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LVM Bio-economy School Urges Young People to Think about a Safe Future

 For the seventh year, LVM Bio-economy School invites high school students to participate in the scholarship competition, learning about the role of forest resources in solving environmental problems. The theme of 2023 is growing a healthy and safe future.

As Līga Abizāre, Head of Environmental Education at JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM), tells us, this year's theme is related to both current environmental and geopolitical problems. The task is to study the relationship between bio-economy and Latvia's safety – the country's material and energy independence, environmental health. “Latvia's economy is largely dependent on oil. The consumption of fossil resources also finances undemocratic and repressive regimes, increases environmental pollution and climate change. To create a sustainable future, we encourage young people to develop bio-economy that would be based on local renewable resources – wood. Moreover, wood is a safe material for the environment and human health,” says Līga Abizāre.

The competition will take place in three rounds. To participate in the 1st round of the 2023 scholarship competition “ATKLĀJ” (Discover), high school students should create a social advertisement, educational or informative poster for their peers about how bio-economy can help Latvia's security. The task should be completed by 31 January. The authors of the best posters will have an opportunity to participate in the 2nd round of the competition, which will take place on 17 February and be titled “IZPĒTI DABĀ” (Investigate in Nature) and go on a bio-economy expedition together with industry experts to the State forests and the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” to get to know wood better as a healthy and innovative material. All participants of the expedition will have an opportunity to compete in the 3rd round of the scholarship competition “RUNĀ” (Speak) creating video messages on the UN International Day of Forests.

Since 2017, the scholarship competition LVM Bio-economy School has been organized by JSC “Latvia's State Forests” in cooperation with the State Education Content Centre, JSC “Latvijas Finieris”, the association “Zaļas majas” and the Latvian State Forestry Institute “Silava”. Bio-economy is based on the three basic principles of sustainable development – nature, economy and society, and marks the transition from fossil to renewable resources. It includes a closed-loop product cycle, in which the waste product of one process is the raw material of another process. Bio-economy opens up opportunities for the development of the Latvian economy, based on its strongest sectors – forestry and agriculture.