The award was presented to Mayor Giorgis Marinakis during the two-day forum “Do It Green – Recycling for a Sustainable Future,” held at the Cultural and Conference Center of Heraklion.

Beyond the award ceremony, Mayor Marinakis — who also serves as president of the Regional Union of Municipalities of Crete (PED) — participated in a roundtable discussion on environmental initiatives, alongside Menelaos Bokeas, Mayor of Malevizi, Giorgos Ntispyrakis, Deputy Mayor of Phaistos, and Kostas Kokkinakis, Deputy Mayor of Gortyna.

“No program, no matter how well-designed or ambitious, can succeed without the cooperation of institutions, the understanding of citizens, and the vision that must become a shared duty instilled in our children,” emphasized Mayor Marinakis in his speech.

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He went on to note:

“The Municipality of Rethymno leads — and has been recognized — in numerous European projects focused on environmental protection, recycling, and the circular economy. Just a few days ago, we organized an important event dedicated to the recycling of electrical and electronic devices. Environmental protection is a daily concern and an unwavering priority for our municipality. As a modern society, we must understand that there is no such thing as ‘waste’ in the traditional sense, but rather resources with environmental and economic value that we must systematically and continuously utilize.”