A sycamore tree of the protest will grow in Alen Mak area in Varna. Residents of the neighborhood planted the tree symbolically in the green area behind the bus stop of Varna Free University on the eve of World Environment Day – June 5. This marked 14 months since the start of their initiative to reforest the area, supported by the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development.
For more than a year, the residents of Alen Mak sent a series of signals and proposals for reforestation to the Municipality. In them, they propose to plant trees before the pavement and asphalt pavements in the area are laid, while the renovation works on Alen Street are underway. “Petar Popov and ul. “Proff. Petar Nikolov”. They have also stated in writing their willingness to provide seedlings of the types, sizes and numbers recommended by the municipal professionals, as well as volunteer labor for planting and maintenance afterwards. They are collecting a petition to declare the support of the majority of area residents. This is a landslide area, and it is being cut down en masse for new construction, said Radoslav Kirkov, one of the organizers of the civic initiative.
By the end of last year they sent a total of three letters – proposals to the Municipality of Varna and two to the Varna District Administration. All of them remained unanswered. Until yesterday, when the deputy mayor Ilija Koev came personally to the action of planting the plane tree and promised to assist in the reforestation of other trees in the area. Varna Municipality will get involved if there are initiatives elsewhere in the city, Koev said. Asked by Ecovarna.info about the procedure for planting trees by citizens, Koev said that the municipal department of engineering infrastructure and public works deals with the permits. After submitting a request to it, citizens should get a reply back. An arborist must assess what species are appropriate for the area and only then issue a permit, Koev explained.
The initiators of the reforestation in Alen Mak are doing an experiment by submitting the same request, but for planting 20 trees in the town. Stamboliiski this spring. Just a few days later, they received a reply from the municipality’s ecologist, who pointed them to specific locations in the town suitable for the purpose. They ordered 20 linden, plane, cedar and red oak trees, which they put in the ground in about 2 hours. For those who will say it’s all about personal connections, Nina Kirkova will refute them. “I did not know the municipality’s ecologist personally. It turned out that this woman took her job to heart and decided to turn the city into a green paradise. This spring alone, more than 200 trees were planted in the town of about 11,000 residents. It’s all a matter of will,” says Nina.
“Our initiative in Varna is not aimed at confrontation, but is an invitation for dialogue. We want to contribute to a cleaner and greener Varna”, say the organizers. The symbolic planting of the plane tree is also a reaction against the long-standing problems in the area related to the poor infrastructure and garbage collection, the lack of street lighting and separate areas for sports, playgrounds and childcare in Alen Mak.
On 5 June, when we celebrate International Environment Day, let everyone take a small step towards a cleaner, greener and more sustainable tomorrow, urge the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development. And they add that there is no more contagious example than the personal one – that of the active citizen.
