Portugal

“Gas and oil exploration in Portugal will continue,” Luís Guerreiro, Director of Exploration and New Business at Partex, the Portuguese oil company owned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation which is part of the Repsol consortium, told ECO123. Since 2011, this consortium has invested some 58 million euros purely in prospecting and research. A total of 170 wells have already been drilled, around 40 in the sea in Portuguese waters, and, according to the ENMC (National Authority for Fuel Market) “since 1939, over 900 million euros has been spent on prospecting or scientific research without ever having found oil or natural …

EN Tri4move is a Tavira company that offers electric transport solutions. ECO123 spoke to Pedro Vaquinhas (41), the driving-force behind this idea. How did your project start? It was influenced by my travels. It was based on a need I felt when I had a company that produced red fruits. We needed a form of transport that was more dynamic for loading and unloading purposes, one that was, easier and quicker to manoeuvre. The tractor was very slow, polluting, difficult to manoeuvre and dirty; the wheels were always full of earth. And we decided to hire a three-wheeled motorbike. It …

Potatoes. Broad beans. Sweet potatoes. Sweet corn. Pumpkin. Carrots. Walnuts. Chestnuts. Acorns. Honey. Onions. Garlic. Cabbage. Apples. Oranges. Pomegranates. Quinces. Figs. Almonds, carob. Olives and olive oil. Medronho. Lemons. Asparagus. Chanterelles and many other wild mushrooms. Bay leaves. Rosemary. Thyme. Oregano. Parsley. Basil. Coriander. Piri piri. The list of products growing wild or cultivated by farmers all year round in Monchique – excellent foods, spices and herbs – is almost endless. Our land is rich in nutrients and good, the soil is black and the climate of sunshine and rain stimulates plant growth on every day of the year. Three …

First Idea: Felted scarf made of merino wool €65 Handmade creations made of merino, mohair, Wensleydale wool and silk. Felt is one of the oldest techniques in the world for making clothing. For my handcrafted products, I only use the best and finest merino wool, together with silk and other natural materials. My work is based on traditions that have been handed down to me. In their sustainability, the colours of the wool respect the natural world in accordance with OEKO-TEX Standard™100. The roots of creativity are to be found in everyone. My ideas come from everywhere. The things I …

Heini Staudinger (62) is in charge of the GEA – Waldviertel factory, where he has been putting an ecological and sustainable economy model into practice since 1984. This alternative entrepreneur never trusted the banking systems, nor the global economy, and his investments have been made through private financing. Heini comes over as a kind of prophet, not a religious one but one of action, who regards his company as a Noah’s Ark in the current economic system. ECO123: Do you believe in an ecological economy? HS: Everything that is not working towards that is stupid. To believe in an economy that …

There are moments that remain engraved for ever in our memories, and one such moment is without doubt getting your first bicycle. It was bluish in colour, decorated with the football stickers of the time; it was second-hand, and bore the signs of accidents from my cousins’ adventures. How could you forget your first bicycle, that high-speed companion on daring adventures? The bicycle is nowadays the most commonly used means of transport in the world. Portugal is the third biggest producer of bicycles in Europe. This means of transport emits no polluting or greenhouse gases, the bicycle is a vehicle …

Rede Convergir – North The Association ‘Campo Aberto’ (literally “Open Countryside”), based in Porto, is an association for protecting the environment that aims to debate and promote the exercise of citizenship in the environmental field, focusing on natural, rural and urban aspects. This organisation brings together everyone who has an interest in and is concerned about environmental matters. José Marques was born in Porto and is 70 years of age. He is currently the president of the Associação Campo Aberto. He has been participating in ecological movements in Portugal since 1974. “It is an association that works in different fields, …

Rede Convergir – Centre The school of laughter in Vila Nova de Poiares publicises and promotes the practice of laughter yoga. This contributes to improved physical and mental health with the aim of finding spiritual harmony in a fun way. Joanne Helms, aged 45, has been certified in laughter yoga for about 12 years. This instructor does her artistic work under the name of ‘Ana Banana’, and she devotes herself to the teaching of laughter yoga as “a global mission dedicated to social peace,” she told ECO123. After working in different circus companies in Portugal, she joined the Red Nose …

Rede Convergir – Sul The aim of the project ‘Quatro Ventos’ (literally “Four Winds”), created about a year ago, is to get people to connect with nature and to re-establish a healthy relationship with the planet’s ecosystem. The association was conceived by Tycho Huussen, a 38-year-old Dutchman. The idea of the association is to spread information and teach about ecology and permaculture. The aim is to demonstrate the advantages that arise when there is a greater connection with nature. The way in which this association communicates its ideas in different communities is by planning a number of activities relating to …

Edible plants, such as simple leaves and foliage from the fields, contain the nutrients necessary for the human body. A diet based on wild plants has its origins in the earliest days of our species. The ecologist Bernd Gerken, aged 66, was born in Germany and came to live in Portugal in 2006. Over the years, he has always researched the edibility of wild foliage from different types of field. According to Bernd Gerken, “there is an excellent variety of plants and plots in Portugal, which are Mediterranean in character, and there is a range of aromatic and green herbs …