Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Santorini Island: Hyper-tourism VS Sustainability

 Stories of Sustainability

Lesson 5: Santorini is Too Beautiful!

Santorini is among the most popular, and most beautiful islands in all of Greece, and indeed the world. An active volcanic history gives it it’s unique crescent moon shape, miles of dramatic beaches with deep red, black and white sands, and a 3000 year history preserved in pyroclastic ash.

A popular destination for people from around the world, it’s picturesque white and blue buildings and narrow streets bathed the Mediterranean sun have become the iconic look of the Greek islands, despite many islands having the same build landscapes. Visitors crowd beaches, cafes, restaurants and yachts to take in the scene, particularly for sunsets on the caldera.

The millions of visitor who pulse through the island each year provide a livelihood for the islands 35,000 permanent residents. They are also a stress on the islands natural resources like fresh water, as well as energy and waste systems. While many will tag Santorini as a destination success story, with nearly four million visitors in 2023, the elected leadership is actually calling for a halt to all new development!


And they have the data to prove it! I spoke with the President of the Municipal Council of Santorini, Geogina Nomiko, who I immediately liked, as she greeted me with two beautiful spreadsheets.  The first looks at tourism increase overall by ferry, air and cruise. The other the other examines the change in types of accommodation, from 5 star to 1 star.


While both data sets generally showed an increase, a deeper examination shows a more complex picture. While cruises were the primary means of arrival in 2013, the percentage of arrivals by air has now surpassed it. What this means for Santorini is that drastically more visitors are spending the night on the island, instead of sleeping on their cruise ship.

A closer examination of the types of accommodation data finds that while the overall number of beds is increasing, the increase is not even. Five star beds have increased by nearly a factor of nine, while there's only half as many one star beds compared to ten years ago.


According to Nomiko, these two data sets demonstrate what locals have been feeling, that prices for accomodation has gone up, and there are a lot of tourists. In fact, because of the influx of high end customers, it can be difficult for civil service folks like teachers, to find affordable housing. This is one of the reasons that Nomiko and other elected leaders of Santorini have been sounding the alarm for over-tourism since at least 2017.


Of course, there are challenges to such a bold move, the primary one being that this kind of authority to limit development comes from the central government, not the municipalities like Santorini. Generally, Greece's central government has been heavily promoting tourism, aiming for 40 million in a couple of years. Despite this, there are growing concerns from across Greece about the dangers of hyper-touism. Is Athens listening?


Fortunately, I don't need to figure that out, but I have put together a lesson plan to help students understand the power of data, and consider the role of data analysis in decision making. According to Nomiko who provided this data, "You have to know the facts before making policy decision." I couldn't think of a better example of my entire project.





Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Small Communities and Big Ideas

Sustainable Lessons from Municipal Leaders

Rhodes Vice Mayor Petras and his staff
This month I had the opportunity to visit with elected leaders and municipal staff for the Southern Greek islands of Ios, Karpathos, Rhodes, Tilos, and Astypalea. I am incredibly grateful for the time these professionals and volunteers gave me to try to understand the challenges and opportunities they face. As a former municipal volunteer thinking about public dollars, I appreciate the amount of Greek tax money that went to my visits, by meeting with so many public officials on the clock!

On this post I'm going to feature four of these islands, and the lesson plans I'm developing for my classes. These are works in progress, so check back for updates!

Tilos - A model of sustainability








Tilos Head of Communications,
Jenny Giannopoulou
The ambitious goals and accomplishments of the less than 800 residents of the island of Tilos cannot be overstated. Tilos communications specialist Jenny Giannopoulou met with me in the center square of the island, and laid out why they've been called the greenest island on the planet. 

Waste
:
First of all, the island is the first island in the world to have a zero waste landfill. According to Giannopoulou, over 90% of all waste is recycled, or upcycled, while the remaining less than 10% is pressed into pellets used for industrial heat energy. The project is largely run by the Just Go Zero - Tilos project. This branding was all over the island, from the separate trash bins in our AirBnB and at each business, to the recycled materials placemats at each restaurant, to the many electric municipal vehicles in public transport, and service. The recycling magic happens at their Κεντρο Κυκλικησ Καινοτομιασ (Center for Circular Innovation), a modern facility that processes the three streams from residents and businesses: organics, recyclables (single stream) and non-recyclables.

Waste is sorted into 27 categories
pressed, and recycled
I've seen "under the hood" on recycling programs in Indiana County, and recognize the challenge a "single stream" program presents. The problem is how to collect and sort so much material, and what happens when the recycled material is contaminated, like pizza boxes. The market for recycled materials is much stronger for better sorted materials. This is why I was so impressed when Giannopoulous took me to see such an effective operation at Tilos, where 8-14 workers sort and separate material by hand into 27 categories, which are each pressed, and packaged for shipping to buyers in Athens. It was an incredible model!

In addition to the impressive recycling numbers, the Tilos project started before that, with a campaign supported by residents, to Reduce (the often forgotten R of Reuse Reduce Recycle), which, according to Giannopoulous resulted in a reduction of waste from 548 tons per year, to 308 tons (Problem 1: what percent is that?)! 

Energy: The second significant achievement is that through municipal electrification, and the construction of 3Mwh hybrid renewable energy system, Tilos generates all of it's own electricity. This 3mWh hybrid system consists of a single wind turbine, a solar farm, and a salt battery system. They've also electrified municipal services, including the Circular Innovation Center, as well as public busses. 

Their success is due to early adoption of EU Green New Deal policies that attracted investment, ambitions leadership from a widely respected mayor, and widespread community support from the ~750 permanent residents. 

Organic material
 is composted,
and delivered
back to residents
When I asked deputy Mayor Kyriakos Sakellaris how he accounted for the community's willingness to go along with these new programs, which did involve a learning curve businesses and residents for separating trash, he said that residents of Tilos have spent many years protecting people and the environment, so "this motivation came from the inside."  Indeed, this small island had already built not just a reputation for being a "green" island after banning hunting, and encouraging the return of over 100 migratory bird species. but also for becoming a safe refuge for nearly 10,000 refugees from Syria and Afghanestan between 2013, and 2020

Municipal vehicles
are electrified
Tilos leadership is inspirational to me, as they are leaning hard into caring for both people, and their environment, and the results are tangible. Since the late 90s, when a visionary Tilos Mayor started to make this shift, the long term population has nearly quadrupled. Communications head Ginniapoulou said that these policies are morally right, but also understands that the branding of Tilos as a welcoming, green place is an important piece of it's success. People want to go to a place that aggressively cares for it's people, and environment. 

Zero, for Zero Waste!
Scaling up the success of Tilos is the current challenge. Vice Mayor George Patras of the much larger island, and regional commercial hub of Rhodes and his staff named successful projects in Tilos, Astypalea (below) and Halki ( also energy independent) as models for the larger islands, and for Greece. The regional coalition of FODSA is a multi-island collaboration bringing together these ideas to try and make them real for large and small communities. The prime minister recently visited Tilos to promote it as a model for development as well.  Scaling up is less theoretical than you may think, Just Go Zero-Tilos has recently landed a contract to do the same work in Dubai!

View of the Circular Innovation Center
I think it's a huge challenge to scale up. How would a zero waste facility look like in a huge city like Dubai? What about even Indiana, PA? What would that look like? I created a lesson for students to think about it. This lesson is part of my Stories of Sustainability series, which features stories of communities taking on challenges and solutio ns created by climate change.

Astypalea - Four Pillars to a Sustainable Island

Astypalea Mayor
Nikolas Komineas
Astypalea Mayor Nikolas Komineas is a bold visionary with success at his back. I felt privileged to sit with him in his office on a Saturday night in mid June to hear about his four pillars towards sustainability. Two of which he's largely accomplished, one is funded, and the fourth is even more visionary. Mayor Komineas said that his ultimate goal is to reduce carbon emissions to zero, and to become energy independent.

Pillar one was about swapping out as many combustion engines on the island with electric vehicles. To do this, the municipality of Astypalea partnered with the Greek state, and Volkswagen. This partnership helped fund necessary infrastructure upgrades, like charging stations, and a subsidy for the municipality, and every resident of Astypalea to buy an electric car with an over 50% discount. In the two years, 150 electric vehicles have been purchased.

AstyGo offers many electric
transport options
Pillar two was designed to reduce the number of cars needed on the island, and is evident as you arrive either by plane or boat. Found at the airport, the port, and across the island is the invitation to download the AstyGo app, which gives you access to electrified public services across the island. This includes charging stations for your own vehicle, as well as an on demand electric bus service, a car share, a moped share, or a bike share. According to Mayor Komineas, most of the 350 rides taken on the service last year cost less than a Greek coffee. The idea is that tourists and other visiting the island wouldn't need to bring, or drive their own vehicle when they arrive.

Astypalea
Pillar three is a 3 MWh hybrid renewable power plant to involve a wind turbine, a solar array, and a 10MWh battery storage system. This will largely replace the current diesel generator which powers the whole island, including the green electric cars with very un-green eight tons of diesel fuel per day. Komineas said this project is already partially funded archeological studies have begun, and expects it to be completed in the next year.

On Demand rides
may be autonomous
by 2030
Are you ready for Pillar Four? Mayor Komineas wants Astypalea to be the first island in the world with autonomous vehicles, significantly reducing the need for the few remaining combustion engines on the island. He actually called this the cherry on the top!!

Director Labrini Grigori, right,
and her colleages
Personally, I love the vision of the four pillars, and I really enjoyed talking to Komineas. He displayed an optimism and boldness that seems to inspire confidence and optimism. This is a fantastic quality in a leader. But, don't take my word for it. I also spoke with students and teachers at Astypalea Junior High School, who referenced their own islands achievements as evidence for optimism for the rest of the county, and the world. 

View of Astypalea from the
 Junior High School
That's not to say there aren't challenges ahead, which is why I've drafted a lesson based on the experiences of folks in Astypalea. It is in outline, or draft form, and is part of a series of lessons I'm developing called Stories of Sustainability, which invite students to use data and math as a tool to understand challenges and opportunities from climate change.


A Classic Tension - Ios 

Beach seating at Calilou Resort
Another picture of natural beauty, Ios has about 2500 permanent residents, which swells each summer as the 95,000 annual visitors come predominantly during June, July and August. This number has been increasing over the years, as Greece as a nation promotes tourism. In Ios I had the opportunity to see first hand the tensions that community leaders face within these tensions. 

Reservoir Project
I first spoke with George Voulargis, Municipal Counsellor, a volunteer position he had been in for six months. Among other issues, the availability of water was among his chief concerns when thinking about the increase in residents. Wearing my hat as a my public servant hat who has had to deal with pushy developers, I also appreciated the tension he described between the island government, and a private developer that has bought up over 30% of the entire island. Despite their claims of only developing 1% of that 30%, and a sustainable public branding, Voulargis thought the island, and it's pristine beaches were vulnerable to overdevelopment, and increased water scarcity. These concerns were amplified when I spoke with members of a community group based on the island called Save Ios, which has been pressuring the municipality for more water regulations, and the Greek courts to slow down this big developer.

Ios busses advertise a party island
I spoke with Michael Fisher of Save Ios about water and their organization's concerns. Fisher suggested that the current state of Ios, and many of the other smaller, dryer islands in the Aegean displays the end of a long ecological decline, which started in the ship building 15th centuries when most islands were forested for the wood, followed by overgrazing which has further weakened the ecology, and the island's ability to hold on to the little rainfall that exists. Fisher bemoaned the deep well drilling that both private developers, and the municipality had recently begun, suggesting that that strategy would drain the water table, leaving it to be filled with salty ocean water.

Calilou swimming pools use
both fresh water, and sea water
In addition to reductions on the demand side, including banning heavy water use luxury structures like swimming pools, folks at Save Ios also have a project to revive much older technologies to save water. Microdams are small, local fortifications of stone and dirt distributed throughout the island to provide, and save local water. 

Counselor Voulargis also said that the municipality of Ios is currently pursuring a solar powered desalination plant to relief to water supplies. 

After spending an hour with both the developer, and talking to Fisher from Save Ios, I do not envy the position of these elected officials faced with the need for both development, and environmental protection.

I am developing a series of lesson projects I'm calling Stories of Sustainability. My experience, and the data provided to me by Voulargis are the basis for a two part lesson for Pre-Algebra and Geometry students. These are meant to be mini-projects available as a student choice, placed at the end of a chapter or unit. Here is the draft for Ios, check back for updates!

Karpathos - Climate Change vs. Gov't - Who Moves Faster?

IUP Fulbright Alum,
Andriani Arampatzi
While Indiana, PA may be well known to many of my readers, the fact is that it is a small town in a somewhat unknown region, at least on a global perspective. I am therefore proud to say that I met one of the few Greek folks who knows exactly what it is like to live in Indiana (not the first IUP Fulbright Alum I've visited). Andriani Armanbazi was a Fulbright scholar in at IUP in the fall of 2023, and spent Wednesdays in my high school. She was an incredible host for me over my visit to the beautiful island of Karpathos, and she put me in contact with a number of leaders, including Vice Mayor for the Environment, Stathis Galafallakis, and two of the coolest municipal engineers on Karpathos, Jimmy Gorgatsoulis, and Ioannis Karatasos. 

Civil Engineer,
Ionnis Karatasos
We spoke a lot about water, and the efforts of this island of 6500 people to maintain drinking water for everyone, and it's visitors. In my conversation with the engineers, an interesting story developed regarding climate change. Twenty years ago, the municipality determined that a new reservoir could be built that would collect rainwater during the winter months. At 1,300,000 m^3, this would be a massive infrastructure project, and a significant investment. Once the project was approved it started, with the speed of standard government. I often refer to the speed of government as slow, but steady, or as they say in Greece,"siga siga." 

As the project progressed with pre-construction engineering studies, the economic crisis happened, which was a turning point for all of Greece, that included drastic cuts to state services. This delayed the project considerably, so this is only it's third summer.

Vice Mayor Stathis Galafanakis (L),
Civil engineer Jimmy Gorgatsoulis (R) 

This dramatic delay was largely a result of a dramatic public sector decrease that came out of the crisis. According to the elected Prefecture of the South Aegean, Popi Nikolaidou, in 2010, a decree was issued that mandated only one new government hire for every ten which retire. The result is that municipalities often struggle to carry out best laid plans.

Popi Nikolaidou
S. Aegean Prefecture

And here's where climate change comes in. During that delay caused by the crisis, annual rainfall in Karpathos has steadily declined. In the two years that it has been completed, the rains haven't managed to fill it beyond 10%. The impacts of climate change are a dry reservoir, and possibly worse, a lack of confidence in the government. 

It's an unfortunate turn of events, and demonstrates the difficult position municipal officials find themselves in, as the climate continues to change. How to plan for long range problems, using short term dollars. 

I don't have an answer here, but I do have a lesson plan. It is currently an outline, and a work in progress. It is part of a new series I am creating for my classes, Stories of Sustainability, which draws on public data sources to help students make real life decisions. 


Monday, May 27, 2024

Where's the Beach? Engineers have an answer!

In my research of best practices in climate change and sustainability education and policy in Greece, there are two projects I would like to feature as inspirational, and great hands-on problem solving opportunities for students, and communities.

Where's the Beach?

What most folks see in the photos from the island of Lefkada on this page is evidence of why it is one of the most popular destination islands in the Ionian Sea. Miles of long, quiet sandy beaches, some of the best water/wind sports locations in the world, and a remarkably cute downtown area with lots of local shops attract thousands of Greek and European tourists each year. With calm inland harbors, it is a destination for recreational sailboats of all sizes exploring the Ionian coast. It is not surprising that tourism and related industries is the primary source of income for a majority of the island's 23,000 residents. 

However, for students at the 1st Technical High School of Lefkada  of Mr. Gerassimos Anagnostopoulos's Climate Detectives club, in these same pictures they see evidence of the impacts of climate change, and threats to the long term sustainability of the island. The Climate Detectives is a collaboration with the European Union, which encourages student clubs to explore local issues, and then provides high level data to help them understand the problem. What these students see in these photos, particularly over time, is that the beaches are shifting, eroding in one place, and extending in another. In addition, the erosion of the sea side beaches has led to damage to the roads to reach these areas. Lastly, as seas levels rise, these students are tracking the potential of flooding, which could significantly impact Lefkada Town, which barely rises two meters above sea level.


Using satellite data provided by the European Space Agency, as well as local municipal data showing sea level, these students tracked a pattern of thousands of tons of sand shifting from Northwest beaches up and around the northern tip of the island and ending up being deposited directly in front of the 50 meter wide deep channel that brings thousands of recreational sailboats each year. 


Led by Mr. Anagnostopoulos each year, the Climate Detectives club works to identify and analyze issues facing their community. I was impressed with the level of understanding these students had when I interviewed them about this year's project. The shifting sands problems threatens to have serious impacts to Lefkada. However, they also recognize the significant engineering challenge to solving the problem, whether by relocating tons of sand, or creating new infrastructure. 

I feature the Climate Detectives project because it is simply such a rich lesson. It checks all the boxes for relevance, sustainable development, and for my research project they're using math as a tool to understand threats to their own lives. Bravo!!

Incubating Transition

The second project scales this high school lesson up significantly, rigorously investigating problems facing communities due to climate change, and acting as an incubator for innovative solutions with ambitious goals. The CLuBe project,(Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia))is based in the northern Greece town of Kozani, which is the center of a coal mining and burning economy that is rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels. I first came across CluBe at the Skyros Academy, where their education director Valentina Plaka presented her work in Kozani, one of 100 cities in the EU committed to climate neutrality by 2030.

This ambitious goal of a relatively rapid transition has seen many of their coal power plants shuttered in the last five years, while many of the surrounding hills are now coated with solar panels like icing on cake. CluBe has been there from the beginning, acting as a catalyst for good ideas, and to bring sustainable energy dollars from international partners to the region. 

I sat in on a CLUBe conference on building the Bioeconomy, where entrepreneurs and EU funders had a chance to meet to find the best ways to bring sustainable industry to scale. I was impressed at the exciting projects in the room, from bio-plastics, to natural erosion control, to vertical farming, to closed loop manufacturing processes, great ideas in sustainability were represented.


I also met with mechanical engineer Vasileios Balachtsis, Deputy Head of Sustainable and Intelligent Transition Department with CluBe in Kozani, where he and a team of young engineers are putting research behind some of the most innovative ideas in sustainability, like getting hydrogen storage to scale. CLuBe has over 30 projects like this, and has grown from a few leaders, to a building full of mostly young engineers incubating new ideas, working with both business, and government to bring sustainable ideas from the drawing board, to communities.

In many of my interviews with students here in Greece, when I ask them if they are optimistic about the future, given the challenges of climate change, many of the glass half full students point to technology. Many students have faith that human ingenuity will help us engineer new climate solutions. If that happens here in Greece, it will be because of organizations like CluBe in Kozani, and staffed by students like the Climate Detectives I met in Lefkada. These are models for helping students, and policy makers understand the choices and challenges presented by climate change.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

On optimism and good governance - Greek students sound off

Another month, and a lot of great contacts in Greek schools and environmental education. I’ve enjoyed presenting for students across the Thessaloniki region, as well as Athens, and being an observer with the Environmental Education Centers as they deliver action based curriculum to students. 
I’ve enjoyed spending time in both secondary, and junior classrooms, getting to know Greek schools, and helping Greek students understand America. A key difference in structure for Greek schools compared to my classrooms, is that students spend most of their day with one class, in the same classroom. Teachers move from class to class, rather than students. What I’ve found is that these classes become small communities, even like a family. As a visitor this means no one is afraid to ask questions. Repeat questions include - Do your schools have lockers? Do your schools have sports and dances? Have you had shootings at your school? What’s your favorite sports team? How does one get to go to America to study? 

The most qualitative data I’ve collected has been through small focus group interviews with junior and senior high students. I’ve asked a series of questions to establish what they know about climate change and sustainability, what kinds of activities they have participated in around the environment, and what things have stood out to them. I’ve also asked them about who is responsible for addressing climate change, and what can anyone do? I always end with a question about whether they are optimistic, αισιόδοξοι, about the future. 

The initial results indicate students have a number of opportunities for students to learn about issues surrounding climate change. Regular lessons in primary, and junior high school were regularly reported as the first place students learn about these issues. Also, a number of students get a lot of information from social media, Tik-Tok, Youtube, and Google searches. Overall, students I spoke to were relatively well informed about the mechanisms of the greenhouse effect, and human’s impact on CO2 the planet.


Locally, students often identified hot local summers, wildfires, and a lack of snowy winters as impacts of climate change. Recycling programs, and trash pick-ups were the most popular out of class activity that students had experienced. Many of the students in school eco-clubs had also participated in regional gatherings that included creative ways of communicating about climate change, including
schools involved with theater, posters, design, and fashion. 


On optimism - it’s been a mixed result. Many students suggested that their own generation is far more educated on the climate change threats we face in the future, in comparison with the previous generation. Optimistic students would cite this, and often advancing technology that can be trusted to solve some of our energy struggles. While most students could name both individual actions, as well as governmental actions that could be taken for a more sustainable community, doubt was cast on both groups. Many students suggested that from their own experience, not enough people care about the environment. Several groups suggested that the only way people care is if they are directly impacted by something. 
On government, there was more pessimism from most groups, with very few reports of government involvement in projects around the environment, and mostly skepticism for the government to take much action. 

In my second half of research, I will be focusing more on island communities, and have plans to speak directly with government officials about their understanding of climate change, and policy responses.




Monday, February 19, 2024

Best Practices in Climate Change Education

1st Secondary School of Alonis
Thanks so much to the schools and educators who have already welcomed me into their classes here in Greece. My research is focused on best practices, and this has meant I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible educators, who have prioritized providing their students with the tools they will need to manage a changing climate. 

Observing incredible teachers


Special thanks to schools in Athens, the First Secondary School of Alonis, where Fulbright Alum Ilianna Anagnostakou welcomed me and my Fulbright colleague Julia Puckett into her classes, where students peppered us with questions about life and school in America.




Director Photis Mylonas at work

Also, thanks to the director of the 1st Primary School of Nikaia, and my friend Photis Mylonas, who I met last summer in Skyros, who helped me understand the challenges and opportunities facing schools in Greece.



First Bioclimatic Building in Greece

I had a great introduction to environmental education programs in Thessaloniki, hosted by Geoge Ylfantis, and George Slafkidis, where I had the opportunity to observe them at work the first Environmental Education Center in the country. These Centers spread across Greece, and are resources for teachers of all grades to bring students to learn about climate change, and how they can take action. These are incredibly fun, interactive lessons that have students up, and moving around the room.

Students try to fit on a shrinking "island"
George and George were great facilitators, who said that their goal is not just to impart information to students, but rather to empower them to be leaders, and take action in their world. 


The kids are alright!

3rd JH of Thessaloniki

Thank you to another Fulbright Alum, Vasso Michailidou, an English and music teacher, at the 3rd Junior High School of Thessoloniki who helped me organize two focus groups of students. One group was selected students from her classes, and the other group were involved in the school's Environmental Club. I also enjoyed presenting to several of her classes throughout the day. It was great to be in a classroom again, the students were actively engaged, asking all sorts of really smart questions, like, What about the jobs lost when we transition?  What about nuclear power? Does everyone in America have a gun?


Fulbright Rock Star Vasiliki!

In both of the focus groups students said that they learn about climate change, and actions to help in their communities, their schools, and in their families. From international programs such as Erasmus, and eTwinning, to lessons on energy consumption in their classes, to grassroots community groups organizing for local clean-ups, to parents teaching about recycling and waste management, these kids demonstrated a firm understanding of the challenges in their future. 

Policy Makers - Policy Implementers

The Greek educational system is like a lot of EU countries, with centralized decision makers who make choices on curriculum that are implemented locally by many of the folks I've met so far. This model is different from most places in the U.S., where local school boards have significant leeway in determining curricular priorities. Since the central government has made environmental education, and climate change education a priority, there seem to be many opportunities for teachers and students to be engaged in conversation, and actions around sustainability. 

This centralized model is repeated in governance, with local municipal leaders also being asked to focus on sustainability, and actions related to climate change. This is notable across Greece, where the public recycling infrastructure is everywhere. While the integrity of these programs are not always as they were likely drawn up, the commitment is clear. Climate change is real for Greek policy makers, and folks are committed to creating a sustainable future.

Where is the Math? Polynomials on melting icebergs