The Historical Villages of Portugal ? Association for Tourism Development (AHP-ADT) signs, in partnership with ADENE ? Agency for Energy, E-REDES and Greenvolt, an agreement with a view to carbon neutrality, next Friday, March 17, in the Historic Village of Idanha-a-Velha, advances the AHP-ADT in a statement, stressing that this is a project that follows the Network's commitment to sustainability.

They keep the roots of our history and some have even been the cradle of the first peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, to preserve the 12 Historical Villages of Portugal and make them more sustainable, ensuring its future, is one of the priorities of the Network. This explains the new project "Towards Carbon Neutrality", which will be formalized next Friday, March 17, in the Historic Village of Idanha-a-Velha. An event where they will be clarified all the necessary steps to make the Historical Villages of Portugal a carbon neutral tourist destination ? the first, in network, of 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. Thus, this is a transition that ?requires the ability to act transversally? It is a collaborative process, in the spirit of circularity, energy transition and carbon neutrality as an act of responsibility, for which the Network of Historical Villages of Portugal relies on its entire network of current and future partners, whose spirit of mission fits this ambitious approach that seeks to raise the Historical Villages of Portugal to the status of a sustainable destination?

In line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the European Ecological Pact (Green Deal), this ?is a decisive step towards the goal of making a Network of Villages the first at the European level to benefit from a position of efficiency in the fields of water and energy, based on the strategic vision: "Historical Villages of Portugal: a sustainable urban network and a pioneer in its contribution to the green growth of low density territories"?

The same source recalls that energy and water efficiencies are part of the Action Plan for the Climate Agenda and Local Energy, addressed under the Covenant of Mayors Program, in which the AHP-ADT, as promoter, and municipalities, as signatories, have assumed the reduction of 45% of CO2 by 2030 ? a commitment that requires coresponsibility, tenacity and collective work. Indeed, the implicit transformation towards full sustainability also requires the zeal to preserve the heritage identity of the Historic Villages of Portugal. This is a difficult equation, but doable, and fully, thanks to the network of partners who vehemently put at the disposal of this project their resources and their capital of knowledge and experience?

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