See you at the public fountains with one voice!

With a peaceful march to Egnatia St. and drumbeats, EYATH, the Municipality of Thessaloniki and Greenpeace “demonstrated” today, World Water Day, highlighting their commitment to public fountains and everyone’s access to clean water in public spaces.

On the occasion of the global celebration, the first of a series of 10 new fountains that will be placed in the center of Thessaloniki was inaugurated on Agia Sophia and Egnatia, continuing the joint initiative “See you at the public fountains!”, which was launched on the same day last year by the three organizations. “Another appointment at the public fountains has become a reality! A year ago, when celebrating World Water Day in Nea Paralia with the inauguration of the first public fountain, we were committed that this was only the beginning of a collective effort to ensure access to free, drinking water for all citizens. Today, in collaboration with EYATH, the company’s employees’ association – which I would like to particularly thank – and Greenpeace, we have achieved the second step,” said the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis.

“The fountain that we inaugurated in the heart of the city, at the intersection of Egnatia and Agias Sofias streets, marks the creation of a new network of public fountains that will be expanded to central points of the city. The next challenge is the restoration and operation of the eight Ottoman fountains in the Upper Town, with the aim of aesthetically upgrading the public space and strengthening the tourist footprint in the area,” added Mr. Angeloudis.

The street band “Kroustofono” led a peaceful musical “march” towards Egnatia, with the slogan and banner “See you at the public fountains!” The festive banner had been painted by the children who visited the Water Supply Museum recently, as part of the regular educational tours. The music ended at the height of Egnatia St. and the… new public fountain, where a kinesiological event was presented by the M. Vassilikos team entitled “Flow – A kinesiological journey through water”. At that point, a stand from EYATH was also set up for more information and the distribution of water bottles to passers-by, with the same motto: “We drink water from public fountains, we protect the environment from single-use plastics”!

“Public water fountains in urban environments are becoming increasingly important in the midst of a climate crisis. As we must learn to live with extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, a strong network of public water fountains is the least we can do as EYATH to ensure the quality of life of our fellow citizens. In addition, this reduces dependence on bottled products as well as single-use plastics.

Therefore, strengthening the infrastructure for the provision of clean water to citizens is necessary to ensure public health and promote social equality, providing access for all to a basic need,” pointed out EYATH President Agis Papadopoulos.

Amanatidis, CEO of EYATH, noted: “We are very pleased to expand the network of public taps in Thessaloniki, from Nea Paralia now to the city center, in collaboration with the municipality and Greenpeace. Water in Thessaloniki is EYATH and we remain firmly committed to the vision of a city that is sustainable for its residents and tourists, a city with resilient infrastructure and a good quality of life. It is a vision that we share with the mayor and we continue in this direction.”

“Our collaboration with the Municipality of Thessaloniki and EYATH on “See you at the Public Taps” shows that change is possible when forces are joined for the common good. By restoring public taps, we are taking an important step towards reducing plastic waste and the sustainability of our city, while offering a meaningful solution to citizens,” said Nikos Charalambides, Director General of Greenpeace Greece.

The United Nations has dedicated this year’s World Water Day to saving glaciers, as a key survival strategy for people and our planet.