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.