Azeitão Eco-consciente

Azeitão Eco-consciente is a group of local volunteers in Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, Portugal, who organise cycling events, nature walks, talks and community gardening. They're working towards a local culture that is more sustainable, active and connected. The group grew out of the international “Fancy Women Bike Ride” movement, which carries on locally as “Fancy Azeitão”. It's an annual celebration of women cycling, and it makes the case for using bicycles safely in everyday life. It also promotes soft, active mobility as a way towards healthier urban living. Cycling is one strand among several. The collective organises and supports biodiversity walks in local natural areas such as Choilo, and educational talks on topics such as wild edible plants. It also takes part in the traditional “Festa do Manel da Horta” with a community sharing table. A community gardening club is a key project that is still emerging. It's conceived as a place to learn together about growing food, composting and saving seed, and about building food resilience and sovereignty for families and the wider community. The group sees home gardening as a way to eat more healthily, cut food waste and encourage short supply chains. It also links gardening to ecological regeneration, to wellbeing and to stronger social bonds between generations. Local volunteers run every initiative, working closely with the Junta de Freguesia de Azeitão and the Câmara Municipal de Setúbal. Events are open to the public and need no registration. The group communicates mainly through Facebook and Instagram, and its work promoting sustainable living takes place in the Arrábida region, recently recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.