02.03.2009 |
In 1991 the area called "The Green Lungs of Poland" was defined and the strategy for the sustainable development of the region was drawn up. Ełk, which is situated almost in the centre of the "Green Lungs" joined the strategy with its own programme "Ełk - the ecological town". The Ełk programme was recognized as one of the best programmes in Europe and consequently the town received the prestigious Ford Award in 1993.Since then Ełk has maintained the top position in the rankings of Polish towns pursuing the strategy of the sustainable development most actively.
Even before Poland joined the "Clean up the world" action, the Great Cleaning up of Masuria had been conducted in 1993 and 1994. The Ełk specificity of those and the following actions (organized within the "Clean up the world" and "Days of the Earth" actions) was the cleaning up of Lake Ełk and the bed of the Ełk River. It was done from boats, canoes, and under the water - by local diver clubs.
As a consequence of the programme "Ełk - the ecological town", the Pilot Project of the National Programme for Environmental Protection was conducted in the years 1994 to 1997. The characteristic feature of the project was combining activities of a social ecological movement with activities of the local authorities. The project received a lot of organizational assistance from the Institute for the Sustainable Development of Local Communities in Vermont, USA and the Institute for the Sustainable Development in Warsaw. The following problems were considered the most significant: the pollution of Lake Ełk and the Ełk River as well as the pollution of the air (relatively low but still vitally important). The programmes for solving both problems were designed. In 1997 the programme for the improvement of the purity of Lake Ełk and the Ełk River was started. The programme is to a great degree a result and continuation of the earlier actions undertaken by the town. Those actions dealt with environmental protection and the water and sewage management. The consistent policy of the town in this respect resulted in Ełk having drinking water of excellent quality and one of the most modern sewage treatment plants in Poland.
In 1996 the Ełk Town Council made a resolution to enter the second stage of the modernization of the sewage treatment plant in the years 1997 to 1999. The management of the post-sewage sediments was to be improved. The effectiveness of the energy management of biogas and the sediment management in the Sewage Treatment Plant PwiK Ełk were to be developed.
The process of the reclamation of Lake Ełk was started in 1998. It will be conducted through oxygenating water in the deep portion of the lake (hypolimnion) with simultaneous enrichment of the water with iron salts (using the preparation PIX). In order to prevent impurities from the rain water system from entering the lake, five separators have been built. The construction of next 3 separators is being planned.
The local authorities of the neighbouring regions have been offered to join the establishment of an interregional union that would deal with the waste problems in their areas. The goal will be the modernization of the existing landfill (used jointly by the Ełk commune and other communes) - the introduction of waste sorting, the construction of a compost site, the neutralization of technological waste.
A new programme was introduced in 1997 to reduce the already low air pollution in Ełk. It was a subsidy programme based on the funds from the Commune's Fund for Environmental Protection. The households willing to replace coal-based heating systems in their homes with systems using oil, gas or electricity could get a financial help.
The Project of the Promotion of Effective Lighting in Poland (PELP)has been present in Ełk since Autumn 1996. The project was a result of Ełk's active participation in the Association of Communes - the Polish Network "Energie Cities" and the co-operation with the Foundation for Effective Energy Usage. Due to the project Ełk inhabitants were able to buy about 16,5 thousand energy-saving light bulbs (subsidy from GEF). The town's demand for electricity became lower and consequently Ełk has contributed greatly to the reduction of dust and gas pollution emitted by power stations.
Ecological activities in Ełk are also reflected in cultural activities. The Cultural Centre of the Housing Company "Świt" has been organising a photography contest called "EcoEłk" for a few years. The contest evolved and turned into the National Photography Contest "Take a Breath of the Green Lungs of Poland".
Ełk is a member of the Association for the Sustainable Development of the Narew River's Basin. It is also one of very few signatories of the Card of European Towns and Cities for the Sustainable Development.
Co-operation of the Ełk Commune with PWiK in the field of the environmental protection investments, mainly concerning the modernization of the water and sewage systems management, is a classical and model example of the realization of the sustainable development ideas. These ideas combine the civilizational (economic) development with the protection of the natural environment for the sake of the societies and the healthy existence of the future generations.
The construction of the Centre of Ecological Education was started in 1998. The goal was to create the conditions to pass the experiences on to the next generations. The centre will play a major role in propagating the ideas of the sustainable development of towns and cities and the ecological education of the future generations. Thanks to the centre theoretical issues of ecology will be put into practice.
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