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Urban ecology from Obshtestven centar za okolna

sreda i ustoichivo razvitie

The Urban Ecology project is making people aware of environmental protection issues in Varna Bulgaria and offering sustainable models for the city Through programmes to cut waste and increase recycling campaigns on civic awareness and school outreach efforts the project aims to make locals aware of their ecological footprint

Volunteer changes citizensrsquo

minds on the environment

Teamwork with the aim of establishing mutual support and understanding within the society and improving the quality of life for everyonerdquo

Every week Valentina visits kinder- gartens and schools to support the paper and waste recycling programme She answers questions and gets chil-dren involved in paper recycling activi-ties She also works in an urban ecolab measuring pollution noise and radi-ation levels This informs the public about the state of their environment and motivates them to take action

At the centre of this project is volunteer Valentina Vagge 28 from Italy After graduating with a Masterrsquos degree in Local and Global Development she joined the Urban Ecolo-gy project to kickstart her career in the environmental NGO sector As a foreigner her participation has not only piqued the localsrsquo interest in the initiative It also highlights that environmental sustainability is a worldwide issue and lets her share good practices from her home country

Project leaders believe that the Urban Ecology project exemplifies European values ndash ecology environmental conserva-tion sustainable development and active citizenship On top of this having a dedi-cated foreign volunteer like Valentina has shown the importance of cultural exchange in addressing common European issues