There’s news from the summer goings-on from one of the newest members of Young Friends of the Earth Europe up in the Arctic Circle in Murmansk, Russia. While some of our European network were gathered in Brittany, in north-west France for our summer camp, one of the youth networks of RSEU/Friends of the Earth Russia, Priroda I Molodezh (PiM – Nature and Youth) organised camps in both Russia and Norway.
PiM was created in Murmansk in 1999, and their main goals are environmental education, spreading information about the environmental conditions of the region, involving youth in the nature protecting movement and in doing so solving environmental problems. PiM works with issues of environmental education, environment and human rights, anti-nuclear issues, climate change, urban ecology, waste management & recycling, etc. Nowadays PiM is the biggest youth environmental organisation in the Murmansk region.
Green Utopia
Between 19th – 26th July PiM co-organised the ‘Green Utopia’ environmental summer camp alongside Kola environmental center in the Khibiny Mountains. This summer camp gathered together 30 aspiring activists and young people, who were interested in getting engaged in the nature-protecting movement, hailing from different cities across the Barents region (Russia and Norway mostly). Participants met each other to establish future cooperation.
The main topic of the camp was eco life-styles: how to be green? How to reduce our harmful influence on nature? The camp’s activities included presentations and workshops about myths around nuclear energy, the experience of countries using green energy, energy and resource savings, waste management and recycling (comparing the experiences of Russia and Norway) and creating and conserving of green zones in urban spaces. Climate change and the climate movement was also on the agenda, with the aim of consolidation the movement before the COP21 UN climate talks in Paris this December. Aside from environmental workshops, there were trainings held on developing leadership, actions for protecting public interests issues, and many more. The camp involved amusing games, excursions in the heart of Khibiny mountains and a music festival.
La Fordefjorden leve!
From 31st July to 4th August PiM activists took part in the summer camp of partners form Natur og Ungdom/Young Friends of the Earth Norway in the village of Vevring, near Bergen. This year’s summer camp was devoted to the problem of dumping mining waste in the local fjords.
250 activists from different parts of Norway gathered together to protest against a law which will approve the dangerous decision of the Nordic Mining company to dump more than 250 tonnes of mining waste in the waters of Fordefjorden (one of the biggest Norwegian fjords). This place is not only an unspoilt natural place with pure air and clear water, but also a big cod and salmon spawning area, and so a means of survival for local people who traditionally fish and work with eco-tourism. The mining waste will cover the bottom of the fjord, devastating flora and fauna in the water and neighbouring areas.
PiM activists supported the protest: we share awareness of Norwegian environmental activ-ist, because nature doesn’t have borders. This law would destroy the fragile ecosystem of the fa-mous natural areas, which attract millions of tourist from across the world.