A.S.A.P., Active Skiathos Against Plastic bag, is a project which aims to radically reduce the single use plastic bags on Skiathos Island. It is based on an integrated, targeted, and continuous awareness-raising process that started in 2016 and has had an extremely positive reception by the local community, authorities, and businesses of the island. In the past 14 months, a wide range of awareness-raising activities took place including voluntary cleanups, environmental education and seminars for teachers, workshops, dissemination through media, distribution of cotton bags to all households on the island, street events, and a presentation to students by Manolis Loudaros, a famous kayak athlete, who shared his experience travelling the Greek seas with his kayak. Furthermore, the children of the island set the example for the rest of Greece during the first beach cleanup of the Clean Up the Med 2018 campaign that took place in Skiathos on April 19.
To give a positive finale to the ASAP initiative, students sailing in the boat Kalypso presented a play on marine litter which they created and made a promise never to use plastic bags again. The successful implementation of the initiative, which has achieved a significant engagement of the local community, is encouraging for the future actions of Mediterranean SOS Network that aim to change the island’s tourism practices towards a. environmentally friendlier tourism.
This initiative has been incredibly successful in engaging a large majority of the local community. In the future, this initiative hopes the Mediterranean SOS Network can shift the island’s tourism practices to be more environmentally-friendly.
For more information, contact:
Natalia Roumelioti, Mediterranean SOS Network (coasts@medsos.gr)
Mme Lucile Courtial, BeMed coordinator (contact@beyondplasticmed.org)
