Nova started the Reforestation of the Holy Monastery of Penteli

Nova, a member of the United Group, the leading telecommunications and media provider in Southeast Europe, faithful to its commitment to the environment, local communities and supporting the sustainability of Greece, is proceeding with the reforestation of the area of ​​the Holy Monastery of Penteli in Attica, responding to the urgent environmental needs that arose after the widespread fire of last August.
The reforestation is carried out in a burnt forest area of ​​70 acres, where Nova, as a contractor, in close cooperation with the General Secretariat of Forests and the General Directorate of Forests and Forest Environment of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN), as well as with the Penteli Forestry Office, has undertake the planting and care of 5,400 trees. Through this project, the forest tissue of I.M. Pentelis, which houses the prominent late Byzantine building of the Holy Monastery of historical and religious importance, as well as the Orthodox Center of the Church of Greece.

The reforestation is part of Nova’s 1 million euro corporate responsibility program. euros for the restoration of the environment as well as the prevention of disasters through the use of technology. This initiative follows the large-scale restoration projects in the Dadia Evros National Park and the island of Rhodes, as well as the undertaking and offering of the ICT project “Smart Forest Rhodes”.

The start of reforestation took place on Friday, November 29, 2024.

In this context, the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Thermopylae Mr. Ioannis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Penteli said: “The work that will be carried out with this initiative gives us the opportunity to see the surrounding area of ​​the Monastery green again. This forest area is valuable for the whole of Attica, the visitors of the Monastery, the residents of the area, the schools with the children who throughout the ages come on excursions to play and get to know the Monastery.

I.M. Pentelis, in its centuries-long history, contributed significantly to the struggle for liberation, but also to education, through the unofficial hidden school that operated in the Monastery until 1920. Today, the Orthodox Center housed within the Monastery, continues this educational work. I would like to thank Nova for this initiative, which essentially contributes to reforestation and restoration.”

Stathis Stathopoulos, Secretary General of Forestry of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “The immediate rehabilitation program of Mount Pentelikos, which was affected by the August fire and was immediately announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of the Environment Theodore Skylakakis, today enters another critical phase of its . Nova, whose management and executives we thank from the bottom of our hearts, finances as a restoration contractor the reforestation of the Holy Monastery area here in Penteli.

An area of ​​70 acres, at an emblematic point of the Mount, is being reforested with broadleaf and coniferous trees, under the supervision of the Forestry Service and the Penteli Forestry Department. We hope that as soon as possible an area with such symbolism will become better than before by restoring its natural environment. The Mount Pentelikos project, with a total expenditure of over 10 million euro, “runs” at a very fast pace. We are daily on top of the projects, anti-corrosion, but also reforestation, and very soon we will launch the next phases”.

Evangelos Goudoufas, Director General of Forests and Forest Environment, Ministry of the Environment emphasized: “Three months after the catastrophic fire of last August, the competent Forestry Services of the Ministry of the Environment are here today, fully responding to their commitments to immediately activate all available forest restoration mechanisms ecosystem. This concerns both the anti-corrosion works and at the same time the study of the required anti-flood works (weight dams), as well as the artificial reforestation where required. So, following our highly effective collaboration with Nova in Dadia and Rhodes, as a Restoration and Reforestation Contractor, we are here today to begin the creation of a resilient mixed forest ecosystem, with broadleaf and conifers, in an iconic area, that of Holy Monastery of Penteli.

Both the study and the implementation of the projects are funded by Nova, under the instructions, approval and supervision of the Forestry Service. Today we are doubly happy, because in addition to the start of the reforestation, we see the continuation of the trust of a really great company in action, with enormous added value not only for today, but also for future generations.”

Caption: From left to right: The Secretary General of Forestry of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Stathis Stathopoulos, the Director General of Forestry, Evangelos Goudoufas, the CEO of Nova, Panagiotis Georgiopoulos and the Director General of the Attica Forestry Policy Implementation Inspection, Athanasios Reppas.

Panagiotis Georgiopoulos, CEO of Nova, underlined: “We are particularly happy that today we are starting the reforestation of the area of ​​the Holy Monastery of Penteli, whose natural environment suffered almost total destruction from the fire of last August. The area is a lung for all of Attica, and has significant historical and cultural importance.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the General Directorate of Forests, we have included reforestation in the context of our multifaceted Corporate Social Responsibility program that concerns large-scale restorations of areas affected by natural disasters, such as Dadia on Evros and Rhodes. We don’t stop here. The next step is the implementation of the “Smart Forest” in Rhodes, where we are developing a civil protection solution through new state-of-the-art technologies, as well as artificial intelligence.