The third phase of the project Adáma-sustainability in the hands of the community, carried out by the cultural production and management company MENTOR as part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus action of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, was completed with an open dialogue on the serious environmental challenges which the city of Eleusis endures.

Following on from phase one, which entailed the “co-identification” of the ecological problems of the area and phase two, which enabled the “co-visualisation” of the future society, phase three involved the “co-design” of an action strategy aiming to encourage the members of the local community to   bring forward sustainable solutions. In this direction, all working groups, composed of  members of citizens’ organisations such as EcoEleusis, the Elefsina Cycling Club, the Association of Labour Houses of Mandra “Nea Elvetia” and representatives of local government, professional associations and minorities, met on November 5 and 6, 2022, at the Eleusis-West Attica Labour Centre.   

The discussions were held in a particularly warm and friendly atmosphere, as required by the innovative method of the World Café, which is suitable for productive discussions between all members of a community, adopting the principles of equality, inclusiveness and pluralism. Based on six thematic axes, linking the environment to urban planning, culture, inclusiveness, education, security policies and the economy, participants sought solutions on a collaborative basis.

After all, as the title suggests (Adáma in Greek means together), a key aspect of the project is the belief in the value of collaboration. This seems to be confirmed by the success of the discussions of the third phase, which is attested to by the clear and targeted interventions of the citizens of Eleusis themselves, who are forced to experience the city’s problems on a daily basis. A success that is perhaps the best argument in favor of the need to broaden civic participation in environmental decision-making.