This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Alentejo is Portugal’s breadbasket and now sustainability may become part of its image, too
It turns out that sheep wool isn’t only good for sweaters and socks. The fibres can actually be converted into an organic source of fertilizer in the form of pellets. Plus, it’s renewable.
Last week, at the monthly meeting of the Serra de São Mamede Natural Park co-management committee, a German couple presented their idea about starting a company that would produce the pellets. The natural park is located in the region of Alentejo, in eastern Portugal, which is well-known in the country for its agriculture and cattle raising.
The park’s management duties are divided among the four small municipalities of Castelo de Vide, Arronches, Portalegre and Marvão. The authorities there see this as an opportunity to boost sustainability in the local agricultural sector and play host to an innovative idea that could also create some jobs.
For António Pita, who is the chairman of the committee and also the mayor of Castelo de Vide, the great advantage of this initiative is the use of a by-product of the animal that, often, “has no value and is not used”.
Speaking to Lusa news agency, the company's spokesman, Ricardo Oliveira, explained that the wool is transformed into biological fertilizer through a machine that grinds the wool into tiny pieces of between 4 and 7 millimetres. The resulting mass then gets compacted under pressure into pellets and sanitized at 100 degrees temperature.
The resulting product can be applied directly into the soil. This eco-friendly renewable resource delivers plenty of nutrients for plants that stimulate growth, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate. Wool also has very good water storage properties – sheep would otherwise be soaked through to the skin when it rains.
Mayor Pita explained that this would be a win-win type of situation as the German entrepreneurs would like to acquire the natural.pt seal for the pellets, which is an environmental seal for Portuguese products made in a protected area. The project is currently in its licensing phase.
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
A smoke-free environment has been guaranteed for years, but now the local administration is looking into further improving public health habits
This initiative is not just about making books more accessible – it has larger ambitions in its sights
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team