5th LTTA "Ecologic Citizenship" - Press Release

Dates of the meeting: 3rd– 5th May 2022
Where was held: Porto, Portugal
Host organization: Geoclube - Associação Juvenil
Whom attended: INTEGRA ONLUS (Itlay); Fattoria Pugliese Diffusa APS Italy; KAINOTOMIA (Greece), E-Juniors Association (France).
Aim of the meeting: The aim of this visit was to share and introduce best practices in terms of ecological active citizenship in Portugal.
The agenda (short description) and the speakers/facilitators of the meeting:

The study visit in Porto started on the 3rd of May, at Casa das Associações. We started with a brief introduction of the project and the agenda and then presented some examples of national and local good practices linked to ecology and sustainability. At national level, we presented initiatives such as Go Parity, the Waste App or Refood and, at local level, we talked about Pay as You Throw, from Lipor, the Environmental Education Centre at Quinta do Passal, the Midões Line of the São Jacinto Mines, some initiatives adopted in Rio Tinto and others practiced by Geoclube itself.

On the second day, May 4th, we had the opportunity to go to the field and get to know in the first person some good sustainable practices.

We started by Once Upon a Time, an upcycling project with a social purpose. Alexandra Arnóbio, the face behind the initiative, gives objects a second life and recovers them, in order to extend their life span and contribute to a more sustainable consumption. However, Alexandra has a very special help: she recovers these objects with the support of some prisoners, patients or young people living in vulnerable contexts.

In the afternoon, we visited the atelier of the circular economy brand Vintage for a Cause. Erika Bona, one of the resident designers, presented us the concept of the brand, which focuses on the reuse of textile waste through recycling and, at the same time, on the empowerment of unemployed women over 50. We were able to see first-hand clothes from various collections, talk about the initiatives developed by Vintage for a Cause and get to know the workplace of this very special brand.

The third and last visit was made to Armazém Cowork, anything but a typical coworking space. The Armazém regularly produces events on contemporary cultural themes, open to the community and also supports and promotes independent and circular economy projects.

As well as carrying out initiatives and events linked to sustainability, they also seek to be a space for aggregation and boosting the neighbourhood in which they are located, supporting many social causes. We ended the day with a dinner in a typical Porto restaurant.

On the last day, May 5th, we discussed some logistical issues related to the project, namely the next steps of the Long-Term LTTA that will take place again in Portugal. We also made an evaluation of this study visit and exchanged feedbacks.