The limit of so-called PM particles, whose concentration is an indicator of air pollution, in Slovenia almost never exceeds the legal limit, but the Slovenian Environmental Protection Agency indicates that they are not satisfied with the air quality in certain periods of the year.
By way of comparison, in Serbia, the concentration of PM particles exceeds the limit for up to 151 days in a row, as was the case in Novi Pazar during 2021.
The first measurement of air quality in Slovenia began in 1968 when the concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) was measured, and in 1996 Ljubljana got its first measuring station.
Rahela Žabkar, representative of the Environmental Protection Agency, which deals with wastewater pollution, said that due to the configuration of the terrain, Slovenia has a problem with this type of pollution.
"There are 22 measuring points in Slovenia, and we measure in accordance with the law. In recent years, we have had the biggest problem with air pollution in winter days due to heating, that is, small consumers," Žabkar told Serbian journalists during her visit to Slovenia as part of the Pulse of Europe project.
In winter, as she said, there is a problem due to the complex terrain because Slovenia is made up of basins and valleys.
"The greatest pollution is in winter when there is a strong wind, when the basins are not ventilated and when the air is retained in the layers near the ground," said Žabkar.
As she stated, the most polluted areas in that period were Ljubljana, Celje, Zagorje and Trbovlje.
Slovenians try to respect the legislation concerning ecology, according to the representatives of the Agency, companies act responsibly and invest in ecological technologies.
According to them, agriculture should reduce the use of fertilizers and ammonia emissions, and individuals can behave responsibly by not burning old paper, cardboard, wet and chemically treated wood (chipboard, painted, varnished wood), plastic, packaging with inappropriate fuels. , rags and other waste.
Households that heat with stoves that use oil or gas should, according to the Agency's recommendations, take care that it is cleaned and properly adjusted.
If households are heated with wood biomass, then the wood that is burned must be mechanically processed and dry.
With the goal of cleaner air and environment, Slovenian non-governmental organizations and associations strive to implement projects related to this area, so "Pešbus" and "Bicivlak" were introduced, which are solutions against creating traffic congestion in the school zone and reducing the use of fuel and means of transport. .
The Pešbus project implies that children, together with their peers and volunteers, walk to school at least once a week. Volunteers are usually retired bus drivers, and in many schools they are teachers or parents. Since the spring of 2016, more than 140 schools in Slovenia have joined this project.
Children thus spend more time together with their peers, move around, become more physically active, and as they said from the organization "Institute for Spatial Policy" (IPOP), children have greater concentration and follow lessons more easily.
Bicivlak, the second project that this organization implements together with schools in Slovenia, is a "train" composed of bicycles led by a large parent's bicycle. Children ride it to school and return together with their parents and volunteers along known and safe routes.
When Slovenia joined the EU in 2007, changes began that resulted in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia with 300 inhabitants and spread over 275 square kilometers, becoming a pedestrian zone.
The mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, said that in 2007, when a pipe burst in one of the streets at the very entrance to the city, he decided to close it and "never open it to traffic again".
"That's the only time I said to the workers: Masters take it easy. I walked down the street and counted how many steps it took to get to the post office, various buildings and other streets. I realized that it was 200 meters one way and the other. We never opened that street again ", said the mayor of Ljubljana.
For those who cannot walk for a long time, seven vehicles, the so-called cavaliers, have been acquired, which drive citizens and tourists around the city to their desired destinations free of charge.
"We offered citizens cavaliers, built 11 new bridges and rebuilt bridges to make those distances even shorter. There are people who have been driving cavaliers for 15 years, who know every entrance, every house, who are there in five minutes," Janković told reporters.
He reminded that thanks to efforts and solutions, in 15 years, Ljubljana received about 100 international recognitions and more than 600 million grants for the implementation of projects.
According to data presented by City Hall representatives, 120.000 vehicles come to Ljubljana every day. So that they would not all come to the city center, a network of parking lots was built near the train and bus stations. The parking ticket costs 1,3 euros, is valid for 24 hours and includes two bus rides.
This reduces the concentration of harmful gases, i.e. air pollution in the capital, as well as the creation of traffic congestion.
Ljubljana has 17 hectares of pedestrian zones, 310 kilometers of organized bicycle paths and 542 meters of public green space per inhabitant.
From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of people who drive cars decreased from 58 to 41,5 percent, and those who ride buses from 13,1 to 12,6 percent, while the percentage of people who use bicycles as a means of transportation increased. from 9,9 to 11,1 percent. The biggest improvement can be seen in the figure showing how many more people started walking - that percentage increased from 19 to 34,8 percent in 2013.
Slovenian officials have a plan to increase these percentages by 2045, to reduce harmful particles in the air, recycle much more waste than now and increase citizens' awareness of the importance of environmental protection.
Ljubljana won the title of Green Capital of Europe in 2016 and thus found itself among the 12 European cities that aim to remind of the importance of investing in ecological urban areas.
Bonus video:
