Anne
and John
Bowers. Anne is a teacher of Ancient Greek and has been studying
modern Greek for many years. John is an ecological economist at the University of Leeds
who has written books and articles on many aspects of European environmental
policy. A report on green tourism in Lesbos and the Polychnitos Thermal baths is
available on his own website (http://lubswww.leeds.ac.uk/MKB/johnbowers).
John and Anne first visited Lesbos in 1983 and
have been many times
since. In the 1980's, before the hotels were built, they stayed in apartments
overlooking the pool in Skala Kallonis. Now they stay in Skala Polychnitou. They
produced the earliest printed reports of spring bird migration in Lesbos.
A complete set of their reports 1982-2000 is available for consultation at the
information centre run by Lefteris Papafilippou in Skala Polychnitou.
Richard
Brooks. Richard is a professional bird photographer who has won awards
for his work. He is author of Birding on the Greek Island of Lesbos (Brookside
Publishing, 1998). He is an enthusiast for Lesbos with a wealth of experience
and knowledge of its wildlife and wildlife habitats who has done more than
anyone else to publicise its unique qualities. Each spring between March and
May he is to be found in the Malemi Hotel in Skala Kallonis guiding and advising
visitors on where to go and what to look for; in the evenings he provides talks
and slide shows on the birds of Lesbos. More information on Richard and his
activities can be obtained by visiting his web site
http://www.richard-brooks.co.uk.
Carol
Christ. Captivated by the beauty of the island, Carol resigned a
university professorship in California and moved to Molyvos in 1987. Her recent
passion for watching birds led her to work to save the wetlands of Lesbos. In
2001 she circulated a petition about saving the wetlands of the Gulf of Kalloni
that attracted over 600 signatures.
Carol is director of Ariadne
Institute for the Study of Myth and Religion (http://www.goddessariadne.org)
offering educational programmes for women in Lesbos and Crete. She is author
of 6 books including Womenspirit Rising (Harper & Row, 1979) and Rebirth of
the Goddess (Routledge, 1998). She believes that the moral challenge of our time
is whether human beings can find ways to live in greater harmony with each other
and all beings in the web of life.
Carol is our Vice President.

George and Efstratia Kapsalis. Effy and George run the Malemi
Hotel in Skala Kallonis, famous as the place to stay for bird watchers and as
the centre for information on the birds of the island. They have been very
active in promoting green tourism and thereby extending the tourist season. They
have sponsored the book Birds of Lesvos written by Richard Brooks. The Hotel can
be contacted at malemi@otenet.gr.

Erika Meyer. Erika lives in Polychnitos and operates the Thermal Baths. In partnership with Lefteris
Papafilippou she organises green tours based at Skala Polychnitou that make use
of her
extensive knowledge of the walking trails of the island. For information contact
her on 0030-252-42-678 (telephone and fax).
Lefteris
Papafilippou.
Lefteris is an organic farmer in Skala Polychnitou and a strong believer
in the need to farm and fish in ways that safeguard the habitats of Lesbos, in
particular the precious and delicate ecosystems of the gulf of Kalloni. He works
with Erika
Meyer on green tourism. He also organises olive picking holidays in the winter
months. He has
recently reconstructed an historic house in Polychnitos, which is used for these
activities and sometimes rented to green tourists. He maintains an information
centre in Skala Polychnitou on Lesbos and its environment, which contains an excellent collection of books
articles.
Page last updated:11 Sep 2004