Original Article by Svilena Velcheva
A reusable bag with the #NoMersyWearing campaign logo was given to everyone present at the opening of the “Green Days” in the village of Ezerets. The initiative took place on July 16, 17 and 18 in the village of Shabla. Immediately after the initiation of the initiative, Ilian Iliev from the Public Center for the Environment and Sustainable Development spoke with the local population and guests of the waste route event. Iliev showed a basket full of household waste, most of which could not be recycled, and others did not reach the recycling centers. Plastic, especially plastic bags, are among the most common pollutants in the seas and oceans. In the Black Sea, 450 floating plastic islands of different sizes have already been discovered.
52% of marine life that ingests or gets entangled in plastic waste dies. Additionally, nearly 1 million seabirds die worldwide each year from plastic entering their digestive systems.
One way to reverse the trend is to use and dispose of less disposable plastic. The #NoMercyWearing campaign aims to reduce the most common part of plastic pollution: plastic bags. When we go to the market, it costs us nothing to use a reusable bag.
This saves waste, costs for traders and for ourselves. Because plastic pollution poisons not only marine animals, but us humans.
The leitmotif of “Green Days in Ezerets Village” was less waste. During the three green days the workshop “Let’s make a place!” to create street furniture with waste material, bitak-bitArt “No Waste – with gifts!”, the children’s workshop “Recycle in a beautiful way” and projections for children and adults on environmental problems. A “Waste Museum” has also been opened on Ezerets beach.
The “Green Days” in the village of Ezerets are part of the initiatives to improve the urban environment within the “Place Bulgaria” in collaboration with “BG Be Active” and with the support of the Coca Cola Foundation.
The efforts of the Public Center for the Environment and Sustainable Development go in this direction. For 10 years the organization has been organizing a youth eco-camp for sustainable ecological construction in the village of Ezerets. The #NoMersyWearing campaign is a continuation of the association’s goals and actions for maintaining ecological balance in the region.
The #NoMersyWearing project was carried out with the financial support of the Vivacom Fund.