A team of ecologists, journalists and philosophers of South Ural State University is working on a cross-discipline project on changing the sets and patterns of public conscience and thinking of mass consumers with regard to an ecological aspect.
The deterioration of the state of the environment and natural resources, as well as specific ecological problems in the regions across Russia have become the very factors, which point out the necessity to search for a new way of protecting the environment and the future of the humanity.
Ecologization of Conscience Is a Demand of Modern Times
“Humanities Ecoengineering implies forming a person’s harmonious, well-balanced and correct attitude to the surrounding environment. Our goal is the ecologically oriented changing of the sets and patterns of public conscience and everyday thinking of mass consumers, as well as training of the future new-generation digital-industry professionals with developed “ecological culture” through the means of providing ecological information, education, and specialized training in verbal and non-verbal forms. The project will be of a complex character and will feature three forms of its fulfilment: scientific and research, educational and training, and applied form,” shares Head of the Department of Philosophy of the SUSU Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities Elena Grednovskaya.
The scientific and research part of the project will comprise research on the state of modern people’s conscience with regard to natural and cultural reality, as well as studies on changing the conscience with the help of the technologies and practices of the thinking ecologization being developed. The educational and training part means the development of various ecologically oriented educational strategies: courses, master classes, educational grants, etc. In addition, the scientific team is working on elaborating a speciality on Social Ecology. The applied part of the project implies a number of other projects in the sphere of media, which aim at forming our region’s positive ecological image. Besides that, among other tasks are the ecologization of the urban environment and infrastructure of SUSU, regularly holding of civil ecological campaigns, as well as SUSU-based manufacture of goods made of biodegradable and eco-friendly materials.
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SUSU’s Ecological Initiatives
SUSU’s partners in the fulfilment of this projects will include the Government of the Chelyabinsk Region, State Duma Committee for Ecology and Environment Protection, Ministry of Ecology of the Chelyabinsk Region, RAS Institute of Philosophy, and other organizations.
It is important to note that ecology is one of the strategic fields in the development of South Ural State University. Within this field, not only scientific research is being carried out, but various initiatives are being fulfilled as well. Thus, as of today, our university has stopped launching balloons into the air at its events, because such balloons pollute the environment and threaten the lives of birds, animals, and fish. In 2019, during the celebration of the Knowledge Day, balloons made of biodegradable material were used as these are safe for the environment. Moreover, our university is the initiator of different ecological campaigns on collection of paper, plastic and other materials for recycling and further use.
Also, within this project the preparations have started for the second ecology forum Ecoengineering 2.0, which began its work in February of 2019. The upcoming forum will present two vectors of the technologies of ecologization of modern reality: engineering one, and the humanities one. Thus, the humanities ecoengineering will become another step made by SUSU towards solving the topical ecological problems at the regional and federal levels.