ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Driving change in crisis 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, ALD Automotive, a part of the Societe Generale Group, launched an emergency solidarity plan, signing three new corporate social responsibility (CSR) contracts. These efforts involved providing 28 cars to support mobility for vulnerable communities, including sick individuals, by partnering with Leroy Merlin, the NGO “Ark of the World,” and the action Hermes of the Attica region. 

Empowering partners with mobility 
The vehicles provided by ALD Automotive were used to deliver goods to those in need, offer medical care to immobile individuals, and provide essential support to vulnerable groups. This practical support played a crucial role in ensuring that critical services continued to reach those who needed them most during the pandemic. 

A committed approach to social responsibility 
ALD’s commitment goes beyond just providing vehicles. The initiative demonstrated the company’s role in supporting NGOs and organisations during crises, further solidified by Gisele Urquia’s leadership in strategy and crisis management. This initiative was an essential step in addressing urgent mobility needs, ensuring that partners could fulfil their missions effectively during challenging times. 

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ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Transforming Thessaloniki’s Mobility 

Thessaloniki is stepping up to become one of Europe’s most sustainable urban cities. The municipality, in collaboration with the Institute of Sustainable Mobility and Transport Networks (I.MET.), is crafting a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) to tackle the city’s pressing traffic issues and improve the quality of life for residents. The plan is designed to make movement easier and greener, promoting alternative transport modes such as public transport, walking, and cycling. 

Shaping the city’s transport future
The SUMP initiative aims to create a smart, green, and commuter-friendly Thessaloniki. By addressing congested roads, pollution, and traffic delays, the project will enhance safety and accessibility. I.MET. provides scientific and technical expertise to ensure the plan meets the city’s mobility needs while promoting sustainable transport alternatives. 

Public involvement for a brighter, smarter future
The project has actively engaged the public through surveys and workshops to gather insights on travel demands and mobility needs. This public consultation process helps shape the vision for Thessaloniki’s future transport system, ensuring that it aligns with the citizens’ expectations. Stakeholders have played a vital role in providing feedback, leading to a balanced and inclusive approach to mobility planning. 

A model for Greece
Success in Thessaloniki may inspire other Greek cities to adopt similar sustainable urban mobility strategies. By implementing this innovative approach, the project aims to reduce traffic issues and boost quality of life not only in Thessaloniki but also across the country, contributing to a greener and more sustainable future for all.

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ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Driving the future of sustainable transport 

The EcoMobility, FREEMOBILITY, and ECO 2 MOBILITY campaigns are environmental education initiatives by ECOCITY, aiming to raise awareness about sustainable mobility and environmental protection. The campaigns are implemented annually across Greece, targeting high school students with a focus on ecological transport, citizens’ rights, and improving urban quality of life. With the support of over forty scientific institutions and NGOs, these initiatives have become central to fostering social responsibility among young people. 

Empowering youth through creative solutions
EcoMobility engages students in identifying local transport issues, such as traffic congestion and pollution. They collaborate to develop creative solutions, often using theatre, songs, or models to present their findings. This hands-on approach encourages critical thinking about mobility problems and inspires a generation of young people to be active participants in shaping greener, more sustainable cities. 

Collaboration for community impact 
The campaigns are highly collaborative, bringing together local municipalities, NGOs, and citizens. Students present their work at special events where they interact with local authorities and media, spreading the message of sustainable mobility. This collective effort creates a platform for dialogue on improving urban environments and promoting green transport solutions for all. 

Nationwide reach, local solutions 
Since 2003, EcoMobility has reached students across Greece, empowering them to research and address local transport challenges. This voluntary initiative culminates in public events where students present their proposals, contributing to the ongoing conversation on improving urban mobility. Through these efforts, the campaign has sparked meaningful change in attitudes towards sustainable transport in Greek cities. 

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ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Driving change in crisis 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, ALD Automotive, a part of the Societe Generale Group, launched an emergency solidarity plan, signing three new corporate social responsibility (CSR) contracts. These efforts involved providing 28 cars to support mobility for vulnerable communities, including sick individuals, by partnering with Leroy Merlin, the NGO “Ark of the World,” and the action Hermes of the Attica region. 

Empowering partners with mobility 
The vehicles provided by ALD Automotive were used to deliver goods to those in need, offer medical care to immobile individuals, and provide essential support to vulnerable groups. This practical support played a crucial role in ensuring that critical services continued to reach those who needed them most during the pandemic. 

A committed approach to social responsibility 
ALD’s commitment goes beyond just providing vehicles. The initiative demonstrated the company’s role in supporting NGOs and organisations during crises, further solidified by Gisele Urquia’s leadership in strategy and crisis management. This initiative was an essential step in addressing urgent mobility needs, ensuring that partners could fulfil their missions effectively during challenging times. 

Learn more about this inspiring initiative

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The impact of climate change and the capacity to mitigate its negative impacts are unevenly distributed across and within societies; it is the poorer, marginalised and vulnerable groups who are the most acutely affected. ACCTING has collected 358 narratives via individual interviews in 13 European countries to capture some of the experiences of those vulnerable groups. These narratives on inequalities in enablers and hindrances for advancing behavioural change span eight thematic research lines – each addressing an EU Green Deal policy area. Read our dataset including all 358 narratives collected.

Economic struggles as an inhibiting factor for access to sustainable food 

“I am a 22 year old woman, I live in Thessaloniki Greece with my family, and I am a student. I enjoy going to the supermarket to see what’s new and available so I am the one that goes to shop in the supermarket. However I also go to the food market which I believe is more accessible due to their lower prices compared to the supermarket. I also prefer the food market because I support local micro enterprises which is very important. I was very focused on Asian cuisine as they have many vegetables with many different ways. My main obstacle to food is that I am lactose intolerant so I can’t eat any milk based food but I get a pill and eat some anyway because I can’t completely cut of all milk based products. I also had gastritis due to anxiety and I could not really eat many of the foods available.

“If I want to support a sustainable diet which is good for me, good for the planet and is something I believe in, I won’t be able to do it due to the very high prices that inhibit access to this type of food”

Another obstacle to access is the economic issue. So some of the basic food like pita giro (greek sandwich ) is almost 5 euros. So if fast food is so expensive then what will happen with organic food prices that are actually good for you? This is something I am worried about. Especially if I want to support a sustainable diet which is good for me, good for the planet and is something I believe in, I won’t be able to do it due to the very high prices that inhibit my access to this type of food. I do engage in sustainable eating in about 30% of my diet but due to the high prices I cannot support a full diet of sustainable food. If these prices continue to rise like this, I am thinking that in 5 years I won’t be able to buy anything organic. My parents didn’t want to buy for instance organic rice but I persuaded them to do so since I told them its better for you, so I was buying organic rise, organic fruits, or spaghetti from carrots so I liked to find new ways of accessing new food. Another positive thing was that the women in my family and my brother – my father does not really support changes in eating habits- but my mother and sister were positive in trying new things, for instance spaghetti made out of carrots. The social environment plays a very big role in this because if I was living alone it would be fine I would buy this type of food and eat it alone, but now I live with three more people so the type of food you buy needs to be accepted by everyone because it is costly and needs to be consumed. So it was important that my parents would also contribute economically to buying organic food because if I was alone I would not be able to afford it. Then I was out of a job for a while so I could not live the life that I wanted. I would go organic two weeks per month but now (with the prices) I soon won’t be able to do one week of organic food.

Regarding cooking at home I am mainly the one that does the cooking as my mother rarely cooks as she is working. On the days where the family would eat meat I would do the cooking, I would not mind cooking meat but I didn’t want to eat it so I would have to cook a side meal. I could not eat only rice for the rest of the day so I had to come up with something with more vitamins, so I would buy something organic like tofu or tempe that I would get and I would eat it myself. I tried to persuade my family to eat some of that food and my mother and sister did go into the process of trying to eat more organic food. We also do not throw food but we use tapers to place food from previous days in. A while back we would throw it away and I told my family we should not. Near our neighbourhood we have some homeless people so I though of giving some of the leftovers to them as we cook for a family so we end up with large quantities of food. When I was living alone for a while with a roommate we only had organic food and vegetables in the fridge so it was a great time regarding access to sustainable food. I opened the fridge and I had everything I wanted. It was a time where both me and my roommate had jobs so we could afford organic food and it was during the lockdown so instead of spending money to go out we would spend it on food.

In order to find access while I walk I look around to find restaurants that serve vegan or organic food. I also look at Instagram to find relevant places where I can eat – today this is how you search for information. What also helped with access is that when I started eating organic it was around the time when organic food shops were opening in Greece so that was really helpful. I am often jealous of the previous generations that did not have these chemicals in their foods. For instance my grandmother slices a tomato and she smells it and then she gives this to me to smell and you could actually smell the tomato. But I feel lucky that I have access to organic food now because a while ago you could not find this type of food in Greece.

So there is access to organic food, however the biggest issue with that is the money since it is expensive. When I go to the supermarket I am very focused on what to get. I know what products I will buy that will be organic, or when I get out I will say to myself today’s expense will be to eat an organic salad. So it’s about organising your expenses and knowing what to get.”

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Photo by Warren from Unsplash

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Asiliki Miliadi; Nikos Zaharis and Dilay Celebi Gonidis within ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the food security research line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives. 

PERKA, Greece

Bringing the community closer to nature 

The urban & peri-urban crop Group PERKA is a great example of an initiative that cultivates seasonal vegetables according to the principles of organic, biodynamic and natural cultivation, with traditional methods and with means that do not affect or cause damage to the ecosystem, co-farmers and residents.   

The initiative was created in early 2011 by citizens aiming to cultivate vegetables, seasonal fruits, flowers and herbs in a field in or near the city of Thessaloniki. With the support of the Local Cultural Association, the group began farming in a small section of the 689-acre area of the former Karatasos camp. The cultivation is non-profit, covers part of the needs of the members of the group, supports vulnerable social groups and is based on the principles of organic, biodynamic or natural cultivation using traditional seeds and plants, while at the same time enjoying the benefits of engagement and contact with the earth. The food produced is clean, safe and beneficial for the human body, while at the same time, there is respect for the flora and fauna developed there in recent years. Currently, PERKA is the most numerous volunteer action in the former camp, as in two years four additional groups of PERKA started operating.  

Implementing environmental actions

This action is cooperating with the municipality of Pavlos Melas, and mayor Diamantis Papadopoulos. The general direction of the municipality, according to Mr Papadopoulos, is to help the growers. However, there is a plan in progress so that in the Municipal District of Nea Efkarpia, which belongs to the municipality of Pavlos Melas, a large area of 6.000 acres with “utilitarian green” will yield Forest Products. Since 2016, it participates as a founding member and collaborating body in the local thematic Environmental Network approved by the Ministry of Education “School Open to Society – Active Citizen in the Municipality of Pavlos Melas” implementing environmental actions in collaboration with the school community.  

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Photo: Michel E on Unsplash

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Blanca Callen Moreu within ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the Climate Action research Line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

FILIOS ZEUS, Greece

Promoting social solidarity and integration

FILIOS ZEUS is a recent flagship initiative in civil protection in Archanes, Greece. It brings together volunteer groups to strengthen citizens’ awareness and involvement in civil protection, social solidarity and integration with a particular focus on disabled populations. The project assists the state organizations and authorities, such as the General Management of Civil Protection, and the Fire Brigade, by reducing the impact of natural disasters.

Deepening civil protection knowledge

The association has been developing an efficient volunteer network by bringing people together during challenging times and giving them a role in first aid, ecology and the environment. Its mission consists of increasing civil protection knowledge through networking, cooperation, training and access to expertise and useful practices. Their action fields are:

• First aid: health coverage of events and blood donations
• Search and rescue: mountain rescue, search and rescue of a missing person and wireless communication
• Natural disasters: forest protection, forest fire fighting, prevention and disaster response

In just a few months after receiving the adequate equipment, the association has been requested by state agencies to help in the following cases:

• Assist with 50 Patrol missions to protect the forests during the summer season
• Help with locating ten incidents of missing people in remote, difficult-to-access mountainous areas, in cooperation with the Natural Disasters Special Rescue Force (EMAK)
• Provide 90 health services interventions such as first aid
• Help with 50 incidents involving vulnerable social groups that are affected by mobility restrictions during lock-down; and
• Organize 40 community actions such as collecting basic goods for vulnerable population, hosting blood donation sessions, etc.

Find out more here.

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