A new station measures air pollution from fine dust particles in Varna. It was installed on the building of the Professional High School of Textiles and Fashion Design (PGTMD) by volunteers from the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (OCOSUR). The station is the only one operating in the Chataldzha district and one of 20 in the city connected to the Airbg.info system, which provides minute-by-minute information on the state of the atmospheric air. Until now, the closest similar station in the area was in the Chaika district, near the Resort Polyclinic. In addition to being used by citizens to obtain information on air quality, the new station will also serve educational purposes.
In addition to being used by citizens to obtain information about air quality, the new station will also serve educational purposes. Through it, students from the Technical College of Mechanical Engineering will monitor pollution with fine dust particles 2.5 microns and 10 microns in diameter. The results will be summarized and published in a report. The study is part of the activities on the topic “Healthy Urban Environment for Living” organized by OCOSUR this school year under the project “The Neighborhood – My Classroom.” They are held in two schools in the city – PGTMD and OU “Vasil Aprilov.”
The work with students includes theoretical and practical activities on noise levels, GSM and UV radiation, waste collection, greening, maintenance of the green urban system, and urban biodiversity. The package of educational activities is aimed at familiarizing young people with the main environmental areas and problems in the urban environment. The goal is to give a practical dimension to ecology and contemporary environmental issues.
At the end of the project, a graduation ceremony will be organized to symbolically certify the knowledge and experience of the participants. The results of their work will also be presented to the local authorities.
The project “The Neighborhood – My Classroom” was created under the “Learning Together” program of the “Together in Class” Foundation and is implemented with the financial support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
