Environment

AdEPorto, aka Porto Energy Agency, will lead a European project, financed under the Horizonte2020 programme, whose goal is to fight energy poverty. The initiative is called ‘Porto Energy ElevatoR’ (PEER) and it is aligned not only with the best European and national policies, but also with the goals and requirements set forth in the National plan for Energy and Climate 2030, the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050 or the Long Term Strategy for Building Renewal, which has been recently approved.

There are numerous benefits to telling stories and sharing knowledge with the younger ones. Find a comfortable place in your couch and invite the whole family to share some fun time while getting to know the habits of these amazing birds, through the storytelling by the Environment Education Team of Porto City Hall.

Leave no opportunity behind to engage with nature and become your own gardener. One of lockdown’s upside is that this is the perfect time to, while at home, plant your own carrots and tomatoes. The City Hall Environment Team is more than happy to provide useful tips, step by step guiding you to planting vegetable gardens either in an apartment or in a detached house.

Municipal vegetable gardens are very much encouraged by the Municipality of Porto, and the new “Horta Municipal” in Paranhos is being prepared to accommodate 32 plots of land to grow your own fresh vegetables. The opening is set for next March and applications are ongoing. The main concept behind this approach is to boost and inspire vegetable gardens in public spaces by relying more on biological processes and organic crop production within the soil system to recycle and release nutrients.

Within a broader scope of the transition to the circular economy, the Municipality of Porto reaffirmed its commitment towards a “circular recovery and a resilient future”, in the beginning of the year, by signing the Circular Cities Declaration.

Take the opportunity provided by lockdown days and while strolling with your kids to keep the exercise regime on or just to beat lockdown blues, pick up some material you find in nature, gardens and parks, and head home to build yourselves the ultimate dreamcatcher. Take some cues by the Environmental Department Team of Porto City Hall and put your heart into it.

With this lovely weather for ducks, why not find that nice spot in your couch, or anywhere else indoors and learn a bit more about sparrows? This week’s episode of “De binóculos no sofá” (aka, “with your binoculars in the sofa”), a programme by the Environment Team at Porto City Hall that explains the origin of some popular proverbs about this little bird, the sparrow, which can easily be spotted in the eaves of houses and in the edges of roofs, or even in the city’s gardens.

Step into the weekend with this on your mind: Serralves and CIIMAR invite for a free online chat on sea potential for the production of medicinal products at world level, under the topic “A Química Secreta dos Oceanos” [“The secret chemistry of Oceans”, free translation].

The pandemic has shown the positive result of people realising how much food was being wasted; and households can keep this mindset in the future. With the mandatory lockdown in the country, effective as of 15th January, more people are due to cook their meals at home; as such, the team of the Environmental Department of Porto City Hall has come up with best suggestions on how to plan meals and shopping and also reuse leftovers, all the while saving money.

Winter is harsh and temperatures are dropping, which makes it even more appealing to set the tone for an early spring, and what other than the perfect queen of winter flowers, the camellia to add some warm to the season? Take your tips from Porto Municipal Environment team.