Chris Dews

Born in Yorkshire, England in 1953, Chris arrived in Ibiza in 1985 after spending thirteen years travelling the world as a radio officer in the British Merchant Navy. Like many he quickly fell in love with the island and soon felt the need to help conserve this natural gem of a party paradise for future generations to enjoy.

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After becoming particularly disturbed by the litter problems and environmental damage from the uncontrolled expansion of tourism, Chris founded the local Friends of the Earth group in 1989, together with a group of like-minded Ibiza residents.

 

The group acted to clean up the island’s beaches and woodlands, and helped to persuade the island population to look after their natural heritage in a more eco-friendly way.

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In 1993, Chris founded the Casita Verde model ecology centre using a small rented house near San Jose. Shortly afterwards the centre became the headquarters of the environmental study group Ibiza Ecologic, which was officially registered as a local NGO in January 1996.

 

After being involved in a number of other commercial ecological centres and initiatives (with mixed success), Chris decided to re-focus his attention on improving the facilities and potential of the Casita Verde centre – which continues to grow in diversity and popularity each year.

 

In parallel, with the help of his American friends, Emanuel Kuntzelman and Laura Rose from the Madrid-based Foundation for the Future, plus a number of active volunteers, Chris began to develop a “Greenheart strategy plan”, which would eventually include the whole island of Ibiza in a new and more ambitious project.

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Chris has recently retired from the position of local administrator for the Foundation for the Future in Ibiza, but continues his roles as president of the study group Ibiza Ecologic, main coordinator for the Ibiza branch of the now worldwide Greenheart International organisation, and is director of the model ecological centre at Casita Verde. Chris also makes a substantial contribution to the evolution of local Ibiza initiatives designed to create positive change and environmental security, both on the island and beyond.