High electricity prices are choking Portuguese growth

windfarmseaPortugal is set to begin phasing out support for utilities generating renewable power, a top government official said, as Lisbon tackles high electricity prices that are hampering efforts to bolster its struggling economy.

The secretary of state for energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches, told Reuters there will be no abrupt changes to contracts or legislation, while the eight-month old government will keep promoting renewable energy and push for power links with central Europe and Morocco in north Africa to develop energy exports.

Algarve temperatures to hit 42°C, (107.6°F) daily until Tuesday

6199Hot enough yet?

Tomorrow, Friday 5th August, the temperature across the Algarve is set to hit 42°C, (107.6°F) according to the Portuguese weather service which predicts a 'significant rise' in temperature from the 5th to the 9th of August.

Unsurprisingly, the heat is due to "a warm, dry air-flow from the east.”

Portugal runs for four days straight on renewable energy alone

Portugal runs for four days straight on renewable energy aloneElectricity consumption in the country was fully covered by solar, wind and hydro power in an extraordinary 107-hour run that lasted from 6.45am on Saturday 7 May until 5.45pm the following Wednesday, the analysis says.

And EDP made about 5 Billion euros profit last year !! SO WHY DO OUR EDP BILLS NOT GO DOWN !!??

Veggie Boxes - Hortas do Vale

Veggies Boxes - Hortas do ValeBiodynamic Farming in CSA model - The Hortas do Vale is a project of fresh and processed vegetable production and distribution inspired on CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

This year a small part of Vale da Lama farm will be transformed into a vegetable garden. Mattia, the gardener, has been working on this spot since March and we can already see the change. The production is partially located to the Ecoresort and Summer camps, but also we are creating a group of people that supports a local farm in a half or long term compromise. This accord guarantees quick access to fresh, local and seasonal products from a reliable farmer, creating a deeper connection with the land. In fact, the farmer would be always available for reconsidering members’ needs and happy to show the field together with the farming techniques whenever required.

ASMAA thanks Prime Minister Antonio Costa for meeting with environmental and civic groups in Loulé

oilrig2ASMAA has announced that they it is very thankful that the Prime Minister Antonio Costa had made himself available to delegations from anti-oil activist groups and associations during his visit to Loulé in his capacity of Prime Minister and as head of the Socialist Party on Saturday the 14th May.

In what is probably a first in Portugal, the fact that the Prime Minister agreed to meet activist group leaders is in itself a very unusual gesture on the part of any government, but in Portugal it is especially relevant. 

ASMAA’s management team is truly thankful for having been given that opportunity, and to be able to pose some pertinent questions.

"Petroleum in Algarve"

"Petroleum in Algarve"We all know the problems that our planet’s environment faces. And we all know the advantages of sustainable energies. However, what few people know is that since 2002 the Portuguese administration decided to open several public tenders for the prospection, exploration and production of oil in some regions of the country.

As an answer to this decision, we are a group of Portuguese citizens, working on cinema and advertising, that wants through a three minute film to inform all who ignore what as been done and worst what will be made, in the matter of prospection, exploration and production of oil in Portugal, which will have its biggest focus in the Algarve region and ending with a message to the global population.

How to Get a Local Voice to Stop Fracking in Algarve

How to Get a Local Voice to Stop Fracking in AlgarveExpats make up nearly 20% of local residents in the Algarve ... should your voice not be heard?

If you do not get control of your town and council representatives, you will have no protection against frackers (such as Sousa Cintra’s Portfuel for example) drilling wildcat wells in your own backyard. No protection from damaged roads. No way to prevent frackers from dumping fracking waste on your doorstep, or dumping radioactive toxic drill cuttings in local landfills, and so much more …

CLICK HERE for more information.

Woody, back from the brink

prosessionarycaterpillarA woman on her early morning walk through the woods came across an abandoned dog lying on his side. He seemed lifeless. It looked as if his collar had been removed and he had been left there to die. But he was breathing, just.

He was a small dog and the woman managed to pick him up and carry him in her arms. At home she placed him next to a bowl of fresh water. He tried to drink but couldn’t. He could hardly stand up.