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On 20 March 2025 the opening conference “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible!” of the Swiss-Latvian cooperation programme “Remediation of Historical Pollution” took place in Likteņdārzs. As part of the event, the Ministry of Climate and Energy organized educational and creative activities for children and youth from Aizkraukle County, including a drawing competition and an expedition to a contaminated site in Aizkraukle.
In honor of World Water Day (March 22), these activities aimed to draw the attention of the next generation to environmental protection issues, including sustainable groundwater management and environmental quality improvement.
The submitted drawings reflected both the negative impacts of pollution and the importance of water resources.
In February this year, the Ministry organized a drawing competition “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible!” for students in Aizkraukle County. The aim of the competition was to encourage children and youth to think about groundwater, its importance, and the need to protect it. The competition received a grate response, with 127 drawings submitted by students from Aizkraukle Secondary School, Pļaviņas Secondary School, Jaunjelgava Secondary School, Aizkraukle Art School, as well as Sece and Daudzese Primary Schools — the most active was Pļaviņas Secondary School.
In their artworks, students creatively illustrated the importance of groundwater in ensuring drinking water, food production, maintaining natural ecosystems, and promoting public health and well-being. They highlighted the negative impacts of pollution and emphasized the need to protect this vital natural resource.
The winners of the drawing competition were awarded during the conference:
Grades 1–4:
1st place – Adrians Kaminskis (4th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
2nd place – Miks Mucenieks (4th grade, Aizkraukle Secondary School):
3rd place – Darja Boļšakova:
and Dāvis Korotkovs (3rd grade, Aizkraukle Secondary School):
Grades 5–9: (All awards went to students from Pļaviņas Secondary School)
1st place – Daniela Romanovska (9th grade):
2nd place – Daniela Šumkova (8th grade):
3rd place – Laura Mironova (9th grade):
Grades 10–12:
1st place – Keita Kristiāna Brūniņa (11th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
2nd place – Vivāna Jaundzema (11th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
3rd place – Renāte Onužāne (11th grade, Jaunjelgava Secondary School)
Special Recognition Awards:
State Secretary of the Ministry, Līga Kurevska’s Special Award:
Viktorija Dudareva (8th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School)
Swiss Embassy’s Recognition Awards:
Alise Zvidriņa (1st grade, Sece Primary School):
Rojs Mihailovs (3rd grade, Aizkraukle Secondary School):
Elizabete Stankeviča (8th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
Evita Pujāte (7th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
Keita Kristiāna Brūniņa (11th grade, Pļaviņas Secondary School):
Students’ vision of the improvement of remediation of historical pollution
At the beginning of March, the Ministry organized an expedition to a contaminated site in Aizkraukle for students participating in the Eco-Schools programme. During the conference, members of Eco-Councils from Aizkraukle Secondary School, Pļaviņas Secondary School, Andrejs Upīts Skrīveri Secondary School, and Aizkraukle Professional Secondary School presented their ideas for the future use and development of the site.
The students’ proposals included the creation of modern environmental installations, educational and recreational zones, and interactive solutions to raise public awareness about environmental protection. They suggested to created BMX and skiing track, a pond suitable for ice skating in winter, a leisure park, a children’s playground with engaging activities, and a dog park with obstacle courses and various other elements.
The ideas of young participants stood out for their sustainability and ecological approaches, contributing to the development of the area and its accessibility for local residents. Their presentations demonstrated that environmental protection can be not only useful but also exciting and innovative for everyone.
The presentations are available here: Aizkraukle Secondary School, Aizkraukle Professional Secondary School, Andrejs Upīts Skrīveri Secondary School, Pļaviņas Secondary School.
The event confirmed that environmental protection can be a creative endeavor, offering opportunities to reveal the invisible which is present within the visible. Initiatives like this inspire society — including children and youth — to explore the environment around them and take responsibility for its protection.
The conference recording is available here
A video about the programme is available here
More information about the programme is available here
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