In honor of Ecologist's Day, which is celebrated annually on June 5, thematic tours will take place throughout the month under the auspices of the "Science Next Door" campaign. Participants will get acquainted with ecological culture, learn about green chemistry, and visit zoological museums and scientific stations. In addition, they will be able to visit a pulp and paper mill, take part in an eco-laboratory tour, and hear the "breath of the forest" during a scientific-educational eco-trail tour. "Science Next Door" tours take place monthly and are part of the eponymous initiative of the Decade of Science and Technology. Crimea The history of this place began at the dawn of the last century when Russian scientist Terenty Vyazemsky bought a small house in Karadag (a mountain range on the southern coast of Crimea), founding a biostation and a laboratory for various scientific research. Today it is known as the Karadag Scientific Station named after T. I. Vyazemsky (Karadag Station). Here, scientists have accumulated rich scientific material in the fields of geology, botany, zoology, and hydrobiology. On the territory of the Karadag Station, there is a center for conducting scientific research and studying marine mammals, which opened more than 45 years ago. The staff of the Karadag Station were the first in the USSR to study dolphin bioacoustics. Today, the station's program and activities are aimed at a careful and constructive approach to the vulnerable world of marine inhabitants. The event will discuss biodiversity, Ecologist's Day, the environment, and ecological passports. There will also be an entertaining tour for the campaign's guests along the eco-educational route "Doctor Vyazemsky's Eco-Trail," and the Karadag Nature Museum will open its doors to participants. The thematic day will end with a "Butterfly Modeling" master class, at the end of which all participants will be awarded special certificates," said Marina Fedorenko, head of the department of ecological education and scientific information at the Karadag Station. The station's staff study the lives of Black Sea dolphins and bottlenose dolphins in marine mammal adaptation centers, added Marina Fedorenko. At the Karadag Station adaptation center, two bottlenose dolphins - Yasha and Yana - live. Yasha is officially considered the oldest dolphin in Russia, kept in a dolphinarium - he is over 40 years old. Yana joined him later. Together, the Black Sea bottlenose dolphins have been together for more than 20 years. Samara: Butterfly Day and Geography Night Today, virtual reality (VR) allows you to become almost a full participant in the world created by technical means, transmitted to a person through their senses with the help of immersive devices without leaving the room equipped with special equipment. At the Samara National Research University named after academician S. P. Korolev (SamGU), university staff will help participants immerse themselves in the amazing world of lepidoptera (butterflies) during a tour of the Smart House of Butterflies (Butterfly House) using VR glasses and a special program that allows you to see digitized butterflies. Wearing VR glasses in the Butterfly House, tourists will get acquainted with 3D models of various butterfly species and hear a detailed story about each of them with the help of a specially created program avatar. Afterwards, campaign participants will be able to land on a virtual meadow and, taking a net, try to catch one of them. In addition, university guests will be able to immerse themselves in the diverse world of insects not only with the help of modern technologies but also to observe butterflies in a special insectarium at the Butterfly House. Here, exhibition staff create conditions close to the ecological optimum of the natural habitat of lepidoptera. The Butterfly House carefully monitors the necessary humidity level, optimal temperature, and feeding regime. Moscow: Eco-trail, Moscow River Museum, and Ecological Culture In June, participants in the "Science Next Door" campaign in Moscow will enjoy a variety of activities and events. The "Floriculture" eco-center, together with VDNH, will organize a tour of the most beautiful flowering zones of the exhibition. Tourists will be able to admire the Sochi Hill, created in the 1970s by landscape architect S. I. Venchagov, and see the famous plots showcasing the beauties of mountain nature. Afterwards, eco-trail guests will head to the blooming syringarium (lilac nursery), visit the Michurin Gardens, and then see the Sheremetyev Oak Grove from the height of a two-story house. In addition, in the capital, eco-center "Moscow Ecologist" staff will tell campaign participants about the Moscow River. On the center's boat, there is a museum exhibition. It features various exhibits (e.g., a "three-bolt" diving suit for underwater work), informational stands, interactive panels dedicated to river inhabitants, and a virtual captain's bridge, a precise replica of the real one. Visiting it, you can easily imagine yourself as a ship's captain. The main goal of the tour is ecological education of the population, promoting a careful attitude towards the environment, and fostering ecological culture among visitors. It is very important to help people form a lifestyle that aligns with sustainable development principles," said Ivan Zaev, head of the eco-educational center "Moscow Ecologist." Another event will take place at the "Vorobyovy Gory" eco-center. Today, the eco-center "Vorobyovy Gory" develops urban-oriented ideas. Here, campaign participants will see the city as a special ecosystem, understand how to live ecologically in a metropolis, learn about the importance of green areas for Moscow - ecosystem services necessary for people's health and well-being. Eco-center staff will help visitors form an understanding of ecological culture and explain how to treat nature carefully in a metropolis. "The topic of ecological culture is becoming more popular and interesting for people of all ages who care about ecological topics. The eco-center tour is available for people of all ages, but our main guests are schoolchildren. Especially for our youngest visitors, and for older ones, we can offer a fascinating tour based on an interactive exhibition. Almost every exhibit has an informational and game part, so every eco-center guest will find useful and interesting information, including in game form. Participants in the "Science Next Door" campaign will understand what ecological culture is and learn about eco-habits," shared Ekaterina Kolesova, head of the eco-educational center "Vorobyovy Gory." Saint Petersburg: Inhabitants of the Devonian Sea from the Vicinity of the Northern Capital Campaign participants will be able to visit the Paleontological Museum of Saint Petersburg State University (SPbGU), whose history spans almost 160 years. Today, the museum's two sites house fossils representing a documented historical chronicle of life's development on Earth. The museum's exposition is dedicated to the evolution of life - from the oldest forms, which are billions of years old, to animals contemporary with ancient humans. Thematic showcases allow you to learn more about the amazing animals of the past and the remarkable discoveries of SPbGU and the Russian Geological Committee paleontologists. What do you know, for example, about the Devonian period? The Devonian is often called the "age of fishes" because jawless and jawed fish populated almost all marine and freshwater basins and reached great diversity during this period. A giant ostracoderm, the eyeless trilobite Ductina, the fish Stethacanthus with an ironing board-shaped fin, and other super-predators of the "age of fishes" - on Ecologist's Day, museum visitors will hear about the armored fish-like creatures of the Devonian period that looked like spaceships and see fossilized plates of Devonian fish and fishes. Karelia: How is Paper Made in the Land of Forests and Lakes? In the town of Kondopoga, the pulp and paper mill (CPK) has been operating for 95 years - one of the largest enterprises in Russia and Europe, specializing in the production of newsprint and now packaging paper. During the tour, guests of the Kondopoga CPK will learn about the production process of the product that everyone has held in their hands - newsprint, find out about the mill's new products, see how wood is stored - on water and land, learn that the mill also produces colored paper, including the well-known green paper for school notebook covers, and much more. Today, CPK operates at full capacity: it produces about two thousand tons of paper per day. The mill supplies paper to domestic customers and also exports its products. Kirov Region: Production of Mineral Fertilizers In the south of Kirov is the town of Kirovo-Chepetsk, where the "Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Plant" branch of the "URALCHEM" United Chemical Company (KCHK branch) operates. The KCHK branch is one of the largest enterprises producing mineral fertilizers for the domestic market. The main mission of the KCHK branch is to develop the well-being of agricultural producers. At the same time, the plant cares about environmental protection. In 2023, the KCHK branch increased the efficiency of gas cleaning equipment and worked to minimize the risks of pollutants entering the plant's water cycles. In addition, the plant is developing cooperation with Kirov region universities in scientific directions to minimize the environmental impact of the branch's production activities. Campaign participants will get to know the KCHK branch during a tour and see the behind-the-scenes of production activities. Plant staff will talk about ammonia production technologies and complex mineral fertilizers. Today, the plant is a flagship of industrial production in the Kirov region and one of the leading enterprises in the mineral fertilizer market in Russia and the world. It currently produces about twenty specialized product brands, such as ammonium nitrate, azophosphate, calcium nitrate of various modifications, and many other types of fertilizers. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Decade of Science and Technology from 2022 to 2031. The thematic decade's goals include attracting talented young people to research and development, supporting the involvement of researchers and developers in solving the most important tasks for society and country development, and increasing the accessibility of information about scientific achievements and development prospects for Russian citizens. The Decade of Science and Technology operator is ANO "National Priorities." The national project "Science and Universities" aims to attract talented young people to science, increase the professional community's involvement in effectively solving important issues in the scientific field, and form a complete understanding of Russian science's breakthrough achievements through the interaction of the state, the scientific community, and business.