Despite the negative national situation, some people persist in dreaming and bringing us “green” positive energy from places far away. On the occasion of “World Environment Day”, the NGO Green Project (GP) gave a press conference about its mission to Africa in 2010, at the Athenaeum InterContinental on 31.5.2011.
After the implementation in 2008, of the “Green Project in Asia: Athens-Beijing from the Silk Roads to the Roads of Energy”, GP during 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, carried out the traveling “Green Project in Africa: Athens-Cape Town from the roads of water to the roads of energy”. The 21-member GP team covered 17,500 km (and 400 nautical miles) of the impassable African waterways in small displacement cars for the first time in the world. He arrived in Cape Town in 55 days, crossing 12 countries: Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. GP sought to highlight the importance of local traditional energy knowledge and modern renewable energy sources (RES) in addressing energy poverty and optimal water management. Particular attention was paid to the work of UNESCO, UNDP, UNEP, the European Union and Actionaid. 40 small RES and energy toys were donated and 20 water samples were collected which were analyzed and found to be generally free of contaminants. Also, 30 interviews were conducted and 64 points of “green interest” were recorded in 60,000 photos and 50 hours of HD video.
The event, which was held with great success, was prefaced by the MPs of PASOK and ND, Mrs. M. Tsoklis and D. Avgerinopoulou, respectively, and the president of UNESCO Greece, Ms. A. Tzitzikosta. He shared a heartfelt greeting from PASOK MEP Mr. Kriton Arsenis. Among others, the representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria, His Holiness Mr. Isidoros, the attachés of the embassies of Egypt and South Africa Ms. Osman and Mr. J. Oberholzer respectively, the Deputy Mayor of Athens, Angeliki Antonopoulou, as well as a large number of people attended. Mrs. Tsokli spoke of her absolute support with GP for the development of “energy tourism” and reiterated both her and GP’s firm position on the immediate need to involve artists in the redefinition of renewable energy sources as works of art. Mrs. Avgerinopoulou underlined her full support for the work of the GP to promote an autonomous model of sustainable development in Africa, in the context of the creation of a “World Environment Organization”. Finally, Mrs. Tzitzikosta emphasized the international importance and global originality of the GP initiative, which promotes in practice UNESCO’s political priority of removing the exclusion of African women and eradicating energy poverty. For this reason, he invited GP to present her work at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
GP is a non-profit organization, which was founded in 2008 by the voluntary initiative of active citizens, scientists and artists to carry out “green art & science treks”, with the aim of awakening environmental consciousness through artistic creation. GP is under the auspices of UNESCO and has won the “Grand Prize for International Participation” of the “Festival de l’ Image Environnementale 2010” in Paris, France and the “Third Prize for the Clean Development Mechanism” of the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010” in Cancun, Mexico. Since 2011, GP has partnered with Gnomon Events to organize regular “green art & science treks”, with the aim of providing energy education and assistance to local communities. For the second half of 2011, 2 to 5 day trips are planned in Greece. In 2012, the “Green Project in Europe” will take place, while for 2014, the “Green Project in South America” is being planned together with Ms. Tsoklis. You can register your participation in “Green Net” at info@green-project.org
The 21 members of the GP mission in Africa:
ANAGNOSTOPOULOS THEODOROS, Dr. Biologist, general secretary GP
ANAGNOSTOPOULOS CHRISTOS, Operator
ANDRIANOPOULOS TELEMACHOS, Architect
VARDAS KONSTANTINOS, Professor
VIDALAKI MANIA Clinician, psychologist
GRISSIN MARINA, Environmentalist
DIMITRIOU KATERINA, Lawyer
EVANGELISTIS DIONYSIS, Archaeologist
ZAFIROPOULOU SIMONI Executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, internationalist, photographer
KALAFATI DAFNI Director, documentary producer, Save Frag
KARVELAS GIORGOS, Operator
LASDAS GIORGOS, Engineer
IOANNA LEMONI, Public Relations, Goulandris Museum of Natural History
MERINOPOULOS CHRISTOS, Engineer
MICHALOUDIS YIANNIS, Visual artist
BAKOLI OLGA, DESFA Engineer
PATSOURAKI EVDOXIA, Economist
Press Release 31.5.2011: Green positive energy from the black continent The results of the Green Project in Africa
Despite the negative national situation, some people persist in dreaming and bringing us “green” positive energy from places far away. On the occasion of “World Environment Day”, the NGO Green Project (GP) gave a press conference about its mission to Africa in 2010, at the Athenaeum InterContinental on 31.5.2011.
After the implementation in 2008, of the “Green Project in Asia: Athens-Beijing from the Silk Roads to the Roads of Energy”, GP during 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, carried out the traveling “Green Project in Africa: Athens-Cape Town from the roads of water to the roads of energy”. The 21-member GP team covered 17,500 km (and 400 nautical miles) of the impassable African waterways in small displacement cars for the first time in the world. He arrived in Cape Town in 55 days, crossing 12 countries: Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. GP sought to highlight the importance of local traditional energy knowledge and modern renewable energy sources (RES) in addressing energy poverty and optimal water management. Particular attention was paid to the work of UNESCO, UNDP, UNEP, the European Union and Actionaid. 40 small RES and energy toys were donated and 20 water samples were collected which were analyzed and found to be generally free of contaminants. Also, 30 interviews were conducted and 64 points of “green interest” were recorded in 60,000 photos and 50 hours of HD video.
The event, which was held with great success, was prefaced by the MPs of PASOK and ND, Mrs. M. Tsoklis and D. Avgerinopoulou, respectively, and the president of UNESCO Greece, Ms. A. Tzitzikosta. He shared a heartfelt greeting from PASOK MEP Mr. Kriton Arsenis. Among others, the representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria, His Holiness Mr. Isidoros, the attachés of the embassies of Egypt and South Africa Ms. Osman and Mr. J. Oberholzer respectively, the Deputy Mayor of Athens, Angeliki Antonopoulou, as well as a large number of people attended. Mrs. Tsokli spoke of her absolute support with GP for the development of “energy tourism” and reiterated both her and GP’s firm position on the immediate need to involve artists in the redefinition of renewable energy sources as works of art. Mrs. Avgerinopoulou underlined her full support for the work of the GP to promote an autonomous model of sustainable development in Africa, in the context of the creation of a “World Environment Organization”. Finally, Mrs. Tzitzikosta emphasized the international importance and global originality of the GP initiative, which promotes in practice UNESCO’s political priority of removing the exclusion of African women and eradicating energy poverty. For this reason, he invited GP to present her work at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
GP is a non-profit organization, which was founded in 2008 by the voluntary initiative of active citizens, scientists and artists to carry out “green art & science treks”, with the aim of awakening environmental consciousness through artistic creation. GP is under the auspices of UNESCO and has won the “Grand Prize for International Participation” of the “Festival de l’ Image Environnementale 2010” in Paris, France and the “Third Prize for the Clean Development Mechanism” of the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010” in Cancun, Mexico. Since 2011, GP has partnered with Gnomon Events to organize regular “green art & science treks”, with the aim of providing energy education and assistance to local communities. For the second half of 2011, 2 to 5 day trips are planned in Greece. In 2012, the “Green Project in Europe” will take place, while for 2014, the “Green Project in South America” is being planned together with Ms. Tsoklis. You can register your participation in “Green Net” at info@green-project.org
The 21 members of the GP mission in Africa:
ANAGNOSTOPOULOS THEODOROS, Dr. Biologist, general secretary GP
ANAGNOSTOPOULOS CHRISTOS, Operator
ANDRIANOPOULOS TELEMACHOS, Architect
VARDAS KONSTANTINOS, Professor
VIDALAKI MANIA Clinician, psychologist
GRISSIN MARINA, Environmentalist
DIMITRIOU KATERINA, Lawyer
EVANGELISTIS DIONYSIS, Archaeologist
ZAFIROPOULOU SIMONI Executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, internationalist, photographer
KALAFATI DAFNI Director, documentary producer, Save Frag
KARVELAS GIORGOS, Operator
LASDAS GIORGOS, Engineer
IOANNA LEMONI, Public Relations, Goulandris Museum of Natural History
MERINOPOULOS CHRISTOS, Engineer
MICHALOUDIS YIANNIS, Visual artist
BAKOLI OLGA, DESFA Engineer
PATSOURAKI EVDOXIA, Economist