03-06-2021 11:13
Alexandra is 17 years old. She lives in Burgas and loves nature. Alexandra carries the sun and the sea in her heart as a charm for well-being. She is not alone – millions of people around the globe care about our planet, in one way or another.
Like the young members of the Blue Explorers Environmental Club who collected 840 litres of plastic waste from Sarafovo Beach last Saturday. Despite the rain they carried out a beach clean-up campaign, eager to demonstrate to their fellow citizens that in our interactions with the environment we can do more – at least for a cleaner beach. As Alexandra said, our planet is not a garbage bin and the piles of cigarette butts did not land on the sand on their own. She believes that our symbiotic relationship with nature should hold us to a higher level of accountability: "the earth nourishes us and needs our care in return, it needs us to protect it and keep it tidy”.
For years now, the Foundation Chance for the Children and the Nature of Bulgaria has been fighting plastic litter for its harmful effect on people and nature. Liliana Slavova, Chair of the organization, believes that children should not just increase their knowledge on environmental issues but apply this knowledge daily. "I hope that future events of this sort will attract more adult volunteers too”, she added.
The initiative is part of a project entitled “Implementation of marine waste reduction measures in the Bay of Burgas” financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. Burgas Municipality, Chance for the Children and the Nature of Bulgaria Foundation and the Islandic Blue Army Foundation will partner to implement a number of project activities among which are litter hunting by professional divers and litter picking competition for fisher boats. All collected waste will be recycled, sorted and disposed.
