To better understand my passion for Porto, I challenge you to on a train trip along the River. A crossing with the taste of Portugal.

If you want to live an experience never to forget to visit the Douro and see with your own eyes one of the oldest regions of the world, I have only one advice, go ride a train!
The regional line that goes from Porto to Pocinho is the right choice, because the first train leaves the station of Saint Benedict and prepare to be delighted with the tiles that adorn the entrance. You will make a trip to the the last century, becouse the train will stop allways, when I say all the plataforms is every single one of then, so relax and enjoy the scenery.
The route would initially seem monotonous and even disappointing, but from a certain point, the line will snak the river and then we are confronted with a bleak landscape dominated by terraced vineyards, which will be later converted into the no less famous Port wine. One of the stops that I recommend is the Régua, have lunch and enjoy the best food and drink table wines of the region. After a well deserved aperitif, return to the line and let yourself be captivated by the people.
I have yet to give a advice to foreigners with almost two meters tall and polited in the summer there are great number of people to enjoy this course and the cars are not that high. And I'm telling this because? I'll report the funny story of a friend of mine who decided to take a Danish, white as snow and high, very high, watching the river Douro!
On this trip, with a heat that roast stones, about 38 degrees celsius, the turnout was massive, and to the delight of some of the passengers, entered at once a folk dance group going to the Invicta city, filling immediately all the cars available .
Our Viking gave away his seat to an old lady and got a stiff neck that accompanied the whole trip. The funniest thing from my point of view of course, was like any gathering where are more than one, two or three Portuguese, begins immediately to musical entertainment and wine starts to run down the thirsty throats.
The Dane, poor man, earn new colors, due to the heat and the fact that I can barely move around such was the tightness and warmth, the Portuguese always helpful, and have no doubt that we are the most friendly people from all over Europe (and I am not being cynical), offered the stranger a good drop of the Douro, and even a homemade ham! I regret not having been there, just imagine! Well, our foreign friend there came to an end of the trip, with a stiff neck and a monumental binge! Great Portuguese people! But do not be scared is usually calmer. Seriously. Therefore, use the line of the Douro and enjoy one of the most beautiful natural scenery of the country.

www.cp.pt
www.douronet.pt

The International conference "Earth Condominium - A new heritage to a new economy," will be held in Vila Nova de Gaia, in January 2013.

Quercus, the Municipality of Gaia and the partners of the project "Earth Condominium" participate and organize this event between 16th and 17th January 2013 in the Biological Park of Gaia. According to the organization this congress aims to be a forum for open discussion on the characteristics of the legally object justifying the establishment of climatic and oceanic systems as an Intangible Natural Heritage of Humanity (INHH). They will also consider the consequences of the constitution of INHH for models of international trade, the challenges for its management and governance, institutional framework and associated world. In four sessions will discuss various issues with various personalities linked to the different themes, an international panel very varied, which will discuss what is the world heritage, the limits of the planet, the economic externalities, markets failures, the rights of future generations, world environment organization, etc.. Admission is free and the closing session of the first day of the International Conference "Earth Condominium - A new heritage to a new economy" will feature his majesty the Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, better known as the "green sheikh."

http://www.quercus.pt/images/PDF/DocumentosCondominio/Condom%C3%ADnio_da_Terra_Congresso_Internacional_.pdf

A team of the Oceanography Centre (CO) the Center for Environmental Biology (CBA) and the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Évora and the Museum of Natural History and Natural Sciences (MNHNC), identified three new species of lampreys.

The species of lamprey Silver Coast, the Nabão and Sado were identified respectively in the basins of these rivers and occur only within the Portuguese territory. The presence of these fish in very restricted geographical areas requires assigning protected status that ensures their preservation, ie, fragmented populations are very small, and should, in the opinion of the researchers, be classified as "critically endangered", according to the criteria used to compile the latest revision of the Red Book of Vertebrates of Portugal.
The three new species were baptized according to their place of origin: the Silver Coast lamprey (Lampetra alavariensis) is endemic to the watershed and Esmoriz and Vouga; Sado lamprey (Lampetra Lusitanian) as the name indicates is the river system that assigns a common name, and finally the Nabão lamprey (Lampetra auremensis) is endemic in this sub-basin tributary on the right bank of the Tagus River. The remaining three types of lamprey have a wide distribution in Europe, but in the Iberian Peninsula, taking the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), which occurs in several river basins in this region, the area of ​​distribution of lamprey-of-brook (Lampetra planeri) concentrated mainly in inside the country, with only two very circumscribed settlements in northern Spain, while the-river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) has been declared extinct in Spain and Portugal, is limited to the lower portion of rivers Tagus and Sorraia. The study was conducted as part of the student's dissertation of Catarina Mateus, directed by Pedro Raposo de Almeida (U.S. / CO) and Judite Alves (MNHNC / CBA). This study, also counted on the collaboration of Bernard Quintella (CO / DBA-FCUL).

A study by the Superior Institute of Engineering of Porto (ISEP) confirmed that the drugs are not eliminated by the processes of the WWTP discharge.

Researchers of ISEP have a focused study in three antibiotics (amoxicillin, tetracycline and trimethoprim) and an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen), because they are more drugs consumed by the general population. The results indicate that the products are not completely removed, in particular ibuprofen, by treatment with anaerobic sludge, even by prolonging the process. This means that in addition to the contamination of watercourses where do these discharges effluent WWTP, also irrigated soils may be contaminated by passing the pharmaceutical compounds.
The scenario can be worrisome considering that sometimes in the vicinity of discharges are not only small family farms but also playgrounds, getting the whole surrounding environment and, consequently, the population exposed to the negative effects of contamination. The problem of multi-resistance to antibiotics may be just one of the consequences. Therefore, drugs are currently classified as arising pollutants.
"There has been an awareness of this type of problem. We speak often of contamination of water, rivers and seas, but very little of soil. Sometimes, there are nearby the WWTP's small gardens, some of which even to produce biological products. But the truth is that soils can hide all sorts of problems, among them the existence of residues of drugs, "explains Valentina Domingues, teacher and member of the ISEP research team.
The problem is not unique to Portugal and that is why the scientific community has come to look into this matter. The WWTP reveal weaknesses in the process of wastewater treatment, particularly in relation to pharmaceutical compounds. "This is a global problem and it is difficult to improve the efficiency of treatment plants. We have to solve the problem upstream," advocates the researcher.
In this context, the results now obtained by the study of ISEP are part of a larger project, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology, entitled "rehabilitation of soils contaminated with pharmaceuticals." The goal is to create mechanisms to minimize the impact of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment and consequently the health of populations.
"Part of the diagnosis is made. In Portugal the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is a reality, making it urgent to find remediation techniques to rehabilitate soils", says Valentina Domingues. There are some more classical solutions being developed to be an alternative methodology greener and low cost. "The preliminary results seem to be promising. This problem associated with the lack of legislation to soil quality, for which we have been warning, means that little is done to reverse the situation, despite being available to various treatment technologies. It is urgent to take this step towards environmental protection, "concludes the researcher of ISEP.

Passed a law that prevents the death of 300 000 specimens per year.

After 12 years of campaigning, BirdLife International managed the European Union to publishes this week, when in Portugal we commemorate the National Day of the Sea, an Action Plan which aims to protect seabirds from being catch during fishing operations. While fishing, the birds are usually attracted to the vicinity of vessels not only because of the fish caught and used as bait, but the fish without commercial interest, rejected during the fishing operation. In this interaction with the boats, birds impinge or become trapped in fishing gear and die by drowning. This is a reality that kills about 300,000 birds per year, mostly in longline fisheries and in gillnets, but also to a lesser degree in trawls and seines.
BirdLife and its European partners managed the publication of this plan, which establishes the basic recommendations to be implemented by the European fleet and thereby curb the more than 2 million seabirds killed in fishing tools since 2001. Iván Ramírez, Marine Program Coordinator of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (partner organization of BirdLife in Portugal), states that "the launch of this Plan of Action as a partner of BirdLife  is a victory and conquered a major step in protecting seabirds . However, it is important that the Action Plan is included in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, currently under way, and that this is accompanied by the investigation and implementation of mitigation measures and greater awareness of the fishing community. "SPEA has dedicated special attention to the issue of incidental catches of seabirds within the Project FAME - Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment, quantifying and analyzing the interactions of seabirds with fishing boats along the Portuguese coast. Note that in addition of being the main wintering area of ​​the Balearic shearwater-the most endangered seabird in Europe, the coast is also an important area for wintering and migratory passage for dozens of other species of seabirds.

http://www.spea.pt/noticias/detalhes.php?id=443&tipo=2

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/damanaki/headlines/press-releases/2012/11/20121115_2_en.htm

Were cataloged several terrestrial species in the Azores.

The Azores archipelago has 110 species of terrestrial mollusks half of which are endemic. It is a natural laboratory that deserves the attention of scientists around the world, according to the president of the World Association of malacology, Antonio Frias Martins, who told agency lusa, "in the Azores can be observed and studied evolutionary processes" , adding that "there are still to describe in the region more than 25 species new to science." Conditions that make these islands prime location to host the next congress of malacology which will take place between 21st and 28th of July 2013 and which will bring to the region more than 400 scientists from 70 nationalities. The international meeting will be held at the University of the Azores, in S. Miguel, where Antonio Frias Martins is a teacher and researcher in the Department of Biology, spearheading several years ago an investigation into the evolution of terrestrial mollusks. For the researcher, "this meeting will put us on the map of world malacology. We will not be outermost, but the science center malacological "he said, stressing that this congress will also develop" many scientific contacts ", enriching the Azorean community and making these islets more known. He even added that," the Azorean islands, together with Madeira and the Canaries, have an advantage in terms of scientific research that results from being archipelagos away from continental areas, with different ages and spaces ", characteristics that make them very attractive to its specificity in terms of scientific studies.

http://www.uac.pt/noticia/diz-investigador-acores-sao-laboratorio-natural-para-estudar-moluscos-terrestres

It is a new pan-European campaign in favor of the environment.

The European Commission in partnership with about 70 organizations throughout Europe, including the Quercus, aims to "bring practical solutions to the center of the climate change debate and demonstrate initiatives that improve the well-being of European citizens, providing them economic benefits. ""A world you like, with a climate you like" also "provides a platform for the participation of citizens, businesses and local groups. These may present, discuss and promote low carbon solutions that want to propose and even participate in a pan-European contest aimed at selecting the best and most original solution. The campaign will run until the end of 2013 and aims to inform cost-effective solutions to achieve the goal of EU that aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 80-95% by 2050.

One of the curiosities to consult on the site, is the success stories section where you can find a set of practical initiatives collective or individual, environmentally friendly in different countries of the European community, in the Portuguese case the focus is on Evora who implemented the campaign Inov City that allowed the implementation of solar panels in the urban fabric and promoted the rise of micro-production of clean energy, thereby reducing the cost of their electric bill and CO2.

http://www.quercus.pt/scid/webquercus/defaultCategoryViewOne.asp?categoryId=736

http://world-you-like.europa.eu/en/success-stories/harnessing-community-support-to-build-a-sustainable-future-portugal/

I know I have been persistent in terms of adoption campaigns, this is one more, but just think, you are choosing a cause that happens to be yours and more, you can enjoy it in a beautiful summer day.

The mountain village of shale Ferreira de São João, in Penela, placed at the disposal of interested 85 cork trees for adoption from a single spot forestry, involving about two hundred of these specimens, which are now national trees. It is a group of  the specie "quercus suber" that were purchased by the residents of this locality to an individual "for the purpose of defending a protected species and cultural heritage of the village, in addition to help capture the attention of future visitors. To facilitate the task of raising the necessary EUR 4300 for the cost of cork tree, they were divided into different types (small, medium and large), taking into account the size and age, and the value of adoption is 40, 60 and 80 euros respectively. Thus, for nine years, the adopter can customize the cork tree with initials or symbols painted and receive a portion of the sale price of the cork. Historical and cultural heritage, the centenary cork oak provides a fantastic environment that invites leisure, ideal for picnics, walks and rest breaks and an icon of the village that is located in a mountainous ridge at the southern end of the Serra Lousã. For those who want to adopt must send an email to associacaodosfsj@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and receive the adoption form and payment instructions. Clinging to a quartzite ridge at the southern end of the Serra Lousã, has as ex-libris old animal shelters. Near couple of S. Simon, this village now takes advantage of the presence of new neighbors to recover ancient traditions, religious and popular festivals, where everyone is involved and participating in these gathering efforts.

http://www.aldeiasdoxisto.pt/index/5

They have two different views on the issue of the environment in our country.

Luisa Schmidt, PhD in sociology of the environment within a lecture on environmental policies in Portugal, drew a lack portrait in 2008, after four years, little or nothing has changed, in the view of this researcher, "past the period of revolution with its specificities, among which, the devaluation of the environmental policies, was in fact the EU accession (1986), almost coincident with the European Year of the Environment (1987), which marked a crucial milestone in the country's environmental policy, bringing new requirements, reinforcing his legislation and enhancing measures. The EU brought yet clears advantages of financial support for basic infrastructure and the improvement of living conditions. The late 80s were therefore pivotal year in which some factors came together and key events for the role of environmental issues. "Despite all this paraphernalia and laws and regulations, little or nothing has evolved in terms of environmental preservation in our country. According to Schmidt, "The cases of sanitation and industrial hazardous waste are the most eloquent, showing clearly the internal inability to solve basic problems, thought abundantly financed. Regarding sanitation, after 4 billion of investment of three Community support frameworks, between 1986 and 2006, in sewage treatment plants and sewage, the result of the lifting of the state of the rivers made in 2000 showed how 70% of watercourses were still severely polluted (today about 35% are, with only 23% of surface water can be considered good). The failure of these cases nationwide only can understand considering the limitations and difficulties in the assumptions that imply a consistent environmental policy. "

Another different view comes from the former minister of the environment and natural resources, between the years 1991/93, Carlos Borrego, which states, "revisiting the past 25 years I cannot fail to check progress of environmental policies, with the consolidation of new instruments, such as environmental impact assessment, environmental licensing, environmental management systems, accreditation systems, the European trade of allowances and the law of liability for environmental damage. " However, both professors agree on several issues, one of them points out, "the high number of transposed directives and enacted laws (in 2009 alone were published more than 100 diplomas relating to the environment), produced few tangible results meet the expectations created. The same can be said of cases of sanitation, major projects (construction of roads and dams) and hazardous industrial waste are the most eloquent, evidencing clearly the internal inability to solve basic problems, even abundantly financed. The failure of these cases, nationwide, can be understand considering the limitations and difficulties in the assumptions that imply a sound environmental policy: lack of environmental awareness, effective planning and an effective justice system. "

http://www.aps.pt/vicongresso/pdfs/256.pdf

http://ftp.infoeuropa.eurocid.pt/database/000044001-000045000/000044764.pdf

It is a challenge launch by the SPEA to all citizens who want to help rebuild an environment center.

The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) has referred to the Lisbon City Council the draft of an environmental center within the participatory budget in 2012. The aim is to restore in the very heart of the capital, in Lumiar, "the park built at Quinta das Conchas which is traversed daily by many people in their morning route on the way to work, and many others who elected him as recreational space for family outings or to do physical exercise. But the Quinta das Conchas and Lilases as a whole, also comes alive with dozens of blackbirds, some mallards, titmice, sparrows, parakeets, red robins, jays, hawks, eagles wing and gray herons who fall asleep on top of trees, swallows and swifts that at the time of spring, enjoying the late afternoon for high-flying ".

http://www.lisboaparticipa.pt/pages/registo.php

http://www.spea.pt/pt/noticias/ajude-nos-a-construir-um-centro-ambiental/