Tiny Agios Efstratios is the next island to go green. Construction on the project will begin in September. In about two years, the island will receive electricity and heating from solar and wind energy. It now has to supply polluting and expensive diesel.
On the map of Greece, Agios Efstratios is a small dot, in the middle of the northern Aegean Sea, with almost the same distance between the Greek and Turkish mainland. The only island nearby is Limnos. “Yes, our island is one of the most remote islands,” said Mayor Maria Kakali. “And yet we don’t feel isolated. Remember, we choose to live here.”
She was born and raised on Agios Efstratios. Kakali left to study, but then returned. She was elected as the youngest mayor in Greece in 2014. She was then 27 years old.
She faced a major challenge, with an aging island population of about 200 people, mostly fishermen and livestock farmers. Young people do not return after their studies because there is no work. “An energy plan had already been submitted to the European Union for 2010, but it did not get off the ground. When I became mayor, we revised and adapted it in collaboration with the Greek Center for New Energy Sources.” She got the support of the people.
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