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Report for 2007

Activity Report for the Irkutsk Regional Non-Governmental Organization “Baikal Environmental Wave” in 2007

In 2007, the organization worked in the following directions:

  1. Education for sustainable development
  2. Ecotourism
  3. Energy saving
  4. Public campaigns
  5. Citizens’ control
  6. Publications
  7. Provision of environmental information
  8. Videos and media relations

The organization’s projects involved eleven regular staff, four part-time workers, and also volunteers and invited specialists. In 2007, the organization’s partners included: Baikal Movement, Pribaikal'skij National Park, Irkutsk Pedagogical College, the Station of Young Naturalists of the Irkutsk Region, Autonomous Action, the Center for Innovative Energy Efficiency, the Committee “Angara-185”, theScientific Institute of Energy Systems, the Siberia-Baikal Association of Tourism, the Nature Museum, the international group “Ecodefense!”, the Association of Indegenious Minority Peoples, and others.

Implemented Projects including those not fully completed during the period covered by this report

1
Pure Baikal
GoalTo promote sustainable development in the Baikal region and to protect Lake Baikal from dangerous industrial projects.
Period of implementation1.September.2006 – 31.August.2008
Source and quantities of financingFord Foundation, USA
general sum – $165,000 US
sum in 2007 – $89,842 US
Principal Measures
  • Publication of the journal Volna on the theme “Tourism on Baikal” and the booklet “Baikal is More than Just a Lake”, as well as their distribution among educational establishments, libraries (especially in protected territories), and tourism companies in the Baikal region;
  • A round table on ecotechnologies in tourist business within the framework of the annual exhibition “BaikalTour” in the SibExpocenter;
  • Exhibition on energy conservation “From Campfire to LED”, exhibited at the Nature Museum and transferred to schools of Irkutsk Oblast';
  • Development of a model energy saving project at the school in the village of Maloe Goloustnoe, situated not far from Lake Baikal;
  • A meeting on the problem of the utilization of waste on Olkhon Island, consisting of directing an appeal to the Administration of Irkutsk Oblast';
  • A contest for amateur photographers, “Baikal Forever!” on the theme “Let’s save Olkhon and the Maloye Morye!”, and an exhibition of the best works at the “Khudozhestvennyj” movie theatre over the course of one and a half months;
  • Development of the specifically-aimed program “Environmental education of schoolchildren of the Irkutsk region in 2007-2010” in cooperation with the Irkutsk Region Young Naturalists Association. The program was approved by the regional Duma on May 27th;
  • Seminars on interactive methods for environmental education about sustainable development;
  • Members of Baikal Wave sat on the organizational committee of the Week of Education for Adults (a UNESCO project);
  • Acts, picketing, and rallies against the formation of the International Center for Uranium Enrichment. Letters signed by Angarsk and Irkutsk residents were sent to the mayor of Angarsk, the governor of Irkutsk Oblast', the director of AECC, the chairman of the Russian Federation government and head of RosAtom, and the ministry of the environment and economy of the Netherlands;
  • Participation in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development mission in Kazan on the question of the construction of a Boguchan hydroelectric station. Aid in preparation for a public hearing in Ust'-Ilimsk;
  • Informational classes and lectures on important environmental themes for Irkutsk students and schoolchildren in the BEW library;
  • Completion of two mobile libraries and transferring them to Kachug and to Bol'shiye Koty (remoted areas of Irkutsk Oblast');
  • Publication of five digests of environmental information;
  • Leading four press conferences and briefings about current problems;
  • Development of the script and organization of the shooting of the film “Green Habits: 10 Examples of Sustainable Development”
  • Two-month-long exhibition in the Nature Museum about the environmental problems of Baikal and the activities of Baikal Environmental Wave.
2
Infocenter
GoalTo provide environmental information services through the Informational and Educational Environmental Center of the Baikal region.
Period of implementation1.January.2007 – 13.December.2007
Source and quantities of financingPhilanthropic donations from Russian and foreign citizens, proceeds from entrepreneurial activities of the organization to the sum of 85,976.8 rub.
Principal Measures
  • Equipping a video center in the library of Baikal Environmental Wave;
  • Releasing BEW films on DVD – a collection of films about forests “And if it doesn’t become a forest…” (200 copies) and “Warning” (100 copies);
  • Leading an interactive lesson with children from a boarding school on the theme “A Step towards Nature”;
  • Printing badges with the BEW symbol;
  • Sending seven applications for financing BEW projects;
  • Regular searches for information about environmental subjects on the internet.
3
SPARE program—2006/2007 academic year (a school program on the application of resources and energy)
GoalPromoting a culture of energy conservation in educational establishments by means of various forms of pedagogic technology and projects, and spreading the SPARE experience throughout Irkutsk Oblast'.
Period of implementation1.September.2006 – 30.June.2007
Source and quantities of financingNorwegian Nature Conservation Society
$1,500 US
Principal Measures
  • Seven seminars on the theme “Energy saving: introduction to the problem”, “Energy saving at school and at home” for educators and school directors in Irkutsk Oblast';
  • Contest of school energy-efficiency projects, called “Energy and Environment” in the regional round. A student from Irkutsk Oblast' was the winner of the all-Russia round of the contest (Sergei Zverintsev from the village Ukhvo of Kuitunskij district);
  • Regional open presentation of school energy-efficiency projects;
  • Development of an interactive lesson “Energy consumption and conservation: we determine the future” and testing it with children in the summer environmental camp on Baikal;
  • Creation of 2 CDs “Energy saving: step by step” SPARE, and “Energy saving at school and at home” (a collection of diverse materials about energy conservation).
Number of participantsMore than 100 schools from Irkutsk Oblast' participated in energy-conservation projects. Approximately 500 children directly participate in various projects, and the program additionally brings the problem of energy conservation to the attention of as many as 5,000 children. Approximately 160 educators participated in the seminars.
4
SPARE program—2007/2008 academic year ( school program on the application of resources and energy)
GoalInforming schools in Irkutsk Oblast' about climate change and incorporating energy saving measures.
Period of implementation1.November.2007 – 30.June.2008
Source and quantities of financingNorwegian Nature Conservation Society
ˆ 4,000
Principal Measures
  • A seminar “Climate change and energy saving” for schoolchildren in Markovo Village.
  • Launching the contest of school energy-efficiency projects “Energy and Environment” with the slogan “We can lower greenhouse gas emissions”;
5
Improving the base of lumber resources, especially in valuable or protected territories in Russia
GoalDevelopment of inventory methods on a landscape and species basis.
Period of implementation1.July.2006 – 31.October.2007
Source and quantities of financingDonation made by UK citizen Emily Lygo in memory of her brother
? 5,000
Principal MeasuresField work consisting of a landscape-species inventory of the Ongurenskii forest district of Pribaikalskii National Park (on the NW shore of Lake Baikal), with the participation of forestry specialists, landscape scientists, and geobotanists. The results of this stage consist in the materials from the field research (an inventory of all the vegetation resources of the given area), processed and saved in a GIS database.
6
Environmental camp
GoalTo attract publicity to the problem of the building of the International Uranium Enrichment Center in the city of Angarsk.
Period of implementation1.July.2007 – 30.August.2007
Source and quantities of financingThe Heinrich Boll Foundation, Germany
210,000 rub.
Principal MeasuresIn spite of the complicated external conditions and objective necessity to make an emergency decision for the safety of the camp, the objective was fulfilled, and the goals of the environmental camp were achieved. The location of the camp did not turn out as anticipated in the project—that is, nearby Angarsk in the vicinity of the Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Complex—but instead took place in the Shelekhov district of Irkutsk Oblast'. The location of the camp was changed in consideration of the safety of participants in connection with the tragic events at the camp of anarchists in the city of Angarsk, which was literally attacked. The camp’s organizational committee was forced to move the camp to a safer location. Camp participants were activists from various Russian and Irkutsk Oblast' cities. The camp carried through an educational program for activists (series of seminars, presentations, and lectures about atomic energy, environmental movements, etc.)
Results of the project1. The public campaign “No Chernobyls at Baikal!” against the creation of the International Uranium Enrichment Center in Angarsk received a new impetus for growth thanks to the sharing experiences of representatives from different regions, the attraction of new volunteers, and the strengthening of an initiative in Angarsk. Protests against the plans of RosAtom were widely heard thanks to the blessings of the media, and a group of local environmental activists were trained.
2. Through numerous publications in the media, the national and international attention was attracted to the problem of the building of the International Uranium Enrichment Center in the city of Angarsk.
7
Volunteer Interns from the United Kingdom (European Voluntary Service, Youth in Action Programme of European Union)
GoalTo host a volunteer from the UK for six months to help in the work of Baikal Environmental Wave, and for the sake of intercultural exchange.
Period of implementation1.February.2007 – 31.November.2007
Source and quantities of financingEuropean Union, through IVS (International Volunteer Service, UK)
ˆ 970
Principal MeasuresA volunteer from the UK participated in the daily life of the organization and helped with the activities of BEW, participating in the open presentation schoolchildren's projects on energy saving and a park clean-up project on the banks of the Angara River. Additionally, he prepared materials for an exhibition about energy saving for schools, led non-formal classes about ecology for boarding-school pupils, translated into English the text of the film “Indegenious people, Unite!”, did translations of website articles and grant applications, participated in the children’s environmental camp on lake Baikal, and led a discussion there about energy saving.
8
We defend Baikal
GoalSupporting citizen initiatives for defending the environment
Period of implementationSince October 2006
Source and quantities of financingPhilanthropic donation of MarinaRikhvanova
200,000 rub.
Principal Measures
  • publication and dissemination of informational materials
  • leading pickets and rallies
  • seminar for activist-volunteers in cooperation with the campaign “No Chernobyls at Baikal”

Report on overall use of received funding for 2007

Approximate Exchange Rate in 2007:
1 US dollar = 25 rubles
1 Euro = 35 rubles

Remaining funds : 1,121.5 thousand rubles

Received funds in 2007: 2,624.7 thousand rubles
1. Membership dues in 2007 — 5.1 thousand rubles
2. Total donations for the fulfillment of concrete projects and grants — 2,487.5 thousand rubles
3. Proceeds from the selling of products and services and internally generated revenue — 51.2 thousand rubles
4. Philanthropic donations for prescribed actions as a whole — 80.9 thousand rubles

Expenditures in 2007: 3,012.5 thousand rubles
– specifically-aimed measures (seminars, rallies, pickets, activism) — 244.7 thousand rubles
– publications — 153.0 thousand rubles
– regular staff salary for 12 people (including 13% income tax)— 945.4 thousand rubles
– honorariums for experts and specially-invited partners (49 people, including 13% income tax) — 284.2 thousand rubles
– taxes paid into the federal and social services budgets— 413.8 thousand rubles
– transportation and business expenses — 379.9 thousand rubles
– office upkeep — 103.9 thousand rubles
– office equipment and maintenance — 262.4 thousand rubles
– administrative expenses — 225.2 thousand rubles

Remainder at the end of 2007: 733.7 thousand rubles

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