The landscaping project plans for the planting of 1,000 different species of native trees and shrubs in the Barranco do Esgravatadouro valley. The first 50 young trees have been planted since 30 December: various species of oak (quercus canariensis and quercus ilex, among others), cork oak, ash (fraxinus excelsior), chestnut, walnut, beech, willow, lime, maple, birch, elm, magnolia, camellia, as well as carob, laurel and pepper-trees. The terrain has been mapped out carefully and the themes are well-defined: paths will link several islands of trees placed at different levels. The first trees have been planted along the stream that rises …

Energy communities want to start up in Portugal “How can I produce energy collectively?” You can’t because the law doesn’t allow it. The legal obstacles in Portugal against autonomy and energy decentralisation came to the fore during the BEACON workshop in Setúbal. Examples of projects and energy communities brought from Greek and German cities would be illegal in Portugal. As people clamour for changes in the law, there are already initiatives that point to a more ecological and community-based future. “Citizens must put a halt to their local network,” Ana Rita Antunes advised. She is one of the three women …

Lavrar o Mar, the ambitious cultural project developed by the theatre directors Madalena Victorino and Giacomo Scalisi, is due to begin its third season. It is Bread and Circus for the people of the Costa Vicentina, in Aljezur, and the hills of Monchique, scourged by fires. The programme was presented to the press – not by Manuel Marreiros and José Amarelinho, who were removed from office by the Courts for crimes of corruption and embezzlement – but by the new Mayor of Aljezur, José Gonçalves, and by the Mayor of Monchique, Rui André. This season’s project, subsidised by the “Algarve365” …

Between Thursday 27 and Saturday 29 December, the International Hiking Week 2018 offers guided walks with different themes. Between Christmas and the New Year, nature lovers will have the opportunity to get to know the landscape of the Algarve mountains on seven trails of varying lengths. On foot, we get to know Monchique through all our senses: the mountains with their streams, mills and waterfalls, the forests of cork oaks and ancient chestnut trees; wild and aromatic edible plants, local delicacies and specialties such as bread, ham and chorizo and of course the local fruits, pastries and cakes. We will …

Sadly, nothing is new as far as trains are concerned. The year is almost over, and anyone who buys their train ticket from Covilhã to Guarda (60 km) online at www.cp.pt has to go through Entroncamento and Coimbra B, making a detour of more than 500 km, only because, since 2009, there is a bridge in Belmonte that is at risk of collapse. Better to ride a bike. Are there no workers at the CP (Portuguese National Railway) who can repair a bridge so that the train can be brought back into service? Although it was announced ten years ago, …

Gradually, new options for mobility are gaining speed. The PAN (People-Animals-Nature Political Party) recognised that the state should promote the purchase of electric bicycles with a 20% incentive up to a maximum of 200 euros in 2019. The only deputy of this small but efficient party in the Lisbon Parliament, André Silva, told us that he wants to take Sweden as an example where, in 2017, € 34 million was invested in the purchase of bicycles, and they will now extend this project for three more years. France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland also offer incentives for the purchase of electric …

  Flying, travelling by car, eating meat and sausages, are some of the most aggravating factors of a person’s ecological “balance sheet”. How can you explain to people that less can be more? Not using the car also always means a reduction of stress, at least in the city. And whoever exchanges their car for a bike, improves their footprint and arrives at their destination feeling more relaxed. It is obvious that anyone who flies to New Zealand clocks up a lot of CO₂. What you save by not flying significantly reduces your environmental footprint. The experiment has been going …

Clay, palm, reed, wicker, cork, wood and flax, words of the earth which speak of the roots of a people and which can transform lives. They increase the value of our lives. The arts are dying, but there are still people who work together so that this heart continues to beat. This is what is behind the TASA Project (Ancestral Techniques, Current Solutions)! Designers, marketeers and artisans work for a common good: handicrafts. But the piece of craftwork is far removed from its ornamental or mass-produced role and is transformed into an aesthetically pleasing object for everyday use. Being an …

A good many success stories in agriculture have begun with people’s hands in the soil. At CEARTE too, the Portuguese professional training centre for handicrafts and heritage (Centro de Formação Profissional para o Artesanato e Património) based in Coimbra, dexterity is required. Alongside traditional forms of handicraft, ecological farming is also taught. Cultivation methods from the past (técnicas de cultivo do antigamente) is how trainer Joaquim de Silva (aged 45) describes the 50-hour course. Participants learn how to prepare the land for tilling without any chemicals at all, how to maintain it and keep it fertile, and how to care …

When we go for a walk in the countryside we are far from understanding the value of the magnificent plants that live in the soil. Over and beyond their beauty, they can accompany us on our life’s journey, protecting our health and healing the body and mind at times of recuperation. Each year, more than 2,000 new plants are discovered. They are used in medicine, food, the environment, clothing, biofuels and the making of poisons. At present there are about 5,500 plants used for human consumption. A short four-kilometre walk in the heart of Monchique with the specialist in wild …