The interview at Hydra Island presented a challenge as I learned through other students interview that sustainability was not an English term that they were familiar with. Instead I had to word my questions more directly. I asked about recycling and renewable energy as I felt like those were two big topics and I was pretty satisfied with the answer I got.

The Hydra excursion was one of my favorites. Getting to swim in a clear and deep sea was new experience and it was fun to explore the town with the free time that we were given. I think it helped that we went on a faster ferry so that we could get more time. I was not that interested in the donkey rides, but from what I saw and heard everyone that did enjoyed it.

Today we toured the island of Hydra and conducted an interview with a local. Of the islands we’ve visited, Hydra was my favorite. It has a pleasant combination of scenery with plenty of activities to do close to the port. The architecture of the houses and fortifications also appealled to me. For my interview I talked to one of the guides for our donkey tour. Her English was not very good, but we were able to communicate basic concepts about the use of donkeys for tours instead of motorized vehicles. In my interview paper I filled in the blanks from our conversation with observations I had while riding around, and from exploring the town afterward. The day as a whole was among my favorite of the trip. I learned a lot and had a good time with my classmates.

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! 

The company that I researched today was Titan which is a greek cement company. I learned about their sustainability strategies and the company values. It was cool to me because their founders from 1902 came up with their core values and the company still abides by them. I enjoyed learning about Cultural dimensions as that was a totally new subject to me. I think Titan as a company has a lot of low uncertainty avoidance index which makes them a very innovative company who is willing to take risks. They have multiple projects with Artificial intelligence right now for example which obviously could be seen as risky. In terms of ethical responsibility Titan is involved with multiple do good acts like donation money to help the wildfires in Greece. They were also recognized by CDP as a global climate leader for its transparency, climate actions, and transition to a net zero carbon economy which relates to the do not cause harm t o others principle. Finally, Titan recently just planted 2 million trees for Greece since 1971. I really enjoyed learning about them as a company.

Here is a picture from dinner! The view was amazing and the food was delicious.

Today’s excursion was to an island called, Hydra. Hydra is one of the Saronic islands and is in the Aegean sea. The island was beautiful with crystal clear water and fine architecture. The Island does not have any cars so transportation is reliant on donkeys/mules along with foot. I was able to ride one of the mules and it was so cool to see the city through a donkey ride. Along with visiting Hydra, the class was to interview a local regarding sustainability on the island. I interviewed a server at one of the restaurants near the port. The interview went well and I learned that the island recycles and also takes advantage of paper products rather than plastics.

The company I chose to work on for the sustainability report project was Meta. Meta is formerly known as Facebook and is a multinational technology company. Their contributions to sustainability are extensive and involve all of the triple bottom lines. They even have a team in their company dedicated to sustainability and meeting those goals.

Picture from dinner at Attikos!

We went to a rooftop for dinner the other night. It was delicious. I ordered the lamb with potatoes and lemon sauce. I loved my dinner. We also tried some of their local alcohol which they always provide a shot of something after the meal. We have had this at every nice restaurant. It is always tsikoudia or some other form of alcohol. We got to see the Parthenon all lit up at night which was beautiful.

Last night we had a beautiful dinner overlooking the parthenon and we had a great time. I could not find any photos of the night but My favorite dish was the lamb with lemon and the Saganaki which I first had in 2009 back in Detroit. It was a great experience to have with even better people

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.

The company I researched was Eurobank, which is a European based company. The vision of the company is to be the most people-centric bank in Greek. I liked how much the company emphasized solidarity within their company culture and then throughout their service to customers. In addition to supporting Greek entrepreneurship, they have special investments in developing their environmental sustainability. What stood out to me the most was the various programs they participate in. For instance, in 2020 they joined the Sustainable Greece 2020, which raise awareness for local sustainability and responsible business and social practices.

Did not have my phone to photograph dinner but I am including a picture from our meal at Hydra.