The Portuguese city of Lousada was named the winner of the 2019 Transformative Action Award at a ceremony in Brussels this week.
Held at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in the Belgian capital, the continent’s highly respected sustainability award event is spearheaded by ICLEI, the Basque Country and the City of Aalborg (Denmark) and supported by the CoR and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
A jury of experts picked Lousada on the back of its ‘Integrated education for sustainability’ initiative, which was recognised for its ‘potential to bring about the socio-cultural, socio-economic and technological transformation of its community’. Highlights of the programme include the ‘planting of 40,000 native trees, with the support of over 4,500 volunteers; the restoration of over 20 hectares of degraded land; the creation of more than 20 wildlife ponds; and an increase in waste recycling by over 500 tonnes per year’. Lousada walks away with €10,000 to invest in more transformative actions in the city and the Transformative Action of the Year 2019 award.
“I am deeply impressed by the work carried out by the City of Lousada and eagerly look forward to seeing how their sustainability strategy and plans develop over the coming years. I hope this prize money helps catalyze further action and I look forward to seeing those results,” said Wolfgang Teubner, Jury Member and Regional Director, ICLEI Europe.
During the Brussels ceremony, a new document compiled by ICLEI, with the support of the City of Aalborg, and the Basque Country was launched. It shows how towns and cities and localise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The need for transformation towards sustainability has never been as urgent. We need a technological, socio-economic and socio-cultural transformation of our societies in order to limit catastrophic environmental consequences and ensure a decent quality of life for all. This publication shows the ability and potential of the local level to act, whilst contributing to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals on a global level,” added Teubner.
