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Kevin, stories from the field!

It was really interesting to see what kind of waste was most common (pieces of fishing nets were most common and some bottle caps) on the beach and discussing where it is coming from and how the wind affects the trash on the beach. Also learning about nurdles was very interesting, which I had never heard of until reading the manual the night before!  

 

Kevin has studied archeology but also a trail runner – he has been willing to offer his services, being very efficient and “filotimos”, putting his soul in what he is doing! He is a nice young man with an impeccable character and a grandfather from Samos!

Kevin worked on both projects (Andros Routes, Clean Green Andros), following a weekly schedule with a detailed analysis of each day’s tasks. He followed the program faithfully, his presence was considered as very positive, but beyond this kind of evaluation that may sound sterile, Kevin and the team became friends to such an extent that the day he left the island they accompanied him excitedly on the boat.

In detail, during the days of his stay, he dealt with the following:
For the Andros Routes project:
—He participated actively and steadily in the construction of doors in Peter’s house-workshop, installed doors on paths 11, 11a, Arn1, 16 and 3 with volunteers (Route Angels) Gerard Krammer, Antonis Sassalos, Peter, Loek and Costa Ioannidis.
– Painted many signs of the network, such as on paths 15, 15a, 16, 9a, 6, 3, 14 while he participated in maintenance hikes of paths 3, part 6, part 14, 11a, 11, 15 and Arn1 (Arni circular ) and in the hiking care of the route Maps circular Cha1.

For the project Clean, Green Andros:
—Kevin collected plastic waste and nurdles on beaches and on paths, such as in the stream bed that runs through the Arn1 (Arni Circular), he learned a lot about the Recycling System in Andros. It is no exaggeration to say that apart from the civil servants and the recycling workers, Kevin knows every recycling bin on the island!

“It was really interesting to see what kind of waste was most common (pieces of fishing nets were most common and some bottle caps) on the beach and discussing where it is coming from and how the wind affects the trash on the beach. Also learning about nurdles was very interesting, which I had never heard of until reading the manual the night before!  “

Kevin, as a mountain runner he made special mention of the well-kept signage and well-maintained trails.
He also mentioned that Andros recycling system works more efficiently than that of his hometown, Washington DC!

 

Suzie in Andros!
Cyclades Preservation Fund

Welcome Suzie in Andros!

She is from the UK, a Greek island lover already, she has spent time in Naxos last year –  volunteering for the animal welfare association and now she is back in Cyclades to become a Green Volunteer – among others.

 

Number 37 on my list of things to do before I turn 50 is to help clear plastic from the ocean, so we are delighted to support her to reduce the plastic in Andros island! 

 

On her first days, she met the team and was given an overview of the projects, challenges and goals of the organization. A short path walk to discover the acorns and see what path maintenance actually could mean (fences fixing or signs painting etc). She loves walking the paths and getting to know about the trees n flowers around. Nurdle hunts and beach clean ups followed by Suzie making her a precious contributor in a Clean Andros! She has developed already a lot of ideas and suggestions on these and other issues coming up by her skills and experience.

Despite the English rainy weather one day.. she managed to see the rainbow! She was also invited in a birthday party of a team member and she really enjoyed, immersing into the local culture this way as well.   

Let’s follow her adventure and learn more about Suzie and her volunteer activity!

IMG-20210916-WA0010
Cyclades Preservation Fund

Welcome Kevin, the first Cyclades Green Volunteer!

Kevin has travelled from far away to volunteer in Andros island and become our first Cyclades Green Volunteer, empowered by the Cyclades Preservation Fund in collaboration with the Andros Research Center and supported by the British Embassy in Athens.

We prepared a nice welcome for him, we arranged to meet many members of the team and we all introduced ourselves. Kevin was given an introduction to the two initiatives, Andros Routes and Clean Green Andros, as well as a manual with more detailed information about the two organizations and the work that I will be doing while on Andros. We discussed his schedule for the first week.

After the introduction meeting, we went on a short hike through Agios Petros village – where we got a quick look at painting the sign-posts and then walked around the village, drank from the spring, and visited the tower. After having a fresh lemonade back in Gavrio, we went for a short swim before a few of us had a seafood dinner at the end of this first welcome day.

“From the very beginning everyone was super welcoming and excited to have me here which was really wonderful. I genuinely felt valued and could see the effort that went into planning my time here. I felt like I got quite a good idea of what I would be doing while I am here but was also made to feel comfortable with communicating any needs I had/will have”, Kevin said and we were all more than excited to host him in the Cyclades!

 

Within the next days, Kevin will get a deeper look into Andros environmental focused projects as well as into the culture and local community. Stay tuned!

Would you like to become the next Cyclades Green volunteer? Choose your own adventure and apply! https://greenvolunteers.cycladespreservationfund.org/volunteer-positions/

Follow Kevin’s stories on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cycladesgreenvolunteers/