When has a city reached its peak? Why are mosquitoes declining in overbuilt cities? How can we attract butterflies and bees to our neighborhood? Why is it beneficial to have more insects around us? How can we make houses for squirrels and hedgehogs? When can we encounter bats in Varna? And why do some birdhouses made by humans remain empty?
These and other interesting questions were answered by ninth-graders from the Professional High School of Textiles and Fashion Design (PGTMD) during the first week of the new school year. At the beginning of 2026, the second part of the work of the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (PCESD) on the project “The Neighborhood – My Classroom” began. In addition to the wild inhabitants of the neighborhood, the young people will learn about the green system and the care of the “lungs” of the city. They will assemble and install birdhouses in the school area. They will analyze the waste collection system in the area and continue to monitor air quality and noise indicators.
The good news is that despite its intensive development, Varna is a city that has not yet reached its peak. There is an opportunity to retain, and even bring back, all those wild inhabitants that balance the environment and make the city a cleaner and better place to live. This is the message that ornithologist Ivaylo Ivanov conveyed to the children.
The training is conducted by PCESD experts under the “Learning Together” program of the “Together in Class” Foundation and is implemented with the financial support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
If you would like your students to acquire skills in topics related to nature conservation in urban environments and to develop a responsible civic stance on environmental issues, we can help you.
