Greece: 6 sustainable projects

Greece has been one of the most popular tourist destinations for years. Every year the country welcomes millions of tourists. The country's islands are particularly in demand. In terms of sustainability, the country is not on the winner's podium. This is now to change with green concepts!

"GR-eco" Chalki

The small island west of Rhodes is to become a pioneer in sustainability. With a park of photovoltaic systems, electric cars and a 5G network. This is what the future should look like. In the future, the photovoltaic systems will cover all the electricity needs of the island's approximately 478 residents. The vehicles of the public services will also become green. Thanks to a donation from Citroen and ALD Automotive, a French leasing company.

The digital infrastructure is also being improved. Be it for health services or for educational institutions. Waste and water management is being revised in favor of sustainability. The island of Halki is undergoing a transformation. In parallel with the "GR-eco" initiative, a project is underway for the larger islands.

Co-Lab Rhodes

The starters of this project are the TUI Group and Care Foundation and the government of the South Aegean. The aim is to make Rhodes an international pioneer for sustainable development of vacation resorts. The project will work with the local tourism industry and international partners to find concrete solutions and develop and implement them on the island. The Co-Lab supports the sustainability initiatives of the government of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the South Aegean region and is part of TUI's long-term sustainability agenda. All three partners are committed to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the EU's goal of being climate neutral by 2050. Vacation destinations play a major role in achieving tourism's sustainability goals.

Greece 2.0

The government of the southern European country wants to make its economy more sustainable. Thirty-seven percent of the planned funds alone will flow into green projects, primarily the expansion of renewable energies, investments in power grids and the promotion of electromobility, as well as the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings. Pilot projects, such as the island of Astypalea, where the Greek government is working with Volkswagen to fulfill the dream of the world's first emission-free island, can provide important impetus. Other smaller islands are also being converted to wind and solar power to meet their energy needs with renewable energies.

Urban Gardening in Athens - the Risa Project

There are many abandoned buildings and unused places in Athens. But now they are being used again, and green intercultural meeting places for the people of Athens are being created in these places. The idea behind this is not just to build another park, but to create spaces where people can get active. Courses on recycling, handicrafts and much more are offered. The planting was done with children. In this way, an attempt was made to bring nature closer to the children. Also, the places are used for meetings or for evening movie showings.

Wildlife and environmental protection

In this Rainbow Garden Village project, participants assist conservationists and marine biologists under and on the water as well as on land in their daily work. The accommodation and research station are located on an idyllic island on the west coast of Greece. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with nature on land and in the water to protect, explore and conserve it.

Enaleia

Enaleia is the first school for sustainable and professional fishing in Greece. It teaches young people about sustainable fishing and fishing tourism. Otherwise, they learn with the partner Healthy Seas how to responsibly dispose and recycle discarded fishing nets. So far, about 1000 fishermen have participated in this collaboration by handing in their old fishing nets. The goal is to collect plastic from the ocean so that the ecosystem and fish stocks can recover. One of their biggest projects so far is the Mediterranean Cleanup.

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