Editorial article

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Dear Readers! This is a special issue of the “RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety” dedicated to building a “green economy.” What is meant by this term? Various interpretations can be found in various studies. Perhaps one of the broadest and most comprehensive definitions was Savenkova E.V. et al. RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety. 2025;33(4):407-411 proposed by United Nations environmental experts in their 2011 publication, “Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication - A Synthesis for Policy Makers” a green economy was defined as one that improves human well-being and ensures social justice, while significantly reducing environmental risks and deterioration. In other words, the key requirements for a “green economy” are low greenhouse gas emissions, efficient use of resources, and alignment with the interests of society as a whole. The report itself justified the need and potential of investing two percent of global GDP in “greening” ten key economic sectors in order to change the very nature of development and direct public and private capital flows toward reducing carbon emissions and efficient resource use. The strategic Russian document “Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Environmental Development of the Russian Federation through 2030” states: “The strategic goal of state policy in the field of environmental development is to address socio-economic challenges that ensure environmentally oriented economic growth, preserve a favorable environment, biodiversity, and natural resources to meet the needs of present and future generations, realize the right of every person to a favorable environment, strengthen the rule of law in the field of environmental protection, and ensure environmental safety.” Thus, our country’s state policy is fully aligned with global strategies for sustainable development. A key focus area in this regard is resource conservation and the development of closed (where possible) resource cycles. This issue of the journal is devoted to these issues. It presents various aspects of energy and resource conservation, as well as tools for assessing the environmental safety of technologies being developed and implemented within the framework of the “green economy”. Thus, given the significant interest in the problems of environmental pollution from plastic waste, the study presented in the article “Assessment of polyethylene and polypropylene content in polyethylene and polypropylene packaging waste” is highly relevant: This study provides a basis for designing product lifecycles with environmentally friendly solutions in mind from the outset. Other materials devoted to resource conservation are equally interesting: “An environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach: Obtaining lubricants from waste oils,” “Use of resource potential of soda production sludge,” and “Acid Tars: Environmental Problem or Secondary Resources?” However, while engineering-inspired solutions for improving resource efficiency (including thermal waste recycling) and reusing various materials are not always environmentally sound, they are not always environmentally sound. These are the risks that are considered in the works “Electronic waste as a source of heavy metal contamination of soils: leaching dynamics under simulated landfill conditions,” “Identification of pollution of incinerators in atmospheric emissions on the example of Moscow and the region,” and ““Environmental Fingerprinting” of waste combustion products based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations.” Editorial articlE Саванкова Е.В. и др. Вестник РУДН. Серия: Экология и безопасность жизнедеятельности. 2025. Т. 33. № 4. С. 407-411 A very interesting solution, enabling not only waste recycling but also the creation of fertilizers and greenhouse gas absorption, is proposed in the article “Possibility of using biomass of microscopic algae cultivated under flue gas conditions as an organic fertilizer.” Such approaches are fully consistent with the ideology of a green economy, providing a solution to several critical issues in the area of greening environmental management. Another article, “Vermifiltration method of biological water purification in recycling plants,” also qualifies as a similar approach: it proposes the use of nature-based solutions to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment. This issue of the journal concludes with an article devoted to environmental education and awareness-raising, as well as project-based activities aimed at fostering environmental awareness: “Environmental aspects of organizing a student workshop on plastic recycling: from education to waste-free production.” In our opinion, a university can be the optimal place to develop skills and competencies in the green economy: it offers the opportunity to combine theoretical training, research, and the design of much-needed green solutions. RUDN, as a leading “green” university in Russia, places great importance on developing educational and outreach projects in the field of green economy and sustainable development. We are implementing educational programs and research projects in the field of circular economy, and forming partnerships with leading companies and government agencies in this field. Using its own campus as an example, RUDN University demonstrates a sustainability model and modern methods for assessing resource management effectiveness. We hope this issue of the journal will be of interest to a wide range of readers, and the articles presented here will form the basis for new research and development, the results of which may soon appear in future issues of our journal!