The second edition of the Green Festival, a festival of reference in the domain of Sustainable Development to underpin the promotion and population awareness for environmental issues will take place from 18 to 25 September at the Estoril Congress Centre.
Portugal Telecom, a company with ambitious goals, aims to become a reference in terms of sustainability. Therefore, it sponsored the Green Festival 2009 once again, the event that aims to gather opinions and ideas about sustainable development and to induce businesses into operating for such purpose.
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Rui Gonçalves Pereira
presented some measures
adopted by PT and said that
environment-friendly services
are being created |
The kick-off of the event was marked by a major conference under the theme ‘Are we leaving as many options as those we enjoy today, for future generations?’. Several players in the Portuguese society from different knowledge areas have been invited to debate this issue: telecommunications, financial system, mobility, infrastructures, construction, energy and social responsibility.
The panel of speakers was composed of Rui Gonçalves Pereira, Board Member, PT, Pedro Rocha e Melo, vice-chairman, Brisa, Nuno Amado, chairman, Santander Totta bank, José Silva Rodrigues, chairman, Carris, José de Melo Bandeira, deputy chairman, Dalkia Portugal, Vera Pires Coelho, chairwoman, Edifer, Fernando Nobre, chairman, AMI Foundation, and Harlem Gro Brundtland, author of the most well-known document on Sustainable Development: Our Common Future.
Sustainability, good practices and challenges were discussed at the conference, the main focus being what companies will do when they will have to pay for their own carbon footprint. In the case of Portugal Telecom, this is a “major issue as the company has been dealing with this issue over the last 10 years”, explains Rui Gonçalves Pereira. PT’s Board Member highlighted the fact that PT has been taking “various measures to reduce energy consumption and to use renewable energy sources”.
The debate, moderated by Ricardo Costa, deputy director of Expresso newspaper, aimed at opinion and strategy sharing on measures found by companies to deal with the improvement of living conditions on the planet for future generations.
Rui Gonçalves Pereira stressed that PT has set a strategic goal of becoming a reference in terms of sustainability. Therefore, a group of measures have been taken over the years such as the energy certification of its buildings, the installation of renewable energy sources at its antennas, the electronic bill, among others. According to PT’s Board Member, it is of prime importance “to make PT’s employees aware of small things that can be done individually such as signing up for the electronic bill, thus contributing to making this example reach every Portuguese. It is imperative that everyone walks in the same direction”.
At the Exhibition and Activities area, Portugal Telecom presented a few of its best practices in terms of sustainability: a SIM card entirely made of paper, the Samsung Eco and the Blue Earth mobiles produced of recycled materials, the electronic bill, Sapo Naturlink (a site with information on nature and environment), a PVC canvas printed from recycled mobile phone components (authored by Daniela Ribeiro, plastic artist”, recycled bags and notebooks and the iMEO prototype, developed by PT Inovação that allows energy consumption control of a house via a channel on MEO service.
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The Samsung Eco has a bioplastics structure obtained from corn, package made of recycled paper and alarm warning when the battery is loaded (saves energy) |
New environment-friendly SIM card, entirely made of paper: when incinerated,
it does not emit chlorides or dioxins, 100% bio-degradable, may be recycled
to bio-fuel and is aesthetically pleasing |
The Blue Earth is the first solar-powered touch-screen mobile, does not contain halogen and is made of recycled plastic. The package is made of recycled paper and includes earphone made of PVC |
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| MEO iMETER, a prototype developed by PT Inovação that will help to monitor and control energy consumption at home in the future, thus saving energy and money, via a channel on Meo service |
PVC canvas printed with recycled mobile components. Work authored by Daniela Ribeiro, plastic artist |
Sapo Naturlink offers the best Internet connection to nature, with quality information on nature and environment |
The initiative, organised by the Green Values consortium and the Cascais municipality, seeks to change mentalities. Over eight days, the Estoril Congress Centre will gather companies, institutions and public at large, all together forming a movement for a change of behaviour towards sustainable development.
Participants may attend conferences and visit thematic or entertainment areas. The event will be marked by the Conference and by the delivery of an award to the most sustainable presence over the eight days of the Green Fest. Therefore, exhibitors are challenged into adopting the best sustainable techniques and activities.
The festival has a group of novelties to present on its second edition, featuring new themes, namely Green Building (dedicated to energy efficiency, building and renewable energies), Green Home (home appliances and consumer electronics), Green Consumer (mass market products) and Green Places (space dedicated to local councils and eco-tourism).
These new areas come to join other areas that the public is already familiar with such as: Green Thinking (workshops, seminars and culture), Green Fun, (playground, entertainment and awareness actions for children), Green People (solidarity, health and well-being), Green Taste (healthful nourishment and biological market) and Green Trends (arts, fashion, decoration, technology and mobility).
Among the novelties, highlight goes to workshops on change of lifestyle, feng shui, yoga sessions, an opportunity to try out scuba diving, biological market and the Sustainable Handicraft Fair.