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HERSONISSOS CAMPAIGN FOR
SEAFRONT CLEAN UP
With the slogan
“Clean the Mediterranean”, Hersonissos
participated in the pan-Mediterranean cleanup operation of beaches and
seafront.
The Italian
environmental organization, Legambiente, has organized this action since
1995, and Hersonissos has been participating for the past eight years. This
action has been supported by the Italian government, the European Union and
the United Nations.
Volunteer residents, the township’s
schools, local associations, the Hersonissos harbor police and three
Hersonissos scuba diving schools joined in the event.
In addition to the cleaning of the
seafront, several lectures and children’s environmental activities took
place.
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HIGH SCHOOL KIDS
TALK TOURISM
With the motto “Tourism Is Not Only Sea and Sun,” students at Hersonissos’ General High School
participated in a program called “Kallisto,” which consisted of open
environmental classes, and the proposal of “natural environment and
alternative tourism.”
During an event
organized by the students, they presented the effort they made in order to
sensitize local residents on environmental issues.
The program
coordinator and the participating teachers underlined the objectives of the
program and stressed that it was an effort designed to enable the students
to develop sensitivity toward the environment.
Also, it was
meant to show that tourism growth marks an occasion to upgrade the natural
environment of tourist areas, while improving the quality of life for the
local residents at the same time.
The children were asked to ponder
issues such as the continuously downgrading of the quality of tourism and
environment in their region; the intense seasonal tourism of particular
areas, and the fact that tourism is not a one-dimensional mass produced
activity (sea, sun, and evening entertainment etc), but that it is important
to develop creative alternative activities to occupy and entertain the
tourists.
The participating
students went on a six-day environmental excursion to the mainland
mountainous regions of Achaia and Nafpactos, two areas of natural beauty
where they experienced alternative activities and a type of tourism
development different from their own area.
Besides visiting all the nature interest points, such as the cave of the
three lakes, the Helmos skiing center, the Monastery of the Big Cave, the
Vouraikos gorge, and others, they also got involved in activities like snow
slice, and adventure games on the banks of the Vouraikos river, trekking,
mountain biking, archery, riding and paint ball.
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