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“A group of researchers from many countries were working all week long in Óbidos to study new forms to make this place a sustainable eco-village of the future by means of integrated sustainable systems.
The group of experts are part of a Training Course within the STaR Program (Science Technology and Research) “City of the Future”. It is a program funded by the European Union with a three years duration, where PhD and Post Doc experts with multidisciplinary competences were invited to participate, to study real life problems of communities related to sustainability and environment.
This is an opportunity for Óbidos to become the first Portuguese location to reach the zerolevel emissions, by means of optimization of the existing infrastructures, introduction of renewable energies and sustainable solutions for transport and waste management. Kate Hornsby believes that the Mayor of Óbidos, Telmo Faria, is committed in going this way. An example that the STaR group wants to see replicated in other Portuguese and European locations.
The challenges and impacts from Tourism are well known in all communities, and this was the base for the formation of the partnership. The concept of an eco-village, once it is incorporated, should – from one side – protect the local environment – and from the other side – became a reference as a way to use the tourism as a catalyser and as source of enhancement on the quality of life and land use management.
The Event organizers expect that the proposals are taken into consideration by the relevant agencies in order to developed integrated projects, that could even be supported by EU funds.” |