Over 100 exhibitors this year at Green Ideas in Action EcoFest in the Uzana region

The mission of EcoFest is to attract ever wider circle of people to the idea of environmental protection as a prerequisite of successful economic, social and personal development. The focus in 2015 is “Adapting to climate change”.

The goals of the EcoFest are sharing experience and best practices for sustainable development and environmental management, discussions of stakeholders on specific problems of environmental protection, creation of an environment favoring ecological messages of every sort.

During the festival we will look for answers to the questions concerning climate change and our adaptation to it. Special guests of the festival are leading experts from Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Geography Department.

The festival will begin with in informal opening on July 24th at 17:00 and an evening concert by the groups Horizon and Full Circle.
The official opening of EcoFest will be on July 25th at 11 o’clock. Minister of Environment and Waters Ivelina Vasileva, Deputy Prime Minister for European Funds and Economic Policy Tomislav Donchev, Gabrovo District Governor Nikolay Sirakov, Mayor of Gabrovo Municipality Tanya Hristova, and Ms. Veleslava Tsakova, Chair of the Managing Board of TIME Foundation, will be among the special guests at the official opening.

Traditionionally, the opening of the Festival will be followed by freeing of birds from the wild animals rescue center in the town of Stara Zagora.

The essential part of the EcoFest will happen daytime on July 25th and 26th. Over 100 exhibitors will take part in the program. The categories in which the zone of exhibitors and presentations will be designated are: EcoMarket, EcoAcademy, TechnoCenter, ArtShops, Kids Center, and a Presentation Center.

The EcoMarket offers a rich selection of products of small Bulgarian producers – natural cosmetics, everything from real milk, homemade jams and noodles, honey, bio wine and many others. We have prepared a rich program for adults in the EcoAcademy and the Presentation Center. In the Kids Center children will be entertained with practical exercises and games in everything from mathematics to assembling bag pipe, from bike competitions to games on wooden kids playgrounds. The Techno Center will acquaint the guests with renewable energy from hot water, electricity and fuel, and the mobile laboratory will measure the quality of the air. In the ArtShops will be positioned exhibitions and workshops for making various art objects – demonstration of making flowers from wool, a workshop demonstrating the technique “paper knitting”, jewelry and accessories made with the macramé technique, demonstrations for making jewelry from copper wire, exhibition and demonstration of making products with various knitting techniques, workshop for playing didgeridoo – various techniques and methods of breathing during playing, art shop for kids and adults focused on ceramics, methods of processing, techniques of building, properties of clay, making of jewelry – rings, brooches and diadems from old clothes from old clothes and textile scraps.

Among the special events during the EcoFest is the mountain bike race for kids and adults organized by Georgi Odrinski biking club.
In the concert program on July 25th will take part 12 year-old rocker Jeni Jo – a Gabrovo talent and her father Ivailo Tsankov. The special surprise in the evening will be Stenli from Tangra and Preya from Monte Music.