The International Children's and Youth Award of Rosprirodnadzor "Ecology is everyone's business" and the Russian Football Union launched a large-scale campaign to protect nature. It is timed to coincide with the start of the fourth season of the international children's and youth Award "Ecology is everyone's business". Works are accepted from October 1 to April 1. Legendary Russian football players and young athletes planted trees together and hung bird feeders in Moscow. Regional Youth football leagues will follow their example. Sports teams will take to the streets of over 60 Russian cities from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. More than 3 thousand activists will take part in environmental actions across the country.

Svetlana Radionova, head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Environmental Management, said that the start of the All-Russian action in support of ecology was given in Moscow on October 10 on the territory of the Lokomotiv Academy. Rosprirodnadzor and the Russian Football Union timed the event to coincide with the beginning of the fourth season of the Ecology is Everyone's Business award. Deputy Head of Rosprirodnadzor Vladimir Chernyshev, Russian football legend Alexey Smertin, ambassadors of the Youth Football League Alexey Gasilin, Artem Polikarpov, Vladislav Oslnovsky, Ed Sklyar and the football team of the Ekoumki Award planted trees together and hung bird feeders.

"A good example is also contagious. We show young people that ecology is everyone's business. Together with the partner and friend of the Award – the Russian Football Union – for the second year in a row we are holding a large-scale campaign that unites children and adults across the country. Athletes, their parents, friends and coaches take to the streets of cities and show that eco–habits and ecological thinking are healthy values, the same as playing sports, helping the weak, team spirit. I am sure that the contribution of those who "root" for nature is noticeable," Svetlana Radionova said.

More than 60 Russian cities joined the action – St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Saratov, Ufa, Kazan, Krasnodar, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Ulan-Ude and others. In total, more than 3 thousand participants will be engaged in cleaning territories, cleaning reservoirs, planting trees and placing bird feeders and prove that sport and ecology are inseparable. According to the RFU President, the environmental relay race not only popularizes respect for nature, but also unites young people in an effort to participate in important social initiatives.

"The Russian Football Union is a permanent partner of the Ecology is Everyone's Business award. Our Youth Football League is actively involved in the project – one of the largest competitions for children and youth. And we are pleased to launch a joint environmental campaign with Rosprirodnadzor, in which players and their loved ones participate. It's great that the Award gives an opportunity to find like-minded people in different cities and draw attention to the most important topic of ecology for all mankind. I would like to wish the participants of the Award success and encourage everyone to join this kind and very useful project," Alexander Dyukov said.

The participants of the action also held a show match in support of ecology. The ambassadors of the SFL and the football team of the Ekoumki Award took to the field and showed that the love of sports gives rise to responsibility and an active civic position in the new generation. Deputy Head of Rosprirodnadzor Vladimir Chernyshev noted that future stars of domestic football by personal example give impetus to the development of the environmental movement not only in the sports environment.

"Today we have all shown together that athletes can easily be opinion leaders and form environmental thinking among young people. Football is one of the most popular sports, and everyone involved in it can be united by another important cause – environmental protection. Physical culture, healthy lifestyle and ecology go side by side. Successes, victories, any achievements of mankind are impossible without a healthy environment," Vladimir Chernyshev said.

After the end of the friendly match, all participants of the event were presented with gifts – the merch award "Ecology is everyone's business".

The fourth season of the Environmental Award will last until April 1, 2024, the results will be announced in May.