Siga Siga is a blog started by a Greek-American lawyer who turned to a social entrepreneur and then combined his experience and knowledge to write a book called the Slow Life Diet – Greek Village Living: The Pathway to a Healthier Lifestyle, Healthy Habits and a Happier You. His name is Stratis Kamatsos.
Message from Author
There are two topics that I love to write about: the first is how we can create things that actually make a difference in other’s lives, changing communities and societies, and second how we can all take a deep breath and slow things down to create a healthy lifestyle that leads to a long lifespan.
I am a lawyer, and back in 2012, my first child was born. As my wife got a position in a different office in a different country, we had to decide whether we wanted to be both working and have a third person be the main focal point of our child. We decided not, and thus, I became the stay-at-home dad who wanted to do something on his own in order to make that lifestyle happen. And thus, my social entrepreneurship life began when I started my business by reviving my family tradition of olive oil production on the island of Lesvos, Greece, with my company evo3 olive farms. Through my love and knowledge of olive oil, I began to advocate for its health benefits and the role it played in the Mediterranean diet.
This company was the first Greek social enterprise in the olive oil sector which paved the way for other producers to look at the circle economy as a viable solution. I work with Eden Reforestation Projects with the tree planting in Africa and Haiti. For every bottle sold, we plant a tree in a deforested area. By teaming up with Eden, evo3 olive farms not only plants trees – through its valued customers and partner – but also gives work to impoverished local people dedicated to earn a supplemental income by planting these trees and reviving their local forests and farmlands.
I have also been a TedX speaker. My talk focused on creating a business based on social value rather than only financial value. It is called, “Entrepreneurship and Empathy”.
I have been constantly promoting the social entrepreneur business structure as a force of change in the market economy, but also promoting the lifestyle of a slow life lived by Greek villagers, and I witnessed first-hand that it could make someone live longer, happier, and healthier.
The blog was started to help convey this message; to help people overcome their unhealthy lives and habits, to create a long-lasting lifestyle that would not only make them happier but also increase their lifespan. And with this positive momentum you would have would allow you to create something of value, something of change for the better.