Our project Clean Struma is dedicated to one of the most beautiful Bulgarian rivers - Struma, which is turning into a landfill. Our goal is the river to be clean and restored, starting in the area of Kyustendil. We achieve this goal step by step, effectively and sustainably by acting, by changing, by inspiring people, institutions and communities. We aim not just to clean the Struma River, but also to limit its pollution sustainably - through activity, prevention and education. And let our example and experience serve for the care of all Bulgarian rivers. Main goals and subject of the project: 1. Achieving a sustainable opportunity for the Struma River to flow clean throughout the country. 2. Effective and successful application of the Struma model to the other polluted rivers of Bulgaria

The Clean Struma project is targeting the Bulgarian society. First of all, the people of Kyustendil and the region - the Bulgarian Garden ot Eden, which is turning into a landfill day after day. People who live by the river, water their fields, breathe the smell of mud, fear floods because of the many waste dams and last but not least - drink from its waters, even though they have passed through a treatment plant. Active young people, students, local institutions, Roma community.

Аgriculture and food production are at the core of the ecological challenges: destruction of the biodiversity, climate change, pollution. Solutions are in our hands and we are now part of a global effort to bring about a positive change, also through Harmonica's B Corporation certification. Clean Struma project started in 2020, but expanded and gained scale in 2021 and 2022. We attracted attention, activated society, built trust. Clean-ups, work with the institutions, tons of removed waste.

In 2021, together with partners and like-minded people, we drew up a plan for cleaning the Struma in the Kyustendil region and started the change by: identifying the sources of pollution; achieving effective dialogue with local institutions; creating a working team of community members, with whom we organize, motivate and communicate side by side; receiving support from key local business representatives to realize the set goals. In 2022 we managed to: 1. cleane 5 km of Struma and Banshtitsa rivers; 2. remove over 2000 tons of waste; 3. hоld several cleaning events in Struma and Banshtitsa with over 200 volunteers. Video: https://bit.ly/cleanrivers17092022; 4. clean the "floating landfill" Banshtitsa with heavy equipment for 14 days in the period 23.09-6.10.2022. Range of 5 km; total of 120 working hours; took out more than 1000 tons of waste; over 2 tons of recyclable waste. Before and after: https://bit.ly/cleanbanshtica; 5. create effective partnerships with all institutions and work together; 6. awake civic self-awareness, restore people's faith and give them a meaning of being active.

Аs a result of the Clean Struma project activities in 2022: Banštitsa River flowed clean and the waste that floats along its waters and pollutes its banks is being regularly collected; The exceptional trust built with the representatives of the Roma community, which fully inhabits the Iztok district in Kyustendil. We have carried out joint initiatives and are planning a clean-ups and fundamental change in garbage collection and disposal in the neighborhood; The effective partnership and work with all institutions. Their activism and support are invaluable and we believe they represent a big change for our entire society; The most important achievement is the awakened civic self-awareness, people's desire to act and their belief that it makes sense.