Although the island is picturesque at first glance, many practices of sustainability could be altered. One of the problems they face is their disposal of waste. As there are very few vehicles on Hydra, the two garbage trucks definitely stick out. They are known to set fire to the waste they carry, which we’ve learned throughout the class is harmful to both human health and the environment. Going along with poor disposal, they also dump wastewater into the sea affecting marine life as well. Hydra’s economy is powered by tourism, however, they don’t bring in a lot of tourists in comparison to some of the larger islands of Greece. Reading about the struggles of Hydra is very shocking to me as when the class visited from the surface, it seemed like the island would actually be more sustainable than others. I remember immediately stepping off the ferry, I thought I walked into a different century. It was a smaller island with sea taxis carting tourists around. There were also donkeys everywhere and many were loaded up with pieces of luggage to cart around. Even when we sat down for a quick refreshment, I noticed a tiny boat and a man took a large bag which I discovered to be the island’s mail, and loaded it into a wooden pull cart. Along with packages, he carted all of them and the mail off instead of having an automated vehicle take it. Between hand-pulled carts and donkeys, I assumed they were cutting down on gas and emissions this way. I even saw a few windmills while walking across the island and combined with the low emissions thought sustainability was very important to them. The valuable part however is that changes are being made to lessen the problems Hydra faces and move to a more sustainable future for the island. Initiatives to explore and improve include the island’s water supply, power and energy, waste management, land use, education and employment, and transport. Pointing out these issues is only the first step but it is a step in the first direction, to the improvement of the island and a better environment for all. This means that there are many more steps to be made but there is hope for a better future. There was also mention of initiatives across Europe which is good to see more change and upward environmental trends across the board.