Moliceiros in Aveiro will be electric by the end of 2025
15/11/2024
The transition from the current moliceiros (typical Portuguese boats) to the electric version covers the 27 boats currently operating in the Ria de Aveiro and
ARS is a research structure based in Fundão. Get to know this special place.
Based in Fundão, in the district of Castelo Branco, ARS is a multidisciplinary organization focused on bringing scientists, artists, and all those willing to accept the challenge of thinking and acting on the ecological emergency to the table. Peggada spoke with Carlos Fernandes, general director, to learn more about the association’s goals, and how we can all be part of this project. Here is a summary of what most distinguishes this project, so that we can all get to know it better.
1. Everyone is welcome
ARS unites Art and Science and invites people from different fields – mainly artists, scientists, and visitors – to Fundão to debate and act on an ecological emergency that concerns us all, favoring a dialogue between different thought structures and languages. That said, the invitation holds a second level of depth. The guests (with the most diverse backgrounds) are called upon to deal with the environmental crisis by working together, uniting their respective skills. “It is essential to see and deal with the complexity of the world at all its levels. Simplification obscures,” considers Carlos. This is why the official prefers to use the term “ecological emergency” rather than “climate crisis”, as he believes it better reflects the various nuances of the crisis, and not just the climate issue.
2. The power of decentralization
ARS’ headquarters is in Fundão, and its geographical context is something that marks the action it develops. “Always the territorial dimension, always the involvement with the landscape,” says Carlos. For him, this is the perfect context to understand the multiple relationships between the individual and nature, be it untouched nature or the most polluted and grotesque spaces.
ARS intends to respond to the proximity it has with the Panasqueira Mines
and with the mountain of toxic waste that resulted from this mining operation. It is also committed to responding to other characteristics of the region such as the isolation of certain populations and the destruction of ecosystems. The valorization of local populations and rural traditions, the invitation to decentralization, and the denunciation of the effect that the Panasqueira Mines had on local populations and landscapes are some of the ways this structure relates to its surroundings. This geographical position is in itself an invitation to all those who wish to explore a form of civic participation in the realm of ecological activism that is not limited only to the urban or digital spheres.
3. The Labs
In order to be able to cover all the fronts that are proposed, the structure is subdivided into several thematic lines – or Laboratories – that serve as research beacons for scientists, artists, and visitors. There are 16 Laboratories created to think about different aspects of the relationship between human beings and the natural system, and all of them deserve a moment to be highlighted. However, our conversation ended up focusing mainly on the “Mountain Dwellers” Laboratory which invites all those who are part of it to think about rural and pastoral life, the social and cultural isolation of several communities, and the fragility of these same communities to climate change and to the most diverse forms of pollution. In essence, it works on one of the fundamental points of the climate crisis: dialogue and solidarity between generations.
4. Be part of ARS
It only remains to figure out how you can accept this invitation and be part of this project. Based on the idea that “heritage can be a museum, a mountain, a landscape”, as Carlos Fernandes reminds us, ARS has a series of free artistic and scientific programs throughout the year.
Besides this part, when exploring the project’s website, you will find segments such as “Artistic and Scientific Creation and Research” and “Learning and Social Innovation”, two of the ways you can get closer to this project. By integrating the Apprenticeship strand you can participate in advanced courses and graduate degrees. The Research strand encourages research projects, seminars, and symposia, while the Experience strand involves the creation of theoretical and practical development projects. Finally, there are a number of public presentations, conferences, seminars, open workshops, exhibitions and performances that you can explore.
Leonor (better known as Nônô) inherited the taste for nature from her paternal grandfather, who used to carry seeds in his pockets to plant them when the time was right. She founded the Environmentalist Nucleus at the University where she graduated, was involved in civil disobedience movements for climate justice, and studied in London where she tasted the best veggie burger she knows to date. She pursued a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations because it is an area she considers key to create a paradigm for climate justice. She went to Paris to deepen her knowledge in sustainability and later to write a thesis in the same area. Proud of her pots of mint and basil, an avid reader, a fan of afternoons spent around the table, an apologist for simplicity. She suspects she would be happy with a vegetable garden and a profession associated with sustainability and human rights.
Related articles
Which European cities are the easiest to travel sustainably?
30/10/2024
The Smart City Expo World Congress looked at transportation options in more than 20 European cities. London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Helsinki are the ones
The month of mobility that wants to extend throughout the year
28/10/2024
European Mobility Week takes place from September 16 to 22, but activities related to the theme have been extended until almost the end of October.
Sustainable Development Goals
This article addresses an action that promotes the adoption of urgent measures to fight climate change and its impacts. SDG 13 also aims to improve education on climate change mitigation and impact reduction.
To discover businesses that are actively working to contribute to this Sustainable Development Goal, click here.
To read news, interviews or tips related to this Goal, click here.
➡️ Want to know more about the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? Click here
Esta publicação também está disponível em:
Português (Portuguese (Portugal))
