Alexander Semenovich Karpov Director of ECOM, the Assessment Centre in St.Petersburg Society of Naturalists, where he is also a member of the council.
The Program ECOM defines its mission as 'steering public participation in the region'. ECOM has been working on several projects: monitoring, evaluating, inspiring and finally - managing and implementing public involvement in environmental decision-making. Those cases include, i.e. environmental assessment of the Baltic pipeline system and ports on Baltic Sea, strategy for co-operation between the St. Petersburg and Leningrad regions, aluminium melting factory and several other projects. The most recent developments are in the field of new social technologies: Citizens' Jury, administrative public hearings, public environmental expertise (assessment) and informing public on environmental decision-making. ECOM is lobbying for local and regional legislation on public participation, and they are trying to encourage environmental initiatives in business.
A.Karpov has strong interests in local and regional sustainable development. Currently, Alexander is a consultant for the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg. ECOM is working on the problem of conservation of green spaces in the growing city. In the previous years he was conducting research on best practice cases for local sustainable development and had organized several training initiatives in St.Petersburg and in other cities.
In 2000-2007 Alexander was teaching courses on Public participation for the students of Communications and Public Relations Department in a private university in St.Petersburg (http://www.nilc.spb.ru). In 2002 took the Chair of the Department, teaching also 'The Introduction into Sustainable Development', 'Non-profit Communications and Social Investments' and some other cources. Left the Department and teaching in 2007 for practical work.
Alexander's basic education was in zoology (master's degree from the department of invertebrate zoology at Leningrad State University), PhD - in cellular biology, but
his current work is mostly about and around communications. Continuing education includes courses in environmental impact assessment and sustainable development, contemporary methods for environmental regulation, and basics of market economics, organizational management and LEAD.
