ELLINIKI ETAIREIA
Who we are

Our Headquaters, Odos Tripodon, Athens

Since 1972, Elliniki Etaireia (EE) has been active protecting Greece's environmental and cultural heritage.

EE's neoclassical house is situated two minutes from the Acropolis Metro Station at Tripodon 28, Plaka, Athens.

Enjoy lunch at the clubhouse on the ground floor / courtyard for EE's friends, visit our shop with environmental and cultural gifts, games and books, or simply come and meet us to find out more about EE. Opening times weekdays 11am to 6pm.

For more information, or to become a friend, write to us on elet@ellinikietairia.gr or contact us on + 30 210 3226693 / 3225245, Fax: + 30 210 3225240.

There follows a summary of EE's main activities in English.

EE's objectives are:

• The development of environmental policy.
• Promoting environmental awareness in Greece.
• Safeguarding sites of outstanding environmental and cultural significance.
• Safeguarding tradition settlements, restoring monuments.

For the Preservation of Greece's Architectural Heritage EE:

Osios Loukas near Delphi

• Proposes and oversees the restoration of endangered monuments, such as Nea Moni in Chios, the Refectory of Osios Loukas, the Church of Agios Georgios in Paleohora - Aigina.
• Cares for the protection of traditional settlements by developing programmes such as that for the Old Town of Xanthi and the Architectural Advisory Office, which operated in the Cyclades for 5 years.
• Studies and makes proposals for protective legislation, particularly in respect of land use planning, with the objective of improving the quality of life.
• Has created an infrastructure of restoration specialists in Greece by granting yearly scholarships for postgraduate studies in architectural conservation.
• Mobilises and stimulates public awareness to avert disasters such as those of Archive, Hydra and Marathon.
• Continues, with the help of citizens active in its Local Committees, to provide the lead for the rescue of the Plaka district of Athens, the Philopappou and elsewhere.

Activities in this sector are coordinated by the Council for the Architectural Heritage of Greece.

To Stimulate Public Awareness EE:

• Has helped rescue some of the most important sites in Greece, such as Delphi, Pylos, the southern shore of the Saronic Gulf, and prevented the construction of many public works detrimental to the environment. It campaigned for the protection of Marathon, as a historical landmark and one of the most important natural habitats in Attica.
• Organised the first detailed public opinion survey on the "Environmental Conscience of the Greeks" (2001).
• Publishes articles and book, such as "Elafropatita" (2002) on how to adopt, in our everyday life, practices which are environmentally friendly.
• Launches campaigns to enlighten public opinion on environmental issues.
• Is presently conducting a campaign for environmental fiscal reform with the objective of incorporating the cost of environmental conservation in market prices, as illustrated in EE' publication "Making Taxes Work for the Environment" (available in English).
• Researches and proposes changes to Greece's statutes and regulations concerning the environment and issues of cultural heritage.

Activities in this sector are coordinated by the Council for Communications and the Council for Institutional Structures..

For the Protection of Nature EE:

Lake Prespes

• Carried out and / or participated in a series of administrative and research programmes in many regions, such as the National Forest of Prespes, the Gulf of Eleusis, the National Aquatic Park of Alonnisos-North Sporades and the Amvrakic Gulf.
• Coordinated the National Programme for the Protection of the Mediterranean Seal (1991-1995), organising activities in many Greek islands with the participation of groups from other non-governmental organisations.
• Built, equipped and operated the Biological Station at Prespes (1975) and was responsible for outfitting the Biological Station at the National Aquatic Park of Alonnisos-North Sporades.
• Implemented the programme "1000 Communities for the European Environment" in Greece (1990), on of the first environmental programmes targeted towards Local Government.
• Coordinated the first programme for the formulation of a National Strategy to protect the Natural Environment of Greece (1993).
• Promotes issues dealing with environmental policies, such as the right to information on the environment, the uses of financial tools for the protection of the environment and, in cooperation with the University of Athens, on environmental archaeology.
• Fights for the protection of ecosystems and bio lands in various parts of the country. To this end, and in cooperation with other non-governmental organisations, EE has often appealed to the Council of State, as in the case of the proposed diversion of the course of the Acheloos River.
• Cooperates with the ecological farm AMFIKAIA for the preservation of a number of endangered species of Greek horses.
• Sponsors and publicises specialised studies, and organises public debates, in water management.

Activities in this sector are coordinated by the Council for the Natural Environment.

Educational Programme: How much do we really care?

For Environmental Education EE:

• Develops educational programmes for the environment with the participation of educators from all over the country.
• Manages in Greece and Cyprus two elementary school networks "The Seedling, Source of Life" and "Naftilos Travels".
• Designs and publishes educational materials such as the 'tool kit' "Education on the Environment for Sustainable Cities", and, in cooperation with the Mediterranean Information Office, "Water in the Mediterranean Basin".
• Organises conferences and ecological summer camps.
• Participates in European programmes, such as Commenius.

Activities in this sector are coordinated by the Council for Environmental Education.

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.

EE is active throughout Greece with a wide network of friends and members. There is an office in Thessaloniki, while Local Chapters of members have been formed in various towns both on the mainland and in the islands.

EE in the Press

The English language newspapers of Greece have written extensively about EE's work:

The Athens News maintained (29 November 2002) "in the last three decades EE has become one of the most effective forces for conservation in Greece, credited with successfully spearheading campaigns that have included the preservation of Prespa lakes and the establishment of research centres there, preserving and revitalising Athens' old quarter in Plaka, halting construction of a chemical plant at Delphi and bringing international attention to the Olympic construction on the historic plain of Marathon."

Kathimerini-Herald Tribune has reported EE's work extensively, especially EE's proposed environmental fiscal reforms (13 November 2002). Kathimerini-Herald Tribune argued "EE's work is hardly restricted to the capital alone. It has succeeded in preserving locations of architectural and natural significance such as Delphi, Arahova and Pylos, and is now campaigning for the protection of Hydra, the southern Saronic Gulf islands and the historic site at Marathon from encroaching commercialism."

In 2002 EE was singled out by the Athens Academy for its work preserving Greece's environment and cultural heritage.