Last Week in Greece

The last week of our trip, we spent primarily in the Western Macedonia region and Athens. In Western Macedonia, we conducted over a dozen interviews with various stakeholders in Kozani. We also had a field visit to the Ptolemaidea power plants and lignite mines. There, we were able to see the phase out of two major coal mines and their plan for the remaining shutdown of the plants. 







We also visited with CERTH labs to learn about some of the energy and agriculture-related projects they are working on. These projects included: vertical farming, soil sampling, carbon capture, and much more. 


We also visited a Geopark located in the Ptolemaida region to see some of the nearby wildlife and landscapes. This visit was some much-needed fresh air from cities and coal mines. We had a blast enjoying authentic mountain tea and going on a short hike. 


After a short stay in Western Macedonia, we returned to Athens for a final set of interviews with stakeholders representing the Just Transition Fund. We spent time reflecting on the trip as a whole and the major themes we saw across different regions regarding rural transformation, delignitization, energy security and management, and agriculture. 




We students wanted to give a special shoutout to our trip leaders, Dr Pappas, Mr Sammons, and Mrs Daniel. We appreciated their guidance and help in organizing our entire trip, and a special shout-out for the Greek lessons from Dr Pappas. We wanted to share one of our favorite photos from the trip, celebrating Bilal's birthday in Kozani!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Announcing the 2025 Summer School in Greece

Image
The Texas A&M Energy Institute is proud to announce the kickoff of its 2025 Summer School in Greece, a part of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, which is organized by the Texas A&M Energy Institute in cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.
Read more

Week 6 – Greece, Day 4

Image
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2025 Yassas (hello) from Greece! It's now our team's fourth day in the country. We fortunately had safe and smooth travels, having a quick layover in Toronto and no delays along the way. Landing in Athens, we spent our first day getting some rest, recovering from the jet lag, and enjoying delicious Greek food. The Central Athens Hotel had a truly breathtaking rooftop view of the Acropolis! The next day, we got to work at the Agricultural University of Athens. Associates of the university gave us a brief tour of the campus, along with demonstrations of facilities and projects such as a vertical farm, drones, and a water desalination process. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to attend lectures by professors at the university, discussing topics relevant to our project such as smart energy technologies in agriculture and energy challenges across the urban-rural divide in European regions. In the evening, we had the chance to explore around the city and, of cou...
Read more

Field Visits in Greece

Image
    Over the past two days, we embarked on a series of day trips from Tripoli to explore field sites and connect with local stakeholders.      On Thursday, we traveled to Megalopolis , pausing en route to visit the Archaeological Museum of Tegea, where we deepened our understanding of Greek history and culture. In Megalopolis, we met with stakeholders, collaborating with them on the closure of lignite coal mines and the region’s transition to natural gas. During our discussions, they outlined their vision for the area and the challenges they face. They also guided us on a driving tour of the now-decommissioned lignite mines. That afternoon, we continued south to Kalamata and enjoyed a relaxing visit to the coastal village of Kardamyli , where we spent time by the beach. On Friday, we took a day trip to Sparta to visit a local olive farm. The owners had convened a group of farmers for a roundtable discussion focused on agricultural challenges and the needs...
Read more