Time to see how it works

On Friday, June 18, we visited the closest place related to ecology. We decided to go for a walk to the sewage treatment plant to bring closer our knowledge of natural processes. The lady who checks the composition and level of water pollution took us to the laboratory and showed us the activities that she performs during her work. After the introduction, the man controlling the proper operation of the sewage treatment plant briefly introduced us to his work and what the sewage treatment plant consists of. Then it was time to see all the biological processes. We visited the sewage treatment plants with a man who in an interesting and funny way made our time pleasant and helped us acquire knowledge. We learned that we purify water by providing bacteria and oxygen. We saw what it all looks like and what we can have thanks to such processes. The incoming sewage is cleaned of unnecessary pollutants several times until clean water is obtained, which then goes to the river. At the end, we were led to the top of the reservoir to admire the panorama of our city. Beautiful weather accompanied us all day.

Online project meeting

On the 23rd January 2021 we had a conference with Bulgaria, Greece, Slovakia and Romania. Students from each country showed us presentations about their cities, home towns and schools. We found them really interesting. We learned about loT and how to create a project In Google Earth. We voted for the logo of the project. All of them were great and we couldn’t decide which one to pick. The atmosphere was great. We can’t wait to meet the students and their teachers in real life. We are looking forward to learn more about them and some new stuff. We are excited about travelling to their counties. We hope the pandemic will allow us doing what we have planed. Although the meeting was three hours long we liked it a lot.

Bilgoraj – town on two wheels

New bicycle stands have been installed in Biłgoraj as a part of the initiative to become an eco-friendly city. They encourage cycling as a means of transport around the city, so people don’t have to look for a place where they could leave their bicycles. As a result, our city has reduced its carbon footprint and peopleare becoming healthier. Surprisingly, the city is slowly becoming similar to the Netherlands, where cycling is the prefered means of transport. Because of the city council’s decision, you can finally get anywhere in the city by bike.

Solution to smog problem

The smog problem is not just a local problem, but a global one. Many countries, including Poland, are trying to cope with polluted air. Decisions are made by state, but also local authorities. Our town, Bilgoraj, in comparison to large cities and towns, comes out quite well in dealing with polluted air.

First of all,heating homes with coal and wood is the most common source of smog in Poland.In 2019, the magistrate has taken a number of measures to improve air quality in the city. The fight continues, and it is mainly about making residents aware of the dangers of smog and convincing the owners of old coal-fired furnaces to replace them with new, ecological heat sources. In order to observe the quality of the air, in February 2019, out of initiative of the city hall, two sensors were installed in Biłgoraj  inform about the level of air pollution. The mayor, seeing how bad air quality we have in the city, decided that the town authorities  will subsidize the program of replacing old coal-fired boilers with new, ecological ones. Within the program, it is possible to receive a subsidy of up to 5000 zloty for the replacement of the heating source and up to 7500 zloty for the installation of a heat pump. The condition for receiving the grant is replacing the old installation with a new one, e.g. gas one.Small local boiler houses that supplied heat to multi-family housing estates (blocks of flats) were closed down. At present, the residents of blocks of flats are connected to a large municipal heat and power plant, which has contributed to the improvement of air quality in the city.In the region of Biłgoraj there is no heavy industry that has a negative impact on air quality, so in spring and summer the air quality is good. Unfortunately, it changes with the heating season (autumn, winter).

In conclusion, smog is a problem we have to face. In our city we are taking a lot of actions to remove the smog. It is important for our town that every resident is aware of the importance of taking care of the air. Nowadays more and more people living in Bilgoraj are trying to reduce the smog. That is why our city is doing well with this problem that occurs all over the world.