The Fund for Sustainable Development Held a Round Table “Environmental Businesses as a Regional Sustainable Development Tool”


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News. April 2012

The Fund for Sustainable Development Held a Round Table “Environmental Businesses as a Regional Sustainable Development Tool”

This event was organized by FSD on April 4, 2012 in Ufa in collaboration with the Republic of Bashkortostan Union of Ecologists and was devoted to the presentation of the brochure “Small Business and Sustainable Development in Russia: Best Practices” published by FSD under the Citi Foundation funded program Promoting Sustainable Development in Russia. The over 60 attendees of the round table included heads of environmental services of enterprises/nature users (Republic of Bashkortostan Waste Processing Association, EcoUris LLC, Promvodokanal LLC, Ecotech-Meleuz LLC and Ecotrade LLC), officials from the republic’s ministries and departments (Ministry of Nature Use and Ecology, Rosprirodnadzor Authority, State Committee for Business and Tourism, Kama Water Authority and Forestry Ministry); and representatives of the scientific and teaching community (Eastern Economics and Law Humanitarian Academy), NGOs ( VOOP, RB Union of Ecologists and the Public Council for the Environment) and the media (National State Television and Radio Company, the newspaper Rossiiskaya gazeta, the TV channel All of Ufa and the newspapers Kommersant and Bashkortostan Argumenty i fakty. Among the participants were also Oleg Goncharov, manager of Citi Bank Ufa Branch and the heroes of case stories included in the brochure (R.Khanov from Medical Audits, Service and Consulting LLC and A.Veselov from RB Association of Waste Processing).

TV broadcast devoting to discussion of roundtable results in Ufa

The broadcast of the Vsya Ufa Channel (P.S. Program) on April 4, 2012 was devoted to the results of a roundtable “Ecologically responsible Businesses as a Regional Sustainable Development Tool” organized in Ufa by the Fund for Sustainable Development (FSD, Moscow) and the Republic of Bashkortostan Union of Ecologists The roundtable was organized in the frame of a program implementing by FSD with financial support from the Citi Foundation. One of the results of this program is the publication of a brochure “Small Business and Sustainable Development in Russia: Best Practices” that contains case histories of successful small environmentally and socially responsible businesses from many regions of Russia. The TV broadcast included an interview with FSD projects manager Elena Milanova and chairman of the Republic of Bashkortostan Union of Ecologists Alexander Veselov.

Elena Milanova, FSD projects manager, and Oleg Goncharov, manager of Citi Bank Ufa Branch, discuss environmental business support in Ufa

Elena Shchekina, deputy RB Minister of Nature Management and Ecology, speaks about the practice of government support of environmental businesses in the republic

FSD representative Elena Milanova described the work of her organization and focused on the significance of the small business support project for the sustainable development of the country and regions. The participants displayed much interest in projects devoted to environmental and socially oriented businesses. Copies of the brochure describing best small business practices were handed out at the round table.

Oleg Goncharov spoke about the activities of Citi Bank and Citi Foundation in the republic and about grant contest programs and their winners in Bashkortostan and pointed out that the brochure produced by FSD would give an impetus to the development of environmentally and socially oriented businesses in the republic. Larisa Strukova, director of the Ural Regional Center, who coordinated the collection of materials for the brochure in the region, acquainted the participants with the work and programs of the Center.

The participants also discussed such issues as interaction between RB Rosprirodnadzor and NGOs, the need to increase the efficiency of environmental policies at enterprises/nature users, the practice of government support of environmental businesses and small and middle-sized businesses operating in the spheres of ecotourism, waste management, audits of nature use permit documentation, and the challenges and prospects related to the growth of the environmental activities and services market in the republic.

Proceeding from the results of presentations and the discussion, draft recommendations were passed that include an FSD proposal to further support and promote small businesses, including increasing public awareness about the programs and contests of FSD and Citi Foundation.

Elena Milanova and Alexander Veselov, chair of the Republic of Bashkortostan Union of Ecologists took part in a live evening show broadcasted on the All of Ufa Channel and FM Radio Channel during which they spoke about the results and recommendations of the round table and about FSD’s effort to support small businesses. An interactive voting of viewers and listeners revealed an interest among Ufa residents in the discussed questions.