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EUROPEAN SUSTAINABILITY ACADEMY

Leadership for positive impact

Your sustainability experience

Overview

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Crete is the sustainable destination of the past and of the future.

The birthplace of Zeus, Crete is an island cradled between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The island is overflowing with abundance of mythology, gastronomy, music, art, agriculture and home of the Minoans, one of the earliest civilisations on earth. These days many rural Cretan villages, thrive on a sustainable lifestyle of barter and exchange with a strong connection with the land. ESA is thrilled to be to create a truly 'immersive sustainability experience' which connects our guests with a richer feeling and deeper experience of the natural world and LIFE!

 


Natural Treasures of Crete

Truly immerse yourself in a natural Cretan experience and feel a richer connection with the abundance of the natural world and sustainable LIVING of past and present!

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  • Experience the Cretan culture of now and then through its unique flavours.
  • Learn all about our “Liquid gold” aka Olive oil through the unique experience of tasting samples from across Crete.
  • Participate in a fun 'wilderness' experience in the 10 acre grounds of ESA eco-venue. Feel, smell and touch endemic flora and see the ancient land dwellings.
  • Appreciate and learn about FIVE different local wine varieties while enjoying organically produced, typically Cretan 'tapas'.
  • Hear about the process of olive oil from tree to dinner plate.
  • You will be supporting small scale local businesses in rural communities.

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Crete has been inhabited even before the Minoan times. Architecture varies from town to town due to its long history and many occupations from foreign cultures. Using local natural materials, such as stone and earth, in building has been a historical feature accross the island.

ESA is a wholly authentic off- grid (powered by the Cretan sun) sustainable facility that is environmentally responsible, resource-efficient and aspiring to zero- waste.

This beautiful modern day building, set in Cretan nature, adopts ancient Cretan natural building techniques of clay, stone, wood and straw with a contemporary twist.

Located high up on the ‘Drapanos Kefalas’ cape (300 meters/ 1000 feet) close to Chania, the small traditional village of Drapanos will be your stomping ground for getting acquainted with the natural treasures of Crete.

On your way there you will admire the beauty of the coast and sparkling blue bay from one side and the rugged “White mountains” on the other.

Come along and sense the natural feelings of the space, which are hard to quantify in writing, but so many visitors 'feel' and react to so positively.

Crete is the home to a particularly rich flora including 1893 documented plant species of which 159 are endemic to the island. On this tour you will learn about the flora and nature of the area and also about local food production.

Sustainability is not a new concept to Cretans. The indigenous Cretan population has lived in harmony with the natural environment and utilized resources with a consideration of capacity for regeneration of resources for future generations.

You will gain first-hand experience of sustainable living and a sense of ‘sustainable self’, by feeling it and living it for yourself at the most appropriate venue ESA- Drapanos.

Walk around our grounds to see, hear, feel, smell, touch and taste all the richness of this ancient land. This experience will open your senses and you will learn about mainstream sustainable ideas that you can apply in your everyday life and also still enjoy comfort and and beauty.

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Upon leaving ESA (European Sustainability Academy - Crete) you will leave a much “richer” person with an invigorated feeling of connection with the abundance of nature and a sense of human resilience in alignment with the natural world. You will take home a bunch of much prized Malotira - Cretan Mountain Tea.

 


A Night with the Gods Stargazing

 

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  • Truly immerse yourself in a unique experience to enrich you with a new connection with LIFE between earth and sky!
  • This experience of wonder takes place just after sunset
  • You will learn how the ancient Greeks used the night sky for mythology, orientation and to predict what to expect in upcoming seasons
  • Explore the night sky through state of the art robotic telescope as our resident astronomer shows you different constellations, stars and planets.
  • Indulge in mouth watering ancient recipes cooked in Minoan style ceramic pots (Slow Food)
  • You will be supporting small scale local businesses in rural communities.

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Crete is a magnificent island with a varied and very interesting landscape. While on this blessed land, we are sure that you have spent hours looking around at the scenery and capturing those moments on your digital camera.

But have you ever looked up?

Crete is not only beautiful by day but also by night! At the ESA location in Drapanos there is NO LIGHT POLLUTION! This gives you a special night sky experience.

The Cretan night sky is magical and fascinating!

With our “Night with the Gods” tour we will not only show you the obvious; planets (Jupiter and Saturn),  bright stars, clear constellations and the streaming Milky way, but we take you a step further and let you feel one with the universe.

In a small group of like minded travelers you will arrive at ESA (European Sustainability Academy - Crete ), off grid eco-building, the first of its kind in Europe sustainable facility in Drapanos village in the Apokoronas region in Chania.

Our in- house astronomer will greet you and welcome you to a life remembered experience and a great introduction to astronomy through an entertaining and fun time.

Our tour is for everyone, even for those without any prior knowledge of the sky. You will learn how to understand and look at it, observe it through our telescope, and discover a new world, our universe !

You will enjoy an informative presentation, and whilst sipping a glass of local organic wine we explain the sky above you.

Outside, you will have a clear 'naked eye view' of our universe that will take your breath away, as Drapanos village is the perfect location to provide some of the best viewing conditions in Crete.

We explain what we see when we look at the stars, what a constellation is and how  most of the names and stories about the constellations with which we are familiar come from ancient Greece.

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You will be given your own 'sky map' to take away with you for recognizing the main stars where ever you are.

Even though most of you have seen a lot of astronomical photographs on the web, there is nothing like the experience of visual observing.

Your intergalactic experience will be enhance by a Minoan style Cretan dinner under the stars (or in ESA beautiful dining room). The mouth watering meal is prepared in ceramic pots in the style of ancient times. (Slow cooking)

Our dishes with ancient (vegetarian/meat) Cretan recipes and local farmed products will sustain you with pleasure as we discuss ancient greek mythology and its connection with the sky above.

 

 

 

 


Host your event at ESA     

Powered only by Cretan sunshine, ESA is a beautiful building rooted in the earth amongst ancient rocks and olive trees, surrounded by nature. Its construction is a leading example of sustainability in practice. ESA is an experiential and creative place where people feel enlivened, uplifted and creative. Great living and great learning happen at ESA. A perfect setting for:

Leading sustainable enterprise

Our passion is contributing towards co-created sustainable enterprise for positive impact on communities and the natural environment on a global scale. Leadership and entrepreneur issues of adaptation, resilience, authenticity, sustainable-self, values connected sense-making and the continued emancipation of women (WISE) to take up more leadership roles in the world are at the core of the ESA sustainability experience.

Make sense of sustainability

Crete is the sustainable destination of the past and of the future.

Home of the Minoans, one of the earliest civilisations on earth, nestled between Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Crete is rich with mythology, gastronomy, music, art and agriculture. You can have your own authentic experience of a sustainable lifestyle and feel first-hand the strong connection between nature and community.