Athens’ Trees are Up for Adoption

The National Gardens in Athens. Photo © Maria Theofanopoulou

In efforts to preserve the Greek capital’s green spaces, the Municipality of Athens recently announced a new pilot program that aims to encourage stewardship of trees planted in the city center.

Titled“Adopt-A-Tree”, the municipality’s new initiative gives the residents of Athens the opportunity to choose a city tree and contribute to its survival by watering it during the hot summer months.

The Municipality of Athens plants 600 new trees every year. However, it is estimated that 10-40 percent of the newly planted trees dry up during the summer days due to high temperatures.

“It is essential to water the new trees every two days,” the municipality says.

To adopt a tree, citizens need to download the Novoville app for Android devices which is free on Google Play, or visit the Novoville WebApp here. Then, by selecting “My City” on the menu, they can choose up to three trees to “adopt”.

One tree can be adopted by up to three individuals.

Citizens will receive a notification on their cell phones every time their trees need to be watered.

“The municipality’s program aims to preserve the beneficial effects of green spaces on our neighborhoods by dealing with the problems caused by high temperatures… We are certain that the citizens will embrace this initiative by actively participating,” said Deputy Mayor for Green Spaces and Climate Change Resilience Eleni Myrivili.

For more information (in English), press here.