The South Aegean is a hub of sustainable development – 16 new islands in the Just Go Zero program of Tilos

2 weeks ago 8

An ambitious program for sustainable discarded absorption connected 16 islands of the South Aegean is presently underway, with the know-how of the pioneering "Just Go Zero" programme of Tilos arsenic its cornerstone.

As revealed by the Governor of the South Aegean, Mr. Giorgos Hadjimarkos, astatine an accusation gathering with journalists successful Rhodes, connected the juncture of the Conference of the Regional Council of Greece and the Region "Paving the Way for a Sustainable Tomorrow" which took spot connected the land connected May 27, the Region of the South Aegean is moving with the authorities connected a sustainability program for tiny islands of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.

Some of the islands wherever the "Just Go Zero" actions of Tilos volition beryllium implemented are Kastelorizo and tiny Cycladic islands specified arsenic Koufonissi, Iraklia, Donoussa, Folegandros and Sikinos.

The programme volition beryllium financed by the Green Fund and, according to Mr. Hadjimarkos, erstwhile the "green light" is given, the Region volition beryllium capable to instrumentality it wrong a year. In fact, arsenic the Regional Governor mentioned, its implementation is being considered successful other, small, mountainous municipalities of the mainland.

One of the main arguments successful favour of the programme is the unbearable outgo of discarded postulation connected the tiny islands, which reaches 580 euros per ton, making the existent exemplary economically unprofitable.

At the aforesaid time, successful Rhodes, the Region is readying the instauration of 2 “closed” areas: A applicable survey is being completed to instrumentality “zero” rules for catering (restaurants and bars) bio-waste successful the Medieval City, portion Lindos volition follow.

Furthermore, successful June, the Astypalaia electrical mobility task is expected to beryllium expanded to a larger land successful the South Aegean.

The ambitious initiatives of the South Aegean Region to alteration its islands into planetary “green transition” models person led to the implementation of innovative sustainability projects with tangible results successful Tilos, Halki, Astypalaia, and Rhodes, focusing connected ecological mobility, zero c emissions, and the circular economy.

In Astypalaia, arsenic portion of a mobility connected request task successful collaboration with Volkswagen, the astyMOVE exertion offers greenish mobility with electrical vehicles. The purpose is, arsenic a merchandise of the collaboration with Volkswagen, to commencement the archetypal driverless conveyance routes wrong the adjacent 1.5 to 2 years. As a effect of the project, the land has already gained large planetary fame.
Halki became the archetypal Greek island, arsenic portion of an ambitious programme with European backing of 168 cardinal euros. The land was transformed into an planetary exemplary of "green" economy, vigor autonomy, and innovation done the practice of Greek and French businesses. The enactment included the installation of photovoltaic systems for the accumulation of cleanable vigor from renewable sources, to screen the vigor needs of the island.

This resulted successful section household businesses benefiting up to 10,000 euros per twelvemonth successful vigor bills owed to its surplus accumulation connected the island, portion individuals saw an yearly payment of betwixt 800 and 4,000 euros, according to Mr. Hadjimarkos.

In Tilos, with the “Just Go Zero” model, the aged landfill was closed and transformed into a visitant attraction, portion successful the past 3 years not a azygous kilo of garbage has been buried connected the island.

Waste is collected straight from homes and businesses, separated into 3 chiseled bags for organic, recyclable and non-recyclable materials. The last sorting is done centrally, preventing citizens from making mistakes.

The results are impressive: successful households, the recycling complaint is consistently supra 80% each month, reaching 88% successful March 2025. In businesses, this complaint consistently exceeds 90%.

Organic materials are converted into fertilizer and distributed escaped of complaint to residents successful 5-liter packages.

Tilos’ know-how is adjacent being transferred to Abu Dhabi, wherever a akin task has been launched with 40,000 households, arsenic the Governor reported.

Rhodes hosts the astir ambitious and holistic sustainability programme successful Greece, the five-year Rhodes Co-Lab, with TUI, Europe’s largest tourism organization, arsenic a strategical partner. On an land that hosts up to 600,000 radical each August and has 14% of the country's tourer beds, the situation is tremendous and the extremity is clear: to gradually alteration into a exemplary of sustainability astatine each levels.

The program's objectives are to execute tangible results wrong 5 years successful presumption of upgrading quality resources and their skills, biodiversity, discarded management, electromobility, and gastronomy (Aegean cuisine).

The Rhodes task includes 117 stakeholders, and for this purpose, discussions person been held with the municipality, each nonrecreational organizations, each technological bodies and associations, the labour center, and the island's workers' unions.

The actions are decided wrong the model of a wide process, with much caller examples being the tendering of a ample discarded works and the studies for the archetypal greenish and autonomous h2o accumulation plant.

In addition, arsenic portion of an inaugural that began 16 months ago, 30,500 composters are being received to beryllium distributed to 30,000 households successful bid to bid the colonisation successful integrated discarded management.

After Rhodes, the extremity is to grow composting to different islands, with the ambition of reaching 140,000 of the 300,000 residents of the Region.

At the aforesaid time, arsenic Mr. Hadjimarkos mentioned, successful collaboration with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH), Rhodes Co-Lab has already completed the mentation of the program's sustainability label. The authoritative announcement is expected erstwhile the HCH enactment is completed, arsenic the Rhodes inaugural aspires to beryllium the archetypal successful Greece to follow and instrumentality the caller sustainability label, afloat integrating it into its actions.