Information about the sustainability..

Dedicated to anyone, who really cares for a sustainable future!!

Summer 2023,

August, 

Thessaloniki, North Greece.

Heatwave for many days.

Two good friends, students from the ninth grade, have been longing to visit the forest of Dadia protected by WWF and NATURA, because they had read about its uniqueness. 

For a few weeks now, they have been begging their parents to let them make their visit and live this magical experience. 

Besides, they could only make this trip now, since it was summer, an ideal time for nature tours and most importantly they were on vacation.

This forest is located in the region of Evros in north-east Greece.

 Its flora is impressive with huge oak, pine and beech trees to cover the area.

 Its fauna is even more abundant, since it hosts many predatory birds and animals.

Actually, Dadia is the only forest in Europe where you can observe 3 out of 4 different European types of vultures 

(Egyptian vulture, Gyps Fulvus, Aegypius monachus).

One day, their parents gave in and the two girlfriends started talking about their preparation.

 Maria: The day we have been waiting for so long has finally come!

Georgia: I'm so excited! I can't wait to explore the forest!

Maria: We need to start preparing our equipment this afternoon. But what should we get?

Georgia: It's a sure thing that we need to pack climbing shoes to hike easily. Also, it would be a great idea to wear comfortable clothes, so that we can move freely, such as a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.

Maria: Ahhh! We should take some bottles of water, something to eat and a hat, because the heatwave that has hit our country will continue and of course put on sunscreen.

Georgia: Great! I will take a compass with me and a GPS so we don't get lost.

Maria: Perfect, I believe with all this equipment we will be fully prepared. 

Georgia: Let's go to sleep so we can be rested for tomorrow.

The next day, the two girls met up at the station, to get the train destined for Evros.

Four hours later, they finally arrived. 

Once they joined the team with the rest of the visitors, the exploration started immediately.

Walking in nature, Georgia tells Maria.

Georgia: Would you like   us to separate from the group for a while and go to the observatory to see the vultures?

Ι finally want to observe the black vulture, the emblem of the forest, which we have read so much about it !!!

Maria: What a wonderful idea! Let’s go, is going to be a unique experience!!

The two girls, arriving to the observatory, were enchanted by the breathtaking image of nature.

Then, Maria tells Georgia: I will stay here for a while to observe the raptors. Look, how they get close to the bird feeder?

Georgia; Alright then, while you observe, I will go gather flowers to put in a vase, when we get back to our house.

Georgia didn’t go far, before Maria noticed from the telescope that there was some smoke far away!

Chapter two

When they noticed that the forest was

on flames, they rushed panicked, trying

to find the rest of the group.

They didn’t even dare to look 

back.

Τhey just kept walking ahead, passing

by dozens of tall trees, which they knew

they would soon turn into ashes.

Georgia (upset): 

We have to find the

 rest of the group to

 inform them about

 the fire!!

Fortunately, very soon they were located in a 

place where the fire had not yet reached. 

A blonde guy, Ares, the group leader, guided

 us   with safety to the center of the shelter. 

When he made sure that all of us were safe, 

he advised us to get away from the shelter,

 just in case.

Maria (worried):  Quickly, book our return

 tickets to Thessaloniki and I will inform our

 parents about this.

 On the way back, inside the bus, still worried

 about this tragic event, we couldn’t get the

 picture of the flame out of our minds.

The events have evolved as fast as a lighting. We might not have  been able to keep every detail, but we remembered the basics.

 It was a frightening view.

 A literal  nightmare. 

The sky had taken an intense yellow tint, which collided harmoniously with the dark color of smoke.

 Everything around us had turned into ashes, without a single leaf to be left behind.

The sound of sizzling and the smell of burning wood used to be associated with pleasant memories, when someone was cooking on the grill.

 While now, only images of fire and high temperatures will be brought in mind, where you can hardly stand upright, while smoke makes vision and breathing difficult.

To occupy our minds we decided not to talk about it again and use our phones as a distraction.

However, this did not help much as the tragic fire that had broken out in the forest of Dadia was the main topic of all the news.

 Unfortunately, there was no information on how the fire had started, only on its developments.

One week later…

The fire continues to burn uncontrollably the woods, despite the heroic efforts of the firefighters. 

The whole country, Greece, is trying to help by sending the essentials to the fire victims.

The same afternoon, we met in the neighborhood park  and started discussing the incident that shocked all the Greek population.

Georgia:  How is it possible for a fire to burst so quickly? Do you think it was arson? 

Maria: I can’t imagine such a thing! Who could willfully destroy such magnificent natural beauty? 

Georgia: We cannot draw arbitrary conclusions before doing further research.  Our information for now is incomplete. 

So, in order to gain access to more and reliable information, we went  to Maria’s house and decided to look for information online.

 A number of theories had been put forward as to the cause of the fire, but the theory of climate change prevailed. 

Maria (confused): What is climate change? How could it cause such tragedy?

Georgia: Maria! Look what it says here, on the official website of the European Union!

It says that climate change is the phenomenon created, when human activity gradually affects the Earth’s climate adding huge amounts of Greenhouse gases to those required naturally in the atmosphere.

It also says that climate change is an urgent threat to our planet.

Maria: I just remembered that the temperature of the planet has been increased, because of the climate change, a fact that will have long-term serious effects, even irreversible consequences for our environment and society.

Georgia (worried, anxious):  

That sounds terrifying!!

After all, those things that we have been learning in the environmental program of our school, about the global goals for sustainable development and mostly for the goal which is referred to the climate action, must be understood by everyone.,,

Additionally, all have to take action in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to use renewable energy sources and first of all we and our peers to our school (fourth  Junior High School of Sykies)

Georgia: Maria, what does it say for the alive animals?

 What happened to them?

 Did they manage to leave? 

Will they get a chance to come back next year to live in the forest at a time when the ecosystem of mainly black pine but also of beech and oak has been lost? 

Or the environment will seem so unfriendly and strange to them? 

Please, let’s look and for that.

The fire burns for the 15th day!! 

The girls continue their searches and are constantly updated. 

 This is the only thing that monopolizes their interests. 

Ιn all of mass media, there are intensive questions asked about the different types of birds that have been found in forest of Dadia (this meeting point of 3 continents) and about the 36 kinds of predators, that are active during the day that resides there and obviously how they end up. 

Most of the news are disappointing..!!

Maria and Georgia.. Exhausted because of the constant search, mentally drained.. Waiting for some solution... drifted to sleep.

Then, something happened, that none of them expected.

 In their dream, through α thick fog, a woman appears with divine form.

 On her head she is wearing a wreath, made of wheat and a dress with the colors of the forest. 

(In their dream)

Unknown woman (she holds out her hands): Girls, take my hands and come with me.

The two girls grab her arms and they trust her to lead them where she desires. Suddenly, their feet rise up from the ground and shocked, but also thrilled, start to fly.

They float over all the forests from the mainland of Greece. 

Unknown woman: Girls, are you aware that the forests, in a global level, cover 30% of the earth’s surface and that 1.5 billion people depend on them for their livelihood?

Do you also know that the forests are refuge for more than 80% of all the land animals, plants and insects? 

And that they hold the key for the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity?

Soon after, they arrived on top of the burning forest of Dadia and tears started pouring out of their eyes from the sight of this unique destruction.

 58% of the forest had been burned! 

Ashes...corpses of animals..

 apocaids...composed the scenery.. 

The situation was tragic!

Besides, the fire burns for the 16th day! 

At that moment, the unknown woman reveals her identity.

 Unknown woman: Girls, the time has come for me to tell you who I truly am!

The two girls (excited):  Of course we know your identity!!! 

We are taught about all the Olympian Gods in school.

But ..We didn’t believe that you were REAL!!

 Goddess Demeter: I know. But in order to find a solution you need to actually believe in me. 

Maria: We believe in you! 

Georgia: Help us prevent this destruction!

 Goddess Demeter: I will help you, besides, that is the reason why I came to you! 

 But, you both have to promise me something..

 You will find a way to inform as many as     possible about the protection of the     environment.

 First of all, about the achievement for the climate action, as well as about the global goal for the life on land, so as to ensure the preservation of the mountain ecosystems  of the planet  until 2030. 

The two girls: It’s a deal! 

You are our superheroine!!!

Then, the goddess brought the rainy clouds and put out the flames!!! 

Afterwards, she returned the two girls to their beds!

While she   was saying her farewells to the girls, she received a call from someone... from Spain..

A big problem had appeared!

They need her help..

Chapter four

In Spain

Autum 2023,

October, 

Oviedo, North Spain.

There was a noticeably big problem in Spain, and nobody knew what was happening.

Who could help us? Suddenly, a famous mythology figure in Spain, more concisely from Asturias, appeared and offered us his help: "the home Marin"

Against all odds, this very well-known creature from Asturian mythology, “El home Marín", would discover what was happening. 

With his body covered in scales, his hair formed by seaweed and powerful legs, he explored the coastline of the entire territory, ending up discovering what the problem was.

Every beach and river was full of plastic and waste!  

But the problem continued increasing: the water was beginning to look poisoned with a disgusting green dark colour, marine creatures were dying without control and there was not any habitable water, because nobody cared about keeping the seas clean. 

“El hombre Marín,” tried extremely hard to stop the problem but he could not do anything because he was alone. Nobody cared about that big problem, so he decided to call Greece because he knew they lived a terrible situation with their forests, and they could help him solve it.

I need the help of my Greek friends

The "Home Marín" contacted to the Greek team to ask them for some solutions.

- No problem! they told him.

 - Now Greece is out of danger thanks to Goddess Demeter, so we can help you.

It would be great if you could work with the help of Goddess Demeter. She is very fond of environment and love all the beauty of different countries.

And so was how the Home Marin got the information about how to solve the problem. He gave instructions to the rest of Spanish students to take several actions

So,   ideal people for doing each task were selected. A small group from IES La Ería did not only do the beach clean-up but also spread information and raised awareness among society of what was happening.

That small group grew as their projects spread throughout the country.

Step by step, people of all ages and conditions worked together and achieved what at first seemed to have no solutions.

Chapter 5

Spring,  2024

March 

Barreiro, Metropolitan area of Lisbon, Portugal

story

CSI Group

and 

The Adventure 

in 

Portugal

CSI GROUP AND Teacher INVESTIGATE

Science

Sustainability

    There was a group of young people created by 

Teacher Maria who met regularly to deal with issues related to the environment. They were very diligent and interested in improving the conditions they had in their city. They were already known to everyone for their interventions with the population. They gave a name to their group: "CSI.labfq” because they were going to investigate Science and Sustainability.

    One day, they were gathered in their laboratory researching the local flora and fauna when suddenly they received a call from Spain informing them that there were a lot of plastics in Spanish waters.  They wanted to know if Portugal was going through the same situation. The group was surprised and decided to investigate.

 - We should go to the Coina River because it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. We can measure the pH, electrical conductivity, and biological species present. Thus, we check the quality of the water to verify if there are any problems - informed Maria.

The group was very motivated because, whenever they went to the countryside, they got into great adventures while protecting the nature.

    - We will need to take the mini-boat to collect the water samples, the pH and electrical conductivity meter, glasses to keep and observe some species and identify them, a tape measure and a timer to measure the water speed, binoculars and a camera - informed Antonio as he was responsible for the material.

    As it was an urgent matter, the CSI immediately headed for the river. When they got there, everything looked normal, with no trace of pollution. However, because they already had experience, they knew they had to dig deeper.

    - Oh no! There's a Louisiana red crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) over there! This is a sign that there are invasive species, since it is originally from the United State

Invasive Species

Invasive Species!

    - I also see pine trees over there! Another invasive species. This is a bad sign as they will cause the disappearance of native species. 

    - Let's get to work! Don't forget that in this environment we can find brambles, planarians, riparian vegetation, arachnids, mammals, like goats and sheep, common seal-billed bird (Estrilda astrild), insects, mosses, pine tree, willows, reeds, algae and herbs. 

    Let's start by taking pictures of the invasive species.  Then, Sara will collect the water and measure the pH and electrical conductivity. David will measure the width, length and depth of the river area. Ana and Gabriel measure the speed of water.   Mariana makes observations with binoculars. Write down everything and we must be back in 45 minutes to draw conclusions.

Meanwhile, two journalists approached and asked questions to Teacher Maria as they were aware of the situation in Spain and were trying to find out if Portugal had the same problem.

Measure pH!

    When the group met, they began to discuss the various problems that had arisen.

    - What can you tell me? Do we have the same problem? Tell me your conclusions! - Questioned the teacher.

    - After analysing the data, the values we obtained were considered mediocre since, there is some garbage in the river and surrounding area. 

    - The quality of the river is also mediocre. – Said Ana.

To analyze ...!

Measure the depth of the river!

 - We would like to mention that our investigation should be done in a longer period as we did only one monitoring.

    - What do you think we could do to help the environment? – asked the journalist.

    - The responsible entities and local communities should clean the riverbanks. We can talk in schools to explain what each person can do.

When the journalists published the news, the mayor was very alarmed and decided to join the CSI group, providing means to solve the situation. The rest of the country, seeing how these measures had an effect, decided to collaborate and the improvement of the environment became widespread.

The President recognized the relevance of the work carried out by the CSI and decided to award them medals of merit for making a difference in society. 

After solving the situation, the CSI group contacted Italy telling them about their adventure and asking about the issues they were facing in their country.

In Italy,

Apulia

Chapter SIX

Brindisi,

March 22nd, 2024: 

International Water Day.

AT THE RAILWAY STATION IN BRINDISI

Alessandra, Cosimo and Teodoro, three classmates, met at the train station of Brindisi to go to the UN base in Casale suburb for a school project. 

Alessandra: hello guys. 

Cosimo+Teodoro: Hello!

Teodoro: "Let’s walk down to the ferry stop.  Alessandra: "Ok, let's go!"  

Cosimo: "Yeah, let's go!" 

AT CAIROLI SQUARE 

The three guys stopped at  Cairoli square  Teodoro: Did you know that Cairoli Square, with the Fountain of Anchors, dates back to 1937? 

Cosimo: No, we didn’t. This square is really beautiful! 

While they were walking, Cosimo noticed that there were big holes in the pavements and the streets, that made walking very difficult. 

Cosimo: Pay attention the streets are bad! 

Alessandra: Thank you, I didn’t notice that... 

AT VITTORIA SQUARE

After 5 minutes they arrived at  Vittoria square. 

I love Vittoria square! I usually meet my friends here at the weekend. Do you know why it was called Vittoria in 1919?

Cosimo: ehm…no…

Teodoro: Because Italy won the First World War.  

Alessandra: Interesting! 

While walking Teodoro got angry because Cosimo and Alessandra weren’t sightseeing the beautiful city. And he said: 

Teodoro: Guys!! Look at what ‘Im showing you, don’t look at the pavement! 

Alessandra: Sorry, but if we don’t look at the pavement we fall!! 

Cosimo: Oh...Yes the streets are so bad... 

AT VITTORIO EMANUELE II SQUARE 

After ten minutes they finally arrived at Vittorio Emanuele II square. 

Alessandra: Can you also give us information about this square? 

Teodoro: Yes, of course. Can you see that statue? It’s the virgilian statue. In 1981, a sculpture was built too for the bicentenary of the death of the poet Publius Vergilius Maro.  It commemorates Virgil's connection to the sea, as he spent his last hours in Brindisi, a city where he owned a house and died in 19 BC after returning from Greece to finish writing the Aeneid. Brindisi's port, referenced in Virgil's epic, served as inspiration, its unique shape symbolizing security against external threats. .

Chapter SEVEN

While they were looking at the beauty of the landscape, in Vittorio Emanuele II square, an accident happened… Cosimo fell out in a hole in the square.  

Teodoro: “How are you, Cosimo?” 

Alessandra: “Are you hurt?”  

Cosimo: “I think I’ll broke my ankle!” Gosh… I’ll never play football anymore!”  

Teodoro: “Can you stand up?”  

Cosimo: “No, I can’t”  

Alessandra: “ Do you need any help?” 

Cosimo: “Only a superhero could help me!” 

Suddenly a spark appeared opposite them.  

BRUNDA

SUPERHEROINE: “Hi, I’m not a superhero, I’m a superheroine! I’m the daughter of the very strong IRON 8, the keeper of Apulia. I’m 15 years old, and I have curative powers and I can transform a city with problems into a sustainable city”.  

Cosimo: “Oh! It’s a miracle”  

Teodoro: “What’s your name?” 

SUPERHEROINE: “My name’s Brunda, I was born here and my parents called me like that after the name of this city, Brindisi, which comes from the word “Brunda”. This name was given to this town by an ancient tribe, the Messapi who lived in this area. Brunda means “deer head”, like the shape of the port of Brindisi. The word “Brunda” became “Brentesion” in ancient Greek, then “Brundisium” in Latin and “Brindisi” in Italian.”  

Teodoro: “What a beautiful name!” 

Alessandra: “True, beautiful name. But, can you help Cosimo?” 

SUPERHEROINE: “Yes, I can help him! Here you are!!!   

Cosimo: “Thank you so much!”  

Magically Cosimo’s ankle was like new! 

Cosimo: “ I’m really happy, thank you!! I can play football!!!  

SUPERHEROINE: “And now let me call my Greek, Portuguese, Spanish superheroes friends to fix this city.” 

   Spain

THE 

WONDERFUL

     4

   Greece

 Portugal

The 3 superheroes arrived and said: 

“ YES, WE ARE HERE”. 

The 4 superheroes solved the problems of Brindisi, transforming it into a sustainable and smart city. In fact,  with their powers and determination, they created pedestrian-friendly zones, and renovated parks to make them accessible to all Brindisi citizens, especially women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, just like what’s stated in articles number 11 and 12 of the Agenda2030.  

They recommended the 3 guys to become aware and responsible citizens for their city.  

The superheroes greeted the three guys and left.  

Chapter EIGHT

Brunda asked the 3 guys why they were there and they told her what their mission was: going to UN base for a school project about the International Water Day of 22nd March. She told them that she was well aware of the United Nations' commitment to achieving the goals of the Agenda 2030. She told the 3 guys that the UN base located in Brindisi was dedicated to supporting the implementation of Agenda 2030 initiatives. 

        BRINDISI U.N.G.S.C.

  United Nation Global Service Centre      

The UN base in Brindisi played a crucial role in advancing sustainable development efforts in the region. Through variofus projects and partnerships, the base focused on addressing key aspects of the Agenda 2030, such as poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. 

One notable initiative led by the UN base was the promotion of renewable energy sources to reduce carbon emissions, combat climate change and waste of water.

   THE SAILOR 

        MONUMENT

The three guys waved goodbye to Brunda and took a ferry and looked at the beautiful Sailor monument.  

Teodoro: “The Sailor monument has a long history... 

Cosimo: “Wow! It’s so big and gorgeous!”  

Alessandra, Cosimo and Teodoro arrived at Casale suburb and they went to UN base to celebrate the International Water Day.