Tiganokinisi Project
Established in 2000 in Nicosia, Cyprus, AKTI is now a leading environmental non-profit with global influence, spanning 50+ countries. Over 23 years, it has grown significantly, engaging in international initiatives and research projects to promote sustainability worldwide.
Overview of the project
Tiganokinisi is an environmental and social innovation initiative developed by the non-profit, non-governmental organization AKTI Project and Research Centre, and is implemented in Cyprus in collaboration with the Pedagogical Institute, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. Tiganokinisi is a way towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.
How it works: Schools become collection hubs, students bring dUCO from home, AKTI NGO collects and sells it to biodiesel refineries. Proceeds are circled back to schools for green infrastructure and environmental activities. It’s a win for schools and the environment!
The Tiganokinisi Caravan, a mobile educational unit, brings environmental education to students, offering interactive experiments and showcasing cutting-edge environmental technologies in energy and water conservation. It’s education on wheels, driving sustainability to every corner of Cyprus!
Thus, the innovation of Tiganokinisi is the unique connection between environmental education and direct funding to schools through the sale of collected dUCO. This has led to several international awards and recognitions e.g. Tiganokinisi was recognized by the European Commission in 2020 as one of the EU’s best practices in Social Innovation, awarded the exemplifying quality certification in the GENE Global Education Award in 2021, and showcased as a best practice for education on sustainability at the 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in October 2022.
Engaging school children and citizens into circular economy through the management of domestic Used Cooking Oil.
implementation
09/01/2012 - project still in progress
What started as a pilot in 2012 with just 5 schools now covers 509 schools all over Cyprus! Every year, it benefits over 90,000 students and 9,500 educators, accelerating behavioral change with an estimated active engagement of 180,000 citizens. Over the years, Tiganokinisi has invested over 580,000 euros in 1,200+ green projects in schools. So far, more than 400 businesses donate their used cooking oil for the benefit of schools and 20 local authorities support the initiative actively. Until now, over 1,000 tonnes of dUCO were saved from landfills and waste water treatment plants, transformed into biodiesel and saving more than 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions!
The impact of Tiganokinisi has been recognised through the several awards received:
- In 2018, Tiganokinisi was included in the official curriculum of the Cypriot Ministry of Education and the same year, it received an EU SME Instrument Phase I Grant as proof of its concept of internationalization.
- In 2020, it was recognized by the European Union as one of the 27 best practices in Social Innovation.
- In 2021, Tiganokinisi received an Exemplifying Quality in Global Education Award from the GENE Global Education Network.
- In 2022, it received a significant fund through Chevron Corporation’s CSR policy, which was renewed for 2023–2024 activities to upgrade its mobile educational unit and expand its educational campaign to schools and the wider community.
The collected dUCO is sold to refineries. The proceeds are invested in schools. There is financial support from the Cyprus Ministry of Finance, from international donors and through awards.
organisation
AKTI was established in Nicosia, Cyprus in 2000 by a group of experts on the environment and sustainability. Over the last 23 years, it has grown from a small organization to one of the largest and most respected environmental not-for-profits on the island of Cyprus, with activities that reach well beyond the island’s boundaries. AKTI maintains an extensive network of collaborators and volunteers, in more than 50 countries across Europe and the world and participates in several international initiatives and applies research projects that help further its work towards meeting its mission, which is to implement sustainability.
Government/ Ministry of Education of Cyprus, Department of Environment of Cyprus, NGOs, Local Authorities (more than 20 in Cyprus), HoReCa partners (more than 400), citizens, SMEs, Media.