As usually on summer took place water festival prepared by Department of Promotion, Sport and Touristic of Bydgoszcz's Municipality
And again, this time on 19 of June 2011, we organised The Great Bottle Race.
It was AWSOME and all have a great fun. And participants and supporters and audience. And if somebody wasn't there he should regret it!
Huge support we received from company Remondis Bydgoszcz
But first of all the biggest thanks for the partiicipants for their fantastic praparation, hard work and emotions they put in and indyvidually designing and making boats for the final results, means reaching a finish line by themselves. And it wasn't so easy. Fighting against the river, wind and rain! But believing in success is a half of succes. And what is important - all participants alive!
Each of team received the same quantities of materials: about 300 plastic 2-liters empty bottles, glueing tapes and stretch foil. Tehy had to individually designed and made theirs own boat. A paddles was prepared earlier by the organiser (means me) and made by wooden handle and a plastic trays for cutting vegetables.
Available was only a human muscles drive.
The teams had to commited and did it very solid to make a water proof. It means to check displacement, stability and at least one trainig with rowing by whole team - coordination!
The race was a great fun but also remembering for all about serious problems like enviroment protection, segregation of garbages and recycling.
The race and all participants was safe because took care about it WOPR Bydgoszcz.
And therefore after the race in cooperation with company Remondis Bydgoszcz all boats was sent to recycling and change into a granulate. Then it's possible to make from it new bottles or polar clothes (30 bottles per a jacket) or produce window's curtains. If we want to send these bottles to a dumping ground it take a place by 500 years because of it needs sucha long time for a plastic breakdown.
Also with Remondis Bydgoszcz cooperation volunteers from High School no. 11 in Bydgoszcz a day after the race get back about 4.000 caps from the bottles and give it for coofinanced rehabilitation of 19 yo girl suffering from birth for cerebral palsy. This permanent rehabilitation help her independently sitting on wheelchair. For one part of it she need 10 tons of bottle cups. If you've wondered how cups are corresponding to rehabilitation it means that some people or foundatons are organising a collecting of it, then sell it to recycling companies and in this way receive money. You can imagine the rest.
Each team apart from a small gadgets from a Municipality also receives a special cup prepared by The High School of Plastic Arts in Bydgoszcz and made from ... garbage materials.
And for some sceptics who didn't believe it's possible to drive on boat made from a bottles was prepared special ""sailboat"". Of course also made from a bottles.
And in spite of the winning wasn't the most important for statistics we've to say the final results:
1. Officials from Bydgoszcz municipality
2. Remondis Bydgoszcz
3. Erasmus Team - foreign students from Erasmus program studying in University of Technology and Life Science in Bydgoszcz
4. Sławek & Friends - the organiser of the race
5. University of Technology and Life Science in Bydgoszcz / GOSIR Osielsko
6. Pomorska Newpaper
7. Gallery of Bydgoszcz
8. Wyborcza Newspaper
9. Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun
10. Kazimierz the Great University in Bydgoszcz
11. TVP Bydgoszcz
And in the next year ... besides you'll see.
Watching this year's coverage, remember how it was in previous years: 2010 and 2009.
And the finally I'd like to thank very much to all companies and institutions without their help it was much harder.
