Sustainable Aegean Programme in Athens

The Aegean Islands are places of rare beauty. Their unique landscapes, cultural heritage and environment are the driving force of their economic development which is centred on tourism, while simultaneously contributing to a special sense of identity and a high quality of life for the local communities. These unique landscapes are being sacrificed for short-term financial advantage through large-scale and small-scale real estate development. The Sustainable Aegean Programme is an awareness-raising campaign aimed at creating the conditions to ensure these islands have a sustainable future.

At its core rests a large-scale environmental education programme and the formation of a network of entrepreneurs, local authorities, academics, NGOs and active citizens living on the islands, who through their work contribute to sustainable development. In parallel, the organisation’s website provides the public with the necessary guides and tools for funding initiatives aimed at sustainable development and for protecting the environment and cultural heritage of the islands.

“The Jury appreciates the Programme’s pedagogic approach, while combining the mobilisation of the local population to protect its own heritage through ongoing initiatives that integrate aspects of environmental protection with controlled building development within the urban spaces and by creating an alternative dynamic for the regional economy.”