This day was an important day because the Begree+n team successfully completed the first event in the surroundings of Sofia. We met at the bridge of the Pancharevo lake dam at 11 am to start a busy day with a clear and defined mission: to clean a part of the lake and to be able to increase by our action the awareness of the environment and the preservation of natural places like this one.
Following the poster and the communication realized on Facebook groups reaching different audiences (expats, locals, students), we collected several enthusiastic reactions but due to the threatening weather, the number of participants was reduced.
However, it has been a great opportunity to strengthen our group in terms of teamwork and cooperation. We have worked in a synchronized way in order to be as fast as possible but without forgetting the most important part of the event: to achieve a noticeable change on this natural place and increase the awareness of the people who were passing by. Many people stopped and asked us what we do and why, and we hope that the next time they will enjoy the lake and will not throw the trash away but in the trash bins.
Our first intention was to make a tour of the lake or at least to cover a good part of it and to make a trash pickup on the way but on the shores of the lake around the dam, the place was so dirty that we concentrated our efforts on this precise place. In only 2 hours, thanks to our efforts and good coordination between all attendees, we were able to collect 20 bags of trash. Furthermore, we were surprised by the diversity of the waste and the size of certain bulky items, sometimes collecting large glass bottles, polystyrene sheets for example.
In addition, thanks to the creation of the Facebook page, we had also the pleasure to involve some locals, and for the next event we hope to be able to host more people. This has been a short but intense event because we have partially cleaned the dam of Pancharevo Lake and tried to inspire the youth. Thanks to the equipment furnished by ICDET, and to the good will of the team, we have been able to do a great job and, without a shadow of a doubt, we are ready to repeat this experience in another area of Sofia, and even in other places in Bulgaria, depending on the opportunities that arise.
Stay tuned and be green!
