AUCA student went to Shanghai for a conference on environment and sustainability

August 25, 2015

Kanykei Dzhumanalieva, a senior student of the Economics Department, participated in the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES) from June 2 to 7, 2015 in Shanghai, China.

The International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES) was initiated as an annual event to provide international students with a platform to work together, exchange ideas, understand critical environmental issues and create new solutions. Supported and funded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Tongji University and Beijing Green Future Environmental Foundation, ISCES attracts every year an approximate of 400 students from more than 40 countries and contributes substantially to the spread of practices and concepts of environment and sustainability among young generation.

Kanykei Dzhumanalieva learned about this conference while volunteering for the Regional Center of Expertise in Bishkek. She filled in the application and went to China to attend the conference.

“As an assistant on a project of the Regional Center of Expertise and as President of the university’s Handicraft Creativity club, I had the opportunity to attend the student conference held in Tongji University in Shanghai. A series of activities were arranged - lectures, group discussions, posters competitions and field trips - for participants to exchange their insight and understanding on relevant environmental issues. Groups for discussions evolved around the themes of City and Nature, UN and Sustainable education, Eco-city, Ecosystem and Climate change, and Green Lifestyle. The whole process really inspired me and strengthened my conviction that professionals will be needed for a more sustainable future. I enjoyed the lectures given by Prof. Gang PEI, President of Tongji University, and Prof. Jiang WU, Vice President of Tongji University and Dean of IESD at “Rio+20 Conference" and other exciting inviting guests.

China is well known all over the world by its fast growing population and economic growth. However, it is only one side of a coin. In Shanghai, one of the brightest and progressive city, dense population, production wastes, large number of vehicles, to name only a few, have led to a problematic coexistence between machines and living beings. But one of the lessons that I learned is that "City is not a problem, it is a solution". Besides all of the factors of surplus usually appearing in big cities, Shanghai is very green, and it is the cleanest city I have ever seen.

I want to highlight how well-organized the different layers of structure protecting and improving environment are. They connect not only the ministry, qualified professionals and entrepreneurs, but also the youth.

Participating in the conference helped me to find new friends with the similar wish to solve the problem of pollution and irrational use of natural resources. I was proud to tell them about my country and our culture, about the American University of Central Asia, and to be its representative.

I believe that cultivate students with awareness and ability on the challenge of sustainability as well as a strong sense of responsibility should be the aim for a third world country. We should break the usual scenario "production first, environment after", because cleanup and health care costs will be higher than the profit. And I hope that my presentation about education for sustainable development as the process of learning how to make decisions considering economic, ecological and social equality, some examples of practices of sustainable production during the conference left its print.”

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