Bishkek. On January 21, 2020, the Public Union Move Green and the Public Foundation Archa Initiative will hold the final conference for the project “It is easy to breathe at school” with the support of the USAID Collaborative Governance Program. The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 429 B Frunze Street, Imperial Hall of Dostuk Hotel.
As part of the project “It is easy to breathe at school”, ecology activists have been training students on how to protect themselves from the polluted air, while experts have been trying to determine the cause of the smog in Bishkek.
Since September 2019, activities have taken place in five Bishkek schools located in communities within particularly polluted areas of the capital city to inform students, their parents and teachers on how to protect their health against smog and reduce the atmospheric emission of pollutants. The project has been mainly focused on improving the air inside school buildings and promoting correct understanding of the critical role of plants and other methods of personal protection to combat the polluted air.
At the conference, the ecology activists will describe the project activities and share practical tips regarding catering and sanitary arrangements for children living in smog, choosing the right masks and wearing them correctly, planting trees and growing indoor plants for improving air quality and protecting plants in the winter, and other solutions available in Bishkek to improve the quality of air and to reduce emission of pollutants.
Students and teachers will share their new knowledge obtained during the project and the new practices they have already implemented in their schools. In the fall, children and volunteers organized voluntary environmental activities for composting leaves instead of burning them, wearing special masks while doing so. The students and their parents planted trees and shrubs at the schools. Air quality sensors were installed in every school (see details at www.movegreen.kg/map), and “green corners” with plants were arranged in rooms in order to improve the indoor air quality.
The project has been implemented by the Public Union Move Green and Public Foundation Archa Initiative with the support of the USAID Collaborative Governance Program. The Collaborative Governance Program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the East-West Management Institute.