Over the next weekend, Braga will host another edition of one of the biggest sustainability events in Portugal: GreenFest. This year’s edition will be a hybrid, taking place in the Tibães Monastery and being broadcast online.
GreenFest was born 13 years ago, in Cascais, Portugal, thanks to Pedro Norton de Matos, who has always believed in the importance of bringing together the best examples, the best innovative practices and the agents of all sectors that give them body, as an instrument to promote a collective commitment with this theme.
Back then, sustainability would certainly not have had today’s leading role, whether in the political priorities of the different Government structures, in the values of the business fabric or in the focuses of interest of most citizens.
In a year like this, talking about sustainability is also a demonstration that it is important to address the most pressing issues of everyday life (such as fighting the Covid-19 pandemic), nevertheless we can’t neglect a long-term, integrative and mobilizing vision, such as sustainable development.
For more and more cities, this is a topic that is at the forefront of their priorities, and Braga did not want to be left out of this trend.
At international level, Braga was listed as one of the 88 best cities in the world in the fight against climate change and distinguished with “class A” by the Carbon Disclosure Project.
At a national level, Braga was for the first time distinguished with the Green Flag EcoXXI award, awarded annually by the Blue Flag Europe Association to the Portuguese municipalities.
Also at a national level, Braga is at the forefront in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with an execution of around 70% of these, according to the independent Center for Public Opinion Studies (CESOP is part of the Portuguese Catholic University).
The importance of monitoring performances encouraged us to take on a new purpose, embodied in the public presentation of our first Sustainability Report, which is in itself a measure of transparency and thoroughness on the part of the municipality.
Furthermore, as it is strategically framed, fully adapted to the territory and commitments for the coming years, and contains a common municipal structure that responds to the information needs of different interest groups. Our Sustainability Report is an accelerator of these objectives, with a strong impact across the board.
