Kristine Belashvili (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact.

Over the last six years, my life has been devoted to environmental education. During this time, I’ve been working at the National Botanical Garden of Georgia, the largest botanical garden in our region. I started as an educator, but was fortunate to become the head of our garden’s environmental education department. Together with my team, we’ve helped connect many Tbilisi students to nature and science. We offered them the opportunity to discover the living world here in the middle of Tbilisi, a place where rapid urbanization has left very few green spaces. I can proudly say that there is almost no school in our capital city where students have not been touched by our programs.

I’ve always tried to convince people that we can work together to solve environmental problems. I’ve also realized I could inspire people and help raise environmental awareness in our citizens. More recently, I’ve collaborated with “Partnerships for Nature,” organizing EE workshops for dozens of organizations involved in EE from Georgia, Armenia and nearby Ukraine. I’ve also had the chance to participate in a recent study tour in the U.S., gathering more insights on EE and strengthening my ties with international partners.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like?

I have loved being close to nature since childhood. As a teenager, hiking in the woods quickly became my favorite outdoor activity.

Although I studied business in university, at the same time I took part in multiple volunteer projects in other European countries, where I became fascinated by EE as a profession.

In 2018, I started working at the National Botanical Garden of Georgia. Ours was the first public outreach team at our garden. In many ways we were pioneers: EE was a brand new field in Georgia.  Our main goal has been to inspire local citizens to appreciate all the biodiversity that makes Georgia a very unique country. 

When I came to the Botanical Garden for the first time, I never imagined I would become the head of the EE department, helping to connect more than 3000 people with their natural world every year. 

My professional trajectory motivated me recently to change direction. I am now a graduate exchange student studying environmental management and policy at Leibniz University. I am returning back to Georgia soon, with the kind of academic credentials (as well as all kinds of new ideas and plans) to help support and develop EE throughout my beautiful country.

How can people learn more about or support your work?

The city Tbilisi, where I was born and raised, has a rich urban biodiversity, which is unfortunately a victim of urbanization. I wish more people knew and cared about it, how important and diverse it is. My wish is that the citizens of Tbilisi have more green spaces, and the places which we still have should be enriched with educational elements. I want to contribute more to the promotion and development of community science. In these directions, I am ready for cooperation, exchange of ideas and experiences.

A Little More About Me

What (or who) keeps you hopeful for the future?

My 18-month-old son. He is my motivation to create a healthy environment where people actively care about protecting nature.

What makes you most excited to be an EE30U30 awardee?

I am glad that I am a pioneer from my country, and Georgia will appear on the map of EE30U30 awardees.

What is the wildest or most surprising environmental/nature fun-fact you know?How do you unwind?

After a rain, jumping and running in muddy puddles with my kid is my favorite activity to unwind.

What are your hobbies?

 Discovering new places especially urban or wild green spaces and capturing those moments with my film camera.