Over the past ten years, the green economy and care for the environment have become global trends. European countries switched to separate waste collection long ago and use energy-saving light bulbs, while the US government is introducing tough measures against industrialists who pollute the air. Our country is keeping pace too: it is building legal "protection" for nature, passing laws and involving the public. Various civic initiatives help greatly in this, and their main driving force is young people. It is they who take part with great enthusiasm in environmental campaigns and community clean-ups, put forward ideas for using new resource-saving technologies with regard to nature and come up with new solutions. The new generation is full of energy and ambition. But in the absence of clear programmes and projects, all this work often remains at the level of ideas. To bring structure to this work, the social project "Thrifty Youth" was recently launched in the country. The essence of the project is to put the concept of environmental culture into practice among young people. It sets out mechanisms for the younger generation's interaction with the environment. How does this interaction work? Project participants meet regularly and tackle a number of specific tasks. For example, pensioners need help cleaning up their courtyard. No problem: we got together, got started and did a small good deed. All clean! Another task: to visit an industrialist together with environmentalists and explain the harm caused by the plant's emissions. Done! But the most important thing is to follow the principles of caring for the environment, starting with oneself, and then to explain them to others and spread the campaign. The main goal of the social project is to develop a culture of rational resource use among young people and to instil a responsible attitude to the world around them. We can take as examples Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Finland and other countries whose core principle is to protect nature through a rational approach: that is, to save water, use alternative energy sources, sort waste, use paper bags and so on. The country saw a boom in "green technologies" after the EXPO world exhibition. Young specialists were among those who initiated these ideas. To ensure such ideas are not forgotten and the technologies continue to develop, young people need to be far more involved. That is why the "Green Economy" is one of the key points in promoting the Thrifty Youth concept. The Thrifty Youth project focuses on using water, land and biological resources more efficiently. This is a burning issue. In our vast country, with its boundless steppes, forests, lakes and nature reserves, there is an acute shortage of young professionals. Young specialists who devote themselves to the environment are offered good conditions and decent salaries. All that is needed is to put new ideas into practice. Of course, the work means being far from home, in heat and cold, but the results will not be long in coming. We will protect our resources from inefficient use. A separate set of tasks concerns modernising existing infrastructure and building new infrastructure. Young engineers, builders, laboratory technicians and designers are the main force here. Thanks to them, new buildings and technological solutions to protect nature are being created. One example of introducing new technologies into the environment is the Smart City project, successfully implemented in the town of Akkol in Akmola Region. The town has a centre that collects data from all of the town's video surveillance, environmental monitoring, energy control and metering, traffic management and fire safety systems, which is then transmitted to the Smart Aqkol situation centre. The town has replaced its water and electricity meters with ones that transmit readings automatically. Old lamps have been replaced with dimmable street lights that switch on and off automatically, saving 10% on electricity. Such smart systems help ensure the efficient operation of municipal services and the safety and comfort of residents. We hope that such "smart cities" will soon appear on the map of our country. Emissions are a major environmental problem. Environmental standards must be observed when building plants and factories, and compliance must be monitored. If young people who understand the importance of protecting the environment come into this field, everyone will benefit: business owners, the public and nature. Particularly important in this respect is improving people's well-being and the quality of the environment through cost-effective ways of easing pressure on the environment. Here it is important to learn from the countries that lead in environmental protection, for example how Norway uses wind farms and power plants to store electricity. It also matters how young specialists take part in this project. One of the key components of the project's success is training and educating young people in environmental issues, management and psychology: for example, in planning skills, with experienced experts brought in to run master classes, training sessions, lectures and so on. In addition, outreach work is needed to build a culture of rational resource use, which is also our main task. We must understand that these and other tasks important for the country cannot be successfully solved without the effective participation of young people. How effective this participation is depends on how well young people understand their role in the country's development, feel their responsibility and are ready to make decisions for the sake of their future. In this respect, the Thrifty Youth project will play an important role and contribute to preserving our environment.
Erbolat Mamyraikhan, journalist of the Thrifty Youth project