Plastic Recycling & Upcycling

Apano Meria is a Social Cooperative Enterprise that is populated by people who have chosen to live, work and study at the island of Syros, Greece. Dealing face-to-face with the risk of Syros becoming a mass tourism destination, our goal is to make the natural, geological and cultural wealth of the island globally renowned, making the area an attraction for activities with both low impact and high quality, as well as creating jobs for young unemployed scientists. We strive to prove, in action, that a sustainable lifestyle can improve the everyday lives of locals whilst attracting visitors who appreciate the peculiarities of the place and need an authentic experience.

Our Social Cooperative Enterprise focuses on creating tangible examples of sustainable practices in the protected area of Syros. Our policy and law team does comparative research of legal and policy provisions and practices in countries around the world regarding environmental issues (protected areas, renewable energy, endangered species etc). Your research outcomes will contribute to the creation of an open-access scientific database regarding issues of the Cycladic ecosystem, as well as publications of informational materials and policy proposals. You will also have the freedom to propose new research topics and thus support your own research projects.

All participants in our projects live and work communally on our Research base, on the outskirts of Ermoupolis. The base is conveniently located near a mini bus stop (city buses are free) and another inter-city bus stop. There are abundant supermarkets, restaurants bars and cafes in the vicinity especially given the fact that Ermoupolis is an extremely walk-able city. As far as living conditions on the base, volunteers and researchers share our 3 bedrooms along with a fully equipped kitchen and a big living room. There are also 2 co-working spaces where we can all work together.
The SCE team consists of 4 people, Io, Marina, Eleni and Andrianos. Io is the president of the SCE as well as the supervisor of the Environmental Policy & Law program. Marina is the admissions manager responsible for any and every issue or question volunteers might have before, during or after their participation on our programs. She also supervises the Support a Social Co-operative & Primary Production programs. Eleni runs our social media and supervises the Communication, Digital Marketing & Graphic design program as well as our product design Internships. Lastly, Andrian manages our Precious Plastic Syros lab and is supervising our Plastic Recycling & Upcycling program.

Volunteers are expected to be punctual regarding their responsibilities and follow safety instructions to the dot. For us, direct, clear  and respectful communication is key. For any issues or questions that might arise you are always welcome to contact us. Someone from the Apano Meria team will always be available.