Regional Government hosts the National Ceremony of the "Green Key" Programme at the Furnas Monitoring and Research Centre

June 22, 2022

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, chaired on Tuesday the national ceremony of the "Green Key" programme, an internationally recognised award that rewards and encourages sustainable tourism, which took place at the Furnas Monitoring and Research Centre.

For Alonso Miguel, "it is with great satisfaction" that the Region welcomed, "in the beautiful municipality of Povoação, the 15th edition of this prestigious ceremony".

The "Green Key" programme is a highly relevant award sponsored by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), implemented in Portugal by the European Blue Flag Association (ABAE). The programme aims to recognise establishments and tourist resorts that include good environmental and social practices in their daily management, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of the natural heritage, promoting, in parallel, environmental education actions for sustainability, which are, in fact, strategic objectives of the Regional Government of the Azores.

The governor took the opportunity to greet and congratulate all the winners and thank "the commitment and the helpful contribution to the sustainable development of society".

This year, the programme awarded 196 tourist establishments, 16 of which in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, 35 in the Central Region, 25 in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, 24 in the Algarve, 8 in the Alentejo, 40 in the North Region and 48 in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

The Regional Secretary reminded the classified areas and acknowledgements attributed to the Region and the commitment of this executive in promoting the knowledge and valorisation of protected areas, habitat, geosites and other elements of environmental interest, namely through the Azores Environmental Centres Network and Walking Trails.

"This extraordinary, and also extremely fragile, heritage is increasingly asserting itself as an important tourism product and a relevant educational tool available to educational institutions, visitors and the resident community," said the governor, recalling the constant commitment of this Regional Secretariat in its protection and enhancement.

In the Azores, the Regional Government and the ABAE have cooperated on several awareness-raising programmes that are fundamental for sustainable development beyond the Green Key, such as Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment, EcoCampus, ECOXXI and Blue Flag. These programmes foster active citizenship, environmental awareness and education, good environmental practices, and involvement and participation of public and private entities.

On this occasion, the partnership between the European Blue Flag Association, represented by its president, José Archer, and the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change was also renewed through the signing of the cooperation protocol, reinforcing the involvement of both entities in this mission to protect the environment, namely "the extraordinary natural heritage of the Azores and Portugal", concluded Alonso Miguel.