Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki

Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki (Greek: Οικολογική Κίνηση Θεσσαλονίκης, Oikologiki Kinisi Thessalonikis), is the oldest living eco-political group of Greece. It was founded in 1982, by an initial core of people with ecological sensitivities who wanted to turn them into action. Among them was Michalis Tremopoulos (currently an elected councillor in the Thessaloniki Prefecture and an elected member of the Executive Secretariat of Ecologist Greens, the Greek Green Party) and Yiannis Tziolas, who are still active. Oikologiki Kinisi in fact means ecological move or action or movement. This shows an emphasis on action and social mobilization. The political agenda of the group consists of the main pillars of the green ideology: ecology, peace/non-violence, grassroots democracy, human rights, social solidarity, with a strong social context. A major influence was Murray Bookchin's social ecology. André Gorz, Ivan Illich and Cornelius Castoriadis were also significant influences.

The first major campaign was about the Thessaloniki Ring Road, which was planned to pass through the urban forest that surrounds the city and means a lot to its citizens. Thousands of trees were planned to fell. Demonstrations both on the site of the works in the forest and in the city's main streets raised a significant public support (there was a march where 2000 people were gathered). Unfortunately, this mobilization didn't manage to cancel the construction of the new road. It gave the group however, a good boost to continue.

The group had an open form of organisation, with a weekly free meeting as an organisational core element. Decisions were made by all persons present. It served something like a school from which many initiatives emerged and took their autonomous route. In 1984, a small group of university students in Thessaloniki, most of which belonged to Oikologiki Kinissi, undertook the first attempts to treat injured or sick wild animals. They rescued animals from the city zoo, where the public abandoned them not having anything better to do with them other than stuff them. Very soon the small group joined the Hellenic Ornithological Society (http://www.ornithologiki.gr/en/enmain.htm), and wildlife rehabilitation became a regular activity of the Society for several years and received much publicity for its success. In 1990, the Hellenic Wildlife Hospital, a non-profit organization, was founded by the most active rehabbers, who were mostly members of the original team.

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