CLEAN ENVIRONMENT STARTS FROM EACH OF US
The singer Kristina Petrovska-Arnaudova says that the public figures should not be present in public only when they should say something about their profession, but also to speak and raise awareness of topics that are of high importance for the society, as the ecology.
Kristina, the public knows that the ecology is an important topic for you. How much the public figures can contribute in increasing the public awareness?
In the past years one of the things that annoys me most is the dirtiness in the city and in general, the unawareness of people about the importance of this subject. I’m irritated from the parents who do not pay attention to the education of their children in the spirit of ecology and purity, the lack of information for recycling and ecology. One of the first things that I learned my son, when he started understanding a little bit, was that the garbage must be dropped on appropriate place. That is how he started running through the park, collecting garbage alone, throwing it, and if he saw someone throwing the garbage on the land, he would start running after him and talking how that man is unpolite with his way of polluting the environment. I’m not telling this to praise myself, but to make it clear that everything begins from the education, ethics and home. The clean environment starts with each of us. Public figures are the voice, they shouldn’t be present in the public only when they should say something about their profession, but also they must talk and raise the public awareness on topics which are valuable for the society. That’s how I work and how I understand my role and I use every opportunity to be socially responsible and useful.
How easy or difficult is to maintain ecological habits?
I have already said that everything comes from home. But here, because I have a first grader at home, I must confess that the campaigns of “Pakomak” which are adjusted to children’s age are working. Some time ago, Maksim came home from school and told me that we must begin to select the trash and collect plastic bottles that pollute the environment. He was especially motivated because he was told at school that “Pakomak” will reward the one who cares most. Congratulations for what they do, and how they reach to children. It is a very important topic and they are pioneers in that, so they deserve congrats for the education of our children.
How the selection of waste looks like in your home, who cares for that?
Unfortunately, near to our home we don’t have recycling bins, where we can throw the selected waste yet. But still, we select. In separate bags, we put plastic, glass andpaper. Ever since Maksim understands what the recycling is and how to do it, for this, the responsibility goes to him. He warns us not to make mistakes in packaging the garbage because he brings the plastic bottles we collect to school while he put the other selected waste in the nearest containers for paper, glass, and cans.
You are preparing a theater performance on ecological topic and garbage separation’?Tell us more about that.
Last year I have opened an Association for human and social development “Project Happiness”. The idea is to work on projects for social responsibility, which will be offered to companies to increase their social responsibility and public awareness. One of the projects is the children’s theater “Green Planet”, which through a text adjusted to the children’ age provide the necessary information what recycling and ecology means and why it is important to select the garbage. As I said, I think that the education of the children for topics like this should start from an early age, so the play is intended for children from first to fifth grade. “Pakomak” in cooperation with Pivara Skopje, Dutch Embassy and the organization “0 Garbage”, to our great pleasure, accepted the project and the children’s drama studio “Children’s World” from the Macedonian National Theater made performance and text. We already had a premiere and further we will visit the whole Macedonia. The idea is as much as possible children to see the show. I believe this way, the awareness about the ecology and the importance of recycling will greatly increase.
What needs to be changed in our country, so that the selection of garbage will become a topic important to all?
Awareness on this is still on a very low level. Through these and similar projects and through bigger involvement of the media on this subject, I believe that people would become much more aware and responsible. Taking care of the environment is essential for our existence, for our health and for reducing the pressure of the climate changes. If everyone takes care of himself, his family and the environment, it could have an impact far beyond.
What is your message to the children and adults related to the environmental?
If you care about yourself and about the health and the happiness of your beloved ones, then you should care about the nature, the rivers, the lakes, the mountains, the cities and villages as well, because clean environment means health, happy future, healthy food …
The interview is originally published in Eko Predvesnik.
