Innovative practices in Bulgaria
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Baywatch 99 Campaign
Public Environmental Centre for Sustainable Development
Background
Beaches are the favourite recreation places for Varna citizens and guests. They comprise 51.1% of Varna s coastal territory and can be used without any charges. In the summer time beaches are used by a large number of people, which, together with traffic, causes serious problems for the maintenance of their cleanliness. For the beaches worst of all is the so called tourist erosion . In order to fight the unbelievable increase in the quantity of the waste left by tourists, the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PECSD) started its Baywatch 99 campaign. PECSD is a NGO working for the support of the processes of sustainable development in within the Man-Society-Environment system.
Beaches are the favourite recreation places for Varna citizens and guests. They comprise 51.1% of Varna s coastal territory and can be used without any charges. In the summer time beaches are used by a large number of people, which, together with traffic, causes serious problems for the maintenance of their cleanliness. For the beaches worst of all is the so called tourist erosion . In order to fight the unbelievable increase in the quantity of the waste left by tourists, the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PECSD) started its Baywatch 99 campaign. PECSD is a NGO working for the support of the processes of sustainable development in within the Man-Society-Environment system.
Practice
The Baywatch 99 campaign foresees two kinds of action:
Raising public awareness
Voluntary cleaning actions
A team of volunteers led by Project Manager Borislav Vashev is formed. The project period is planned to be 1 May - 1 September 1999 in order to cover the maximum tourists activity. Several donors fund the project: the Dutch Fund ALERT is the main funder and certain activities are co-financed by Ecoservice , Radio Varna and Sky TV Varna.
In the first stage the public is approached by mass media: an attractive TV clip of Baywatch 99 campaign is repeatedly shown on Sky TV-Varna. Radio Varna within its programme Holiday emits radio-messages in four languages. The key message is: even if beaches are cleaned regularly, they cannot stay clean unless citizens take part in their protection.
A relatively small part of the beaches (about 24 %) is not managed at all and nobody cares about its cleaning. A team of 10 volunteers, pupils and students from PECSD decides to protect the beaches of the sea capital from waste and to take care about the unmanaged beach areas. From 26 till 28 August 1999 they disseminate an educational poster in four languages (Bulgarian, English, German and Russian) around the beaches. After reading the information, the tourists following the special instructions, can make a sun cap out of their poster, and by wearing it they can show their support of the idea. The volunteers wear such sun caps and T-shirts saying Beaches are not for only one vacation .
A time-schedule for 30 August 1999 is set up to clean the Varna beaches and the beaches at Riviera and St. Konstantin and Elena resorts. The wastes are to be taken away by the Varna firm Ecoservice Ltd. On 11 September 1999 a PECSD Weekend is organised and the Galata beach, which is not yet granted on concession, is cleaned by a large group of PECSD members and supporters as well as proactive citizens.
The Baywatch 99 campaign foresees two kinds of action:
Raising public awareness
Voluntary cleaning actions
A team of volunteers led by Project Manager Borislav Vashev is formed. The project period is planned to be 1 May - 1 September 1999 in order to cover the maximum tourists activity. Several donors fund the project: the Dutch Fund ALERT is the main funder and certain activities are co-financed by Ecoservice , Radio Varna and Sky TV Varna.
In the first stage the public is approached by mass media: an attractive TV clip of Baywatch 99 campaign is repeatedly shown on Sky TV-Varna. Radio Varna within its programme Holiday emits radio-messages in four languages. The key message is: even if beaches are cleaned regularly, they cannot stay clean unless citizens take part in their protection.
A relatively small part of the beaches (about 24 %) is not managed at all and nobody cares about its cleaning. A team of 10 volunteers, pupils and students from PECSD decides to protect the beaches of the sea capital from waste and to take care about the unmanaged beach areas. From 26 till 28 August 1999 they disseminate an educational poster in four languages (Bulgarian, English, German and Russian) around the beaches. After reading the information, the tourists following the special instructions, can make a sun cap out of their poster, and by wearing it they can show their support of the idea. The volunteers wear such sun caps and T-shirts saying Beaches are not for only one vacation .
A time-schedule for 30 August 1999 is set up to clean the Varna beaches and the beaches at Riviera and St. Konstantin and Elena resorts. The wastes are to be taken away by the Varna firm Ecoservice Ltd. On 11 September 1999 a PECSD Weekend is organised and the Galata beach, which is not yet granted on concession, is cleaned by a large group of PECSD members and supporters as well as proactive citizens.
Results
A great interest is demonstrated towards PECSD campaign and activity. The main goal of the project to remind tourists that having their vacation they can hurt nature is achieved. The attention of the responsible institutions is attracted towards problems like lack of enough waste containers and other equipment necessary for waste collection. Citizens are activated to take part in protecting one of Varna s most valuable treasures the beaches.
A great interest is demonstrated towards PECSD campaign and activity. The main goal of the project to remind tourists that having their vacation they can hurt nature is achieved. The attention of the responsible institutions is attracted towards problems like lack of enough waste containers and other equipment necessary for waste collection. Citizens are activated to take part in protecting one of Varna s most valuable treasures the beaches.
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