Rostov Region: ecologists bag subscriptions against NPP construction

In Rostov-on-Don, ecology activists have started to bag subscriptions under a petition of townspeople to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev with an appeal to refrain from building new nuclear power plants. Under the All-Russian action launched a month ago under the initiative of the "Ekozaschita!" (Environment Protection) Group, ecologists are calling on to develop alternative power sources.

Elena Tolstoguzova, a member of the movement named GROZA (abbreviated from Russian "Civil United Green Initiative") from Rostov-on-Don, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that in Rostov they had already gathered about 100 postcards with appeals. "Townspeople are offered to read through the text of the appeal to the president and put a signature," she said. "The action will continue till autumn. By September 1 we plan to collect 1000 appeals."

According to the polling held in December 2007 by the Company ROMIR under the request of the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the ecological organization "Ekozaschita!", 91 percent of Rostov Region residents were against commissioning of new power units at the Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). 77 percent of the respondents stood for the need to more actively develop renewed and ecologically-clean power sources.