Hvar Going Greener

Published in Highlights
On March 19th 2014, Slobodna Dalmacija, the region's most influential newspaper, carried an article by local journalist Mirko Crnčević highlighting the success of Đurđan Gurdulić Murvica.
Đurđan received an award in February for his integrated farming methods, where sheep live and graze under his olive trees not far from Vrisnik. The article went online on March 20th. It's a welcome boost to promote the need to do away with pesticides and clean up the environment. Visitors and locals alike don't want to eat food, drink wine or use olive oil laced with traces of harmful herbicides. Sadly, when pesticides are used, they do pass into the plants and therefore into the food chain. And they cause untold harm to the environment and to human health. So we thank Mirko Crnčević and Slobodna Dalmacija for bringing the issue of environmental protection on Hvar to the forefront.

Today Eco Hvar was also pleased to receive a very welcome message from a couple in Belgium. The Eco Hvar website has received pleasing messages from friends and strangers alike since its beginnings in October 2013, but this email was special because the writers are themselves actively involved in helping Hvar's environment. This is what they have to say:

"Congratulations for Eco Hvar initiative.

We are from Belgium and have restaurated  a lttle house in the forest in the Unesco Patrimonium.

We live ecologically. No current water, no electricity. We collect the water from rain and have solar panels.

We contribute to Hvar by collecting garbage in the sea and on the beaches.

See you!"

It's individual efforts like these that will help to turn the tide on Hvar in favour of a clean environment, free from litter, carelessly discarded rubbish and pesticides.

© Vivian Grisogono 2014

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