Quinta Pedagógica de Braga is the big winner of the GoGreen Good Practices Contest
Promoted by ASPEA, the contest received more than 2300 votes from the public
The Pedagogical Farm of Braga, from the Municipality of Braga, won first place in the “GoGreen: Contest of Good Practices”, promoted by the Portuguese Association of Environmental Education (ASPEA). The results were announced during the first day of the conference “Local Action for the European Ecological Pact”, within the framework of the Erasmus+ project “GoGreen”.
The competition awarded outstanding projects that promote community engagement and the environment. The project Guarda-rios de Guimarães (Vitrus Ambiente) took second place and Cicloficina dos Anjos (CICLODA) secured third place. The vote combined jury assessment (50%) and public voting (50%), which had the participation of 2378 voters.
In the award ceremony, Natália Costa, Head of the Organic Unit at Quinta Pedagógica – Centro de Formação e Experimentação Ambiental, highlighted the social impact of the project: “We have never been needed as much as today. Children are a little disconnected from the rhythm of nature. Seniors are often isolated in day centres. Boys with special educational needs also stay a little bit on the margins of society. They are for these three audiences to which we target more than 50 activities. We have already received more than 500,000 people since we opened and last year we broke the record of visitors with 50,000.”
Sérgio Rocha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vitrus Ambiente, highlighted the results achieved by the Guarda-rios project, which has already reported more than 700 occurrences in two to three years of implementation, with a resolution rate of over 95%. The representative left the challenge for other municipalities to implement this project.
In turn, Francisco Lino, a CICLODA volunteer, described Cicloficina as a project “relatively small, but entirely developed by many volunteers”. He dedicated the third place to all volunteers, underlining the role of the team that coordinates the space and those who support the repairs of bicycles. The responsible notes that Cicloficina dos Anjos has had a role in promoting the concept of non-profit bicycle workshops and its implementation in various locations in Lisbon and the country.
The three finalists were chosen by the jury from 33 projects, based on 10 criteria, including contribution to the European Ecological Pact, alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, community involvement, social inclusion, the promotion of European citizenship and environmental impact.
The jury was composed of the seven partners of the GoGreen project – ASPEA, Leave No Trace Ireland, Municipality of Lousada, Municipality of Soto del Real, Synthesis, Municipality of Zoersel – in addition to the Municipality of Torres Vedras, main partner of the conference.
More information about the winners
1st place: The Pedagogical Farm of Braga, founded in 2004, transforms a traditional Minhota farm into an educational space that promotes the connection with the environment and rural traditions. The space offers educational workshops on topics such as soil, native livestock species and agricultural and environmental ecosystems. In 2023, the Quinta inaugurated its Environmental Education Center.
2nd place: Guimarães River Guard, promoted by Vitrus Ambiente, aims to protect the riverside ecosystems of Guimarães, namely the Ave River, Vizela and Selho. The project promotes monitoring, awareness and conservation of water resources and water lines, identifying and reporting occurrences that compromise riparian ecosystems.
3rd place: The Cicloficina dos Anjos, promoted by CICLODA (Association of Moped Workshop), promotes environmentally responsible mobility through regular training sessions and support for bicycle repair, as well as awareness-raising actions for gentle and environmentally responsible mobility. Cicloficina collaborates in programs aimed at marginalized groups (Bip Zip ComunicAlta) and women (Cicloficina “FEMINA”).
About the GoGreen project
GoGreen – Local Action for the EU Green Deal is a project that aims to train decision-makers and technicians at the level of local governance, not only for the implementation of the European Ecological Pact but also for environmental action in general. This is a three-year project of sharing knowledge and modes of action for ecological transition and aims to be a “national and international reference” in environmental sustainability.
The project is co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme, the financial instrument of the European Commission for Education and Training, with a support of € 377,934.00. The project has six partner entities: three municipalities (Lousada – Portugal, Zoersel – Belgium, Soto del Real – Spain), two environmental NGOs (ASPEA – Portuguese Association for Environmental Education – Portugal, Leave no Trace – Ireland) and a research centre (Synthesis – Cyprus).
The consortium produced training courses on topics relevant to municipal management for the environment, such as water, waste, land use planning, biodiversity protection and social communication and mobilization. The project results are also expected to include a collaborative platform and decision support, a collection of good environmental practices illustrated with concrete cases from across Europe and a handbook to help seek funding.
About ASPEA
The Portuguese Association of Environmental Education (ASPEA) is a non-governmental organization for the environment (ONGA), founded in 1990, which has already 30 years of experience in environmental awareness, training and Consultancy and development of projects and programs in environmental education in various themes of the environment and sustainability, for a wide range of actors and public, in forms of formal, non-formal and informal educational action.
ASPEA has its headquarters in Lisbon and centres in Aveiro, Braga, Bragança and the Azores. The association coordinates and participates in national projects funded by the Environmental Fund and municipalities, and other international projects under ERASMUS+ and Creative Europe.
Coordinates accredited training actions for teachers and the general population, organizes national conferences (Educational Days of Environmental Education, Art’Ambiente Days, etc.) and international as the Lusophone Congress of Environmental Education, and is an affiliate member of the following international networks: Lusófona Network for Environmental Education, Focal Point Earth Charter, Foundation Caretakers of the Environment and Let’s take care of the Planet Network.
Coordinates the group of the Youth News Agency in Portugal and, since 2017, has been running a monthly environmental volunteering program for the general public and also CSR actions for companies.
ASPEA represents CPADA in the follow-up to the National Strategy for Education for Development, as well as being part of the CPLP’s Consultative Observers group.
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