Earth Day and the coming good weather have triggered a series of "green" holidays and initiatives related to the environment. Participants in the third national campaign Let's Clean Bulgaria in One Day, the largest volunteer project in Bulgaria held in late April, collected more than 16,000 tons of garbage. Most waste was collected in the largest cities - almost 3000 tons in Sofia, 2246 tons in Stara Zagora, 1563 tons in Plovdiv Region and 1214 tons in Varna. There was another edition of an increasingly popular initiative with the motto Books in Exchange for Junk. In the course of just four hours on Sunday, May 11, Sofianites delivered five tons of plastic waste that they exchanged for 6500 books. This year the commendable initiative expands geographically and will be held in other large cities – on 17 May in Burgas and on 18 May in Varna. The campaign aims to encourage separate waste collection in this country by paying particular attention to the problems of recycling. Over 75,000 tons of plastic waste is disposed in Bulgaria annually, and only a fifth of this volume is recycled.

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Sofia residents are accustomed to associate May with the now traditional festival Green Days dedicated to healthy living, ecotourism, organic farming and sustainable development. From 10 to 14 May in one of the central park producers of organic foods, ecotourism businesses and many environmental organizations advertised their activities in special festival tents attracting many visitors with their messages. For Greenpeace Bulgaria it was organic farming as a way to solve the problem of disappearing bees. The NGO’s activists collected signatures for a petition to ban pesticides in agriculture that are the most harmful to bees. Fun games with beeswax introduced kids into the magical world of bees, the guardians of fertility in the world.

WWF Bulgaria laid the emphasis on the search and protection of primary forests in Bulgaria. The documentary made with assistance from the fund and entitled The Unknown Forests reveals the beauty and the extraordinary biodiversity of this national treasure. Ancient woodlands have evolved for hundreds of years without human intervention, but they currently account for only about 4% of the forest area in Bulgaria. They are the last resorts of wildlife, where we can observe all phases of the development of natural forests. They also provide refuge to nearly half of the biological biodiversity, Alexander Dunchev, WWF forest expert pointed out.

Most visitors flocked to the tents of the Bulgarian-Swiss project For the Balkan Range and the People, where they could buy homemade yogurt, cheese, honey and jam produced in mountain farms in the Western Balkan Range. One of the organizations in the project, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Bird, screened four short videos about processing on the farm and direct sales. Access of small farmers who are most often found in mountainous areas, to direct sales to customers is a new, long-awaited and very important opportunity for them. "In this way, all of us will have better quality food and farmers will be provided with a decent livelihood which supports the conservation of lands with high natural value from the Natura 2000 network," experts from BSPB and from Bioselena Foundation for Organic Agriculture explained. During the Green Days they were available to farmers for advice on the intricacies of the new legislative framework allowing direct sales.

Among the curious activities of the festival was the demonstration of weaving of the famous Chiprovtsi carpets and dyeing yarn with natural dyes. Children from the specialized school Petar Parchevitch in Chiprovtsi showed their skills in this area. The revival of this ancient craft is part of the efforts of the project to create a sustainable local economy and tourist attractions.

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On 18 May the green events continue with the first GoBio festival again in Sofia that comes with a promise for "a great experience" to all fans and followers of healthy and nature-friendly lifestyles. Prominent specialists in the field of nutrition, psychology, traditional and alternative medicine will acquaint visitors with the latest and curious world of a holistic way of life. Along with lectures professional coaches and instructors in yoga, Pilates, combat extreme, extreme dance and Zumba will be available throughout the day. Special emphasis will be put on demonstrations of cooking different kinds of healthy foods and beverages, as well as on organic cosmetics.

English version: Daniela Konstantinova