CECI INTERREGIONAL MEETING
Zaragoza (Aragon), 5 and 6 May 2022

The interregional meeting of the Interreg Europe CECI project, organised by the Directorate-General for Climate Change and Environmental Education of the Government of Aragon, was held on 5 and 6 May 2002 in the city of Zaragoza and the municipality of Utebo. The meeting was postponed to semester 6 due to the restrictions generated by the covid-19 pandemic. The following is a brief summary of the activities carried out.

Thursday, May 5th

The morning was devoted to the transfer of the participants of the interregional meeting held in Marseilles on 3-4 May to Zaragoza, where the activities were scheduled to start at 15.00 in the afternoon.

A breakdown on the Marseille-Aragon train meant arriving in Zaragoza more than 5 hours behind the scheduled time, that is why some of the activities planned for the afternoon of 5 May had to be postponed until Friday 6 May. In particular, the visit to the good practice of the wardrobe in Utebo had to be rescheduled,

The arrival in Zaragoza took place at 19.35 pm, and the participants were invited to dinner at the Restaurant La Retama, where organic and local food was served.

Friday, May 6th

The day began at the facilities of the Aula de Medio Ambiente Urbano, an environmental education facility of the Directorate-General for Climate Change and Environmental Education.

The presentation of the good practice “Alargascencia” started the day. An initiative of the NGO "Friends of the Earth", it is a nationwide directory of establishments in which second-hand objects can be repaired, rented, bartered and sold. It brings users and entities/companies that promote waste prevention in contact with each other.

This good practice was presented by the Government of Aragon because the promoters, “Friends of the Earth” in Aragon, were unable to attend due to work commitments. After their presentation, environmental educators from the “Aula de Medio Ambiente Urbano” presented this facility, a reference in terms of urban environmental education, which aims to bring citizens closer to good circular economy practices through similarities with everyday life.

The Director-General of Climate Change and Environmental Education, Carlos Gamarra Ezquerra, and staff from the public company SARGA, in charge of the dynamization of this facility, also joined the visit.

After visiting the “Aula de Medio Ambiente Urbano”, the meeting participants visited one of the experiences that is part of the school composting project in the public school gardens of the city of Zaragoza, a good practice identified within the framework of the CECI project promoted by Zaragoza City Council. The special education school “CEE Rincón de Goya”, located at the heart of José Antonio Labordeta Park, is one of the eight schools that are already carrying out composting work with a separate collection of the generated bio-waste and its subsequent use as compost in the school garden.

Continuing with the visit to the good practices of stakeholders in Aragon, the participants were able to learn about the Forum of Participation and Active Listening between the Government of Aragon and local entities, in which, since 2019, and through thematic meetings, website and distribution list, those who are responsible for the prevention and management of waste share experiences that allow progress in the implementation of the circular economy in Aragon. The presentation was made by Guadalupe Zárate Díez, Head of the Environmental Planning Service of the Government of Aragon, with the participation of two local entities (GRHUSA and Consorcio 7 of Alcañiz).

After lunch, Diego Puente and Julio Cortés briefly presented the “Aropa2” project, which works on the recovery and recycling of used clothing and other textiles in Aragon, together with the social insertion company Tiebel. This was followed by a tour of the warehouse and retail shop.

Continuing with good textile practices, the social insertion company “A Todo Trapo” showed the CECI group the “Latido Verde” shop, located at the commercial heart of the city of Zaragoza, which is the last step of the management of used textiles collected in the city.

Antonio Costa, manager in Aragon, presented this initiative, part of the “Caritas Moda-Re” project, which promotes donations to people at risk of social exclusion and the sale of second-hand clothes.

Finally, the visit to the good practice of the wardrobe of Utebo was organized. The participants got to know first-hand, through the volunteers participating in the project, this initiative that allows the donation by the citizens of Utebo of textile and childcare products to people at risk of social exclusion, within the framework of a community intervention project guided by the technical staff of the Town Council. The major and environment councillor Rubén Estévez and the head of social services, Melchor Marco, also participated in the visit.