Brazil and Portugal launch sustainability programs for World Environment Day
On World Environment Day, a series of local initiatives were announced across Brazil and Portugal. In Brazil, petrochemical company Braskem highlighted its Environmental Education Program for municipal schools in Duque de Caxias, while the city of Campo Grande was praised for receiving its seventh consecutive Tree City of the World award and for expanding urban arborisation, eco‑points, and micro‑forest projects. The municipal council in the Alto Taquari region organised a community clean‑up along the ERS‑130 highway, and Bahia launched a network of “Viveiros Educadores” to produce native seedlings and support school‑based environmental learning. Nova Veneza held a multi‑day public program that included tree planting and environmental licensing talks, and the town of Valença upgraded its selective‑waste collection system at the historic fortress.
In the state of Mato Grosso, the Legislative Assembly’s Environment Committee advanced three bills aimed at permanent protection of the Pantanal, creation of wildlife ecoducts, and a statewide river‑pollution programme. In Portugal, the environmental NGO ZERO released a mixed assessment of Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho’s tenure, noting progress in nature conservation and waste management but criticizing water‑policy priorities and the management of the Environmental Fund.
Media outlets also marked the day: the Odisseia TV channel scheduled a series of BBC documentaries on coral reefs, rivers, lagoons, and Mediterranean calanques, while Brazil’s Light utility opened an educational forest trail for students and a recycling‑for‑discount program that rewards households for collecting recyclable waste.