Setúbal City Council celebrated, on March 21st, World Tree Day and International Forest Day with the planting of 14 trees at Bocage Secondary School.
The president of the Setúbal City Council, André Martins, alerted the students in the 8th year class who planted strawberry trees, laurel trees, lodão trees, maples and bauínias about the need for green spaces, because a good quality of the environment “is a condition for to live healthier”, raising awareness of the importance of planting trees and passing this message on to their parents and friends.
André Martins recalled that two years ago, following a transfer of powers by the Central Administration that came into force on April 1, 2022, “the Setúbal Municipal Council assumed the responsibility of managing the schools”, among including Bocage Secondary School, whose “facilities were not in the best condition at that time”.
Accompanied by Carla Guerreiro, who is responsible for Education and Environment, the mayor said that the City Council has been working with the Government, “which was the one who had this responsibility”, and is developing projects to requalify the Secondary School of Bocage, both with regard to the built part and its surroundings, particularly in the green spaces.
“Today we are here to assume this responsibility, because we are going to carry out interventions to create better conditions for those who live here, which are you”, stated André Martins, addressing the students and teachers who accompanied them.
Carla Guerreiro revealed to the students that the urban area of Setúbal has 27 thousand trees, not counting the forest area of Serra da Arrábida, but it is necessary to plant more, because “there is more or less one tree for four or five people”, taking into account says that the population is around 123 thousand inhabitants.
The importance of trees in combating climate change, particularly excessive heat, was noted by a teacher, who reminded the students of the fact that the temperature of a space decreases by between five and six degrees Celsius if the area is wooded.
The planting of these 14 trees continued the reforestation work that has been carried out by the City Council, with special attention to school premises, both from an environmental point of view and taking into account the education and civic participation of young people with the aim of changing attitudes.
