A Greener Bytom Thanks to Youth – New Urban Flowerbed Initiative Completed

Bytom has completed another green initiative that combines environmental action with youth engagement. The Bytom Youth City Council, in cooperation with the municipal eco-manager Jolanta Sowa and the Environmental Engineering Department of the City Hall, has created a new urban flowerbed on the grounds of the State School of Construction – School Complex in Bytom. The project was overseen by Councillor Daniel Mazurkiewicz and implemented with the full commitment of local youth.

Young residents of Bytom actively participated in the project by preparing the site, planting vegetation, and installing small architectural elements. The newly established flowerbed is not only a visual enhancement to the public space but also a symbol of civic engagement and environmental responsibility.

The initiative aimed not only to improve the aesthetics of the urban environment but also to promote ecological awareness and social responsibility among young people. The project had a strong educational component – participants learned how urban greenery contributes to better air quality and how their everyday choices can support climate and environmental protection.

The initiative was funded under the LIFE integrated project “Silesia. Blue Sky Restored” – a comprehensive program for improving air quality in the Silesian Voivodeship, co-financed by the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (project LIFE20 IPE/PL/000007 – LIFE-IPAQP-SILESIAN-SKY).

The “Silesia. Blue Sky Restored” project supports local governments and residents in implementing solutions that reduce pollutant emissions, promotes environmental education, encourages civic activity, and provides energy consulting. Thanks to local initiatives like creating green public spaces, it is possible to increase biodiversity, enhance the aesthetics of urban areas, and significantly reduce air pollution by expanding biologically active areas and supporting natural air filtration processes.

– Initiatives like this are not just investments in the appearance of our surroundings but above all in the ecological awareness of young people. They learn that they have a real impact on the quality of the air they breathe, emphasizes Małgorzata Salepa-Kozłowska, Head of the Ecology Office.

The creation of the new flowerbed demonstrates the growing environmental commitment of Bytom’s youth and highlights the benefits of cooperation between young citizens and municipal institutions. It marks another important step toward a greener, more beautiful, and ecologically conscious Bytom.

Text and photos: Jolanta Sowa, eco-manager of the Municipality of Bytom