Greek exile island to turn 'green': minister Athens (AFP) March 19, 2009 A small Aegean island where Greek governments exiled their political opponents for decades will become the country's first "green energy" community, according to a pilot project presented on Thursday. "The purpose of the project is to create an island whose needs will be 100 percent covered by renewable energy sources," Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis told a news conference. The northern Aegean Sea island of Ai Stratis, which currently has fewer than 250 inhabitants, was selected because of its "controllable" energy requirements of 1,500 megawatt-hours per year, the minister said. Solar and wind energy and biomass fuel infrastructure will be introduced by the end of the year, Hatzidakis said. The initiative follows similar examples in Australia, Denmark and Norway. Ai Stratis was for decades one of several islands used by the Greek state as places of exile for thousands of political prisoners -- mostly suspected Communists. Today it is an isolated yet popular destination with travellers from Greece and abroad, and its population multiplies six-fold in summer. Its sole direct connection to the Greek mainland is an eight-hour ferry from the port of Lavrio near Athens. The island sustained serious damage in an 7.0-Richter earthquake in 1968. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links
Youth Corps to help keep California green Los Angeles (AFP) March 16, 2009 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday announced the creation of a youth environmental corps tasked with protecting California's verdant ecology, while training for future employment in the emerging "green economy." |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |