Porto gives pupils a say in school climate projects
Starting in the 2026/2027 school year, Porto's municipal programme 'Adapta-te!' will let pupils identify climate-related challenges in their schools and neighbourhoods, such as energy use, heat comfort and mobility, and give them a say in choosing which solutions to implement. The revamped format increases student participation compared with previous editions. The initiative will be studied as part of a PhD in Education Sciences at the University of Porto's Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, aiming to guide how municipalities can support more effective climate education in schools.
Northern Portugal launches award for sustainability theses on cities
CCDR NORTE and SDSN Portugal have launched a competition to reward master's and doctoral theses addressing Sustainable Development Goals in northern Portugal. Part of the UNIMUNICÍPIOS project, funded under S3NORTE2027, it targets students who worked in a collaborative model linking universities and municipalities, with Braga, Guimarães and Matosinhos already involved. Winners receive €3,000 for doctoral and €1,500 for master's theses. Applications close on 18 October 2026, with evaluation in November and an awards ceremony in December 2026.
Braga's Avenida Central to host eighth GreenFest edition
Braga's Avenida Central will host the eighth edition of GreenFest from 25 to 27 September, featuring more than 30 stands. Described as a 'festival of citizenship', the event encourages residents to take daily action for sustainability and offers a broad programme aimed at schools, businesses and families, with set design built from reused materials. The edition was presented at a press conference attended by GreenFest founder Pedro Norton de Matos and Braga's deputy mayor.
Setúbal tags nine large trees in European Tree Tag campaign
Setúbal's municipal council placed informative tags on nine large trees across the city, marking its first participation in the European environmental awareness campaign Tree Tag. The species include a plane tree, an araucaria, a magnolia, a eucalyptus, a linden, a sequoia, an oak, a cedar and a cork oak, some classified as of public interest or rare in urban settings. Each tag shows data such as trunk diameter, height, oxygen produced, water retained and carbon stored. The campaign, coordinated in Portugal by Instituto Superior de Agronomia, tagged 164 trees across 11 municipalities and over 1,300 across Europe. Setúbal plans to join again next year with more trees.
Pombal fits 11 trees with sustainability information tags
Pombal joined the European TreeTag campaign, attaching sustainability labels to 11 trees across the city, including in the Jardim das Tílias, Largo do Cardal and Mata do Castelo. The tags detail each tree's environmental contribution, such as oxygen produced, CO2 retained and air pollution captured. The symbolic launch took place on 18 September with a tag placed on a lime tree that supplies 210 days of oxygen for one person yearly and retains 1,761 kilos of CO2. The campaign covers over 200 locations across Europe, with 150 trees being tagged in Portugal across nine municipalities including Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.
