PORTUGAL’S NATIONAL football team coach, Luís Filipe Scolari, commemorated World Forest Day last Wednesday by planting new trees in Campo Grande, Lisbon.
He was joined by members of the squad, including João Moutinho and Jorge Andrade as well as veteran star Eusébio. Also present was Lisbon Câmara President, Carmona Rodrigues, the president of the Junta de Freguesia do Campo Grande, Valdemar Salgado and local children from the area.
Symbolic
Rodrigues said the planting of 12 southern European pines (casuarinas) was “symbolic”, marking the first day of spring.
Thanking the Portuguese Football Federation, which had helped organise and sponsor the initiative, the president added that it was “essential to increase and improve the vegetation in Lisbon’s parks and gardens” and said that “environmental education was fundamental for the education of the city’s citizens”.
The planting formed part of an overall drive to spruce up the gardens in Campo Grande, which have been neglected for years. Between 40 and 50 new trees are due to be planted.
In the Algarve, more than 50 children marked World Forest Day by planting fruit trees in the planned extreme sports and nature parks near the Municipal Stadium in Albufeira.
The parks, which are due to be completed in September, will be fully equipped with walkways, bicycle paths and ramps for skateboards, roller blades and BMXs. There will also be a large open space, where fairs, festivals and exhibitions will be held.
Seven schools across the Algarve commemorated World Forest Day by painting PVC trees, which will be exhibited in Lisbon and Porto, between May 26 and June 10. In total, 77 schools throughout Portugal celebrated the day by using their creativity for the competition.
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