Aldeias Históricas de Portugal - Associação de Desenvolvimento Turístico (AHP-ADT), in partnership with ADENE - Agência para a Energia, E-REDES and Greenvolt, will sign an agreement for carbon neutrality next Friday, March 17, in the Historical Village of Idanha-a-Velha, AHP-ADT said in a statement, stressing that this is a project that follows on from the Network's commitment to sustainability.

"They preserve the roots of our history and some may even have been the cradle of the first peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. That's why preserving Portugal's 12 Historic Villages and making them more sustainable, guaranteeing their future, is one of the Network's priorities. This explains the new project 'Towards Carbon Neutrality', which will be formalized next Friday, March 17, in the Historical Village of Idanha-a-Velha. The event will explain all the steps needed to turn Portugal's Historical Villages into a carbon neutral tourist destination - the first in our country!" writes the same source.

According to the statement, the challenge is to "make the changes associated with decarbonization compatible with maintaining the heritage identity and peculiarities of each Historic Village". As such, this is a transition that "requires transversal action". "This is a collaborative process, in the spirit of circularity, energy transition and carbon neutrality as an act of responsibility, for which the Network of Historic Villages of Portugal is counting on its entire network of current and future partners, whose spirit of mission fits into this ambitious approach that seeks to elevate the Historic Villages of Portugal to the status of a sustainable destination."

In line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal, this "is a decisive step towards the goal of making a Network of Villages the first at European level to benefit from an efficient position in the water and energy domains, based on the strategic vision: 'Historic Villages of Portugal: a sustainable urban network and a pioneer in its contribution to the green growth of low-density territories'," he points out.

The same source recalls that energy and water efficiency are part of the Action Plan for the Climate Agenda and Local Energy, dealt with under the Covenant of Mayors Program, in which the AHP-ADT, as promoter, and the municipalities, as signatories, have undertaken to reduce CO2 by 45% by 2030 - a commitment that requires co-responsibility, tenacity and collective work. "In fact, the implicit transformation towards full sustainability also requires zeal for the preservation of the heritage identity of Portugal's Historic Villages. This is a difficult equation, but it can be done, and done well, thanks to the network of partners who are vehemently putting their resources, knowledge and experience at the disposal of this project," he explains.

The "Towards carbon neutrality" project "once again demonstrates the commitment of the Historical Villages of Portugal to sustainability", he concludes.