On October 17, Murmansk hosted the summing up of the 2nd season of Clean Arctic, a federal project for cleaning the Arctic territories. The most distinguished volunteers from 10 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as from Bangladesh, Congo and Bolivia, Murmansk environmental activists and representatives of the region's partner enterprises were awarded in the cabin of the Lenin nuclear-powered vessel.

Large-scale volunteer cleanup events in Russia's Arctic territories have been held since 2021. The Clean Arctic federal project is based on the initiative of Dmitry Lobusov, the captain of the 50 Let Pobedy ("50 years of Victory") nuclear icebreaker, who proposed to conduct a "big Arctic cleanup".

"I am pleased to be entrusted with this mission – to present awards to the most active Clean Arctic volunteers. I want to thank the volunteers who chose to spend their time on the southern shores of the northern seas rather than on the northern shores of the southern seas. Without such an active participation of volunteers, it would not have been possible to carry out this hard work on cleaning the Arctic territories," said Dmitry Lobusov, captain of the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker of FSUE Atomflot, "I hope that the project will continue for a long time to come. And when our icebreaker approaches the shores of the Arctic, we will be able to show our northern nature in all its glory to foreign and Russian tourists."

Yevgenia Chibis, the head of the Unified Volunteer Center of the Murmansk Region, emphasized the role of corporate volunteers in the Clean Arctic project. "Representatives of volunteer movements of companies are leaders within organizations who can inspire colleagues around them for a good cause. Such volunteers participate not only in environmental projects, but also in other campaigns and events of our region. Thank you for your concern, for being so responsive to other people's problems. We will do many more good deeds together with you," she said.

At the award ceremony, letters of acknowledgments were given to 20 Rosatomflot employees who regularly participate in regional events in support of the project, as well as implement their own initiatives aimed at raising environmental awareness of citizens.

"We would like to express our deep gratitude to ROSATOM, and to FSUE Atomflot. You have provided extensive support to our project. Without corporate volunteers, partner companies, we would hardly have been able to act with such energy. We very much hope that next year, no matter what, the Clean Arctic will continue the "big Arctic cleanup". The project is planned to be upgraded to the national status. We hope that even more people will join the cause of preserving the environment," added Andrey Nagibin, head of the project office and a member of the Federal Staff of the Clean Arctic independent non-profit organization.

On October 16, Murmansk hosted the final cleanup activities within the framework of the 2nd season of the Clean Arctic federal environmental project. Rosatomflot volunteers have traditionally become active participants in the "Arctic cleanup". First, the landing party, consisting of 40 project volunteers from all over Russia, including 14 employees of Atomflot, landed in Tri Ruchya, a residential neighborhood of Murmansk. Together, the volunteers cleared the area near the Kola Bay and eliminated a dump of pallets. After that, the volunteers cleaned up a coastal area on the other side of the bay, known among the Murmansk residents as the "Arctic Beach".

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The idea of the Clean Arctic campaign, aimed at creating a unified program for cleaning the Arctic territories, was first suggested by Dmitry Lobusov, captain of the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker, and Gennady Antokhin, a Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation. The initiators of the "big Arctic cleanup" volunteer project hope that the joint efforts of participants will be able to improve the appearance of the Arctic and clear it of deposits of metals, fuels and lubricants. "Clean Arctic" will bring together scientists, the authorities, the business community and the public.

Source: Communication Department