Greece
participants
In Thessalos’ Trip we aimed to achieve the following main goals:
1)To educate all the participants about the agricultural products and services of our region by visiting different local cooperatives and agritourism destinations. As a result, throughout this experience the participants were able to form a general understanding on the agricultural cooperatives of Thessaly.
2)To ensure the interaction between international and local students with the local community.Participants volunteered plenty of their time in this educational trip, and a constructive dialogue took place during the guided tour between the cooperatives’ hosts, the international students, and the locals.
3)To raise awareness about environmental issues. During the trip our target audience had the chance to be informed about alternative eco-friendly occupations and to be sensitized to the high importance of volunteering actions that are serving the cause of environmental sustainability.
4)To apply the highest possible level of environmentally friendly practices and materials. Our transportation was done by bus, for the elimination of carbon dioxide emissions, we all carried our own reusable water bottles avoiding to buy the single-use plastic ones, and we used only eco-friendly materials (e.g., biodegradable trash bags). Also, during the Trip we provided the participants some snacks and drinks bought from a vegan street food café in Volos.
5)To give to all the participants the opportunity to explore Thessalian cultural and natural heritage.Thessaly is considered from the ancient times a vital agricultural area with rich and unique fauna and flora, as well as a region characterized by significant cultural development.
"Thessalos Trip" was a tour in different local cooperatives and agrιtourism destinations of Thessaly, where all the participants got in touch with the local thessalian products and were introduced to traditional, eco-friendly production methods.
More specifically, the participants experienced a guided tour in:
1) the cottage industry “Rosmarino” producing natural soaps and cosmetics from virgin olive oil and 100% pure ingredients. We had the chance to learn about the properties and uses of the high-quality olive oil soaps, and we attended a live representation of their preparation. Moreover, our visit was covered by a local media and both our local and international students joined the interview and were encouraged to talk about this new experience.
2) the local family winery “Dougos Winery” in the vale of Tempe, making wines from organic cultivation. There we followed the procedure of wine making, and gained knowledge about different production methods, grape varieties, and wine quality.
3) “Ampelakia” village, where the foundation of one of the world‘s first cooperatives took place in 1778. We had a stopover in its folklore museum to get into the history of this picturesque settlement.
4) the “Trinity Farm”, which consists one of the first certified biodynamic cultivations of Greece, and is located in the thessalian plain. We waded through the farm’s history, while at the same time got educated about the biodynamic cultivations and their necessity for our survival in a sustainable future. The adorable hostess served us her traditional Greek pie made of the farm's products, and in return we joyfully offered our help in the feeding of the sheep.
5) the olive mill of Voliotis family in Pelion, where we saw how the olive oil is extracted and we were informed about the eco-friendly equipment the mill is using, in order to produce high quality olive oil along with avoiding the production of harmful residues in the environment. More than that, we were invited to taste different olive and olive oil varieties, while got introduced to their characteristic divergences and preparation processes.
6) some of the amazing natural landscapes of Pelion in “Agria”, where we stopped for a lunch by the sea. During the lunch time, the participants were encouraged to share their thoughts about the trip and gave their feedback about environmental-friendly practices of their hometowns. A productive intercultural conversation took place.
