About 120 companies from Russia, Byelorussia, the Czech Republic, Germany and France presented innovative equipment and machinery in the field of garbage management, use of water, ecological monitoring, information provision and environmentally friendly technologies in construction on an area of over 6,000 sq. meters.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Igor Divinsky, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, said that one of the most important targets of St. Petersburg’s Social and Economic Development Strategy up to 2030 is improving the quality of life of the city’s residents, which also presumes the need to improve the ecological state of affairs and the solution of housing and communal problems. “In view of that, the ‘Ecology of the Big City’ International Forum and the ‘Housing and Communal Services of Russia’ International Specialist Exhibition and Conference are of great importance for the city to flourish, especially on the threshold of the Year of Ecology in Russia. The projects help to strengthen international and inter-regional cooperation, and the decisions taken here will serve the further development of nature protection as well as the housing and communal sectors.”

Artem Sedov, deputy head of the expert council for energy efficiency attached to the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation, added that in order to improve the quality of our environment, the organizers took the urgent import substitution topic into account, and special attention is paid at the exhibition to developments made by Russian manufacturers in housing and communal services and nature protection technologies.

The gala part of the event ended with a VIP tour, in which Igor Divinsky, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Nikolay Bondarenko, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Rublevsky, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for the Improvement of the Territory, Artem Sedov, deputy head of the expert council for energy efficiency attached to the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation, Felix Karmazinov, Director General of  the state unitary enterprise “Vodocanal St. Petersburg”, and Sergey Voronkov, Director General of ExpoForum-International, took part. Stands presenting equipment based on methane were of special interest to the VIP delegation. GAZ Group brought its GAZel NEXT CNG, a light commercial vehicle with its new Evotech 2.7 “Euro-5” engine made by Ulyanosk Motor Works, to the exhibition. “Nowadays, compressed natural gas is the most efficient kind of fuel used in commercial transport, its use providing a 60% and 50% reduction in fuel expenses in comparison with petrol and diesel fuel respectively. This vehicle combines comfort, safety and the functionality of the NEXT series with high economic efficiency and environmental friendliness.”

The guests also visited the stand of the St. Petersburg Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety, and familiarized themselves with the main areas of focus of the city’s activities in realizing St. Petersburg’s ecological policy. Representatives of state unitary enterprise “Vodocanal St. Petersburg” presented a unique automated system for measuring and recording of power resources – Nemo Aqua – at their stand. Its unquestionable advantage is its use of generally accepted M-Bus standard protocol, allowing use of any types of measuring devices.

The collective Czech stand did not pass unnoticed, either. Eleven leading Czech manufacturers presented a wide range of innovative solutions and products in the field of ecology and environmental protection. In particular, the KASI company, a manufacturer of iron casting and reinforced concrete articles for the construction of building systems, demonstrated its unique anti-vandal sewerage hatchways.

The “Ecology of the Big City” International Forum and “Housing and Communal Services of Russia” Exhibition are taking place from April 6 to 8 in the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center. Experts will broach the issues of maintaining and operating road networks and planting trees and shrubs in St. Petersburg as part of the event, as well as sector legislation and systems for regulating garbage management.