Zelenyi Svit

The ecological movement Zelenyi Svit (Green World ) started in Ukraine in 1988, following the environmental  disaster caused by the Chornobyl nuclear reactor in 1986. Today, Zelenyi Svit campaings on wide variety of environmental issues and is part of the international network called Friends of the Earth – the largest group of non-governmental organisations in the world.

Zelenyi Svit works on a number of projects, both large and small, at international and national levels. For instance, from 2004 to 2005 it ran a campaign to stop the hunting of migrating birds in spring. Zelenyi Svit has also pushed for better management of Ukraine`s forests . More recently , the organization was involved in a campaign to regulate biotechnology in the food and agriculture industries. It wanted to prevent scientific progress from turning into a giant genetic experiment. Young members held workshops in schools and universities to highlight the issues.

Zelenyi Svit`s main aim is to protect the environment, but it is also concerned about human rights. It encourages public participation in decision-making about environmental projects and demands freedom of information about environmental issues. It argues that to preserve the environmental for the future, it is important that we all understand the consequences of decisions that are made today.