I really enjoyed my experience in Hydra today. I thought the island had the most natural beauty that I had seen thus far in our trip and I really enjoyed that there were no vehicles. This added to the uniqueness of the island and it felt like everyone was really down to earth here. I loved being able to swim in the beautiful water with the coast in the background. The food was delicious. My favorite part was riding the horses around town. I have never done anything like this before and it gave me such a good feel of the island!

Our assignment today was to interview a local citizen about sustainability. This put me outside of my comfort zone for sure, but it was rewarding. I spoke with one of the men who owned the horses and took us around the city. He did not speak English well, but was able to communicate some essential information about what good they do for the environment in Hydra. I am glad that this was an assignment, as I would not have otherwise spoken to anyone about something of this nature. Overall, it was a great experience and my favorite excursion! 

In class today, we focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and how different companies in Greece pursue sustainability in their practices. I researched the company “Mitsis Hotels,” which is a luxury brand of resorts in various locations in Greece. For one, I learned that I would love to stay at these hotels! As far as their sustainability initiatives go, I think they do a phenomenal job accomplishing the Triple Bottom Line. Their mission, vision, and values go beyond the standards of a hotel chain and encompass the environment, their employees, and the superb treatment of their customers. One thing I found particularly interesting was how they served the community. For instance, they gave away 10,000 nights in their resorts for free to frontline healthcare workers who were overworked and overstressed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commitment to community involvement is coupled with dedication to bettering the environment and following legislature as well, though their initiatives go far beyond the minimum.

I was most interested in the article entitled “Industrial symbiosis in Greece: A study of spatial allocation patterns.” I found the idea of industrial symbiosis as a whole intriguing and it was fascinating to see the application of the research in areas that we have explored. I did not know that Greece was at the lower end of sustainability measures in the European Union. From what I have seen thus far, I would have attributed their sustainability to be fairly adequate compared to some of the measures in the United States. Looking at industrial symbiosis through the spatial scale allowed a deeper understanding of how companies in Greece can expand industrial symbiosis and where some limiting factors are. The use of economic, environmental, and social factors affecting the spatial allocation follows closely with the concepts we have discussed in class.

In addition, the tour today was a great excursion. Although we have seen two other similar looking archaeological sites, each one was unique in their own way which made the tours worthwhile. With the Temple of Poseidon today, I was interested particularly in the location of the site. The location of each temple aligns with the purpose of it. I also thought the anecdote about the island adjacent to the temple being a place for exile was very disheartening but I am glad to know more about the history.  

In the weeks since I have arrived in Greece, many things have put me outside of my comfort zone. The one that stands out the most is having to use so many modes of transportation to get around town and between islands. Not knowing the language has complicated this, as well as not usually enjoying being in planes, ferries, buses, or public transportation to begin with. 

Today I looked at ethical dilemmas that Walmart has faced in recent years. The one that stood out most to me was a class action lawsuit filed against the company for not providing cashiers who requested one a seat while they were working. Instead of purchasing 100,000 seats for about $1 from any one of their suppliers, Walmart underwent a 9 year lawsuit and had to pay over $65 million by the end. This certainly was not the only issue Walmart has encountered, but it goes to show how not resolving issues at an early step can snowball into a much bigger and damaging problem.