Commitment to integral ecology was evident yesterday with the signing of a protocol.

Caring, protecting and enhancing natural and cultural resources, as well as built buildings and surrounding spaces. This is, in general terms, the commitment assumed by the four Confraternity and Brotherhoods that make up the Crown of Braga (Bom Jesus do Monte, Nossa Senhora do Sameiro, Santa Maria Madalena and Santa Marta das Cortiças), which was evident in a commitment signed between all.

Coordinated by the Archdiocesan Department for Free Time, Sport and Mobility (Pastoral do Turismo), the project “Caring, protecting and enhancing the Crown of Braga” intends, according to the protocol, “a real laboratory” that commits the four entities, “promoting a work of mutual help through joint meetings for this purpose, always in search of environmental care, the defense of the religious aspect and in order to place these spaces marked by the sacred at the service of the Braga community and those who want to seek it out».

This commitment also includes the registration of all these entities in the Platform for Action Laudato Si, created by Pope Francis, which proposes a wide range of initiatives, some already in the process of being implemented and others to be implemented in the coming months or years.

Among the various actions planned are the installation of solar panels in the Sanctuaries and the improvement of the thermal insulation of buildings, «without compromising the heritage value and the visual impact», the renovation and installation of more sustainable and (LED lights), planting native trees and native species in gardens, removing invasive species and protecting and restoring water sources and mines in order to promote sustainable water use.

Added to this are the installation of drip irrigation systems, the implementation of a forest cleaning system, the installation of forest residue crushing systems and the creation of combustion centers.

Diário do Minho – 28/09/2021