Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia –
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What eco-habits do the heroes of the films "The Adventures of Electronics", "Kidnapping, Caucasian Style" and "The Diamond Arm" have? The answer to this question is known by the master of the Institute of Ecology of RUDN Evgeny Vorozhtsov, who created two interactive games to teach people conscious consumption and care for nature. In one of the games, fragments from Soviet films are used as examples of good habits.
The student's project received a special prize of the international award "Ecology is Everyone's Business", which is held by Rosprirodnadzor. This means that it has received recognition from the country's leading experts, including the Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Stepan Kalmykov.
Skills of a literate consumer
Evgeny has been working on games since 2023, and they formed the basis of his final qualifying work in the bachelor's degree. Now the student is adapting the format for a multicultural audience, in particular, English-speaking. According to him, the subject matter and approaches will be regularly adjusted to keep the project alive, flexible and involved in the modern agenda.
"Both games are based on a game-based approach to learning, where participants learn the principles of environmental culture through dialogue, visual images, and practical situations. Each of them includes visual slides, illustrations, or film clips, and the host moderates the game, immersing the participants in the discussion. The games are easily adapted to different formats — from face-to-face classes in schools to presentations at forums. To conduct them, you only need a large screen or projector and a clicker to switch slides," — Evgeny Vorozhtsov (Ecology and Nature Management, 1st year).
The first game is called "Environmental Skills of a Smart Consumer", where participants are offered a series of everyday situations with a choice of the best behavior scenario. For example, a video fragment is shown on the screen, where an actor says that he needs to buy a new table lamp. At the same time, the hero says that he does not know what is better to choose – a lamp with an incandescent lamp, an energy-saving lamp or an LED lamp. The participants of the game must make a choice and justify their decision. After which the host turns on a second video fragment with a solution to the situation that corresponds to a more environmentally friendly approach.
Cinema and discussions
The second game created by Evgeniy is called "Eco-habits from the USSR" and is a fusion of a quiz and film analysis. Here, participants need to correlate modern principles of sustainable consumption with images from Soviet life and culture.
"The game "Eco-habits from the USSR" is based on video clips from Soviet films, such as "The Adventures of Elektronika", "Kidnapping, Caucasian Style", "The Diamond Arm" and others. Participants watch an episode of the film and try to identify what eco-habits they have seen. For example, in the film "Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik" you can note the use of reusable tableware, visiting the library instead of buying new books, and in the comedy "The Diamond Arm" there are good examples of using string bags instead of plastic bags. As the host, I support the discussion, talk about the cultural and historical context of what was seen. This continues from episode to episode, as a result of which the participants in a playful way master behavior patterns that can help them lead an eco-friendly lifestyle, be more careful with the environment," – Evgeny Vorozhtsov (Ecology and Nature Management, 1st year).
According to Evgeniy, he conducts interactive games whenever possible, and is sometimes invited by organizers of various environmental events. He also often included fragments of games in reports at scientific conferences, and they found a great response among subject teachers and specialists involved in public education.
The Ecology is Everyone's Business award was held for the fifth time. According to the head of Rosprirodnadzor Svetlana Radionova, this year a record number of applications was recorded – 110 thousand. She also noted that the level of work of the participants has grown significantly, and the geography of the award has expanded to 95 countries.
Winning the award gives contestants additional points for admission to 150 Russian universities, educational grants and targeted places in universities. RUDN allocated 12 such places for laureates, including two in the master's program in the field of "Ecology and Nature Management".
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