Green Initiatives
Sustainability Statement
CIS Abroad is dedicated to promoting and enacting sustainability initiatives. We believe that by doing our part in educating our participants and employees on green measures we can help keep the Earth around us clean. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that CIS Abroad has formed a sustainability committee known as “Green Flags.” We are joining many other organizations in the education abroad field who are working to prioritize sustainability and climate action in our operations and programming abroad. Learn more about it here!
Living Green
Recycling
Living sustainably in Athens involves adopting eco-friendly practices that contribute to the city's environmental well-being. One can start by actively participating in the city's recycling programs, ensuring that plastics, glass, and paper products are separated and properly disposed of. Athens has 3 different types of recycling: natural waste such as food is disposed of in brown bins, recyclable waste like glass, aluminum or plastic in blue bins and all other non-recyclable and non-natural waste goes to green bins. Every street in Athens is equipped with those bins so you will probably not find them right below your apartment but will have to walk a short distance to the nearest ones.
Shopping
The city's inhabitance embrace reusable grocery bags as a simple but impactful way to reduce plastic waste and its negative impact on the environment. Although there is the option to use a biodegradable bag at grocery stores, buying a reusable one for something less than a euro in most cases is the most sustainable and eco-friendly choice.
Another conscious sustainability choice is purchasing clothes secondhand. Exploring the city's numerous secondhand shops not only supports the local economy but also helps extend the lifecycle of clothing items, reducing the demand for fast fashion.
Water and Electricity Consumption
Taking shorter showers at home can help conserve water, an essential resource, without compromising personal hygiene. The same applies when using electric appliances by opting to plug them off when not in use and switch off all the lights in rooms you are not using. By integrating these simple and sustainable habits into daily life, residents and visitors alike can play a vital role in preserving Athens’ natural beauty and fostering a greener future for the city.
Public Transportation
Athens has employed a Green bus policy for several years now, using electric buses instead of regular ones and the army of those buses keeps increasing. The tram is also an eco-friendly option to move around Athens as it covers distances from the center of Athens to the south parts of the city.