ISET has earned a reputation of academic excellence, and all those who walked through the institute’s doors as students and left as graduates have either found meaningful employment or gone on to study abroad at some of the world’s best universities. Yet aside from educating its students in the technicalities and intricacies of economics, ISET also endeavors to instill values and standards amongst its students.

Ecological issues are frequently raised in public discussion in Georgia, not least because the air quality of Tbilisi is a current topic of contention and the city’s green zones are perceived to be at risk from construction projects. Most poignant of all, the country’s famous Borjomi forest was ravaged by wildfires during the summer, and the region will not fully recover for many years.

In effort to raise awareness of ecological concerns, ISET organized a trip to the village of Saguramo with the Greens Movement of Georgia to help clean the area, which is popular with picnickers and so suffers from extensive littering. A group of staff and students from the institute spent the day meticulously sweeping the area clean of debris, and then enjoyed an (environmentally-conscious) outdoor feast of their own. Afterwards, they visited the museum of Ilia Chavchavadze, one of Georgia’s most prolific writers and a revered political activist of the 19th century.

ISET’s eco-friendly efforts will continue and become a staple of the students’ extra-curricular activities.