Environmental Observations in Greece

 Hey fellow anthropologists!

    I recently went on a trip to Greece to visit family there. While I was there, I was surprised by the environmentally conscious actions that the people and businesses have adopted. I would like to share some examples, starting with this post and also to follow in future posts. 

I would like to talk about the reduction of commonly used plastic items, such as cups, straws, containers, and utensils. On a daily basis during the summer months, most Greek people drink an iced coffee called a Freddo, which is very similar to an iced espresso. Instead of using plastic, many Greek cafes use paper cups and paper straws, which is a much more sustainable and environmentally friendly solution. 

Here are two images showing the non-plastic materials used in Greece

  To put this into context, let's try and calculate how much plastic this solution saves. In 2019, Greece attracted over 30 million tourists, and let us assume each one of them has ten drinks at the minimum during their visit. 

That equates to over 300 million fewer plastic cups and straws.  

What does this number mean?  Let's run some numbers!

An empty plastic cup weighs around 44 grams and a plastic straw weighs as little as half a gram. 

So together that is about 45 grams. How much do 300 million cups weigh? If you multiply those numbers together and convert the resulting number to metric tons (1,000 kilograms/2,200 pounds) it comes out to nearly 13,500 tons. 

To put that in perspective an empty Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet weighs 181 tons.

So 13,500 tons of is the equivalent of nearly 75 empty 747-sized airplanes (the graphic below).  

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That is a LOT of plastic, just for tourists per year! 

    Greece is a small country with a population of nearly 10.7 million people, and if a country like this is able to implement such practices, all countries can.  I believe the environment and culture play a huge role in shaping the beliefs of a country. For instance, does the proximity to the sea and value of the sea to the country motivate Greek people's interest in reducing plastic use, or is it motivated by the society's want to keep their country and environment clean. 

Bringing that back to the topic of culture, environmental and sustainable choices have to start with the people within a society. Instilling the idea that people and their environment are one is deep rooted within cultural practices and perspectives. I do believe that there is a lot to learn through a cultural lens about how people can both positively and negatively impact the environment. 

If you also have any examples that you have witnessed, please share them!