As part of the European Project ‘Grey4Green’, Lousada hosted the first of three international exchanges, marking an important step towards promoting healthy aging beyond borders through nature conservation.

18 seniors from Portugal, Denmark, and Iceland actively participated in various environmental volunteer activities, such as planting native trees in the Molinological and Forest Park of Pias, maintaining an organic garden in the Granjinhas Kindergarten (in the parish of Covas), or maintaining a pond. There were many contexts in direct contact with nature and the local community.

The group also visited the Vilar Forest in a pleasant interpretive walk and contributed through the monitoring of bird nesting houses, which helped promote biodiversity protection and environmental education. This exchange not only facilitated moments of sharing on a human and cultural level among particularly distinct countries but also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing global environmental challenges, empowering older adults to be part of the change.

The commitment of the participants reflects a more conscious vision of the role of each citizen in nature conservation and in building more cohesive and active communities. The Municipality of Lousada, as host and partner of the Grey4Green Project, had once again the opportunity to share the work developed over more than a decade for the environmental cause and intercultural integration, leaving a significant legacy for future generations.

Useful links:

Sousa Superior – Paisagem Protegida Local do Sousa Superior

Mata de Vilar – Rota do Românico (rotadoromanico.com)

Mata de Vilar – Facebook page

Mata de Vilar | CM Lousada (cm-lousada.pt)