Mariana Vasconcelos

Plantar o Futuro

Make this idea grow

“If each one of us plants a tree, one day we will have a forest„

6

Years of history

4000+

Planted trees

570+

Volunteers

Make this idea grow

Plantar o Futuro is based on the idea that small actions can lead to great things. Case in point, if every one of us plants a tree, one day it will make up a forest. With this in mind, we want to challenge the University of Aveiro’s new students to adopt a native tree, care for it, and finally, plant it and help raise a forest!

Organised by Agora Aveiro, in collaboration with the University of Aveiro’s Grupo para a Sustentabilidade and the Municipality of Estarreja, Plantar o Futuro represents a movement for the defence and growth of the native forest and its role in climate change mitigation, forest fire resilience and biodiversity conservation.

Between willows, alders, oaks, poplars, and ashes, last edition (2019/2020), we gave away 1558 trees at the University of Aveiro, in October. During February and March, over 200 volunteers planted 1293 trees in BioRia, located in Estarreja. These trees will aid the recovery of the Portuguese native forest and the biodiversity that depends on it.

The project branches into three separate, but complementary activities, directed at different demographics: “Plantar o Futuro”, mainly directed at the university students; “Semear o Futuro”, aimed at primary school children; and “Green Friday”, with a greater emphasis on the general community and local commerce.

How Plantar o Futuro was born?

This project is the expansion of “Biologia a Plantar o Futuro”, an initiative born out of the determination of the University of Aveiro's biology students, back in 2014.

In 2018, the project attained its current format, which encompasses the entire academic community. In this last edition, students, teachers, and staff adopted oaks, mistletoes, and alders, among other species in December, cared for them for 2 months, and, by Spring, had the opportunity to plant them.

Throughout the project's history, thousands of trees have been planted in Mata Nacional do Buçaco and the Municipalities of Albergaria-a-Velha, Lousada, and Estarreja, while raising awareness and educating hundreds of university students about the environment.

Plantar o Futuro

This is the setting stone of the project and its most ambitious movement. In collaboration with the University of Aveiro’s Grupo para a Sustentabilidade and the Municipality of Estarreja, new students are challenged to adopt a native tree. With the tree, students receive a reusable cloth bag, with an informational booklet with instructions on how to take care of the plant.

Students are then responsible for the tree until its final transplantation, which happens in February, during the wet season. The participants are once again called into action to take part in the reforestation initiatives in Estarreja.

Green Friday

“Green Friday” was created in 2018, and seeks to reach the entire Aveirense community. Around the “Black Friday” weekend, in November, in collaboration with Associação A CORDA and the city's local businesses, we organise a weekend dedicated to helping the environment. For three days, the value of the purchases made in these establishments is "converted" into native trees - "for every $5 spent in local commerce, a tree will be planted".

These trees, sown and taken care of by the students of the Rio Novo do Príncipe Schools, are planted in the Natural Reserve of São Jacinto Dunes in collaboration with the Aveiro City Hall.

Green Friday

“Green Friday” was created in 2018, and seeks to reach the entire Aveirense community. Around the “Black Friday” weekend, in November, in collaboration with Associação A CORDA and the city's local businesses, we organise a weekend dedicated to helping the environment. For three days, the value of the purchases made in these establishments is "converted" into native trees - "for every $5 spent in local commerce, a tree will be planted".

These trees, sown and taken care of by the students of the Rio Novo do Príncipe Schools, are planted in the Natural Reserve of São Jacinto Dunes in collaboration with the Aveiro City Hall.

Semear o Futuro

Kids are the future! “Semear o Futuro” first emerged in 2017 when the children of the Santiago School Center, seeing the destruction caused by that year's wave of fires, also wanted to do something for nature. Thus the "Guardians of Nature" were born.

Ever since, we have been in several other primary schools and events in the region of Aveiro making “seed bombs”. These colorfull balls are made of clay and substrate, which forms a solid structure that encompasses the seeds, selected according to the targeted area for intervention. Seed bombs are not only a practical and fun way to approach to educate and raise awareness in students but also a way to boost the development of green areas, which help the growth of larger trees.

Starting in 2018, the Guardians of Nature made their appearance on several schools across the Region, as well on "Dias do Ambiente", an event organised by Aveiro City Hall, and "Biorace", organised by Estarreja City Hall.

What we did

We have planted over 4000 native trees over the project's 6 years. On the map are the coordinates for the trees planted in BioRia, in Estarreja, during the 2019/2020 edition. Click the button below!

Our partners

The project unites the efforts of various stakeholders in society, among associations, public entities and companies, to raise awareness about the importance of native forests, instilling in the participants the senses of social and environmental responsibility and encouraging volunteering as a form of active and participative citizenship.
Do you want to be our partner? Contact us!

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This project is co-financed by:

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Testimonies

Read the opinion of those who have already participated in this project!

Júlio Gonçalves

In a world with so many environmental problems and, more precisely, in a country where almost half of the territory is made up of eucalyptus and pine trees, projects like Plantar o Futuro allow us to restore our forest. I got to know this project in its first edition and with it I learned a lot about various trees in our region and its importance in our history. In addition, taking care of one is a task that incites responsibility and planting it is a rewarding experience.

Inês Tocha

The opportunity to adopt a tree native to Portugal and to watch its development makes Plantar o Futuro an enriching project. I believe that reforestation and invasive control actions are the most instructive aspects of this initiative, due to the educational background acquired. The conviviality, the guided tour and the absence of costs make the project even more engaging.

Maria Bartolomeu

In the last edition of Plantar o Futuro, I chose an ash tree still very small and with few leaves. I took care of it, knowing that it would later be transplanted in a forest environment. Now, "my" ash tree will be bigger and, together with all the other trees, it is playing its role in the construction of an autochthonous forest and in the conservation of biodiversity.

João Ferrão

Few believe that it is possible to change the world, so that day, I woke up early and went to show that the change to a better world depends on each of us. I decided to “Plant the Future” with an alder. With a group of Agora Aveiro members predestined to help, picking up a hoe and digging the future makes this utopia easy and fun.