of their efforts to protect the biodiversity of their homeland. During the educational outing, the teacher informed the students that the decline in biodiversity is largely due to human activities, with illegal construction, deforestation, poaching, habitat destruction, economic activities encroaching on riverbanks, and littering being the main threats. She emphasized the importance of regularly cleaning up litter near the school and in the village, explaining how these actions can help preserve biodiversity.
The teacher mentioned that during the winter, they didn’t conduct extensive cleanups because everything appeared neat under the snow. However, on this occasion, as the students explored these “beautiful” spots, they were confronted with a disheartening sight of human-generated waste. Despite their best efforts to collect as much litter as possible, they also identified areas that they plan to clean up together with other students in the future. When the ninth students returned to the classroom, they sorted out the gathered plastic, focusing on things that may be recycled for a second life.
The event was held within the framework of cooperation between the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) headed by Olexander Bokotey) and the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband, NABU International), project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), and Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).
Informational Service of IRCEF
