Social entrepreneurs of Kamchatka. Galileo Impact Stories #27
Hi, friends. We at Galileo are trying out new formats and styles for our Youtube channel. Last week I visited a very interesting and far place – Kamchatka. I was working with a group of local social entrepreneurs and decided to tell you about one of them. So, let’s start.
What do you know about Kamchatka? No doubt, this sub-Arctic, 1250km-long finger of land in the Russian Far East is one of the top places on Earth for abundant wildlife, despite being covered in snow and ice most of the time of the year. It is a wild, far and mysterious land of volcanoes, forests and lakes.
Locals’ joke: the population is 300 000 and 25 000 of them are bears. Your chances to see a bear on the distance are significantly high, so be careful and watch out! Savage and unexplored, this area is populated with snow sheep, reindeers, wolves, foxes, wolverines, and sables.
Kamchatka stretches out between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. Coastal areas are home to whales, huge seabird colonies and thousands of sea otters. However, only a few thousands of tourists a year visit this little-known region. Kamchatka is a splendid place for outdoor entertainment: hiking, sailing, racing dog sledges and fishing.
There are also 160 volcanoes on Kamchatka and 29 of them are still active. The 29 active volcanoes are considered a UNESCO World Heritage site, and for good reason. Many volcanoes can be hiked, and the views are absolutely breathtaking, both from the ground and from the peaks. Knowing that the volcanoes still have an active connection with the molten rock in the mantle of the Earth and seeing the fumes escaping the crater only add to the thrill.
And now I want to present to you a wonderful social venture. The scientific and educational interactive museum is dedicated to the Kamchatka volcanoes and international ones. Vulcanarium.
Museum has opened just two years ago. In addition to rock samples and large photo-video material, the exposition includes unique models of lava flows in action. It conveys perfectly the unusual atmosphere of Kamchatka's natural wonders. You can start up in the clouds, go into the lava cave and see how the lava flow is formed. Visitors can watch, read, listen, touch and feel. The author and organizer of the project is the candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, deputy director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Samoilenko.
Sergei and his wife Alena are real enthusiasts and social entrepreneurs. They not just earn money but want to change something around them, make the life of people more interesting and conscious.
Their museum perfectly complements the tourist infrastructure of the Petropavlovsk city. I wish the organizers all the success and the museum’s exposition expansion. I hope many children and adults will visit it and will dive into the amazing world of volcanoes.
If you want to learn more and visit the Vulcanarium and Kamchatka region, you can write to Sergei and Alena at their official website. There are a lot of photos, videos, and information about the museum.
Well, I hope you like this impact story about social entrepreneurs from Kamchatka. Write in comments what do you think about the museum? Do you want to visit it? I guess so.
Thanks’ for watching. Bye, have a nice day!
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Two Kamchatka volcanoes continue to spew ash, hot lava
Multiple Russian volcanoes erupt. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences Geophysical Service, both the Shiveluch and the Karymsky volcanoes on Kamchatka Peninsula were observed spewing ash plumes as high as 8 kilometers into the air on Saturday, July 3. Near the Karymsky volcano, close to 200 earthquakes were noted within a 24-hour period. Also recorded on July 2 was activity from the Ebeko volcano on Paramushir in the Kuril Islands, with ash explosions noted by local observers. No evacuations were necessary, and officials did not issue any warnings for air traffic thus far, saying that the volcanoes would continue to be monitored.
We are thankful for the safety of all in the region as we pray that such potentially dangerous events are lessened with our concerted efforts to restore stability to the environment.