Consulate Marks the Fortieth Anniversary of Earth Day

2010/04/21

Consul General Tim Sandusky and a young ecologist from Maly Istok held an Earth Day poster

The U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day with presentations at schools around the city. On April 21, Consul General Tim Sandusky visited school #60 in the settlement of Maly Istok located in a picturesque forest outside the city next to a beautiful lake. The student body of 500 pupils includes sixty from a neighboring orphanage. The school conducts an active program of ecological and ethical education. In his remarks, the Consul General spoke about the origin of Earth Day as a way to educate society about environmental threats to our planet. He reminded the students to cooperate with nature by not littering and being responsible for clearing one’s own trash. He presented the school with a special edition Earth Day poster. The school’s “eco-agitation” team performed a play prepared for the interschool “March of Parks” eco-competition organized in Yekaterinburg on an annual basis. PAO Chris Istrati visited school #9, one of the leading public schools in the city located next to the 1905 square and the city lake. The PAO presented a film called “Paving the Way” produced by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the US on the attempts to apply technology to develop hybrid and hydrogen driven ecologically clean cars. The student audience and teachers numbered approximately 100 and the students later asked informed and excellent questions in English. The PAO also presented the teachers with an Earth Day poster and a copy of the PBS documentary on solving ecological problems. Both the CG and the PAO were impressed with the level of environmental awareness at these schools and the students’ commitment to keep their neighborhood clean.