The Buck Doesn't Stop Here!

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825516930488582601.post-84577213818903589222008-04-24T00:42:00.000-07:002008-04-28T07:25:21.153-07:00The Buck Doesn't Stop Here!Amongst Bulgaria's problems is a complete lack of governmental leadership. The government that currently exists is so corrupt that the EU has stopped most development funding. Many people here have a lack of faith in anything positive to come from either the EU or the Bulgarian government. I understand - it's tough to have faith when you live in the poorest EU country and see your politicians driving nicer cars than politicians from other EU countries. It's an odd situation in Bulgaria - communism hasn't yet been weeded out of politics, neither has corruption nor mafia influence - even after 19 years of "democracy"! The 45 years of communism that this country endured has really taken a toll on the mentality of its people. Bulgarians have been conditioned to leave the power in the hands of the government. Unfortunately, the government's hands are too tied up with mafia influence, communist bureaucracy, and outright corruption that there just isn't room on the agenda for any kind of progress for the country. That doesn't bode well for an elected official who actually wants to influence positive change! Lucky for Bulgarian politicians, that's not what they're interested in. Perhaps that's why anyone who plays a significant role in the advancement of Bulgaria is smart enough to not run for office! For our Earth Day celebration, Supercross08 worked with Yo Ho Hostel to organize the best beach clean up that Varna, Bulgaria has ever seen! The just-hearted folks that run <a href="http://www.yohohostel.com">Yo Ho Hostel</a> are constantly involving themselves in environmental projects! They even have plans to clean the beach again after the tourist season - no Earth Day necessary! Together, we set out to inspire people to take responsibility for their community! <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bcCgEVR0bcE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bcCgEVR0bcE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> We started off the day at 10 AM with about 25 people. Most of them came from the group of girls I wrote about in the previous posting. 25 isn't a lot. But as the day went on, we were joined by the Bulgarian Scouts, passers by, EVS (European Voluntary Services) and Peace Corps Volunteers, as well as other late risers! It was an extremely successful action! For nearly six hours we filled bag after bag after bag, until the beach was clean! Garbage bags were provided by a local trash company called Adian, and the Bulgarian Scouts brought along some gloves for people to use! The Bulgarian Scouts are like the Boy Scouts of America, but they include girls! Take note, BSA, tolerance, respect, and integration are fine values to instill upon youth in addition to tying knots! We cleaned about a mile of coastline that hasn't yet been "purchased" by someone to open a club or a bar. Of course, the majority of the waste we collected was leftover from the nearby, already existing bars and clubs. For me, this is a sign of irresponsibility on the part of tourists, clients, bar/club owners, and particularly the local government for failing to enforce regulations.<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/SAxuqI_sBWI/AAAAAAAAAhw/o08Xa9s6Um4/s1600-h/DSC_1709.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191646140699510114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/SAxuqI_sBWI/AAAAAAAAAhw/o08Xa9s6Um4/s400/DSC_1709.JPG" border="0" /></a>The "undeveloped" beach (the part without bars or clubs) has a nice pedestrian walkway. Pedestrians, often unwillingly, share it with cars as it runs the length of the beach. It's located about 40 or 50 meters from the water - the only thing separating the two, is sand. While collecting pollution from near the walkway, I continued to encounter construction debris. This was because of two things: 1) the walkway is being widened and 2) new bars/clubs are being developed. I asked one of the guys from Yo Ho Hostel whether we should be cleaning up their garbage, as they were still about, or should we leave it for them to throw away when they finish. His response was, "It doesn't matter who you ask or whose responsibility it is, everyone will tell you that it's someone else's job to clean this." Later in the day, I roped myself into a conversation with Kiril Yordanov, the mayor of Varna who has to have all his decisions approved by the Bulgarian mafia, though rumor has it he's allowed to take potti breaks and order from a menu on his own accord. I asked him about this destructive phenomenon. He competently answered, "Responsibility? What's that?" It's a bit frustrating that most of the stuff we were finding came from existing, nearby establishments who are unwilling and uninterested in helping maintain the natural health of the environment. One would think that upon bestowing the perspective that it's more appealing for clientele to come to a nice place rather than one with litter all about, it would be enough to influence an owner to be responsible for the area around their establishment. Well, One is wrong! It's just a little glimpse at the bigger picture of how Bulgaria deals with environmental issues. It screams of careless, unsustainable practices as it yields a quick profit in the short term for a select few people who are "connected", and loads of problems for the rest of the community in the long term. If I hadn't spent the day with optimistic, willing-to-help, responsible people, even I would lose hope for Bulgaria! Fortunately, these promising agents of change are the youth of this country. Meaning, they're tomorrow's leaders. And fine leaders they'll prove to be, too! They have the morale character that allows for the benefit of the many, and they have the aptitude needed to be able to influence others to do good! They are the solution to Bulgarias problems! Just so long as they stay out of Bulgarian politics!<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/SAxvb4_sBXI/AAAAAAAAAh4/ZHOFnFfQZXM/s1600-h/DSC_1718.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191646995398002034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/SAxvb4_sBXI/AAAAAAAAAh4/ZHOFnFfQZXM/s400/DSC_1718.JPG" border="0" /></a>As we spent the day saving the world, it was fun and entertaining to receive the reactions of people walking by. The looks on their faces ranged from 'What are you doing?' or 'Why bother?' to 'Gee wiz, you guys are great!' and 'Can I help?' It was the positive reactions that I found inspiring and hopeful. This community is well ready for positive change. They just lack adequate political leadership to guide them. At the end of the day, we celebrated with a concert! One of the owners of Yo Ho Hostel is the lead singer of a band called "Pizza" and they played a rockin' show that night! Ending a positive day with positive energy is my idea of success!Andrew!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02170615547522584268noreply@blogger.com