Public Outreach and Advocacy
Citizens’ science against littering: the example of #Potavristou
September is the month of #potavristou! Every year since September of 2019, AKTI organises the action #potavristou.
#potavristou is a typical citizens science action, where citizens become part of science by providing valuable field data, following guidelines on how to report them using the familiar tools of social media.
7th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management
On 26th August one of our team members, Christina Baldwin, presented our Astrotourism project, with the title: “Beyond Stargazing: The Sustainable Astrotourism Framework” at the 7th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management in Copenhagen, Denmark. The presentation covered the project itself as well as the sustainability aspects that AKTI developed for the implementation of the Astrotourism activities.
The conference was a great success and Christina won best presentation of her session.
Thank you to the conference organisers for having us!
Zero Waste Beach in Cyprus. Zero Waste Future in Malta. Net Zero in Cyprus and Malta
Zero Waste Beach and Future projects
Marine litter is an environmental, economic as well as human health problem with no simple solution. It poses a global, complex and multi-dimensional challenge with significant implications for the marine and coastal environment and human activities all over the world. Recovery and recycling of the most common marine litter items, are important steps in halting the inflow of items into the marine environment and are also critical first steps in promoting the Circular Economy. Recovery and recycling are particularly critical in island countries, such as Cyprus and Malta.
To address the problems outlined above, the initiative proposed here aims to engage citizens, students, local authorities and businesses to take ownership of the environment they spend most time in so as to increase recycling and decrease land and marine litter, using the “producer responsibility” mentality, but through soft, awareness-raising and participatory measures.
Activities for Zero Waste Beach Cyprus:
Click here to learn about some exciting news for Cyprus!
🎥 General Actions_Total Results (video_en)
🎥 General Actions_Total Results (video_gr)
📈Infographic_Total Results (2018-2020) (pdf_gr)
1️⃣. Strengthened and expanded the «Responsible Coastal Businesses Network»: to 326 members, through the implementation of an extensive awareness-raising campaign, targeting all coastal businesses on the island. In these campaigns, AKTI’s staff have been liaised with approximately 610 business owners/managers/employees, informing them about marine litter (sources and impacts) as well as about the upcoming European legislation on single-use plastics and how it affects them and assisting them in implementing practices that will minimize their plastic production and thus minimize the potential for marine plastic pollution from their operations and their customers’ activities. The involvement of local authority representatives has added particular clout to this activity.
❓ HOW and WHY to join the Responsible Coastal Businesses Network_EN_(pdf)
❓ HOW and WHY to join the Responsible Coastal Businesses Network_GR_(pdf)
The RCB network members can be viewed in the below map.
To provide inspiration, a Decalogue and a Guide were developed during the last year implementation of the project and distributed to the Coastal Businesses. Decalogue contained 10 basic possible good practices and the Guide contained examples of these good practices in order to inspire the applicants and encourage them to act against plastic pollution and generally for a more green performance of their businesses.
An electronic version of these, are available here:
✅ Examples of Good Practices_gr
2️⃣. Tracked and recorded recycling waste from the Responsible Coastal Businesses: The members of the Responsible Coastal Businesses Network ought, as a mandatory term of their network membership, to record the amount of recyclable waste (PMD, glass, general) that they dispose. 1980.16 tons of recycling waste collected by the responsible coastal businesses throughout the duration of the project. This has been monitored with regular visits by AKTI’s group of experts, who also provided their suggestions on how the business can become more effective in recycling. In this way, they will be able to set goals and monitor their reduction in the long run, as a result of the implementation of plastic reducing practices.
3️⃣. Beach cleanups in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup: AKTI implemented annual beach cleanups on selected beaches with the collaboration of the Responsible Coastal Businesses, local authorities, schools, and volunteers. 18 beach and 10 seabed cleanups were implemented, with the participation of 540 volunteers at beach cleanups and 75 divers in seabed cleanups, including 105 students and representatives of 18 local authorities.
AKTI is the national coordinator of the International Coastal Cleanup of the Ocean Conservancy in Cyprus. Therefore, all the cleanups implemented using the International Coastal Cleanup Protocol. The data included in the Regional Marine Litter Database and has also be submitted to the ICC. Over 20.000 litter items were collected, weighing approximately 2 tons.
📸🌊Some photos from the Beach and Seabed Cleanups, are available here: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5
🎥🌊Some Videos from the Beach and Seabed Cleanups:
video 1___video 2___video 3___video 4___video 5
video 6___video 7___video 8___video 9___video 10
4️⃣. On-the-go recycling through bins on coastal walkways and public coastal spaces: 50 specially designed on-the-go-recycling bins, for PMD collection, have been donated to 2 Local Authorities (Geroskipou Municipality & Kissonerga Community Council) and installed over 5 km of coastal pedestrian roads. Collected 35.2 tons of recyclable waste from these bins, within a period of eight months. The aim was to encourage local authorities and communities to improve collection infrastructure and implement reduction actions for plastics used. Source identification activity was performed for this action. More specifically, AKTI’s staff separated the collected waste per source, to create an innovative database with data that can be used for directing budget to the management of the most frequent litter.
📸♻️More information and photos about “On-the-go recycling” research action, can be found here.
5️⃣. Α Competition for the implementation of sustainable practices to reduce marine litter, and especially plastics, was launched and implemented. The Competition targeted members of the Responsible Coastal Businesses Network, in an attempt to promote sustainable practices incorporated by coastal businesses in their operation, and to minimize plastic waste entering the coastal and marine environment, thus mitigating/reducing the pollution they cause. Τhe terms for the participation in the Competition and the application form distributed to the Coastal Businesses along with a Decalogue and a good practices Guide, in order to inspire the applicants and encourage them to act against plastic pollution and generally for a more green performance of their businesses. 224 entries/good practices were received. The entries were evaluated by a five-member independent jury: the Chairperson of Entrepreneurship Council – Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Cyprus, Dr George I. Kassinis, the Public Affairs & Communications Manager at Lanitis Bros LTD, Mrs Kalia Patsia, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of AKTI, Mrs Xenia I. Loizidou, the Media Relations Director at Digital Tree, Mrs Xenia Xenophontos and the Deputy Secretary General of CCCI, Mr Leonidas Paschalidis. The winners were selected by the jury followings a selection process based on 4 criteria: environmental responsibility, social responsibility, innovation and sustainability and the awards are given in two categories, depending on the type – size of the business.
6️⃣. A highly publicised Award Ceremony, “Zero Waste Beach Awards 2019”, was implemented at the end of the project. The winners had the title of «Zero Waste Beach Champions 2019». The ceremony took place in November, 7 at Ammos Beach Restobar, in Larnaca. The ceremony was held under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nicos Anastasiades and attended by over 113 people, including the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Costas Kadis, NGOs, industry representatives, media (TV, radios and newspapers/e-media) and coastal businesses, The Ceremony was extensively covered by local and national media (TVs, radios and newspapers). The aim of the competition was to highlight the sustainable practices implemented by coastal businesses to effectively reduce their plastic waste and promoted recycling initiatives, proving that every good purpose gets even better with collective action. The Ceremony had a great success with high Media coverage (20 Media covered the Ceremony), publicity and increased participation and all stakeholders gave AKTI very positive feedback!
The awards are given in two categories, depending on the type of the business (large or small businesses) .The six championships were distinguished in the categories of environmental responsibility, sustainability, innovation and social responsibility.
In the category of large businesses:
🏆 KANIKA HOTELS & RESORTS Group received the Sustainability Award,
🏆 Atlantica Santa Napa Hotel received the Innovation Award,
🏆 Louis Hotels received the Social Responsibility Award and,
🏆 Aliathon Hotel received the Environmental Responsibility Award.
In the category of small businesses:
🏆 Medflora Museum received the Sustainability Award,
🏆 Grape by the sea received the Environmental Responsibility Award,
🏆 Sandy Beach Bar received the Innovation Award and,
🏆 Technopolis20 received the Social Responsibility Award.
In the category of new business:
🏆 Fitos Inn Hotel received the New Business Best Practices Award.
Special thanks were given to one person to whom the success of Zero Waste beach is owed.
🏅 Anna Tselepou of AKTI
📸Some photos from the Zero Waste Beach Awards, are available for 2019 here. And 2021-2022 here.
🎥Some Videos from the “Zero Waste Beach Awards 2019”:
Video 1___Video 2___Video 3___Video 4
7️⃣. Extensive communication and dissemination activities took place over the duration of the project, and especially at times with important activities, e.g. the project launch, the cleanup events, the competition and the awards ceremony. Communication and dissemination activities were inclusive all means and media (print, online, social etc), had a total advertisement equivalent of 1.458.490 euro i.e. 10 times more than the funding and 108.000 people reached via AKTI’s social media.
8️⃣. 18 Cypriot Local and Governmental Authorities and 44 Additional organisational beneficiaries, involving government, academia, industry and civil society, supporting the action by getting involved.
Activities for Zero Waste Future Malta:
Click here to learn about some exciting news for Malta!
1️⃣. Waste characterization: this activity was carried out at Vittoriosa City in Malta and at the MCAST campus to identify the main types of waste disposed of and their relative percentages, depending on the type of establishment. This activity provides a solid base of waste data and indicate where efforts must be focused for more effective recycling. The waste characterization study was implemented with support from MCAST students, who undertook this field work and data evaluation research as part of their course work. Waste was sampled from at least 61 points, and each point was sampled 5 times.
🎥Some Videos from “Waste Characterization” action:
📸Some photos from the “Waste Characterization”, are available here.
2️⃣. Build on the “Responsible Coastal Businesses Network in Malta: through extensive awareness-raising campaigns, where representatives of the Coca-Cola Company of Malta, informing business owners/managers about marine litter (sources and impacts) as well as about the upcoming European legislation on single-use plastics and how it affects them, and assisting them in implementing practices that will minimize their plastic production and thus minimize the potential for marine plastic pollution from their operations and their customers’ activities. The below shows the network members inducted until now.
To provide inspiration, a Decalogue and a Guide were developed during the last year implementation of the project and distributed to the Coastal Businesses. Decalogue contained 10 basic possible good practices and the Guide contained examples of these good practices in order to inspire the applicants and encourage them to act against plastic pollution and generally for a more green performance of their businesses.
An electronic version of these, are available here:
✅ Examples of Good Practices_en
3️⃣. On-the-go recycling: 20 On-the-go recycling bins for PMD were installed near the coastal pedestrian walks in Vittoriiosa and on MCAST campus. The aim was to encourage local authorities and communities to improve collection infrastructure and implement reduction actions for plastics used. Source identification activity was performed for this action.
4️⃣. Beach cleanups in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup: annual beach cleanups on selected beaches with the collaboration of NGOs, local authorities, schools, and volunteers. All the cleanups were implemented using the International Coastal Cleanup Protocol in order to be able to identify the sources of the collected litter and to begin compiling data on beach marine litter in Malta. The data were included in the Regional Marine Litter Database and will also submitted to the ICC. 7 beach cleanups and 1 seabed cleanup were implemented, involving 488 volunteers. The litter items collected, weighed approximately 1670kg.
🎥🌊Some Videos from “Beach/Seabed Cleanups and Turtle Release”:
📸🌊Some photos from the Beach and Seabed Cleanups, are available here.
5️⃣. Educational Campaigns: Educational campaigns were organized in schools present along the Vittoriosa border and on the MCAST campus. The educational activities include presentations on the topic of marine litter, awareness-raising about the beverage container return system, involvement in beach cleanup activities etc.
📸 Some photos from the “Presentations on the topic of marine litter”, are available here.
📸 Some photos from the “Awareness Walk against marine litter” , are available here.
📸 Some photos from the “Science in the City Festival”, are available here.
6️⃣. Extensive communication and dissemination activities took place over the duration of the project, and especially at times with important activities, e.g. , the cleanup events, waste characterization activities etc. 346.342 people reached through Communication and dissemination activities were inclusive all means and media (print, online, social etc).
#Potavristou, όπου και να βρίσκεσαι, να καθαρίσουμε τις θάλασσες και τις ακτές μας!
#potavristou τζαι φέτος!
Η δράση μετά την τεράστια επιτυχία που είχε και τις 3 χρονιές υλοποίησής της, θα επαναληφθεί και φέτος. Ο κάθε πολίτης, η κάθε παρέα μπορεί να ποταβριστεί εκεί που είναι, να μαζέψει τα σκουπίδια που βλέπει γύρω και να ανεβάσει τα δεδομένα του στην δωρεάν εφαρμογή Clean Swell (μπορείτε να την κατεβάσετε από το Play Store/App store), είτε να στείλει μήνυμα στις σελίδες της ΑΚΤΗΣ στα κοινωνικά δίκτυα. Επίσης μπορεί να ανεβάσει φωτογραφίες από τον καθαρισμό στα δικά του κοινωνικά δίκτυα με το #potavristou. Περισσότερες πληροφορίες θα βρείτε στις Οδηγίες #potavrismatos.
Όλο τον Σεπτέμβρη ποταβριζόμαστε!
Ιστορικό της δράσης
Το #potavristou πραγματοποιήθηκε για πρώτη φορά τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2019. Αποτελεί μια πρωτότυπη εκστρατεία που ξεκίνησε από μια αυθόρμητη πρωτοβουλία πολιτών και διοργανώθηκε σε συνεργασία με το Κέντρο Μελετών και Έρευνας ΑΚΤΗ. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι το #potavristou αποτέλεσε μια «προφητική» δράση. Σε ανύποπτο χρόνο η ομάδα του #potavristou σκέφτηκε και υλοποίησε μια ενέργεια που πετυχαίνει τον καθαρισμό των ακτών με τη συμμετοχή πολλών πολιτών/εθελοντών αποφεύγοντας όμως ταυτόχρονα τον συγχρωτισμό, που είναι το μεγάλο ζητούμενο στην εποχή του Covid19!
Το 2020, ο Διεθνής Οργανισμός Ocean Conservancy διοργάνωσε Παγκόσμιο Διαγωνισμό για την ανάδειξη των δέκα πιο καινοτόμων δράσεων καθαρισμού ακτών για το 2019. Στο διαγωνισμό υποβλήθηκαν εκατοντάδες προτάσεις από 130 και πλέον χώρες. Το Κέντρο Μελετών και Έρευνας ΑΚΤΗ συμμετείχε στο Διαγωνισμό με μια υποψηφιότητα που περιλάμβανε τρεις δράσεις: το #potavristou, τη διαδικασία συμμετοχικής λήψης αποφάσεων για τη μείωση των σκουπιδιών της θάλασσας DeCyDe-4 και με τους εξειδικευμένους καθαρισμούς ακτής brand surveys. Η υποψηφιότητα της ΑΚΤΗΣ με τις τρεις αυτές δράσεις, επιλέχθηκε ανάμεσα στις 10 πιο καινοτόμες παγκόσμια!
Αποτελέσματα #potavristou μέχρι σήμερα
Συγκεκριμένα, στις 21 Σεπτεμβρίου του 2019, Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Εθελοντικού Καθαρισμού των Ακτών, οι διοργανωτές κάλεσαν το κοινό, όπου και αν βρισκόταν, να βοηθήσει να καθαριστούν οι θάλασσες και οι ακτές μας. Περισσότερα από 500 άτομα, τη συγκεκριμένη μέρα, ποταβρίστικαν και μάζεψαν τα σκουπίδια που βρήκαν γύρω τους, όπως πλαστικά και γυάλινα ποτήρια, μπουκάλια, σακούλες, συσκευασίες τροφίμων, αναψυκτικών, δίχτυα κ.λ.π. Συνολικά μαζεύτηκαν 5,5 τόνοι σκουπιδιών, που περίμεναν τις πρώτες νεροποντές για να ξεκινήσουν τον φαύλο κύκλο τους, να φτάσουν στη θάλασσα και να επιστρέψουν στη ζωή μας «εκδικητικά», ως μικροπλαστικά.
Η δράση μετά την μεγάλη ανταπόκριση που είχε το 2019, είχε επαναληφθεί καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του Σεπτεμβρίου του 2020. Τα αποτελέσματα της εκστρατείας #potavristou_2020 ήταν εντυπωσιακά: 2016 εθελοντές συμμετείχαν και έστειλαν τα δεδομένα τους, από 187 τοποθεσίες στην Κύπρο και 20 τοποθεσίες στο εξωτερικό! Συλλέχθηκαν 12 τόνοι απορριμμάτων, εκ των οποίων το 70% ήταν πλαστικά! Επίσης έγιναν 12 εκατομμύρια προβολές σχετικά με τη δράση, μέσα από τα κοινωνικά δίκτυα της ΑΚΤΗς και τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης!
Τα αποτελέσματα του Σεπτέμβριου 2021 ήταν πολύ εντυπωσιακά. 2590 εθελοντές από 114 τοποθεσίες στην Κύπρο και 63 τοποθεσίες στο εξωτερικό μάζεψαν σκουπίδια και μας έστειλαν δεδομένα! Συλλέχθηκαν 13.5 τόνοι απορριμμάτων, εκ των οποίων το 87% ήταν πλαστικά! Επίσης έγιναν 12 εκατομμύρια προβολές σχετικά με τη δράση στα κοινωνικά δίκτυα της ΑΚΤΗΣ, εθελοντών και οργανώσεων της Κύπρου και του εξωτερικού καθώς και στα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης!
Τα αποτελέσματα του Σεπτέμβριου 2022 ήταν ακομη πιο εντυπωσιακά: 2620 εθελοντές από 243 σημεία στην Κύπρο και 72 στο εξωτερικό μάζεψαν σκουπίδια και μας έστειλαν πολύτιμα δεδομένα πεδίου! Συλλέχθηκαν 16 τόνοι απορριμμάτων, εκ των οποίων το 86% πλαστικά! Επίσης έγιναν 12.3 εκατομμύρια προβολές σχετικά με τη δράση στα κοινωνικά δίκτυα της ΑΚΤΗΣ, εθελοντών και οργανώσεων της Κύπρου και του εξωτερικού καθώς και στα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης!
Οδηγίες #potavrismatos
- Μπορείς να συμμετέχεις ατομικά, με την παρέα σου ή με κάποιο οργανωμένο σύνολο.
- Όπου και να βρίσκεσαι είτε αραχτά στην παραλία, είτε σε σκάφος, άπλωσε το χέρι σου και … #potavristou! Μάζεψε ό,τι σκουπίδι βλέπεις γύρω σου. Αν είσαι σε σκάφος, μάζεψε ό,τι σκουπίδι επιπλέει. Αν θέλεις, βέβαια, μπορείς να επεκταθείς και να κάνεις ένα πιο εκτενή καθαρισμό ακτής!
- Χώρισε σε ομάδες και μέτρησε πόσα σκουπίδια μάζεψες: π.χ. τόσα πλαστικά ποτηράκια, τόσες μπουκάλες, τόσες γόπες τσιγάρων, τόσες σακούλες
- Βγάλε τα φωτογραφία.
- Ανέβασε τη φωτογραφία στο Twitter /Instagram, με #potavristou, #teamocean και #akti, μαζί με τις πληροφορίες για τα σκουπίδια που μάζεψες, που είσαι (τοποθεσία) και πόσα άτομα συμμετείχατε στο συγκεκριμένο καθαρισμό.
- Μπορείς να κατεβάσεις και να χρησιμοποιήσεις την δωρεάν εφαρμογή “Clean Swell” που ανέπτυξε το Ocean Conservancy για αυτό τον λόγο (μπορείτε να την κατεβάσετε από το Play Store/App store).
- Σε περίπτωση που ο λογαριασμός σου στο Instagram είναι ιδιωτικός (private), οπότε δεν θα μπορούμε και να εντοπίσουμε τα # hashtag σου, τότε ανέβασέ τα στο facebook, στην προσωπική σου σελίδα με tag ΑΚΤΗ / AKTI Project and Research Centre ή στη σελίδα της ΑΚΤΗΣ κατευθείαν ή στείλε μας μήνυμα με τον Messenger! Η ενέργεια αυτή είναι σημαντική για το Κέντρο Μελετών και Έρευνας ΑΚΤΗ, αφού έτσι θα γίνει εφικτό να καταγραφούν δεδομένα πεδίου και με αυτό τον τρόπο θα υπάρχουν συγκριτικά στοιχεία με αντίστοιχες προσπάθειες που έγιναν στο παρελθόν και θα ακολουθήσουν στο μέλλον. Αυτό είναι πολύ σημαντικό για την έρευνα!
- Τι θα κάνεις τα σκουπίδια που μαζέψες?
- Αν βρίσκεσαι σε ερημική παραλία, πάρε τα μαζί σου!
- Αν βρίσκεσαι σε παραλία λουομένων, βάλε τα στους κάδους ανακύκλωσης (κάδοι για PMD υπάρχουν αρκετοί).
- Αν βρίσκεσαι σε σκάφος, βγάλε τα στο πλησιέστερο λιμανάκι, στους αντίστοιχους κάδους.
Από πέρσι όπου η πανδημία του ιού έχει προκαλέσει και μέγα τσουνάμι πλαστικής πανδημίας η ανάγκη για μεγαλύτερη συμμετοχή γίνεται ακόμη πιο σημαντική.
Γι’ αυτό … #potavristou, όπου και να βρίσκεσαι, να καθαρίσουμε τις θάλασσες και τις ακτές μας!
Το ποτάβρισμα οφελεί γενικά την υγεία …#potavristou …μπορείς!
AdvocaCY: Participate, learn, challenge, decide
AKTI’s project titled ”AdvocaCY: Participate, learn, challenge, decide: stronger Cypriot Civil Society for sustainability, advocacy and change!” has been selected amongst 54 applications and awarded funding from the Active Citizens Fund Programme in Cyprus .
Having the UN Sustainable Development Goals at its core, this project aims to engage Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot civil society organizations and informal groups, with a focus on the younger generation and in ensuring gender balance, in understanding their human right to a sustainable and healthy environment.
With “Knowledge leads to awareness; Awareness leads to change” as its motto, the aim of this proposal is to create synergies and join forces among CSOs and informal groups and to build networks of active citizens across the divide. The project has a solution-oriented approach which leads to the achievement of two targets: (1) build skills and capacity, raise awareness and promote advocacy among citizens for their right to a sustainable environment as set by SDGs (2) to boost bi-communal cooperation on promoting sustainability, an issue that affects both communities and is a win-win field of cooperation. In so doing, transform this collaboration into a peace building tool.
The overall result of the project will be its demonstrable (through KPIs) contribution to a stronger and more sustainable civil society on the island, greater bicommunal cooperation and intercultural dialogue, and more active citizens.
The AdvocaCY project benefits from a grant under the Active Citizens Fund Cyprus programme, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, through the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021.
The full press release and announcement can be found here.
AdvocaCY – Awareness-raising campaigns
- civil rights, specifically as they relate to the environment; (throughout February 2023)
- the role of CSOs in society; (throughout June 2023)
- public consultations, their use and why it is important to contribute. (throughout September 2023)
This activity aims to develop and apply the tools that will help raise awareness about human rights, specifically the right to a healthy and sustainable environment, and about the role of CSOs to advocate for these rights.
Check out our Awareness-raising campaigns below:
3rd Awareness-raising campaign: Public consultations and why it’s important to contribute
How can we improve citizens’ participation in public consultation processes?
Here’s 4 tips based on the analysis of key-challenges to public participation.
What are the main barriers to public participation consultation processes?
Public participation processes are vital for democratic societies, responsive to public needs. However, public participation can be constrained by many factors. Exploring the reasons hindering public participation is crucial for effective consultation processes and achieving better results.
Learn more here.
How can we improve community engagement?
5 easy steps for breaking down barriers and encouraging participation here.
Citizens in Northern Ireland are able to participate in consultations and surveys for governmental initiatives through the online consultation tool Citizen Space.
The online platform is developed and run by the Northern Irish government and features activities from several governmental departments, including the Department of Communities (DfC), Department for the Economy (DfE), Department of Education (DE), Housing Executive (NIHE), etc.
Once a consultation is completed, all responses are carefully analysed and the results are made widely available, with an account of the views expressed and the reasons for decisions finally taken, in line with Northern Ireland’s Open Data Strategy for 2020-2023.
Are you familiar with any similar online tools for public consultations?
The European Commission regularly seeks the views of citizens for developing policies and legislations.
Visit their website to find out more about active public consultations.
Care to learn more about Public Consultations?
Have a look at this brief introduction
What is a public consultation, when is it required, and what are its benefits?
Check out this brief step-by-step guide to learn more.
2nd Awareness-raising campaign: The role of CSOs in society
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is a podcast dedicated to climate action across Europe.
Tune in and listen to their inspirational guests from civil society organisations and their efforts to fight the climate crisis.
Climate Change is impacting human lives and health by threatening access to clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter. World Health Organization (WHO)’s ‘Civil Society Working Group’ brings together WHO representatives with NGOs working on health and climate to increase the health sector’s engagement with climate action.
Learn more about their work here.
Check out the Climate Action Stories of Civil Society across the world.
Do you know any similar initiatives in Cyprus?
Did you know there are more than 260 Civil Society Organisations operating across the island?
Visit Civic Space’s CSO database to learn more.
Global Citizens is an organisation bringing together people across the globe to call on world leaders, to ACT NOW! Join the movement, change the world.
Learn more here.
“Faces of Civil Society” is a short film series sharing the stories of inspiring activists from Burma, Iraq, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Learn more and watch the series here.
Are you aware of any similar stories from Cyprus?
“10 Myths And Facts About Non-Governmental Organisations” is an awareness raising campaign by Civil Society Advocates debunking myths and misconceptions about the work of NGOs.
Myth 1, tackles CSOs and how their work differs from NGOs.
Learn more here.
The ‘Tuesday Chat Series’ is a monthly meeting bringing together CSOs and the United Nations’ Civil Society Unit to discuss ideas, initiatives, and best practices for promoting positive change within societies.
Learn more here.
CIVICUS Voices is a podcast that brings you voices of people, communities, and organisations defending civil liberties and human rights; with themes ranging from the fight for climate justice to reproductive rights.
Check it out here.
International Civil Society Week (ICSW) promotes a global conversation about the collective power of people acting together for social and political change. Check out the 7 virtual events of ICSW2020/2021, with themes ranging from ‘Artivism for Inclusion’ to ‘Positive Narratives for People Power’ here.
Civil society organisations offer a platform where people can talk, create, engage, and support each other. But they also do much more than that!
Learn more about why civil society is so important.
Who and what is ‘civil society‘?
Check out this article by World Economic Forum to learn more.
What are Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and what do they do?
Learn more in this short video.
1st Awareness-raising campaign: Environment as Civic Right
Did you know that access to a healthy and sustainable environment is a recognised human right? But what does that mean exactly? Here’s 6 key-things you need to know.
WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 highlights the emergency of changing the ways we produce, consume and govern.
We hope it inspires you to be part of the change for building a nature-positive society.
Here’s 9 things YOU can do about climate change as an active citizen!
A clean and healthy environment is part of our rights and responsibilities as citizens.
What can you do to fight climate change?
Whether you love him or hate him, here’s some ideas by Bill Gates.
Civil rights and protecting the planet go hand-in-hand.
Learn why here.
What are civil rights?
We are kicking-off our first AdvocaCY awareness raising campaign by taking things frοm the top. What does advocacy mean? Learn more here.
TIGANOKINISI: turning domestic used cooking oil into biodiesel
Turning a harmful waste, such as cooking oil, into biodiesel while promoting development and civic action
Continue Reading
Combatting Desertification in Cyprus through Composting
The challenge
Cyprus is one of the 13 Member States that have declared to be affected by desertification under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Estimates suggest that by 2050, about 70% of agricultural land will be very sensitive to desertification and there will be a lack of water for irrigation. The enrichment of active soil carbon concentration and the enhancement of soil productivity are considered the most effective ways to combat desertification. This can be achieved by sustainable green waste management and particularly by composting of green waste and the application of compost to agricultural land. In rural and remote areas, green waste is currently mismanaged by being landfilled, burned, or inappropriately disposed of in open fields posing a constant fire hazard. Instead, this compost raw material should be treated locally in a simple and sustainable way taking into consideration scale and ownership. In order for any waste management scheme to be successful in these particular areas, economies of scale must be developed through the cooperation of neighbouring Local Authorities, farmers and relevant stakeholders.
The solution
The project aims to create a roadmap for 7 communities in rural Nicosia (Mitsero cluster) where a Waste Management Scheme for local agricultural green and garden waste is designed and proposed. The goal is to promote the composting of green waste and the application of compost in agricultural land by proposing a solution that addresses both desertification impacts and green waste management. The developed Waste Management Scheme is based on a symbiotic relationship between all key actors in the compost value chain, from waste producers to waste management, to compost end-users, that will minimise costs for compost production and application. The idea is to use existing resources and infrastructure to collect green wastes from farmers and garden wastes from the Local Authorities and to develop a basic local compost facility that will produce quality compost to be provided to local farmers for land application. All key actors will be the owners of the Scheme which will be financed by a combination of three options: farmer’s own contribution (membership fee), government incentives currently under development (subsidies for compost per treated land) and local authorities’ contribution.
This project is funded under the Cyprus Environment Foundation
MIO-ECSDE MEDITERRANEAN ACTION DAY 2020: Fishermen for the Akamas Marine Protected Area
The Akamas Pensinsula in Cyprus has been designated a Natura 2000 site for its rich and pristine terrestrial biodiversity. The marine area around the Akamas Peninsula has also been designated as a Marine Protected Area, the only one in Cyprus, because it is home to the island’s most important marine turtle reserve. Nonetheless, the wider Paphos District, within which the Akamas Pensinsula is located, has seen rapid development in recent years, as a result of increased touristic and foreign investment opportunities. Consequently, there is an ongoing, often heated debate, on the need of the conservation status of the peninsula as most of the land is privately owned. At the same time, the Cypriot fishing community, already struggling as a result of the relatively poor, oligotrophic waters of Cyprus, is eager to expand its fishing area within the Akamas Marine Protected Area. The root cause of the problem is a lack of understanding of the importance of the Akamas Natura 2000 site not only to the local and national environment but also to the local and national economy.
AKTI has extensive experience in working with local stakeholders in the wider Paphos/Akamas area and in environmental awareness-raising in general. This experience has demonstrated that bridging the knowledge and awareness gap can have significant positive impacts in changing behaviors and supporting environmental protection actions. A notable example is the very recently launched by AKTI (June 2020) Fishing for Litter initiative in Paphos (the first in the Republic of Cyprus), under the name Seanergy, with the active and eager collaboration of the Paphos District Fishermen’s Union. These are the same fishermen that operate in the periphery of the Akamas Natura 2000 site!
Also through several other activities in the area (such as Blue Cafes, the MELTEMI project activities etc), for the last 10 years, AKTI has created a base of stakeholders that can act as a core group to spread the word that protecting Akamas as a precious MPA is a win win situation! Through this proposal, AKTI would like to build on the success of its activities in the Akamas Pensinsula and boost public engagement so as to have more stakeholders supporting the protection of Akamas Natura 2000 site.
This has been achieved through the organization and implementation of a series of awareness-raising activities, as follows:
✅ The organization of a hike in the Natura 2000 site and more specifically at Avakas Gorge
✅ The implementation of semi-structured interview, virtual and over the phone, with fishermen, NGOs, tour operators and educators in the area to identify the main bottlenecks as well as solutions on how the Akamas Marine Protected Area can become a significant asset for the economic prosperity of the area.
✅ A social media campaign on Natura 2000 and especially the Akamas site.
Το Νερό είναι στα Χέρια μας (Water is in our Hands)
A project in collaboration with Finish and Strovolos Municipality, aiming to reduce water use in Nicosia. The project is run in the area of Strovolos in Nicosia where businesses in the area are identified and visited to distribute a kit including water-reducing filters. These filters are installed in the businesses and the water usage documented over the period of a year. The aim of the project is to save 1 million litres of water in the area over the span of that year.