Green Mythilini

 Lesvos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast that, like the entire region, is particularly hard hit by the effects of climate change. Clean drinking water is less and less available, summers are getting hotter and drier, and the ecosystems on and around the island are suffering more and more from the endless amounts of waste. According to a 2020 report by WWF Greece, about 81.9% of municipal waste in Greece is sent to landfills. This includes plastic waste, which is not collected separately but disposed of together with municipal waste in the residual waste bin. A considerable proportion of landfills are operated illegally and do not meet the necessary requirements, which is why the EU imposed a fine of 10 million euros on Greece in 2014. Research by the Archipelagos Institute, which has taken more than 1,000 samples over four years on various coasts of the Greek islands, shows that due to Greece's poor waste management, there is not a single stretch of beach or cubic metre of sea water in the region that is not polluted with plastic. So it is high time to do something about it!

Green Mythilini is a long-term environmental campaign planned and implemented by our local partner  NGO Ariadni Lesvos with the aim of reducing environmental pollution, especially plastic waste, but also to promote a more conscious use of resources such as water and energy. The more people can be made aware of this issue, the greater the impact. That is why the campaign aims to be accessible to everyone living here on the island.

We work closely with local schools and the university to remind young people of the importance of addressing these issues. In addition, the municipality is also involved in the project to get the necessary support from this side as well. The first beach bars and restaurants have already expressed their interest in becoming part of the campaign. 

In a first step of the pilot project, it is now planned to set up collection bins for plastic bottles at partner schools and to hold the first seminars there. In addition, the first collection bins will be distributed in public places where many people spend time. The collected plastic bottles will then be picked up regularly and taken to a recycling centre on the island. In the long term, this should create a source of income that will cover part of the running costs of the project and ensure its sustainability.

Another project partner involved in the project is the Moria White Helmets. They build the collection containers in the refugee camp for the schools. Through partnerships like this, the coexistence between refugees and locals on the island is to be further improved.