ELLINIKI ETAIREIA
Description of Elliniki Etairia

Osios Loukas near Delphi

The Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural Heritage was founded in 1972. It is a registered non profit organisation. The activities of the Society began in the early 1970s. These activities cover the whole of Greece and the Society draws on members from all over the country. The Secretariat is based in Athens. The Society not only has an office in Athens but also in Thessaloniki where since 1990 a fully fledged branch with an Executive Committee has been functioning.

The Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural Heritage aims to enhance the interest in Greek citizen in the values of their cultural heritage and natural heritage and to sensitize them to the importance of maintaining the ecological balance and in participating actively in the protection of the environment.

To achieve it aims and implement its activities, the Society depends entirely on the voluntary contributions of the expertise, work and experience of its members and friends.

1. The Protection of the Greek Cultural Heritage
2. Contribution to research for the protection of the natural environment
3. Campaigns to increase public awareness in matters pertaining to the protection of the environment
4. Environmental education – further education
5. International actions

Lake Prespes

The Society covers a wide range of actions such as:

- Proposals and monitoring of environmental policy and where needed, dynamic legal actions against arbitrary decision by resorting to the courts.
- Awareness campaigns, targeted to the public, youth, children and special groups.
- Co-operating with other NGOs, the public and private sectors in managing conservation areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
- Exhibitions.
- Publications and papers.
- Scientific meetings.
- Pilot projects for restorations of movable and non movable heritage, integrated management plans, etc.
- Awarding scholarships.
- The Society is a member of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), The NGO Federation of the European Union and Europa Nostra/IBI.

International Activities
EE actively participates in European and international environmental organisations, such as Europa Nostra, the Mediterranean Information Office, and the European Environmental Bureau.
• EE cooperates with the Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage, a 'sister' organisation in the United States, which took effective action with the result that the Mycenaean treasure from Aidonies was returned to Greece.
• EE together with the European Environmental Bureau founded the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE).
• EE actively participates in the ECOFORUM for the implementation of the Treaty of Aarhus on making environmental information available to citizens.
European Projects

Byzantium Early Islam

The Hellenic Society’s’ Thessaloniki Branch at the moment is the Coordinator of the Euromed Heritage III Project “Byzantium Early Islam” a Project aiming at the peaceful cooperation between scientists from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Cyprus and Turkey in order to broaden their scientific horizons and to examine the peaceful and common approach of the Eastern Mediterranean countries on the subjects of the maintenance and the promotion of the cultural heritage of the area.

The project comprises of six organizations coming from five different countries:

1. Elliniki Etairia – Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural Heritage (Thessaloniki Branch), GREECE.
2. Athens University – Research Institute of applied Communication, Laboratory of management and Promotion of Culture, GREECE.
3. Palestinian Mosaic Workshop-Committee for the Promotion of Tourism, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY.
4. Israeli Antiquities Authority, Conservation Department, ISRAEL.
5. Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), CYPRUS.
6. Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Ankara, TURKEY

Educational Programme: How much do we really care?

The four Sub-projects:

1. The further training of fifty heritage professional from Israel, Cyprus and the Palestinian Authority in diverse heritage sectors but also other economic activities to enhance the management and entrepreneurial skills.
2. Research activities to be carried out by the trainees relating to the safeguarding and preservation of heritage sites, monuments and objects and artefacts like sculptures, murals, ceramics and all kinds of historic objects of the Byzantine early Islamic period which are of historic and cultural importance.
3. Three distinct but interrelated groups of Inventories stemming from the research work comprising:
a. Experience in restoration and conservation practices in the region.
b. On government policies relating and effecting the heritage.
c. Inventory on Byzantine early Islamic culture and art.

In order for the trainees to develop their skills, carryout the research and create the inventories a case study has been chosen to act as a specific reference point upon which the work of the project will focus. This is the Kathisma archaeological site which is situated between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Kathisma was a Byzantine religious complex comprising a church and monastery that was decorated extensively with elaborate mosaics. The architectural style is very interesting as its shape seems to have been influenced by the Temple and to have itself influenced the architectural design of early Islam in their construction of the Dome of the Rock.

4. Awareness activities comprise the fourth and last sub-project. This comprises dissemination of the project’s results over the Internet, a publication that will include the research results, inventories and good practices on heritage management and conservation, and a conference where the project’s results will be discussed.

After the three years the partners will examine ways and means in which to continue working together and to exploit and implement the results of their work.

INTERREG III

The Society made a proposal on the frame of the European Project INTERREG III Greece- FYROM for the reconstruction and modernization and the reuse of the abandoned biological station at the lake of Prespes. At the end of October the proposal was approved.

Our Headquaters, Odos Tripodon, Athens

Tell Amarna

The Society participated in activities of the European Project for the conservation of the mosaics of the excavation of Tell Amarna in Syria.

Capacity to manage and implement projects - Experience with similar projects

In pursuing its activities, the Hellenic Society for the protection of the Environment and the Cultural Heritage depends on voluntary contributions from its members, but it has no steady income apart from subscriptions and donations made by its members and friends and small allowances by the Greek State or International Organizations for specific programmes.

Below is a sample selection of some of the most important activities of the society:

Objective: Greek national programme for the protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal
Location: Greece
Results: This is an on-going project begun in 1992 and is still current. The initial three year phase (1991-94) was the implementation of a major part of the National Strategy for the promotion of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, by formulating, promoting and executing a set of co-ordinated actions for the protections of the seals and their habitats. Working in collaboration with eight other NGOs and universities, The Hellenic Society, since 1995, has been responsible for the implementation of the measures of the management plan of the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades, which includes the functioning of the Park’s Biological Station and Documentation Centre for the Monk Seal.
Cost: 1200000 Euro
Donor: EC DG XI contribution (1992-94 period only : 900000 Euro). Donation from private individuals, and the Greek State

Objective: Restoration of the Classical House at 28 Tripodon Street, Plaka Athens to become the Head Quarters of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage
Location: Plaka, Athens, Greece
Results: The house is situated in Tripodon Street which has been well known since antiquity. The centuries are well represented in the house. At its back end (western), facing the Acropolis, is an ancient stone wall which, by permission o the Archaeological Services, was incorporated in the exhibition area. Near the wall, implanted in the rock are huge ancient storage jars and other relics. Byzantine sculptures and wall designs have been incorporated into the fabric of the house.
In it work, the restorers of the Society identified and documented five different building phases. Parts of the building belong to the pre-1821 revolution, important neo-classical phase dates from King Otto (circa 1840), while some features belong to the late neo-classical period. Another interesting feature is its ceilings which are covered with frescos and have been restored.
One justified in saying that this building, which has been inhabited until quite recently, constitutes a record of historical continuity and life in the city of Athens form classical time to now.
The Building functions as the Society’s Head Quarters. It is built on four levels (ground floor, first and second floors and pent-house). It covers an area of 750 square metres. There is a spacious patio which has been landscaped and suitably planted.
Cost: The cost of restoration came to 35 000 000 Drachma (102790 EURO). Donor: The house was bought and donated to the Hellenic Society. The money for restoration was raised through a fund raising campaign and from the members of the Society.

Objective: Expanding awareness in the cohesion countries of the use and potential of economic instruments for environmental protection (Mar 97-Sept 98)
Location: Greece and cohesion countries
Results: The project carried out research and gathered information on the subject of financial instruments for the environment and its past and current use in Greece, to disseminate relevant information and organize a workshop on the use of economic instruments in Greece.
Cost: 20000 euro
Donor: 13200 euro, rest from Partners (Dublin Univ) and from the Society.

Objective: Organization of a seminar on awareness raising on access to environmental information in Greece
Location: Greece
Results: awareness raising and social sectors on the right to have access to environmental information and sensitization of the public authorities on this issue. Organization of a seminar on Access to Environmental Information in Greece
Cost: 38370 Euro
Donor: DG XI 26860 – rest own resources

Objective: Long range study in water supply and demand in Europe
Location: Greece
Results: Prepared a long range study in water supply and demand in Greece and assessment of the driving factors in water supply and demand and the development of maximum demand scenarios until the year 2025.
Cost: 10000 Euro
Donor: International Centre for Water Studies

Projects of the other Partners:

Information on these activities is annexed (see Jericho workshop and Alchimia)

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, in the last five years has been involved in a whole series of documentaries. Including assistance in a thirty minute documentary which shows the work of the Society in restoring the historic vernacular buildings in the Sporades, how the heritage (natural and cultural) is being managed, and how the Monk Seal are being conserved.

Athens and Cyprus Universities are carrying out on-going course in restoration, conservation, archaeology, architecture, further training of professionals for much longer than five years. It is important here to note, that collaboration is already taking place with the Israeli Antiquities Department on the archaeological excavations and associated conservation, documentation and museum work on the Kathisma Religious complex, which will be one of the initial study/training sites.

Resources

The Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural Heritage, has two offices. One in Athens, which is the head quarters of the Society, and the other is in Thessaloniki from where the project will be co-ordinated from.

The Thessaloniki Office
The office in Thessaloniki, is quite a lot smaller that that in Athens
It employs three full-time staff – two secretaries and the Project Manger of this project.
It is equipped with telephone, fax, Internet and photocopy facilities.
Two computers.
To develop the co-ordination activities better, the current computer which is very old will be replaced. As the project’s life time is three years, and few computers survive that long, two new computers are to be purchased during the life time of the project.

The office is locates in a listed building. The Society uses two rooms. To carryout the project’s activities, the Society will take on an assistance manager who will specifically be in charge of monitoring, evaluation and also co-ordination activities.
For other vital services and tasks, the Thessaloniki office will draw on assistance from the Athens office – particularly regarding accounting/book-keeping.

The Thessaloniki office also manages up to 160 volunteers who are carrying out conservation and restoration activities.

The Athens Office

This will be used during the life time of the project as the seat of control by the Society of the various workshops planned to take place at the University of Athens. The Society will also consider using the facilities available at the Athens Office for specific training sessions and for meetings.

To repeat what was said above, The Building functions as the Society’s Head Quarters. It is built on four levels (ground floor, first and second floors and pent-house). It covers an area of 750 square meters. There is a spacious patio which has been landscaped and suitably planted.

The building is equipped with two modern computers with Internet access.
Large lecture room – space for 50 people.
Large meeting room capable of serving maximum 20 people;
Telephones, fax machine, photocopier
Various other rooms used for study purposes and for storing archives and materials
Number working full time: 5
Volunteers: 40

Grants, contracts or loans obtained during the last three years from European Institutions, the EDF or EU Member States