Eco-grants awarded in Lower Silesia

Photo of the article On the 25th of February, the Lower Silesian Office of the Voivode hosted an official awards gala to conclude the 6th Lower Silesian Natural Energy Fund competition. The winners received grants and special diplomas presented by the Lower Silesian Voivode, Mr. Paweł Hreniak and Deputy Director of the Wrocław Branch, Ms. Beata Potyrała.

The Natural Energy Fund competition has been created to showcase the best original ideas for environmental maintenance or recovery projects. Its principal aim is to provide funding to green initiatives implemented in five voivodeships: Mazovia, Greater Poland, Opole, Podkarpackie and Lower Silesia.

Since 2012, 22 laureates from Lower Silesia have received the awards. They included representatives of communes such as: Bolesławiec, Wisznia Mała, Wołów, Kamienna Góra, Prusice Świerzawa, Głogów and Wrocław. This year, 19 projects from Lower Silesia were entered into the competition and five received grants worth PLN 10,000 each. The winning projects were:
  1. “Ultrasounds emitted by bats as a creative strand of the scientific collaboration web” – a project developed by Middle School no. 29 from Wrocław, as a continuation of the work started last year.  Its overarching goal is to facilitate collaboration between various educational facilities and jointly act to protect the environment – with special consideration given to protecting and saving bats.
  2. “City home for strictly protected animals” – a project entered by the “Szczęśliwa” Education Foundation from Wrocław. It will consist in a series of educational classes for grade 1 pupils to raise their awareness of environmental protection and selected animal species, such as bats, hedgehogs, toads, and to draw their attention to the benefits and threats related to close co-existence with these species.
  3. “Environment above all. Show some culture and protect nature” – a project submitted by Public Kindergarten no. 20 with a Nursery Unit and Integration Class from Głogów. The project aims to create suitable conditions for the education of children by organising a series of educational classes focusing on everyday activities, such as water and energy consumption, waste separation and informed shopping.   
  4. “Protect Insects” – a project entered by the KREDA Association of Residents of Krzydlina Wielka from Wołów, which will consist in holding bee-keeping classes and workshops in a local apiary, cleaning of the area around Wołów, placing educational boards featuring information on specific insect species and their habitats as well as their protection measures, coupled with the construction of breeding boxes for insects.
  5. “Green Haven” – a project proposed by the Prusice commune, which aims to develop two local squares by planting trees and bushes as well as herbs, and to create a “sensory trail” – a green area for education and leisure.