Sustainability Matters for the Greek Tourism Ministry

Special recycling bins have been placed in selected areas of the Greek Tourism Ministry in Athens, an announcement said on Tuesday.

“The tourism ministry is changing habits… Sustainable tourism for the ministry is not just words, but means to take action,” the announcement read.

The recycling bins have been placed in common areas of the ministry where employees usually gather, such as the kitchen and meeting room. The areas have been marked with the message: “environmentally friendly workplace”.

According to the announcement, the placement of recycling bins is part of the ministry’s transition to the “NO Plastic” era and effort towards a more sustainable environment.

Under the message “Be the change you want to see in your environment”, the tourism ministry is launching an action program that will initially include a three-month awareness and training phase for employees and then see to its full transition to the new era.

At the same time, brochures with useful information on ways to reduce and eliminate single-use plastic products will be distributed to employees, while department heads and the cleaning staff will be informed about recycling options. Moreover, all of the ministry’s emails will be marked “Plastic Free Zone”.

“This way the Ministry sets the pace and passes the message of a new sustainable era – an era free of plastic, contributing in its own way to developing environmental awareness,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said.