Yesterday, in the yard of the Brčko Agricultural and Medical High Schools, as part of the project “One tree is one vote for ecology”, a tree planting action was held, in which two classes of the mentioned high schools also participated. The action was held with the aim of raising students’ awareness of environmental challenges, primarily air pollution, soil pollution, and the importance of planting and afforestation, but also the overall importance of environmental protection.
Lejla Mašić, project coordinator, emphasizes the importance of such actions, stating: “The goal of this action and the whole project is not only planting trees, but also the fact that students understand that they can be the initiators of positive ideas for protection of our environment. I wanted the action to be an incentive for new generations to really see the importance of afforestation and planting, but also that by planting every tree, every seedling, they become advocates, ambassadors of nature and our clean, healthy environment. If we really want to change something, we must first educate ourselves about the problems and challenges we face.”
A particularly devastating fact is that in recent years Bosnia and Herzegovina has been facing an exceptional problem of air pollution and environmental pollution, but also of increasing deforestation – the only remaining natural filter. Thus, about 2 million cubic meters of trees are cut down in BiH every year. In addition, it should be emphasized that BiH is a country in which almost half of the entire area is covered with forests, the infamous European record holder for illegal logging of forest resources. The situation is no better in the Brčko District of BiH compared to the rest of the country. If we add to that the extremely polluted air of recent years, the lack of devices for measuring air quality in our city, and the general disregard for soil pollution, it is clear that the situation is more than worrying.
Thus, Lejla Mašić points out: “For the last almost two years, we receive information on number of patients and deaths from COVID-19 every day, but no one informs us, for example that just last year in the Western Balkans more people died from the effects of air pollution than COVID-19, which in fact means that we have a pandemic of dying and getting sick from dirty air and neglect of our environment for years. Therefore, I believe that actions like this one can only change this situation, since its main goal is to increase the awareness of young people about the importance of solving these problems.”
“We are facing huge environmental problems, which due to ignorance, misunderstanding are neglected. Since environmental issues are not a priority for government officials, the only thing left for us to do is to try to teach, influence and encourage younger generations to fight for our environment, because by fighting for our environment we are fighting for ourselves and our health.” adds Lejla Mašić, hoping that such actions will contribute to changing the awareness of young people in our city.
The project is implemented as part of the Women for Women International program: “Academy of Democracy for Young Women”, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.
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