Name: Polamitis Sofronios
Age: 47
Profession: Manager and shareholder of Cyprusvillages
Where from: Cyprus
Found at: Tochni, Cyprus
Excuse me, what do you do for a living?
I have my own business. We buy abandoned old houses and renovate them into apartments for tourists. So far we have seventy houses in five villages.
Are Cypriots into sustainable building?
Yes. In fact, we get fifty percent of our money sponsored by the European Union because we restore houses in their traditional styles as well. Isn’t that a good sample of sustainability?
Well, yes, but does that save the world?
Hmmm… not sure, but I also try to recycle as much as possible. For instance my company collects glass, paper and plastic. In May there’ll be a conference about the environment and because I support the initiative I’ve offered some of the people attending a place to stay for free.
And what do you have to offer your visitors?
We only offer rural activities - not motorised ones. So horse riding, cycling and hiking.
What’s your philosophy in life?
I think that we as human beings are temporary residents of the planet. We have responsibilities for all creations on earth and have to use as little natural resources as possible.
Which dance do you prefer, Sirtaki or Zorba?
Well the Zorba is part of the Sirtaki, it’s the more energetic part of it, so it will be Zorba!
