The city makes a different noise

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project is aimed at combining the ecological and cultural components within the educational campaign to popularize a careful attitude to green spaces among the residents of the city of Rivne.

The project takes place with the financial support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and is implemented in the city of Rivne by the teams of the NGO "Green Alternative" / GI "Garden of Stories in Rivne" and the NGO "Agency for Sustainable Development of the City". The team of the Ecological Center of the Rivne City Palace of Children and Youth is expertly helping.

The project is aimed at combining ecology and culture to popularize a careful attitude to green spaces among residents of the city of Rivne, preservation of ancient trees, high-quality urban landscaping and eco-education of youth.

What we do:

1. Protection of ancient trees in Rivne and recognition of them as botanical monuments of nature.
A topographical survey of 93 age-old trees, which are 100 years old or more, has already been carried out, and analytical notes and descriptions of these trees have been prepared by the team of the Ecological Center of the Rivne City Palace of Children and Youth. Did you know?

⭐️ The tallest tree: a 130-year-old elm in the Park on Hrabnik, 30 meters high (that is, like a 10-story building ????)
⭐️ The thickest trunk, namely 4.83 meters in girth, has a 250-year-old alder tree on August 24 Street.
⭐️ The oldest tree: an oak tree in Shevchenko Park. Approximately, it began to grow around 1570, that is, it is now more than 400 years old.

Among the interesting representatives, which are rare old trees:
⭐️ Narrow-leaved olive. A tree that often grows in the South, and we have it on Vydumka Street, 26.
⭐️ Robinia is ordinary. We have three trees on the street. 40 Pushkina St. and 26 Vydumka St.
⭐️ Sycamore maple on St. Guryev, 8-11.
⭐️ Two European larch trees in the Park on Hrabnik.
⭐️ There are only three graves left: on the territory of the Church and on July 16 Street.

2. We promote age-old trees and high-quality urban landscaping

• They created a 6-km city tourist route that connects the park on Hrabnik, through the historical part of the city, and the park named after T. Shevchenko. The route includes ten ancient trees, aged from 110 to 400 years, and will tell stories about the events they witnessed. Information plates will be placed on the trees, and the route will be in two languages (Quarcode for the route).
• Creating video stories about 10-year-old trees together with local artists and illustrators.
• In order to increase the level of environmental awareness and culture of the residents of Rivne, the column #destroymythsnottrees is published together with experts, about how trees should be cared for, what is the difference between pruning and crowning, etc.
• They wrote a children's book on eco-themed "The city makes a different noise", which consists of a cycle of instructive stories about the life of city trees and human influence on them, about the friendship of city residents with nature, and about the world of biodiversity. The authors of the text are Olya Korsyuk and Inna Mulyavka, 14-year-old Ksenia Kuzminets illustrated the drawings for the children's book. Circulation of the book - 300 copies. Electronic version: https://bit.ly/3fI0IyX. View the presentation of the book and its theatrical reading by the Hour in the Metro project team: https://bit.ly/34f6Byb.
• On May 22, 2021, the city eco-picnic "Tree FEST" was held in the park on Hrabnik with a street lecture, environmental workshops, a musical program and entertainment for adults and children. The city's environmental initiatives were united.
• On June 12, 2021, the opening and a theatrical tour of the route through the ancient trees of Rivne.
• On June 13, the performance-exhibition "Green island among concrete" on Theater Square.

Why do we defend ancient trees?

Ancient trees are trees that have biological, cultural or aesthetic value due to their considerable age (over 100 years), size or condition. Trees of all ages are of great interest, because each such tree is a witness of the past and a relic. Each tree has its own story and plays an important role in the structure and history of the city.

In Rivne, the Ecological Center of the PDM and its students have been studying the age-old trees for the last few years. Thanks to the volunteer work of Mrs. Varvara Ryskova and Iryna Kurochenko, more than 70 trees were found and measured in the city of Rivne. Did you know that we have lindens, elms, maples, ash trees, oaks that are 100, 200 and even 400 years old?!

Age-old and memorial trees, due to their historical, biological, scientific, patriotic, aesthetic, symbolic, spiritual, internal values, should be protected by the state, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine", and should be considered botanical monuments of nature. And this is one of the goals of our project The city makes noise differently.

We invite you to follow the activities of The City Makes a Difference on social networks and share what resonates with you.