The new school tool-kit "Baikal treasure Box" presented in the Buryatia Republic

Presentation of the unique toolkit for primary and middle grade students took place on the 21st of February 2013 in Ulan-Ude. "Baikal's Little Tresure Chest" was created in the frames of the international initiative "Every Drop Matters" of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Coca-Cola Company (ТССС). NGO "Baikal Information Centre"GRAN" implemented this project and collected all the necessary information about the flora and fauna of Baikal, lake's geography, history and people inhabiting its shores.  
 
The toolkit was presented at the Teacher Training College to 250 representatives from all the municipal districts of the Republic of Buryatia. Over 500 copies of the toolkit were distributed among all schools of Buryatia and regional environmental education organizations. Baikal Treasure Box was also handed over to representatives of the two neighbouring regions - Irkutskaya oblast' and Zabaikalsky krai. 
The first teachers' workshop and presentation of the Baikal treasure box at the local lyceum gathered teachers and headmasters, representatives of nature reserves, museums, libraries, public organisations and the toolkit authors. The participants discussed how to effectively use the toolkit for the environmental education. The presentation also included master classes and an Award Ceremony for the winners of the Online-Game "Above the Waters, Under the Waters and on the Shores of Baikal". The guests were amazed by the kids' creative and artistic talent during their performance "One Day at Baikal" and their active and creative participation in classes.
 
The work on the project continued during two years, and many distinguished scientists of the Republic of Buryatia participated in it, as well as teachers of the Teacher Training Institute and teachers from republican schools. At the moment the tookit has already become a rarity and needs to be republished. Nikolay Drozdov, a famous biologist and TV-anchorman of "In the World of Animals" ("V mire zhivotnykh") programme, highly appreciated the work of scientists-teachers and eco-enthusiasts of Buryatia. In the letter he addressed to the workshop participants, he wrote that "Baikal's Treasure Chest" - is a very timely edition.  "For those 40 years that I have been studying Baikal, I can confidently say that nature and attitude towards this Great Lake have changed significantly. Certainly, there is no totally wild places left that existed before, development of the shoreline takes place. However, it's important to remember, that Baikal is unique – 20 percent of world reserve of ground freshwater, it's awesome; soon the water will become more expensive than petrol, but as a matter of fact, it's just invaluable. This treasure must be necessarily preserved, not for us but for our descendants", - emphasized Nikolay Nikolaevich Drozdov.

"Baikal's Treasure Chest" is recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Buryatia as part of the standard educational programme and supplementary programmes for primary and middle grade students. Online version of the toolkit is available at www.everydropmatters.ru.