Coimbra em Transição
Creating a local hub for food sustainability, health and education, for which the seeds (strong local connections) are already in the soil waiting to grow.
CASE STAGE: Design
LOCATION: Coimbra (Portugal)
TRANSITION CONNECTION: Yes
CeT’s mission is to contribute for the individual and communitarian resilience in the area of Coimbra, actively cooperating with other social actors through activities that promote sustainability, the respect for biodiversity and raise awareness for alternatives.  CeT, anchored on food and all that it involves (production, distribution, local economy, health, well-being, etc) wishes to develop resilient and self-sustainable communities strenghtened by the creation of concrete spaces for experimentation where people actively participate in social change.
We are focused in 4 areas: 1. Food; 2. Agroecology; 3. Environmental education; 4. Solidarity economy. Our specific goals are: raising awareness, search and creative experimentation of solutions for the challenges in Coimbra, activation and development of local networks, mediation between community and institutions and promotion of environmental education and life-long learning.
Our activities are diverse (horticulture in our garden, several workshops, a course in natural beekeeping, a environmental film festival, etc) and in cooperation with other local actors and associations (ANIP, Mercadinho do Botânico, Ecosoc-CES, Abelha Azul, Colher para Semear, Avidanja, Ateneu, Instituto Justiça e Paz, Capacidades Sem Limites, Improve Coimbra, schools, etc).
Our greatest achievement so far is precisely the connections with other local groups (including also producers), with whom we have been developing activities and creating a shared diagnosis of the local reality in terms of food in the schools, in the institutions, in terms of farming. The connection with TN is made through TP – some members of CeT have an active role on TP.
DOMAINS: Food and agriculture, Education, Raising awareness about sustainability, climate change, healthy living, environmental issues, etc., Health, Economy, Waste management, Community work, Systemic Change (not focused on particular projects).
MiT note: Designing a local hub for transition. No need for phase 2 (design stage). Suitable for pilot (in order to support the hub creation).