The Green City CY Awards were presented on Friday to seven Municipalities and two Community Councils for their environmental actions. The local authorities were also presented with the Green Flag, during an event held at the Presidential Palace.
The Municipality of Aradippou, in Larnaka district, which had the highest score, was given an award for its Animal Waste Management Plant and for the project it has implemented titled “Smart City: Improving the city with smart ideas” whereas the Municipality of Aglantzia, in Nicosia district, received an award for its “Pay As You Throw” project and for a cleaning campaign to raise awareness on the reduction of waste.
Larnaka Municipality was presented with an award for a project titled “Get to know the salt lakes“, the Municipality of Agios Athanasios in Limassol district was given a prize for a programme on composting, the Municipality of Strovolos, in Nicosia district, received an award for its programmes on raising environmental awareness while Latsia Municipality, also in Nicosia district, went home with a prize for the creation of strategic infrastructures and for being a Green Municipality.
The Municipality of Athienou, in Larnaka District, was given a prize for organising the first festival of traditional products which included guided tours, workshops and exhibitions. The Community of Louvaras in the Troodos Mountains was presented with an award for its outdoor mosaic display and the Community of Miliou in Paphos district got a prize for its natural trails and a festival of organic products.
The Municipality of Aradippou, which received the highest score, was also presented with the honorary distinction “Golden Mouflon“. The mouflon is the biggest animal of the Cyprus Fauna. The Cyprus mouflon is a kind of wild sheep and is found only in Cyprus.
In his speech Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiadis said that the Green prizes are a moral reward for Municipalities and Communities for their collective action in the protection of the environment. He said that the support for the Green City CY Awards from the society as a whole reflects the importance they have. He referred to a number of policies and strategies drafted by the government on a number of environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity, the development of public transport system in order to reduce the usage of private cars and thus tackle the issue of carbon dioxide levels in the environment, electricity subsidies, waste management, cycling paths, water resource planning and sustainable tourism etc.
The President noted that it is extremely important to transform our cities to sustainable ones in order to have a balanced development. He also said that the state has funded the creation of parks, green spaces and squares.
Environmental Commissioner Ioanna Panagiotou said that a green city is not only one that has the most parks and trees, but one that promotes urban development with efficient and useful solutions for the citizens and for a sustainable and clean environment.
She said that “we must have policies for the maximum usage of rainwater, sun and air that will contribute to energy saving and a more sustainable economy.” Panagiotou said that “in shaping these policies we need to have citizens as our allies and important stakeholders.”
She also referred to the importance of European funds for project implementation and developing good practices in general.
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