Greek Island of Lipsi Bans Swimming Pools to Save Water

Lipsi, a tiny and isolated Greek island in the Dodecanese, has banned the construction of swimming pools to save water and has begun a campaign for sustainable vacations.

“Our concept of holidays does not belong to the past but to the future, where the Mediterranean islands will be forced to follow our example to protect the environment and deal with the uncontrollable heat waves and water shortages,” said the mayor of Lipsi Fotis Mangos.

The call for an authentic and sustainable way of vacationing by saying “no” to the waste of natural resources is accompanied by a video that follows a young couple, Konstantinos and Dimitra, enjoying their holidays in Lipsi without pools and organized beaches full of sunbeds.

The couple’s daily life is dreamlike, full of swimming and relaxing in “natural pools” with emerald waters, walks in the picturesque alleys, culinary experiences, local products, historic churches, traditions, sunsets, fun in idyllic places, hiking, cycling, horse riding, diving and sea excursions.

“Through our initiatives, we offer travelers an unspoiled natural paradise. The response of a quality audience from Greece and abroad is very great, resulting in an impressive increase in demand for the island in recent years”, Maggos says.

Lipsi campaign to save water

Recently the island of Lipsi took another significant step towards sustainable tourism, aiming at the correct use of water resources produced via water desalination.

In the context of an international initiative that detergent manufacturers Finish and Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) are implementing in Greece, an action team with the active support of the municipality of Lipsi has equipped all the households of the islands with special water saving filters, showing the right way to use the devices and helping in their installation.

Lipsi, a hidden gem of the Dodecanese archipelago

Lipsi is not just one island, but actually a cluster of islets located in the southeastern Aegean. The collective name comes from the largest island of all, Lipsi, which is formed by land masses joined by a narrow isthmus.

Low hills and valleys, as well as a rocky coastline and several bays, are part of the landscape of Lipsi.

Cars and roads are not common on the island, therefore most of the action takes place along the pedestrian seafront promenade. A small fishing port and several must-visit tavernas can also be found there.

In the town (Chorio), one can taste the famous octopus dishes of the island in one of the many ouzeries or fish restaurants there. At night, these venues turn into meeting places where people can  go for a drink and live music.

Lipsi is a small island, so it is quite easy to move around by bike or even on foot. Despite its size, however, there are many churches and monasteries on the island. Locals even say that it’s possible that every family of Lipsi could have a chapel of their very own.

Most of the beaches of Lipsi are close to the port. The ones that are further away, however,  are still close and easy enough to reach by taxi or motorbike.