Environmental Awareness in Kosovo

 

My niece Ellen visited Kosovo in 2003 when she was a student at Colgate University.  She fell in love with the region.  She saw a need and took action for that need when she and several others founded the Environmentally Responsible Action Group.  Located in Peja, the goal of this organization is to promote and increase environmental awareness and responsibility amongst the people of the region.

 

They believe that solutions are more likely when it involves participation of the pople who live there.  As quoted on the ERA Home page, :"ERA provides youth and the local community opportunities to develop problem-solving, decision-making, and leadership skills, which enable them to participate in future community developments as engaged and active citizens, such as creating models and methods of environmental education, stewardship for natural resources and cultural heritage that can be applied throughout the region."

 

My sister took this picture when she visited Kosovo last summer.  You can certainly see how beautiful the area is.  I believe in the ERA Goup and what they desire to do.  I encourage you to visit their website at http://www.eradirect.org/index.html.  It hasn't been updated in a while, but there is certainly an abundance of information about what my niece and her friends are doing to educate the people of Kosovo about their environment.  One of their endeavors has been the Waterfall Trail project.  ERA considers this to be one of many steps in bringing back eco-family tourism to the area.  The following is another of my sister's pictures of my nephew/grand-nephew on this trail.

I can't wait for the spring of this year when I hope to be able to travel over there and see this for myself.