The Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism will hold a series of forums aimed at monitoring the sustainability of the Azores tourist destination, designated as "Green Teams," on all islands of the archipelago.
The first workshop takes place Thursday, August 29, on the island of Santa Maria, followed by São Miguel (August 30), Terceira (September 3), Graciosa (September 4), São Jorge (September 5), Corvo (September 9), Flores (September 10), Faial (September 11) and Pico (September 12).
The first round intended to disseminate the principles and guidelines regarding the certification process currently underway through Earthcheck, present the Destination Management Structure and its operation, and highlight the importance of destination certification as a strategy towards sustainability.
In these workshops, participants will have the opportunity to analyse and define the priority performance areas on each island, discuss the actions to be implemented and the goals to be achieved.
In this context, they will be responsible for implementing an Action Plan per Island designed according to the respective areas of activity: energy management and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, control of noise and light pollution, management of drinking water and wastewater, management and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, land planning, transport, management of solid waste and harmful substances for the environment, and social, cultural and economic management.
The "Green Teams" are responsible for monitoring the actions carried out, consulting partners, promoting reflection on priority matters, delivering opinions, and making recommendations and suggestions on the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination, particularly regarding its planning, management and monitoring tools.
These geographically-based forums are composed of entities representing local interests, such as local authorities, associations representing the civil society, companies and citizens.