Environmental week at AUBG

The AUBG community celebrated its third Environmental Week from April 19 to 25. This year, the event also marked the 40th anniversary of the Earth Day on Thursday, April 22.

The week was dedicated to activities promoting environmental awareness and healthy life style. It was organized by the Environmental working group, People to People International AUBG Chapter (PTPI), Better Community Club (BCC) and Roctaract Club Blagoevgrad - Centrum.

Monday's program included a T-shirt workshop held in Skaptopara 2 main lobby, where students painted T-shirts which were designed specifically for the event. Tuesday's Movie under the stars event was canceled because of bad weather, but pavement drawing on Wednesday brought together AUBG students, local children, students from the Blagoevgrad High School of Mathematics, and South-West University.

"I find the idea about organizing Environmental Week great. It is so inspiring to know that there are still some people who have time and willingness to do something for the others. Although this was a busy week for all of us, some still managed to be creative and bothered to [raise] some awareness in our community," Venelina Miteva, one of the participating students, said.

Throughout the week, as part of the program, one of the Skaptopara 2 corridors was decorated with photos taken by AUBG students, in an exhibition called Me and my home Earth.

Other events that followed include Blue link presentation and debate on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) which took place in the New Academic Building Auditorium. AUBG professors Jonathan Fife and Dr. William Clark participated in the discussions.

During the Environmental week, AUBG Class of 2010 representatives planted Arizon Cyprus tree in the yard between Skaptopara 1 and 2, in the name of the senior class.

"This year's goal of the Environmental week wasn't just engaging people in different activities, but promoting healthy life styles that students should follow during the whole year. [...] I am not really satisfied [with] how AUBG students took this event. [...] The weather was also a big problem," Bilyana Vacheva, BCC president, said. "I think that next year, we should organize it earlier, do more on advertising and [get] students'