Chernobyl Special Chernobyl Special
I found this old photo taken in the Bahia bar. My silly way of lightening the Chernobyl crisis. At the time fallout was threatening to radiate all of Eastern Europe. I remember there was run on NoyNoy tinned milk (there was no fresh milk to be had on the island bac ...
Chernobyl Special
Chernobyl Special
Donkeys Uber Alles Donkeys Uber Alles
Happy to be back in Greece after my first trip to the States since 2016. On Thanksgiving my sister in-law asked me what made the biggest impression of change in the ‘real’ world since my last visit … post-Covid etc. ! Quite shocking I can say: see ...
Donkeys Uber Alles
Donkeys Uber Alles
Hydra finishes the season on a high note! Hydra finishes the season on a high note!
Credit due, quite literally! When the world is facing an unprecedented energy crisis as 2022 draws to a close, our beloved Rock is now getting renewable energy. Hugely beneficial to the island in so many ways. Bravo, and thank you to those who made it possible! &nb ...
Hydra finishes the season on a high note!
Hydra finishes the season on a high note!
Inkaminicado! Inkaminicado!
Roger Green came up with a classic to describe the Rock’s permanent inmates when the summer swarms drive local denizens into hiding. Now into its third decade, the resident bard’s traditional Pirofani opening poem was spot on. We shall be blissfully Inka ...
Inkaminicado!
Inkaminicado!
A Lovely Tribute to Kamini’s Tassia A Lovely Tribute to Kamini’s Tassia
Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) { "@con ...
A Lovely Tribute to Kamini's Tassia
A Lovely Tribute to Kamini’s Tassia
Kamini April Fool? Kamini April Fool?
Who wants to go for a walk? Unanimous yes. Quandary in the port: left to Vichos, right to Hydra town, or a dip in the harbor. Happy Spring all. Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in ne ...
Kamini April Fool?
Kamini April Fool?
Romantic August Kamini Sunset Romantic August Kamini Sunset
  But the flip side of our photographic flags a fluttering in the breeze is that with temperatures in the mid 30,s  hot wind can cause deadly wildfires. (As poor Greece has already experienced recently)Please be extra vigilant and always carry water on walks, ...
Romantic August Kamini Sunset
Romantic August Kamini Sunset
Hydra Revisited Hydra Revisited
Honoured to be included. Latest Hydra Book Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend ( ...
Hydra Revisited
Hydra Revisited
Okay who’s next ??? Okay who’s next ???
Easy livin’ August was fun, y’all come back soon y’hear. So that is August in Kamini is almost done and dusted, who’s up for September? We are going to win this season, albeit on marginal points. Happy Fall y’All, still standing KC staf ...
Okay who's next ???
Okay who’s next ???
Not Kamini’s Baby Beach Not Kamini’s Baby Beach
We have heard rumblings about August “Baby Beach” being a tad crowded. Try China for fun bathing then. Surfs Up Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in n ...
Not Kamini's Baby Beach
Not Kamini’s Baby Beach

What Is a Carbon Footprint?

Essentially it’s about how much fossil fuel an individual consumes in his or her daily life, or in layman’s terms, how much carbon dioxide one’s lifestyle generates, therefore contributing to polluting the planet.

How ’bout a Donkey Print?

Hay! We may be the oldest form of transport, but hybrids are the future, don't you know! Kamini Harbor, Hydra, Greece

Hydra’s donkeyprint

On Hydra, we pride ourselves that we are amongst the world’s leaders in the fight against global warming just by living here. Neon signs are banned. We don’t catch buses, drive cars, or even have the ability to commute by moped if we wish. For anything heavier than a shopping bag, one requires a donkey for transport, and in extreme cases for long distances, a water taxi, though this is hardly the norm.  Even bicycles are banned (except for those under the age of 14, in which case, the vehicle is considered a toy).

Nor in fact does our terrain merit anything more than burden-baring four-footed friends, given that Hydra is basically a rock with few level paths (try riding your bike up and down cobblestone steps). As one of the last bastions of unmotorized transportation so close to a major European capitol, Hydriotes can pride themselves on being pioneers of an old technology in the 21st century: foot travel and expedited delivery by donkey.

Hydra’s footprint

However, it would be too easy to rest on our laurels and assume we are therefore ahead of the global warming game. There are new and equally treacherous avenues along which even us c-footprint-light types can misstep. Air-conditioning, washing machines, the occasional trip by hydrafoil, and other new technowizardry, especially if used without due regard to energy use, all contribute to an increased footprint.

Take simply leaving lights on. We are not just talking about home owners’ leaving their garden lights on all night, but about the illumination of Hydra in general. Some back streets of Kamini  and upper Hydra have brilliant new spotlights a-shining until gone dawn. There are even blueprints to pave and light the road to Vlichos our sources tell us, which will mean no more donkey prints along what is now a pristine footpath.

A rhubarb and debate have already erupted, making this an issue with no simple solution. “All those in favor of a yaya (grandmother) not falling down some steps in the dark, say aye,” gets a majority vote. “All those who oppose having their quiet, simple village night sky and luminous tranquility invaded, say aye,” gets the taxpayer vote. It’s a political standoff.

Statistics (read rumors) indicate that most are in favor of the first proposal, and yet home owners are dead against having an all-night spotlight illuminating their backyards, bedrooms, and terraces. This could involve years of legal wrangling.

Going lighter?

So, why not try something radical, something we are sure could be implemented by simply asking the relevant house owner who is in proximity to a newly proposed street light to sponsor a motion detector. At approximately 30 euros apiece, not only would they save the island a fortune in electricity (even with the low-energy lamps currently installed), but they would lead the way in maintaining our energy-friendly environment.

And there would be extra savings on top. There have been recorded instances of newish municipal lamps succumbing to accident sooner than their extra-long-life projections. Our lower-energy lamps might last longer if they only popped on when a person was within range, which would obviously translate into less “damage-control” expense for the Demos.

Jennifer
Jennifer first arrived on the Rock at the age of 10, after her father, Michael, bought a house above Hydra’s port. While she lived in Virginia year-round with her mother, Jeanne, and stepfather, Steve, she visited Hydra with her father every summer for a month, in her younger years tripping along the port chasing kitties, then later tripping home from Cavos to make her curfew (father had threatened to call the “police” if she was even a minute late).

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