The conference on “Ecological responsibility of business as a basic condition of saving the environment and attractiveness of Saint-Petersburg and Leningradskaya oblast for investors“ took place in Saint-Petersburg on the 20-21 of September

Fri, 18:53, 24 Sep 2007

The responsibility of business for saving nature –

EXPENSES OR PROFITS?

The ecological responsibility and ecologically correct policy of running the business helps to keep friendly environment in Saint-Petersburg, also not to harm citizens’ health, to improve the quality of goods and services, to rise the attractiveness of the city for guests and investors. Such a conclusion was made by the participants of the conference “The Ecological responsibility of business as the basic condition of saving the environment and investing attractiveness of Saint-Petersburg and Leningradskaya oblast” that took place on the 20-21 of September 2007 in Saint-Petersburg.

The representatives of Rostechnadzor and Rosprirodnadzor departments in the North-West federal circle spoke on the conference. They made an announcement about delimitation of authority, about the mechanisms of cooperation with business structures and about the system of ecological control after the undertakings. The public organizations suggested transmitting the information available in Rosprirodnadzor about the environmental pollutions in the Mass Media - to make the citizens and the companies’ owners be aware of the environmental situation.

The companies leading ecological management shared their experience. Alexey Vedernikov, the head of ecological department of the “International Paper”, spoke about the activities held by the Svetogorsk industrial complex to decrease the amount of polluting outputs into the environment. For example, using the biological cleansing of waste waters, new ways of capturing and utilizing harmful air outputs, especially the so called “badly smelling” gazes that often bother the local population. The company runs a resources- and energy-conserving politics, uses wood waste and other biological wastes to provide heat for itself as well as for the town.

Svetlana Shishkina - the ecological coordinator of the “Coca-Cola” company in the N-W of Russia – covered the principles of ecological polity of the company and also the nature caring projects, supported by the “Coca-Cola”.

One of the most outstanding speeches was held by Nikolai Kolychev, the leading specialist of Avtopark “Spectrans №1” – about the separate gathering and sorting out solid household wastes in Saint-Petersburg. The work on this project has been started up few years earlier under suspicion of Green Peace and the Clean City Association, and now it is ran in more than 300 yards of Saint-Petersburg. Now the city authorities consider that the amount of solid household waste thrown out in SPb will increase for 1% each year. Still the specialists claim that the real per cent of growth will be about 10 % yearly – so it will be about 40 mln of extra m3 of waste yearly. If the separately gathered solid household waste will be then recycled (75 % of waste can be reused) then the effect of resource-conserving will be achieved, the transport means will decrease and an opportunity to keep the fees for the citizens on the same level as they are now will become established.

Maxim Titov, the director of the Saint-Petersburg department of the IFC, showed the program of investments into energy-conserving. With the real examples he proved that only a concrete, well-planned economical strategy of the company may lead to its technical development and to getting a great profit following usage of new technologies in energy supplement for the company.

Olga Rakitova, the executive director of the National Biofuel Union, spoke about the economical aspects of bioenergy. The usage of biofuel, including wood waste and specially grown up biomass is in many regions cheaper than using transported fuel – like coil or fuel oil. Translating the boiling houses from working on carbonic fuel to working on biofuel provides decrease of harmful outputs amount and helps to stop the climate change. In those regions where the biofuel is used or produced it becomes an essential source for budget adjunction.

J. T. Villink – an expert from the Netherlands told the participants about the profits of energy effectiveness and of renewable energy sources, about the experience of building the “passive” houses that can have their own boiling house and do not need extra energy – they provide it for themselves. He made a presentation of a united project ran by Russian businessmen and experts from Holland - of building an “Ecopark” in Leningradskaya oblast. It will be a village for tourists, fully provided with energy out of renewable sources.

Mister Hrykov, the representative of the Center of production quality control in the administration of Spb prepared a message about the system of voluntary ecological certification worked out in the Center.

The report of S. Gordyshevskiy, the Saint-Petersburg Ecological Union, was devoted to the development of ecomarks and ecocertifications as catalysts of business responsibility in Saint-Petersburg. The experience of the ecomark “Green Leaf” shows that there are companies that are ready for serious tests of their undertaking – for finding out if they correspond to the ecological norms and standards for getting an ecomark. Although unfortunately there are still only few of such companies.  

The “Friends of the Baltic” organization and the Center of ecological initiatives represented a new demonstrating project “Ecocentrum”. Olga Senova from “Friends of the Baltic” said that the “Ecocentrum” includes an exhibition of ecologically friendly technologies, where the new methods and technical decisions that can minimize the damage for the environment during the production process of the goods and services are demonstrated. At the same time the given information about the ecologically oriented and responsible affects on the consumers’ attitude to their production and attracts those of them who try to make an ecologically correct choice. The exhibition already includes a lot of technical decisions and samples of production that can help to save energy and money for the energy supplement of a house, flat, office or workplace.

The conference demonstrated the professional approach of the public organizations to moving the ecological priorities for producers and consumers as well as a huge potential of cooperation with business structures for saving the environment.

The conference was organized by the public organization “Friends of the Baltic” under suspicion of the Transboards ecological informational agency, the Center of ecological initiatives, the representative of the Public Chamber of RF from the N-W federal circle, Rosprirodnadzor Department in N-W federal circle,

Under suspicion of the consulate-general of the USA in Saint-Petersburg, the “Politstroy”, the “Coca-Cola” company and informational support of the “Delovoy Peterburg” newspaper.

For extra information call 9117986 (Olga Senova) and 921 925 0833 (Alexander Fedorov).