It is called Cultivar Conexões — Cultivating Connections — and it is the second time ISEL has hosted an island, this time with Capgemini and Escola Secundária da Baixa da Banheira e Vale da Amoreira as partners. The planting took place during Environmental Education Week and brought together 85 volunteers of more than 20 different nationalities, side by side, from students to senior managers, all with their hands in the soil.
In 200 m², 150 trees and shrubs of 24 native species were planted following the Miyawaki method. But what remained from this planting was as much the forest as the day itself: people from completely different backgrounds sharing knowledge about urban reforestation and biodiversity, ending with a healthy snack offered by Maria Granel.
It is perhaps the island that best lives up to its name. Cultivating connections is not only about roots underground, but also about people who, without this project, would probably never have planted a tree side by side.