1973 Year of Establishment

LIMASSOL COMMITTEE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNEP : GLOBAL 500 HONOUR ROLL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.. 51044 3500 . 80, .. 3025 : 25374145, 99415974 Fax: 25355794 e-mail : staper@cytanet.com.cy P.O.B. 51044 Limassol 3500

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT LlMASSOL COMMITTEE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT In 1973 the late Yiannakis Potamitis had the initiative to set up the Limassol Committee for the Environment. He was also one of the founders in 1949 of the Mountaineering Naturalist Club of Limassol and for many years its President until his death. The ffirst target of the Committee was the introduction of the environmental movement in the schools. For these reasons teachers were first invited to participate, as representatives of different schools, and also representatives of the three cultural clubs existing in Limassol. They thought that the best way to deal with the many environmental problems Limassol (town and district) was facing at that time was to involve not only the wide Limassol society but also the specialists. Therefore all Unions, Societies and Associations of Limassol, were invited to participate at the institutive meeting. As the intention was this assembly to function as a coordinative body, the new body was given the name Committee. The various Organizations responded very eagerly and up to 60 became members. Those were Youth Organizations, Trade Unions, Scientific Associations, and Quarter Clubs etc. Unfortunately most of them are not participating now. Fundamental principle for the Committee is to stay strictly politically neutral - far from any political influences and this has been always preserved. Another principle, which is strictly preserved, is to stay away from any economical dependence. For this reason has never applied for economical help to any organizations. In this way the Committee keeps its independence and freedom of expression. The problems with which the Committee has dealt, (together with the Mountaineering Club), until now, with success, were: the protection of the Yermasoyia grove from building development; the removal of the illegal vertical jetties which caused a lot of environmental problems in the sea; the demand of tidying up the sea shores (specially the so called "Olympians shore") so that the swimmers can have free access to the beach; the town traffic problems; the correct management of the waste and sewage; the protection of the trees and a lot of other problems people meet every day. To achieve some of these goals, protesting meetings were organized (the first in Cyprus). From time to time special working groups were set up by architects, chemists, doctors, physicians, engineers etc. to study special environmental problems. At intervals lectures, seminars and meetings (the first in Cyprus) were organized, attended by a lot of people, on various environmental matters. Such were air pollution, water management, architectural heritage, about flora and fauna etc. Those studies or seminars, resulted in essays which were submitted to the official quarters.

The Committee, because of its structure, was functioning on the basis of written but informal statutes. In 1988 Committee was one of the founding members of the Federation of the Environmental and Ecological Organizations of Cyprus. When the Federation had to be registered in the list of the "Curator of Unions and Corporations", because of its International and European activities and recognition, it was also necessary all memberOrganizations to be registered. The new "official" articles of the association, with which the Committee was registered, maintain a lot of how it was previously functioning. The Committee was registered in October 2000 and its official name remained "The Limassol Committee for the Envi ronment". About every three months the members of the Committee are gathered to listen lectures or be informed or have a discussion on various environmental problems of Limassol. In the case that the meeting has to take any decisions on certain matters, Organization-members are not obliged to follow these decisions since they represent various interests. MemberOrganizations with different opinion are free to express this in public. All members constitute the co-ordination committee and its decisions are taken with simple majority. Every year the General Assembly is convened where the President gives the annual report of the proceedings of the Committee and the Treasurer the financial report. Every two years the General Assembly is electing among all members interested about, the Steering Committee which is consisted of nine members. The Steering Committee meets every second Wednesday of each month and the meeting is open for anyone who wants to attend. In 1988 the unforgettable Yiannakis Potamitis was awarded by UNEP for "exceptional achievements in the cause of the environment", with the prestigious distinction GLOBAL 500 HONOUR ROLL. As he regarded that this honour had to reflect on all his collaborators he was using this as a pattern in the Committee's correspondence something we still do.