Penza, 15 April 2016. PenzaNews. The student teams together with the youth parliament of the Penza region Legislative Assembly collected and removed 80 bags of trash during the neighborhood cleanup held on Soldatskoye lake on Friday, April 15.

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The event was a part of the monthly city improvement campaign in the Penza region that began on March 19.

The young men and women were collecting trash from the lake shore and the “Svyatoy” water basin, and also cleaned the water font.

“We decided to choose this location because it is very beautiful. People often come there to simply have a rest and take a breath of fresh air – a sort of a ‘nature’s oasis’ in the city. However, as far as we know, no organization is responsible for this area, so nobody cleans up there. Regretfully, not all people feel responsible for their actions, so we would like to stress this problem as a part of our clean-up,” Natalya Nazarova, chairman of the youth parliament for the Penza region Legislative Assembly, commented for PenzaNews.

According to her, in the past, the area had been a responsibility of the Penza Artillery Engineering College.

“They say that Soldatskoye lake had been a training swimming pool,” she explained.

The most recent clean-up at the location before that had taken place during the “Bloggers Against Trash” campaign, she recalled.

In turn, Artem Kolobov, head of the regional Russian Student Teams branch, pointed out that the student teams members also chose this location for they clean-up, which is why they joined the youth parliament in their efforts.

“Our visions ended up the same. […] The guys and girls are pleased with the sun, the good weather, and they contribute to the cleanness of one of the more favorite places for rest of many students and relaxing people that come here,” he clarified.

The Belinsky Park also helped with the clean-up, Artem Kolobov noted.

“After the clean-up, the park administration gave us free tickets for their rides. The guys’ and girls’ enjoyment increased twofold or even threefold. I think that cleaning up, putting things into shape and making our city truly prim and proper is our common responsibility, and this is where student teams will always be on the frontlines with their help,” stressed the head of the regional Russian Student Teams branch.

On April 21, students will be taking part in the clean-up at the Penza zoo, and the zoo administration promised them a free guided tour in return, he added.