Activists Dmitry Sekushin and Maria Chernykh from Arkhangelsk have created a free online platform for buying and selling eco-friendly goods and services — Natural Market. Users have already published at least 60 ads for buying and selling eco-goods in six categories there. According to the project's creators, it is important to promote sustainable consumption and an eco-friendly attitude to life. Activist Dmitry Sekushin announced the eco-market’s launch on his page on vk.com.
Signing up is required to publish an ad. Companies that produce or sell eco-goods can also use the web portal. The products should be made from components that are natural, non-toxic, and safe for human health and should not have a negative impact on the environment.
Ads can be published in a total of six categories on the website: Food (groceries and cafés/restaurants), Clothing and Shoes, My House (furniture, homecare, dishes), Souvenirs (jewelry and toys), Self-Care, and Recyclable Materials Reception. All requests are processed by a moderator before being published.
Screenshot from Natural Market’s website
The activists launched the project in May 2021. At the time of the news' publication, users have posted at least 60 ads for selling eco-goods and services from Yaroslavl, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Syktyvkar, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.
The Natural Market Project is a participant of the I Care for My Planet Contest, organized by the Russian branch of the National Geographic Media Outlet.
Activist Dmitry Sekushin participated in the defense of the Shies station, where it was planned to build a landfill. In 2019, he was twice fined for 200 thousand rubles for participating in a march and protest action in Arkhangelsk on April 7. Sekushin announced a fundraiser, thanks to which he managed to pay a total of 2 million rubles of his own fines and the fines of 60 other people. In April 2021, he created a website with the information about persecuted eco-defenders in Russia.
