Right around the same time that the world’s well-meaning politicians professed their concern for the environment at the Copenhagen conference, the Russian authorities launched their own official version of an environmental advocacy group, even including the novel and unexpected title – “the Russian green movement” (RGM).

And the participants in the founding conference also talked about things that no doubt nobody knew before, had never voiced before, had never propagandized before: humanity is in danger; we are standing on the threshold of a new civilization – “the green age”; each person has the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, use ecologically pure products… The Volga falls into the Caspian Sea; freedom is better than captivity…

The plans of the RGM are grandiose too: they are rushing to apply before the Ministry of Justice to open 45 regional branches as soon as possible, and by the year 2010 they are looking to host an international festival of ecological cinema, “Green carnation,” in Sochi of course.. (Have you ever seen green carnations? Me too).