Winners of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage 2025 announced
AKTI Project and Research Centre, environmental NGO from Cyprus, wins the Golden Award
The Future Food Institute, Italian NGO, wins the Silver Award
The 2025 winners of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage were announced today. AKTI Project and Research Centre, a renowned Cypriot environmental NGO has won the Golden Award for its exemplary work in raising awareness of the need to save natural heritage at risk in Cyprus and in the rest of Europe. The Jury granted the Silver Award to the Italian NGO Future Food Institute (FFI), for successfully promoting and preserving their cultural and natural heritage. The Award Ceremony will take place on 9 April 2025, within the framework of the X Delphi Economic Forum.
This year’s awards honour organisations and initiatives that place a greater focus on the environment. The Jury’s decision reflects the increasing recognition, and urgency of natural and environmental challenges in both society and contemporary heritage practice, while also paying tribute to Costa Carras, whose lifelong dedication to protecting nature as heritage continues to inspire.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to AKTI for its outstanding and ongoing commitment to preserving Cyprus’ natural heritage and for bringing much-needed international attention to environmental protection, and to FFI for its highly inspiring dedication to food heritage and its social and economic practices, with a vision for the future”, the Jury stated (for the list of members of the Jury see below).
The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage were established in 2023 by EUROPA NOSTRA and ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage in memory of Costa Carras, an iconic champion of the protection of the environment and cultural heritage in Greece and Europe. The founding partners of the Awards are the A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Delphi Economic Forum and the European Investment Bank Institute. The Golden Award and the Silver Award are generously financed by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.
The response to our Call for Entries 2025 was impressive. This year we received 27 applications from Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Kosovo*, Portugal, Slovenia, Turkey.
Gold Award for AKTI Project and Research Centre (Cyprus)
Reacting to the announcement, Dr. Xenia I. Loizidou, Chair of the Board of Directors of AKTI Project and Research Centre, stated: “We are incredibly proud that AKTI is receiving the Costas Carras Gold Award, an award closely linked to an iconic figure who has dedicated his life to raising public awareness about the protection of cultural and natural heritage. This recognition energises us to continue our 25-year-long work on promoting the green transition and sustainability in Cyprus, the Mediterranean, and globally. We are committed to expanding AKTI’s network of active citizens in every corner of the world. Sustainability is not just a theory; it is about action and real-world solutions. For that, we all need to be involved!”
The Jury of the Awards stated: “AKTI Project and Research Centre has been unanimously selected as the laureate of the Gold Award in recognition of its 25 years of dedication to protecting and championing Europe’s natural heritage. Since its establishment in 2000, AKTI has worked tirelessly with experts, schools, universities, and local authorities to implement innovative environmental initiatives. Through impactful campaigns and projects, and a vast network of collaborators and volunteers, the organisation has significantly advanced environmental awareness, community engagement, and sustainable development. AKTI’s pioneering initiatives – #Potavristou, Tiganokinisi, and Posidonia oceanica Conservation – exemplify its dedication to environmental protection through education, citizen action, and innovative solutions. From tackling marine litter and repurposing waste to safeguarding vital marine ecosystems, these projects inspire collective action and drive meaningful change for a more sustainable future.”
AKTI Project and Research Centre was founded in Nicosia in 2000 by a group of scientists specialising in environmental issues and sustainability. It has since grown into one of Cyprus’s largest environmental non-profits, with activities spanning over 50 countries.
For 25 years, AKTI has been leading environmental protection, quality of life, and equality through initiatives in sustainability, marine literacy, social entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and public engagement. Examples of this extensive work include:
- The Responsible HoReCa Business Network in Cyprus and Malta, with 350 and 170 active members, respectively, to promote sustainability in the tourism industry on both islands (since 2018).
- The only seasonal, island-wide marine macrolitter monitoring campaign in Cyprus. Additionally, since 2022, it has carried out the first-ever systematic sampling and analysis of microplastics in coastal environments, while raising awareness of the crucial role of Posidonia oceanica in tackling the climate crisis (since 2021).
- The #Potavristou online campaign which mobilised more than 10,000 volunteers to collect 80 tons of waste, from the Philippines to Tanzania and from Ireland to Australia (launched in 2020).
- The Tiganokinisi programme, an educational and environmental initiative focused on collecting domestic used cooking oil, implemented in over 500 schools across Cyprus. It has received numerous international awards, including the GENE Global Education Award in 2021 (since 2012).
- Participation in the Horizon Europe TERRASAFE project, designing nature-based, technical, and social solutions to combat desertification and enhance community resilience in rural areas across Southern Europe and Northern Africa in an economically and environmentally sustainable way (since 2024).
Silver Award for Future Food Institute (Italy)
Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute and Paideia Campus, commented: “Pollica and Cilento are examples of resilience, guardians of a unique cultural and environmental heritage. I dedicate this award to the heroic farmers and fishermen, like Vittorio, who passionately pass down ancestral knowledge – such as Menaica fishing, an ancient practice dating back to the Hellenic settlements in Southern Italy – and to the administrators who safeguard these lands, promoting integral ecological development. High-potential marginal areas, like Cilento, hold biodiversity and traditions that must be protected, enhanced, and actively integrated into the future. Together, we have the duty to keep this knowledge alive and pass it on to future generations, ensuring it becomes a tangible tool for building a more just and sustainable world.”
The Jury of the Awards stated: “The Future Food Institute (FFI) is a pioneering force in transforming global food systems through education, innovation, and community engagement. Recognising food as far more than mere sustenance, FFI highlights its profound role as a cultural expression deeply woven into societal traditions. Its commitment to ‘prosperity thinking’ – balancing economic growth with social and environmental well-being – demonstrates a holistic and impactful approach. By fostering cross-border collaboration, particularly within the Mediterranean and North African regions, FFI exemplifies how knowledge-sharing and systemic innovation can drive sustainable change in food production, distribution, and consumption. This mission extends to the preservation of food heritage, as seen in its crucial efforts to protect the endangered ‘Menaica’ fishing technique in Cilento – a practice rich in history yet threatened by industrial overfishing and bureaucratic challenges. Through a multi-faceted strategy encompassing education, advocacy, and community engagement, FFI raises awareness of such at-risk cultural practices and actively revitalises them, ensuring that food remains a vital link between tradition, sustainability, and the future.”
The Future Food Institute is a global ecosystem that promotes integral ecological development, starting from food, a true nexus between health, culture, sociality, environment, and human well-being. Through research, education, systemic development projects, and Living Labs, Future Food Institute experiments with concrete solutions to regenerate the planet and enhance quality of life.
Founded in Italy in 2014, it now operates internationally with hubs in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Its approach is based on transdisciplinarity, community engagement, and the integration of technology with cultural heritage.
With its Paideia Campus in Pollica – an experimental laboratory for integral ecological development – Future Food Institute develops and disseminates regenerative models for agriculture, food, and environmental policies, inspired by the Mediterranean Diet, a UNESCO heritage. By studying the interaction between food, biodiversity, lifestyle, and health, Future Food Institute identifies strategies to improve both human well-being and planetary sustainability.
Its work is structured around three pillars: education, community, and innovation, fostering gastrodiplomacy and enhancing living heritage. Additionally, it explores and applies the longevity algorithm, analysing how the Mediterranean Diet and high-potential marginal territories can contribute to shaping a regenerative society.
Future Food Institute actively contributes to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals, turning food into a tool for diplomacy, innovation, and sustainable prosperity.
The European Jury
The pan-European Awards’ Jury, presided by Ştefan Bâlici, President of the Romanian Order of Architects (Romania), is composed of independent experts in the fields of culture, heritage and communication from various European countries, namely Guy Clausse, Vice-President of Europa Nostra (Luxembourg); Lydia Carras, Founder & President of ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (Greece); Fani Mallouchou-Tufano, Professor – Conservation, Restoration and Management of Architectural Monuments and Sites, at Technical University of Crete (Greece); Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra (Netherlands/Serbia); and Paolo Vitti, Board member of Europa Nostra, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame from Indiana in the USA (Italy).
