Pulse

6 October 2026

Good morning. Whales off Madeira, a prize-winning goat cheese from Trás-os-Montes and schoolchildren learning from water, rock and hens: here is what is happening in sustainable Portugal today.

Nature and the sea

Madeira Whale Fest returns for third edition this week

Madeira Whale Fest opens on Wednesday for its third edition, running through Sunday as part of the Festival da Natureza. Events combine science, conservation, education and art across the Funchal marina, local schools, the Art Caravel Centre and the Museu da Baleia in Caniçal, which hosts the 'Arraial da Baleia' on Saturday. Organisers highlight that 27 of the 38 cetacean species recorded in the North Atlantic occur in Madeiran waters. The festival is coordinated by the Whale Heritage Area Madeira management committee with several conservation and research bodies, plus regional and municipal support.

Madeira Ecosystems & Biodiversity More on this story →

Local flavours and experiences

Trás-os-Montes goat cheese named Europe's best by TasteAtlas

Queijo de Cabra Transmontano, a hard cheese made from raw milk of Serrana goats, has been ranked the best cheese in Europe by food guide TasteAtlas, which compiled a list of the continent's top 100 cheeses. The guide highlights the cheese's long-standing role in the economy of the Bragança region, where many families raise the goats and make the cheese as their main source of income. It describes the product as firm, round-shaped, with a semi-hard crust and an intense, slightly spicy aroma, typically eaten plain with sliced bread and a local red wine.

Norte Food & Agriculture More on this story →

Silves launches carob-themed workshops for World Tourism Day

The municipality of Silves is running three free workshops in October dedicated to carob, as part of its World Tourism Day 2026 celebrations. Activities include an art and ecoprint session at Fábrica do Inglês, a liqueur tasting and tour at Bagamel, and a bread-making workshop using a wood-fired oven at Museu da Serra in São Marcos da Serra. Each requires prior registration, with places allocated on a first-come basis. Further events are planned for November, alongside a separate creative carob workshop running from October to December.

Algarve Education & Eco-tourism More on this story →

Algarve tourism board launches platform for hands-on local experiences

Algarve Tourism has launched Make In Algarve, a platform gathering around 50 hands-on cultural and creative experiences such as craft workshops, food tastings and guided visits. Users can search by experience type, category or municipality, with contact details for bookings; it is currently in Portuguese, with English and Spanish versions to follow. The platform emerged from a development programme involving all 16 Algarve municipalities, which produced 58 cooperation agreements and the first Make In Algarve Awards. Further promotion is planned for October and November, including training for operators and a roadshow with destination management companies and hotels.

Algarve Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Portugal Resident ↗

Water and energy

Portugal pledges €120 million for Algarve water network

Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho has announced an investment of around €120 million for Quarteira, aimed at improving water efficiency and modernising the Algarve's urban water system. The works are scheduled to be completed by 2028. The announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about water scarcity and ageing infrastructure in the Algarve region.

Algarve Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at The Portugal News ↗

EDP finishes €18 million energy efficiency trial in Évora

EDP has completed an €18 million energy project trialled in Évora, according to the company. The trials delivered average energy savings of between 16 and 20 percent, along with an estimated 15 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The results point to measurable efficiency gains from the technology tested, though further details on its scope and next steps were not given.

Alentejo Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at The Portugal News ↗

Energy expert says people, not technology, drive efficiency gains

In an opinion piece, Cristian Sasmiresan, founder and vice-president of the AEE Portugal Chapter, argues that energy management success depends primarily on people, not technology or data. Drawing on industrial experience across countries and a recent US conference, he says standards like ISO 50001 only work when they build a culture of continuous improvement rather than just procedures and audits. He stresses that data analytics and regression models are valuable for verifying real savings, but notes that leadership engagement and frontline workers' knowledge are what actually turn information into action and sustained results.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Jornal PT Green ↗

Lisbon requires a paid sticker for free parking for electric cars

Owners of fully electric cars in Lisbon can park for free in EMEL-managed paid parking spaces, but only if they hold a specific permit called the Dístico Verde. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles do not qualify, since the benefit is restricted to cars powered exclusively by electricity. The sticker costs 12 euros, is valid for up to one year, and requires documentary proof such as the vehicle's registration certificate. There is no specific time limit on free parking under this permit, though all other local parking and traffic rules still apply.

Lisbon Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Postal ↗

Needs attention

Over 200 Portugal home-efficiency grant claims still unresolved after 3 years

Portugal's PAES-2023 scheme, which closed in October 2023, offered grants of €500 to €7,500 for energy-efficient windows, solar panels and heat pumps. According to Correio da Manhã, of roughly 78,000 applications received, 28,000 were refused, and as of last week 210 were still under technical analysis and two under financial review. The Environmental Fund says it has paid out more than €81 million to around 50,000 applicants, though some payments are still pending. The Ombudsman's Office has received complaints over unclear rules, shifting eligibility criteria, complex paperwork and long delays, and has called for greater rigour and transparency in managing the scheme.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Portugal Resident ↗

Madeira signs €2 million contracts for family support programme

Madeira's regional government will sign contracts tomorrow with 17 social economy organisations to run the PROAGES II programme, worth €2.016 million, covering all 11 municipalities of the island. The programme supports households with annual gross income up to €35,688, offering €300 to €500 depending on the number of dependants. It follows PROAGES I, which between 2022 and 2025 assisted 11,494 families and 40,207 beneficiaries, spending over €7.6 million. PROAGES II aims to also reach working families losing purchasing power due to rising living costs.

Madeira Community & Social Innovation Read more at Funchal Notícias ↗

Learning close to home

Angra do Heroísmo school wins European innovative teaching award

Escola Secundária Jerónimo Emiliano de Andrade, in Angra do Heroísmo, has won the European Innovative Teaching Award 2026 for its Erasmus+ project EMME, which ran from October 2023 to September 2025. The initiative brought together schools from Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Portugal, along with the Azores Geopark and Romania's Hateg Geopark, to connect young people with nature through geosciences, culture, sustainability and digital tools. Students explored Earth's history and geopark heritage while developing teamwork and critical thinking skills, and teachers gained new digital and interdisciplinary methods. The project produced lasting resources, including a curriculum, a mobile app and student-made documentaries.

Azores Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

Cantanhede schoolchildren visit water source for new hydrological year

Water utility INOVA-EM marked the start of the new hydrological year, which coincides with National Water Day on 1 October, with an environmental education activity for third-year pupils at Escola Básica de Cadima. Eighteen children, accompanied by their teachers, visited the Captação dos Olhos da Fervença, a facility strategic to water supply in the municipality of Cantanhede. The visit was part of efforts to teach pupils about water conservation, with the article noting a four-minute shower can use up to 80 litres.

Centro Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Notícias de Coimbra ↗

Leiria primary school builds teaching around its community

At the Escola Básica do Vidigal, in the Leiria region, local residents remain closely involved in school life, illustrated by an elderly couple, João and Alice, who regularly visit and help care for two hens kept in the school's henhouse. The animals spend summer holidays with neighbours and return once the henhouse is checked and ready. Staff describe the couple affectionately as the school's "grandparents", reflecting a wider approach at the school that connects pupils with the surrounding community.

Centro Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Região de Leiria ↗

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