On Saturday 18 April, EPL together with students who care about the environment cleaned away garbage in “Znesinnia” park.
The territory of the park is huge and impressive, covered with centennial trees, a birch bosket. The area of protected lands in the park is 300 ha and total area of the park is over 700 ha. This could be like paradise but the picture is distorted by heaps of garbage. Outside fences around private houses in the park there are huge heaps of garbage.
We cleaned away quite numerous local landfills in the forest, – says EPL Executive director Olena Kravchenko.
Huge heaps of garbage on slopes are covered with shrubs, in some places garbage is hardly accessible, special equipment is needed to clean there.
There is garbage in recreational areas in the forest, outside fences in the residential area, along the railway, near the cemetery – actually everywhere.
Lawyers, environmentalists, students found time to make our environment cleaner and on their day-off came to the park to the cleanup action while representatives of local self-governance – the Department of Environment and Accomplishment of Lviv City Council – unfortunately ignored this event.
It is hardly possible to make somebody do good things for the environment and healthy future generation. If people lack internal motivation, a spark in their hearts that would kindle and inspire others to do good things, then probably these environmentalists are not true environmentalists.
However, it is very inspiring that young generation cares about the nature and realizes that we need clean and healthy environment.
Together with students EPL gathered quite a lot of domestic waste. We are not sure that local self-governance bodies properly control compliance with environmental legislation in the territory of the park. The regional landscape park “Znesinnia” is also obliged to protect the territory of the park. Many questions arise regarding the level of control by Lviv railway administration over railways that go through the territory of the park because that area is covered with plastic bags and bottles that are thrown out of train windows.
Pursuant to Art. 12, 17, 96 of Land Code of Ukraine, Art. 20 and 21 of the Law of Ukraine “On Waste”, obligations of village councils, local administrations, and land users include the following: control over use and protection of lands, compliance with land and environmental legislation, coordination of control over use and protection of lands, liquidation of unauthorized and uncontrolled landfills, development and approval of plans of sanitary cleanups of residential areas.
Therefore, EPL will address the above mentioned institutions demanding liquidation of unauthorized landfills in the territory of the park and proper control on behalf of land users.
If you detected an unauthorized landfill in the territory of a city, town or village or outside residential area, please inform us by a mail to office@epl.org.ua.
To sum up, we express gratitude to young generation that joined the cleanup and made their contribution to protection of the environment.
Let’s save the environment together because together we are a power!
For further information please contact:
Olena Kravchenko, EPL Executive director
Email: okravchenko@epl.org.ua, tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
Sophia Shutiak, EPL lawyer of the 1st category
Email: sofiya.shutiak@gmail.com, tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
Alla Voytsikhovska, EPL environmentalist of the 1st category
Email: alla.voytsyhovska@gmail.com, tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
