Eco-friendly Graduation: No Balloons

10:55, June 24, 2019

UrFU supports the environmentally-friendly initiative

The Association of Green Universities of Russia’s Chair Andrei Rudnev, an UrFU student, urges all Russian universities to support the movement for giving up the traditional balloon launches during graduation ceremonies.

‘I urge all Russian graduates to support the students of my university and to have an eco-friendly graduation: without a mass helium balloon launch. Instead, you can, for example, plant trees in a city park,’ Andrei Rudnev says. ‘Let's combine efforts, break stereotypes and create new traditions to protect nature.’

UrFU, which is holding a Graduation Ceremony on June 29, has already supported the initiative.

‘We’re sure that showing public support for such initiatives is a vital part of the educational process. By doing this, we help our students learn to treat nature with due care,’ – the university representatives add.

The Association of Green Universities of Russia’s website says that several Russian cities have already banned launching helium balloons during mass events, including in schools and kindergartens (for instance, in Saint-Petersburg and Sochi).