Environmental Awareness Begins with Education!

On October 12, Sofiia Fedorchenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry, had the pleasure of meeting with first-year students majoring in Primary Education at the Professional College of Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss issues that concern every citizen: the state of the environment, environmental safety, and our shared responsibility for its protection.

During the open lecture “Comparative analysis of European- and Ukrainian environment”, we discussed air quality, modern environmental monitoring systems, accessible digital resources that allow us to track pollution levels in real time, and European approaches to environmental protection.

Special attention was given to Ukrainian environmental initiatives and platforms, including EcoCity, LUN Misto AIR, SaveEcoBot, and EcoZagroza, which make important environmental information accessible to everyone.

However, for this particular audience, the discussion had an additional significance. After all, we were speaking with future teachers — people who will soon help shape children’s worldviews, values, and attitudes towards nature and the world around them.

Environmental awareness and responsibility do not begin with grand declarations, but with simple everyday habits, conscious decisions, and the example set by adults whom children trust.

The meeting took place within the framework of the international educational project Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module “Monitoring of Environmental Objects in the Context of European Integration,” implemented by a team of lecturers from the Department of Chemistry at our university.

Thank you for this wonderful meeting! We hope that the knowledge we share today will inspire meaningful actions tomorrow — both among our students and their future pupils!