Early last month two American climbers, Sanam Pejuhesh and Nicky Dyal, fed up with the scene of “plastic bottles, trash, and cigarette butts drifting across the sand and sea in front of us” took matters into their own hands. They organized a beach cleanup at Massouri. Local business owners laughed at the “crazy American girls”, but still agreed to donate large trash bags and to print and display posters calling for participation. The result: at least 23 climbers from different countries turned up on “a huge mission to save the beach”. Kudos to all of them!

Photo above: Nicky and Sanam after the cleanup. For more photos and Nicky’s full account of the cleanup, click here.

This great initiative prompted us to make a list of things we can do to minimize our negative impact on the environment of Kalymnos. Unfortunately, environmental awareness is very low on the list of priorities here in Greece. It has only recently started to be taught in schools, and the prevailing attitude about anything environmental is that “it’s not my job”. In all fairness, municipal cleaning crews have been sighted cleaning up the roadside and some of the beaches in Kalymnos before the summer season begins, and larger trash bins were installed in 2009. These are certainly steps in the right direction, but they still fall dramatically short. Not all trash originates on land, mind you: passing ships are just as guilty, as waste is indiscriminately dumped into the water, only to wash ashore eventually.

That said, besides controlling the damage already done, we can all make small change in our daily routines to minimize our negative impact on the environment of Kalymnos. Any positive change, no matter how small, is better than no change at all.

If you are on Kalymnos for just a few days…

– Clean up after yourself on the crag (we always have a small bag to collect food and coffee wrappers, tissue paper, etc). And if you are a smoker, please, please pick up your cigarette butts. The filters are toxic and non-biodegradable, and they may be consumed by birds and other animals. Don’t litter the crag – put them in your bag.

– ‘Toilet-train’ yourself. Crags on Kalymnos do not have toilets, so please look for a toilet spot far from where the people are, and use toilet paper with moderation. Bury the ‘evidence’ after you’ve used the toilet, otherwise the crags turn into a big, stinky mess (with used toilet paper flying around) after a few repetitions. Not convinced? Read this post from Climbing magazine’s website.

– Use water in moderation. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, wash your dishes, and so on. The majority of Greek islands suffer from a shortage of water, and Kalymnos is no exception.

– Bring your own bag (or backpack) to the store. Ironically, store owners or cashiers in Greece will often insist on giving you plastic bags, since bringing one’s own bag is the exception. You may need to refuse more than once until the cashier is convinced you really don’t want more plastic.

– Buy local products, if you can. Fruits and vegetables are grown in the valley of Vathy seasonally and on a small scale. Look for delicious small tomatoes in the summer, and cabbage and tangerines in the winter. Kalymnian cheese is also very good (good enough to inspire the name of a route at Arhi sector). The downside: local produce is mostly available in smaller fruit markets in Pothia, and may cost a bit more.

– Don’t throw away your book. Donate it to Climber’s Nest shop or Glaros Bar; they both have small libraries accepting book donations in various languages, so you can also borrow your next book here.

– Use olive oil soap. You will find it in most shops in Kalymnos; it comes in a bar and / or flakes, it is light brown or green in color, it is very mild, hypo-allergenic, cheaper than conventional soap, and suitable for a variety of uses (shower, household cleaning, laundry). Finally, it is an excellent soap to use for washing your climbing rope.

– Use the plastic boxes from feta cheese to store your lunch or food leftovers. It’s very hard (even for salt water) to destroy a plastic box, so it is ideal when you are on a boat or camping at sea (Thanks for the tip, Panagis)

If you are on Kalymnos for an extended stay…

– You can do all of the above, plus:

– Use energy in moderation. Open your windows (the sea breeze is an excellent substitute for air conditioners), use energy-efficient light bulbs, turn lights off whenever you can, and so on.

– If you have your own home or apartment, install a solar panel for hot water. You will have piping hot water for most of the year and huge savings on your energy bill.

– Reuse things like paper and the jar from your pasta sauce. For example, if you have newspapers lying around, click here for ideas on reusing them, and here for tips on reusing glass jars.

– Make your own household cleaners. Avoid toxic chemicals which eventually pollute the water. Use vinegar and baking soda to make excellent cleaners, and then dispose of your cleaning water in your garden or plants. For homemade cleaner recipes, click here.

If you have further ideas or suggestions, please share them!

May 24, 2010 / Update: We just heard that Gaetan Raymond and his friends (French climbers equipping routes on Telendos) also cleaned up Hohlakas beach on Telendos earlier this month. Good job guys :)

Photo below: On this remote north-facing beach near Sikati, in Kalymnos, the waste washed ashore could fully equip a household. What was all this stuff doing in the water in the first place?