The City of Athens is committed to implementing the following sustainable practices:
The City of Athens has embarked on a multi-year project to spark the economic revitalization of the city center by renovating sidewalks and squares throughout the city, improving pedestrian accessibility, and adding a network of bike paths that within a few years will extend across the Athens basin.
ADDMA has played a central role as the catalyst for engagement between the City of Athens and the tourism industry, serving as a central stakeholder in the design and deployment of strategies for resource management and sustainable practices that benefit residents while upgrading the visitor experience. We’re also deploying a new communications strategy to let our international audience know about our preparations for the future of tourism.
ADDMA is cementing institutional relationships with academia and non-governmental partners, including the creation of a Tourism Observatory that will monitor the benefits and impact of the tourism industry by amplifying the research of university faculty and graduate students on themes such as resource use, short-term accommodations, and ethical tourism marketing. We are committed to developing a circular economy that benefits residents and captures more revenue in Athens' economy while reducing the crowding and burdens that may come with tourism success.
Good health & wellbeing: Green Athens
- Implementation of a program for the increase of green spaces in Athens; maintenance work on public green areas, sidewalks and pruning (total cost 10 million euros).
- National Garden project: Maintenance, restoration and upgrading of infrastructure (4.2 million euros).
- Elaionas park project: Construction of a 46 acres park (8.6 million euros).
- Lycabettus hill project: 3 km long walkway restoration.
Clean water & sanitation
- Elaboration and implementation of an integrated program for the sanitation and cleaning of public spaces; replacement and reorganization of the bin network (3 million euros).
- Purchase and replacement of household waste and recycling public bins (4 million euros).
- Establishing and implementing a three-year plan for regular maintenance and washing and the provision of waste collection equipment (7 million euros).
Build resilient infrastructure
- Road constructions: 42 million euros for 171 different projects (58 ongoing, 89 new and 24 under study - 175km of total reconstructed road network).
- Repair and regeneration of public squares and sidewalks (40 million euros).
- Μaintenance and repair of municipal buildings and schools (33 million euros).
Sustainable cities & communities
- Maintenance and repair of public electrical installations (6 million euros).
- Maintenance of electricity networks (1.5 million euros).
- Purchase of fire protection materials and equipment (1 million euros).
- Implementation of fire protection actions (1 million euros).
- Lycabettus hill project: Implementation of flood protection interventions and replacement of the 1,700 meters long perimeter road (1.5 million euros).
Responsible consumption & production
- Purchase of mechanical equipment with low energy consumption (20 million euros).
- Replacement of light fixtures with low energy consumption lamps (1.38 million).
- Energy efficient upgrades to 15 schools and two municipal buildings (6 million euros).
Green Key in Athens
Athens hosts 25+ Green Key establishments that provide a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute effectively to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The criteria of the Green Key programme are recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Athens International Airport’s Roadmap to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2025
Athens International Airport has announced “ROUTE 2025”, its official commitment to achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2025, prior to the target of 2050 set by Europe's Airports in June 2019.
By Q2 2020, a detailed Roadmap for the self-production of clean electricity will be implemented within the airport boundaries via solar power for self-consumption purposes, aiming to cover 100% of the Airport Company's electricity needs, which corresponds to 91.1% of its current carbon footprint.
By Q4 2020, a detailed Roadmap for addressing the remaining 8.9% of its carbon footprint will be implemented, corresponding to direct emissions from fuel consumption onsite (via initiatives such as the use of electric vehicles, biodiesel, heat pumps, etc).
