Kalimera! The days in the “sunniest country in Europe” are finally starting to match it’s name. This past week has been nothing but clear skies and a bright sun. Some of my friends who burn easily already have red noses and cheeks. Although, I was able to see snow again on a trip to the Troodos Mountains last Saturday. I will say that snow is more enjoyable here because it was 50 degrees and not 30. Cyprus is also celebrating Carnival tomorrow in Limassol, a beautiful beach city on the Southern coast. I’ll be sure to include a picture or two on my next blog post. Aside from these celebrations, Cyprus is leaving it’s rainy season which brings up the topic of water conservation and storage. Some research on the topic revealed that Cyprus didn’t have a working running water system until the creation of the Nicosia Water BOard in 1953. 70 years after it’s creation, Cyprus has 108 dams and 5 desalination plants. Several droughts experienced by the country prompted the creation of these plants. Now, as much as 70% of Cyprus running water comes from this process of desalination. The specific treatment the water goes through is reverse osmosis. In this process, two cubic metres of sea water are needed to create one cubic metre of desalinzed water. These treatments make most of Cyprus’ tap water safe to drink, however, a large part of the population choose to buy bottled water. This process isn’t considered to be sustainable because of how much energy is required to produce desalinzed water. This energy, along with most energy in Cyprus, comes from oil and petroleum. 84% of Cyprus’ electricity comes from petroleum, with less than 10% coming from solar power. In recent years, many organizations have brought attention to the use of unsustainable processes and I hope to learn more about it through my work with the “Let’s Make Cyprus Green” organization. On a brighter note, I am so excited to attend Carnival tomorrow and share my experience with y’all next time! I’ve also included a picture of one of the resident cats on campus that often joins me at my sit spot in hopes of getting fed.