During the II Environment Week, organised by Santa Cruz City Council and with the active participation of SPEA Madeira, the community came together for a variety of activities and initiatives dedicated to environmental protection and awareness. This diverse week open to the public was marked by moments of learning and celebrating biodiversity.
On 20 March, the “Gardens with more life @Ponta da Oliveira” activity was a real success, adding new plants and life to the Ponta da Oliveira Garden, located in Caniço. This initiative involved the collaboration of Santa Cruz City Council gardeners, the SPEA team and dedicated volunteers.
In the afternoon, teachers had the opportunity to take part in a training session organised under the Eco-Schools programme. This training was dedicated to the recovery of degraded areas and the use of native plants typical of the municipality’s coastal habitat, and was attended by 15 people.
One of the highlights of the event was the “For a Night with Life” exhibition, which was on display at the Casa da Cultura in Santa Cruz throughout the week. This exhibition, which tackled nocturnal biodiversity and the threat of light pollution, provided extra motivation to join “Earth Hour”, celebrated at 8.30pm on 23 March, when the lights were switched off in aid of the environment.
The highlight of the II Environment Week is always the celebration of Earth Hour. The ECO Market was held on 23 March, where young visitors could build their own insect hotel, watch birds and enjoy games organised by SPEA. Our stand displayed the exclusive products available to those interested in contributing to our conservation actions.
During the afternoon, the ” Biohealthy Nutrition” Talk took place, in which the coordinator of SPEA Madeira, Cátia Gouveia, discussed some tips for reducing the ecological footprint of our food consumption. The event discussed consumer responsibility and how biodiversity conservation can be in harmony with agriculture, emphasising the importance of protecting Madeira laurel pigeon and bats to maintain the ecosystem.
Watch a recording of this event
Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the remaining Earth Hour activities have been cancelled, as has the evening activity “Peddy paper – A night with life at Ponta da Oliveira”, which has been rescheduled for 5 April.
SPEA was present in Santa Cruz throughout the week, helping to turn the event into a true celebration of nature and the environment.
