With 53 Municipalities, already more than 16.000 registered SONCHEVI PIONERI, GENERALKA WEEKEND 2023 was the biggest environmental action ever held on the entire balkans. Together with our partners from Pivara Skopje, Pakomak and with the support of Nula Otpad, Sparkasse Banka, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, MAN AND MOUNTAIN organised this event with more than 450 schools.
In cooperation with Represent Communications, our team produced a two hours+ live broadcast on the incredible vivid facebook group of GENERALKA WEEKEND.
Share your stories, fotos and experiences with us! Show us where you cleaned – what you cleaned – how it looked before and after your action! Let the world see, what SONCHEVI PIONERI are capable of! Show how you change the world and how your effort made an impact on our environment!
Be an idol – share your story!
SCAN THE QR CODE – JOIN THE GROUP – SEND YOUR MEDIA
Generalka Weekend 2022 from 6.-8. May is confirmed in 25 municipalities covering more than 1.200.000 citizens of North Macedonia. Generalka Weekend is therefor the biggest environment cleaning action in the history of NMK as well as on the whole balkans.
We are very proud to announce that Pivara Skopje and Pakomak are the patrons of the Generalka Weekend 2022 providing the infrastructure and spirit to create a fundamental change in the way we select waste and take responsibility for the environment around us.
Also in this year Zelena Soncheva is supported by the Ministry of Environment as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture will dedicate one tree per ten kg of collected waste in their reforestation activities in the following years to come.
Generalka Weekend is a waste collecting action on the second weekend of May repeating for 10 years – from 2021 to 2031. Our goal is to clean the country from the garbage of the past to recycle it into a green future for us and following generations to come.
Each year in autumn we plant new trees together with the Ministry of Agriculture and private donators throughout the whole country and those forests will be called “SONCHEVA GORA”. SONCHEVA GORA are forests built by the efforts of the citizens of North Macedonia to rebuild their country to provide hope and a healthy environment for all people who live in this country.
Zelena SONCHEVA has finally a new home at Facebook – www.fb.com/groups/zelena.soncheva 🙂 Check out all the news, fotos, facts and other interesting stuff about Zelena SONCHEVA, SONCHEVA GORA and of course the GENERALKA WEEKEND there.
The „GENERALKA WEEKEND | Za Cisto Kako Doma Isto” is the first of two parts of the environmental action called “ZELENA SONCHEVA”.
During the GENERALKA WEEKEND between 6.-16. May 2021, the citizens and the local public trash companies of ten municipalities in North Macedonia were collecting and separating waste in their neighborhood. That trash was later picked, measured and recycled by Pakomak.
For every 10kg of trash, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water economy of North Macedonia donates a tree and the area where this forest will be planted. The exact location of SONCHEVA GORA will be announced in summer 2021. The plantation of this forest “SONCHEVA GORA” is the second part of ZELENA SONCHEVA, which will happen in November 2021.
ZELENA SONCHEVA should become a national tradition in every year: in every spring there is a weekend where all citizens clean their surroundings and for every 10kg of collected waste, we will plant a tree in autumn.
What happened in 2021
In the first year of GENERALKA WEEKEND exactly 1.000 confirmed participants from NGOs, Sport Clubs, Schools, kindergartens, environmental groups, employees of the municipalities, SONCHEVI PIONERI and Man And Mountain collected waste on more than 70 locations between 6. – 16. May 2021 in those municipalities:
Demir Kapija
Gevgelija
Kriva Palanka
Kruševo
Kumanovo
Štip
Strumica
Ohrid
Veles
And we collected:
350 kg of plastic
955 kg of paper
73 kg of cans
038 kg of glass
360 kg of electronic waste
405 kg of various waste
Every participant – from child to senior – has collected in average 11,8 kg of waste – by hand!
The Army together with the municipalities, NGOs and Rescue Teams collected more than 726 m³ of various waste with an estimated average weight of 225 kg per m³!
Together we collected in total
175.181 kg
The municipality with the most collected waste in 2021 is: ŠTIP
with 86.000 kg of collected trash
We congratulate all participants –
Spolaj Ti – Faleminderit – Thank you
Štip – from left to right: Biljana Kazandziska (Head of the Sector for education, public activities and LED in the Municipality of Štip), Gordana Sofija (CEO Man And Mountain LLC), D-r. Saško Nikolov (Mayor of The Municipality of Štip), Hannes Jaeckl (CEO Man And Mountain LLC) and Blagoj Bočvarski (Minister of Transport and Communications and former Mayor of Štip)
And here comes the report (with a little delay) for GENERALKA WEEKEND – DAY 3
Kruševo had their action already on Friday and everyone was there – we see all generations of citizens with those gloves and PAKOMAK bags roaming in their city and beautiful forests and recreation areas around the city. Especially the young stood our with ambition and dedication to bring the best out of their hometown by collecting the worst and bring it to a controlled circle of recycling!
In Kriva Palanka the “GENERALKA WEEKEND | Za Cisto Kako Doma Isto” was nothing less than a civil mobilization and a huge party! The EU day on Sunday additionally produced a wonderful momentum which has brought more than 300 people on the streets, into the forests, to picknick sites, the riverbanks and they cleaned! And how they cleaned. In the end of the action Krusevo looked more than a private British golf yard than a public place for normal citizens! Orchestrated teamwork in perfection between the municipality, NGOs, schools, private initiatives and the people of Krusevo! Impressive!
Strumica also celebrated the EU day and a great come together with NGOs and SONCHEVI PIONERI to join forces and clean the wonderful parks and impressive sites throughout the city of Strumica.
And how it continued – great responses – big numbers – enormous energy!
Today we started at Štip with a visit of the Minister of transportation and former mayor of Štip Mr. Blagoj Bočvarski, who joined the cleaning action together with the whole administrative of the municipality of Štip and our SONCHEVI PIONERI. We are especially proud that we have seen people from all ages, being energetically and euphorically involved in collecting waste. We´ve seen a great movement in today´s action in Štip and lovely motivated people, who inspire not only us but also the whole country with their iron will to make things better!
Ohrid was the huge epicenter of positive energy on the Balkans today and this earthquake was produced by a great number of SONCHEVI PIONERI, who cleaned the wonderful beaches of Grašnica, Gorica, St. Stefan and Peštani. By singing songs and waving flags those young people went through the streets and picked garbage in an incredible volume! We are blown away – we saw, heard and felt the future of our country! The municipality of Ohrid, the kumunalno Ohridski Komunalec, Association of Citizens, “Coast of Youth”, “Clean Ohrid” and the citizens of Ohrid have shown us again today their strength and ability to create a sustainable green and clean renewal in their city!
Veles just doesn´t stop – actually they are unstoppable 😀 More than 150 people joined the GENERALKA WEEKEND today and made themselves dirty to clean! The fairytalish island on the river Varder near the City Park was targeted for cleaning – boats with Pakomak bags full of trash were delivered over the river. But also the old road to Skopje and the forest belt towards the village Sobot were cleaned. All of this wouldn´t have been possible for our SONCHEVI PIONERI alone – they were supported by: ZBVP “Macedonian Rescuers”, ZG Greenpower, Komunalno Derven, Schools, NGOs, Municipality administration and Volunteers from the Red Cross! Again the people of Veles demonstrate how to combine great organization and heartful dedication for a greater goal!
And the municipality of Gevgelja have joined forces with the komunalec, members of the council of the municipality of Gevgelja, representatives of schools, mountaineering assosiations, NGOs, “The Center for Children With Special Needs Mother Teresa” and the citizens volunteers SONCHEVI PIONERI to clean the old Kaserna. We have seen this site before and after the cleaning action and it´s again mind blowing, what can be achieved, when all members of society come together and care about each other and their environment! Today Gevgelja stood together again as one and proved that this city and these people do care!The “GENERALKA WEEKEND | Za Cisto Kako Doma Isto” is still not over – tomorrow SUNDAY 9. May you can join Strumica and Kriva Palanka – not only to celebrate the EU Day, but also to get yourself dirty and clean 😀
Kumanovo - with a little help of our friends from the army
And how it started: Epic efforts from all Municipalities on day one:
Debar changed their mind and expanded the GENERALKA WEEKEND to a whole “GENERALKA WEEK”! They started to clean the wonderful scenic road around the lake which will bloom again in all it´s glory since this action will be over. Especially because of those huge efforts, Pakomak brought right in time brand new containers and thanks to the enormous energy of the people of Debar, these were immediately filled with garbage that will be recycled.
In Kumanovo there was nothing less than an earthshaking energy feelable – the whole Komunalno and the army itself joined forced to start to clean an illegal waste site in the middle of the town. A very motivated group of SONCHEVI PIONERI cleaned another site and it was impressive to see how change could happen, when all groups of a community come together and help eachother to make their home – and Kumanovo – a better place!
Demir Kapija activated a lot of young and old people, sportsmen and sportswomen and especially focused on those wonderful natural sites, this beautiful municipality has to offer. Loads of Pakomak bags were filled with leftovers from picknickers from lakes, pools, riverbanks and forests. From young to old – a true family experience – go into your most favorite places and clean them: Demir Kapija did that today and shines in all its natural beauty!
Talking of the young generation: Veles, who will join the “GENERALKA WEEKEND |Za Cisto Kako Doma Isto” action for two days (so if you are near Veles, just check it out tomorrow) involved especially the very youngest among us today and taught them the concept of waste separation. With a lot of positive energy, thoughtfulness and fun this approach leads absolutely to the point: The future are our kids and our future starts here and today in Veles!
If you live near Ohrid, Debar, Veles, Štip or Gevgelja then you are warmely welcomed to join the “GENERALKA WEEKEND |Za Cisto Kako Doma Isto” tomorrow Saturday and if you want to visit Strumica, Debar or Kriva Palanka on Sunday, then don´t forget to take some gloves with you because it´s time to get dirty and clean – it´s GENERALKA WEEKEND 🙂
We are now officially kicking off our spring cleaning action which we call: “GENERALKA WEEKEND” Today we open with a interview we had with Радио МОФ and we are also introducing our new artwork from Воскресија Андреевска showing for the first time the complete map of SONCHEVA – The Land of The Sun.
