On 19 June 2025, Lviv hosted the second webinar of the summer school as part of the international project Complex Awareness Raising and Behaviour Change for the Mercury-Free City Environment (LIFE Mercury-FREE), aimed at reducing mercury pollution and improving environmental safety.
The event was held in a hybrid format and brought together representatives of the Lviv Territorial Community, Lviv Polytechnic National University, the Public Environmental Council at the Department of Ecology of the Lviv City Council, and a number of NGOs, including Mission for Sustainable Development, Pole Ecological Club, Ukrainian Women in Agro, I Am from a Rebel Family and Circle of Honor. The webinar became a platform for dialogue between municipalities, scientists, educators and the public.
The speaker of the webinar was Elvira Dzhumelia, Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Protection Technologies, Assistant Professor at the Department of Software, the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Lviv Polytechnic National University, and LIFE Mercury-FREE project implementer. Elvira spoke about European and local experience in mercury waste management. She presented digital engagement tools, including interactive platforms and services to help raise awareness and coordinate community efforts.
Elvira Dzhumelia also emphasised the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation – combining the efforts of communities, government, education and business to achieve real results in reducing the risks associated with mercury pollution.
This webinar is part of the LIFE Mercury-FREE Summer School webinar series, which aims to share the practical knowledge gained during the project implementation in pilot cities – Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine), Krakow and Lodz (Poland), as well as in replicator cities: Larissa (Greece), Evora (Portugal), and Camerino (Italy). The school aims to foster a culture of environmental responsibility, change behaviour towards hazardous waste, and boost local initiatives.
