Recycling in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Nearly 47,150 tones of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) were recycled in Greece in 2008, preventing 360,000 tones of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.  The amount recycled corresponds to 2.3 million electric and electronic appliances. The target for Greece is for every household to recycle 60-65% of its electric and electronic waste, meaning approximately 10 kilos of waste per capita.  Authorities suggest that the proliferation of recycling will provide factories with “clean” raw material to be used in the steel industry.  In 2008, the industry used 23,000 tones of “clean” steel. A recent measure to subsidise households with the cost of replacing air-conditioning units is starting to pay off and the need for this initiative to include other appliances has been argued.  Appliances Recycling S.A..: Recycling SA has exceeded the recycling targets imposed by the EU 

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Carnival Celebrations in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greece’s Carnival season known as “Apokries” is a period of eating, drinking, dancing and masquerading. Traditionally, it begins ten weeks before Greek Orthodox Easter and culminates on the weekend before “Clean Monday,” (Ash Monday) the first day of Lent. This year, the carnival season lasts from February 8 until March 2. The roots of Carnival celebrations and customs can be traced back to ancient Greece and are linked to the worship of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity. In fact, Carnival is closely related to the cultural heritage of each region and every year many traditional customs are being revived in different parts of the country. The Patras Carnival is the most popular in Greece, ranking among the top carnival celebrations in the world. The Carnival of Xanthi (Thrace) and Skyros include more traditional events (Skyros – Carnival) . In Corfu and Rethymno (Crete), the celebrations have absorbed a slightly Venetian flavour from the periods that the islands were under the control of Venice. In Galaxidi, Carnival events culminate on the first Monday of Lent with a parade of floats, transformed into a battlefield, as the “warriors” merciless pelt each other with ample quantities of variously coloured flour.   Agrotravel.gr – Information Gate to Greek Rural Tourism: Carnival Events Around Greece  Athens Plus (February 13): “Fokida: Come and Join the Carnival” (13.02.09, p.42) 

• Greek monastic food gets cookbook treatment

(The Salt Lake Tribune/AP, 15.08.08) A cookbook written by Father Epifanios Milopotaminos, the cook on the secluded Mount Athos sanctuary gives us a rare glimpse into life in this community of some 1,500 monks in 20 monasteries that strictly limits outside access, including barring women. Published in April, ”Cooking on Mount Athos” (so far available only in Greek) offers 126 unpretentious, tasty recipes. ”It’s a clean diet that people once ate across the eastern Mediterranean. It’s the same way meals were prepared 100 years ago, or 50 years ago,” Epifanios says. FOR MORE LOOK AT: http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_10218542