8,059 trees and bushes dedicated to WYD Lisbon 2023 in Jancido, Portugal

One year has passed since we launched the Global Tree-Planting Challenge in partnership with Fundação JMJ Lisboa 2023 (WYD Lisbon 2023 in English).

Since July 2022, over 16,000 trees have been dedicated on our global tree-planting map. These trees were offered to the WYD Lisbon 2023 and all the people working on it, to offset some of the environmental footprint of this massive event.

The biggest-yet tree-planting report dedicated to the WYD Lisbon 2023 came from a rural place outside Portugal’s second largest city – Porto.

Throughout the margins of the Sousa River in the land of Jancido, Gondomar, one can find over-200-years-old mills, no longer in function but restored by a group of friends from this region.

Photo by Pedro Granadeiro / Global Imagens

This group of eight friends – known as Moinhos de Jancido (Mills of Jancido, in English) –  made it their responsibility to restore the abandoned mills and the land around them.

Since 2016 several activities have been taking place in this land; volunteers have collectively dedicated 5677 hours to improving and restoring this landscape.

Apart from restoring the mills, other restoration activities included forest preservation through the planting of native trees and bushes and the protection of wildlife through, for example, the creation of temporary ponds. Furthermore, the group also cleared some offroad paths that can now be visited on foot, making the beauty of this land available to more people.

Photo by Pedro Granadeiro / Global Imagens

The last tree-planting activity in Jancido took place this year, on February 18.

Moinhos de Jancido agreed to dedicate all their efforts to the WYD Lisbon 2023, having registered 8,059 trees (planted in several activities since 2016) on the global tree-planting map.

Your dedication to this land is inspiring. Thank you for protecting it and making it better for present and future generations!

Visit Moinhos de Jancido on Facebook and Instagram, to stay up-to-date on their work.

____

The so-awaited WYD Lisbon 2023 is almost here! The event officially starts next week, on August 1, but many pilgrims are already making their way to Portugal to spend an immersive week with local communities there.

For five days, young people from all over the world will meet in Lisbon. Pope Francis will be there too and will guide the pilgrims through important topics such as Integral Ecology, Social Friendship, and Mercy.

Wishing all pilgrims a very good World Youth Day!