The program at a glance
Cyclades Green Volunteers is a programme enabling interested active citizens to engage with local environmental protection efforts in the Cyclades islands in Greece.
The programme provides basic online trainings in English about ecological issues in the Cyclades, giving practical action suggestions for anyone visiting or living in the Cyclades to serve the preservation of Cycladic nature.
Visitors and residents are invited to become volunteers through small or big actions that support local champions and organisations who in turn share their experience and wisdom through the series of webinars we hosted this spring. Recordings are available by entering a password which you recieve through a simple registration process.
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Webinar themes:
Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF)
The Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) was established in the autumn of 2017 to support sustainable initiatives and to promote the preservation of the exceptional beauty and natural value of the Cyclades, Greece. Initially established as a UK based Charity, the CPF is now (since July 2021) a Greek Non-profit association.
The CPF focuses on developing from the bottom up and on empowering the local communities. We are here to listen and help the people of the Cycladic islands with initiatives that they themselves are starting, as well as to offer capacity when and where needed; we believe that enabling local resources can make a strong positive impact and bring about serious long lasting change.
We raise funds, from individuals and businesses that care about the Cycladic Islands’ future, to support conservation projects of local entities, as well as to run campaigns and educational activities. In 5 years, more than 400,000 euros have been invested in 65+ environmental initiatives in collaboration with more than 40 local partners in 20 Cycladic islands, and there is still much work to be done. We ensure funds are directed appropriately, supporting the most effective preservation projects and campaigns.
See the local projects that we support here and the local programmes that we coordinate here.
Some examples of the inspirational projects CPF supports include:
Protecting and rehabilitating the most vulnerable of our wild species like sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins, and rare hawks by providing necessary tools to the experts
Tackling plastic pollution using innovative solutions such as an award-winning ‘sea-bin’ for ports and marinas, a marine litter station for used fishing nets, and a small-scale recycling centre designed to promote a circular economy.
Supporting the marine economy and environment by encouraging local fishermen to arrange fishing trips for tourists, promoting the consumption of alien invasive species, reducing the pressure on fish stocks, and promoting sustainable fishing practises.
Regenerating the fragile local ecosystems, to prevent erosion as well as revegetate and enhance biodiversity in particularly degraded areas
The idea to give the necessary resources to interested visitors and seasonal residents of the Cyclades in order for them to become volunteers for the protection and sustainable management of the natural environment in the Cyclades has been CPFs vision since the beginning.
With more experience and understanding of the needs of our partner organisations it has become clear there is – on one hand – a need for committed volunteers to make their long-term efforts a reality and allow local initiatives to grow and – on the other hand – a need for more informed visitors and residents, about how they can support local initiatives and protect the natural environment by making the right choices when it matters the most.
We celebrate
Greek – British solidarity
Therefore, the crucial objective of this ‘Cyclades Green Volunteers’ Program, which is financially supported by the British Embassy Athens, is to provide resources and assistance to equip everyone to support Cycladic nature preservation.
This web based volunteer-training program will continue supporting and empowering local efforts for environmental preservation, while offering ecologically relevant know-how and action guidelines for eager friends of the Cyclades to contribute to vital causes.
Finally, we are honoured to encourage the volunteer and active citizen spirit and celebrate solidarity in service of natural life support systems and cultural wealth that we collectively contribute to to thrive. So, in closing, I would like once more to thank our local partners for their trust and excellent collaboration.
They are the best ambassadors for what can be achieved through sheer energy, passion, and drive!
British Embassy Athens
The "Cyclades Green Volunteers" project forms part of the British Embassy Athens programme formed originally to celebratethe bicentenary of the Greek Revolution, marking Britain's contribution to the Greek Struggle, but also looks to the future of the bilateral relationship. Resilience is at the heart of our programme - alongside the guiding spirit of the Philhellenes: volunteerism.
We want to channel that spirit of activism and personal responsibility into direct action to tackle today’s shared challenges. We will be working to develop capacity and capability in today’s UK and Greek not-for-profit and voluntary sectors, training future leaders, and bringing Greeks and Britons together on Greek soil, to work for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
The spirit of 1821 called us to cooperate again on the major crises we must tackle together today, climate change and recovery from the pandemic.
