Yesterday, 23 October, dstelecom, the primary school students of the Castro Verde School Group and Castro Verde City Council joined forces to plant 120 cork oaks and holm oaks on around 4 hectares of council land in Castro Verde, next to the 25 de Abril Municipal Stadium and the Camping Park.

The initiative took place from 2pm and involved around 100 participants, including 60 4th grade Biosphere students, teachers, assistants, dstelecom workers and representatives of the municipality.

The action ‘was part of a campaign to promote environmental sustainability, with the aim of reinforcing the importance of preserving local biodiversity, fostering environmental awareness among young people and promoting sustainable innovation,’ emphasises the Castro Verde municipality.

By planting cork oaks and holm oaks - certified species adapted to the region's dry climate - ‘the initiative sought to sensitise the younger generation to the protection of natural resources and sustainable forest management practices’.

For Ricardo Salgado, CEO of dstelecom, ‘this initiative is in line with the company's aim of improving people's quality of life’.

‘Castro Verde is one of the 145 municipalities where we seek to meet the needs of the population by breaking down geographical barriers, ensuring that they have access to the digital world through our fibre network. With this initiative we are not only sustaining our relationship with the people of Castro Verde, but also promoting environmental awareness among the next generation,’ he explains.

In addition, the company's CEO believes that ‘this type of action is fundamental to guaranteeing the protection of our natural heritage and building a positive environmental legacy for generations to come’.

‘We unequivocally believe that innovation must go hand in hand with social and environmental responsibility and it was with this in mind that, together with the town council and the Castro Verde School Group, we promoted this initiative which, as well as planting trees, also sowed the seeds of environmental awareness in a generation that will be vital for the future,’ emphasised Ricardo Salgado.

‘Both the cork oak and the holm oak are species native to Portugal, with high resilience to drought conditions and poor soils, which makes them ideal for our region's environment. The cork oak, in particular, is highly valued for its bark, which is used to produce cork, a renewable resource that doesn't require the tree to be felled, and which allows for sustainable economic exploitation,’ emphasised David Marques, the town council's councillor.

‘We want our students to realise the importance of protecting the environment and how preserving biodiversity is essential to guaranteeing a more sustainable future. Through this partnership with dstelecom and the City Council, we have provided a practical experience of environmental education, encouraging innovation and a commitment to sustainability, while actively contributing to our municipality's biosphere,’ explained Madalena Coelho from the Castro Verde School Group.

Font: Rádio Castrense