Outdoor laboratories for children, furniture from recycled materials in parks, and green libraries are among the projects funded under “Clean Environment 2023”

21 Apr, 2023 | 13:09

 

A maximum number of localities will implement initiatives under this year's campaign

 

Outdoor labs for children, furniture from recycled materials in parks, and green libraries are among the projects funded in the “Clean Environment 2023” campaign.

In this year’s competition looking for the most original and environmentally aware project within the traditional national campaign “Clean Environment”, the guiding principle for ranking the projects was to cover as many locations as possible throughout the country. The campaign has been successfully implemented for 20 years, is widely popular with the public, and has been established as an effective mechanism to activate and financially support municipalities, schools, and kindergartens for activities such as cleaning, afforestation, greening, construction or restoration of playgrounds, spaces between residential buildings, etc.

In 289 cities and smaller settlements, projects will be implemented under the National “Clean Environment” Campaign 2023. Out of the submitted project proposals for the territory of 229 municipalities, projects were approved for implementation in 200 municipalities. The funds are provided from the budget of the Enterprise for the Management of Environmental Protection Activities (EMEPA) and amount to 3.5 million BGN. The projects by municipalities and settlements can be funded with up to 15 000 BGN, and those of schools, kindergartens, personal development support centres, and integrated children’s complexes - with up to 7 500 BGN.

Out of the 1 639 projects for which an application was filed, a total of 339 project proposals were approved for funding for a total of 3 497 609 BGN. Of these, 99 projects are by schools and centres for support of personal development in the total amount of 731 762 BGN, 106 projects – by kindergartens worth 774 702 BGN, and 134 projects – by municipalities and settlements in the total amount of 1 991 144 BGN.

In their projects, educational establishments increasingly rely on environmental education through close contact and direct observation of living nature. There has been a trend towards using recycled materials to create park furniture and experimental fields in an effort to foster a positive attitude towards nature in children, reinforcing skills and a desire to protect the environment. Many of the project proposals envisage the construction of spectacular themed reading areas - a green library accessible to all, outdoor laboratories, exhibitions, competitions on environmental themes, composters for biodegradable waste. There are also innovative projects, such as the construction of mini ecosystems - a nature corner in which to create a biosystem between functioning living organisms and components of inanimate nature with the possibility for observation and traceability of processes by children and students, and many others.

A distinctive feature of the proposals by settlements and municipalities is that they foresee the majority of the activities to be carried out through voluntary work by the citizens of the respective locality. The predominant projects are afforestation and planting of cleared areas, creation and restoration of recreation areas, construction and repair of facilities for children and sports, renovation of existing fountains, solar lighting.

The large number of proposals this year shows that the “Clean Environment” Campaign is responding to a real need to support initiatives to improve the living environment and environmental education.

The full list of approved projects is published on the EMEPA website at: http://pudoos.bg/