The Europe Challenge

The Local Challenge

A coastal town in Portugal steeped in maritime tradition, Póvoa de Varzim struggles with car dependency and social isolation, the decline of local businesses and environmental impact. Working together with climate transition organisations and local community groups, the challenge is to inspire sustainable, connected and inclusive lifestyles among local residents as an alternative to the current lifestyle based on consumption. This initiative, led by the local library and Transition Seed Group, aims to address issues like these by promoting climate transition literacy and creating spaces for community engagement and sustainable practices. 

 The Initiative  

The initiative has launched a “Climate Transition Literacy Club” in the municipal library, acting as a local hub to support community action and debate on climate issues. The library is also hosting a collection of publications on sustainability as well as organising capacity-building activities with experts, local businesses and practitioners to help share the knowledge and practical skills. Along with those activities, the community group will map and collect positive and inspiring stories of local people, projects and businesses that are already implementing sustainable practices. These stories will be documented and photographed in order to create an exhibition in the library and a publication, as part of a raising awareness campaign. 

After The Europe Challenge

The initiative has created a space for citizens to voice solutions on community issues which have then been presented to the local government for consideration of enhancing climate planning. One of the participants saw her idea presented in a booklet and on a billboard said: “I never thought that my work, my life, would be important enough to be in a book, here, for so many people”. The community interest has generated new collaborative projects that are already taking shape, the “Climate Literacy Club” has a dedicated book collection that is growing and has a dedicated space where people can write their “What if…?” proposal for the library.  

Contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.