Yia sas from Cyprus! Water is very important here in Cyprus. We’re surrounded by the sea, people come from all over the world to spend time in the crystal clear water, and the Greek goddess Aphrodite was said to be born from the coast of the Cypriot city of Paphos.

Something I’ve noticed, however, is the tricky nature of potable water. Though tap water is safe all across Cyprus, many people reach for bottled water. Even for cooking, locals complain of the taste of it and don’t use tap water. (It’s fine to me, but I guess I’ve had some questionable-tasting tap water!) Even in class, people bring around plastic bottles and not refillable ones; if they do have refillable bottles, they are probably filled with bottled water.

The tap water comes from the Troodos mountains, located basically in the center of Cyprus. It holds the highest peak on the island (Mount Olympus) and feeds 14 main rivers, as well as springs and other rivers across Cyprus. There are 3 main aquifers where this water collects. In my research, I couldn’t really find where exactly water is purified, but I know there are plenty of natural springs across Cyprus where water is also bottled.

As for energy, Cyprus is powered by oil and petroleum products, most of which are imported. Though this practice is not very sustainable, the island is slowly moving toward more sustainable practices. Since it’s a part of the EU, it acknowledges the 17 Sustainability Development goals that the EU has set. The goals are probably not going to be met in time, but it’s good that many countries are participating in reaching these goals.

All in all, there is still plenty of sustainability work to be done here, and culture plays a big part of that!