He may only be 29-years-old but Panagiotis Stavrianakis dreams of resolving a few of Greece’s complications, as he aims to leave a legacy in the local political scene of Athens. He doesn’t care if it will be big or small; what he does care about is changing people's attitude towards the environment.
Panagiotis lives in Athens and more specifically in the southern suburbs, in the area of Glyfada. He is a Mechanical Engineer and holds a Master degree in Energy Systems and Energy Upgrade of Public Infrastructures. He speaks English, French, and Arabic and has worked in prominent companies in Greece. Now, he owns his own energy systems company and at the same time, he is a taxi driver.
He is also a municipal councilor candidate for the Municipality Elections that will take place this month. His biggest ambition is to raise awareness of the environment and the importance of saving energy, recycling and taking actions for the benefit of the environment and its people.
"I work on installing energy-saving systems. These contribute to a cleaner and cost-efficient energy usage, however, the high cost of implementation deters businesses to invest. What usually helps, is the contribution of subsidized programs.
Furthermore, individuals begin searching for similar implementations that will burden our environment. I cannot stress enough how important these actions are on improving the conditions of our lives, protecting the environment and creating new jobs," Panagiotis tells GCT.
Panagiotis also drives a taxi. He started it when the crisis hit Greece. He highlights that it's educational for him, as he engages with various people from different backgrounds daily. "I see and listen to many things while driving,"
This year Panagiotis will participate in the local municipality elections with Georgios Papanikolaou’s party, who is the current Mayor of Glyfada. "Our Mayor believed in me and I believed in him. He is a man who has completed many successful projects in the area of Glyfada, an area I love. My proposals are all very specific on how to make the most out of solar energy and to save fuel. I have also suggested actions on fire safety measures, as Hymettus Mountain has gone through devastating fires."
Panagiotis says he will try to change anything that makes the daily life of the people of his municipality difficult. "Politicians must be a vital part of society. They are actually a part of this society and they are obliged to represent people by being serious and modest."
"The most important thing I want to change is people’s attitude towards recycling, energy consumption, and other environmental actions. This is how I plan to leave my mark. I believe we can all make our country a beautiful place to live in if we just take small steps at a time’"
Panagiotis, we all wish you the best and hopefully, you will manage to raise awareness on this crucial topic; the respect for the environment we live and breathe in.