The Center for Environmental Studies of Vitoria-Gasteiz is an autonomous municipal body that has the mission of ensuring the sustainability of the citypromoting the sustainable development of the municipality in its entirety and understanding it not as an isolated entity, but directly linked to its bioregion, which is the Llanada Alavesa.
The activities carried out by the Vitoria-Gasteiz Environmental Studies Center are very broad and versatile and are aimed at enabling citizens to learn to be sustainable, resilient and synergistic with the environment, the city and each other.
Center for Environmental Studies of Vitoria-Gasteiz
The Center for Environmental Studies (CEA) presents its activity agenda for winter 2025, with a total of 55 proposals that will be developed from January to March both in the Salburua Wetlands Interpretation Center (Ataria), and in the Olarizu Botanical Garden. Exhibitions, conferences, workshops, naturalistic tours, family activities, etc.
This winter, as a novelty, Ataria will present two workshops on sustainability and degrowth. In the first, we will explore sustainable alternatives that prioritize well-being and quality of life about excessive consumerism. In the second, practical tools will be provided to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Light pollution will also be a prominent topic, with a talk by the Zerynthia Association on the impacts of artificial lighting in nocturnal ecosystems and possible solutionss. Additionally, in the ‘Globe at Night’ workshop you will learn how to measure the quality of the night sky and use this data to improve night lighting.
The conferences will address topics How the negative impacts of excessive sugar consumption on health and well-being, and will offer a look at the caves and underground formations of Álava. The documentary ‘The Secrets of the Winged Duende’ will also be screened, followed by a discussion on forest conservation and scientific dissemination.
To celebrate World Wetlands Day, ‘Salburua on Wetlands Day’ will be held, a guided tour for discover the biodiversity and ecological value of these ecosystemshighlighting the importance of its conservation and protection.
Family activities will include ‘Breathing Our Emotions’, a practical and fun workshop designed for children, where they will learn to balance and understand emotions in everyday life, promoting a better relationship with themselves and others; ‘Play with Sticks’, where the little ones will explore the infinite possibilities offered by the world’s first toy: the stick; and ‘Intsektu Hotela’, in which Insect hotels will be created with recycled materials.
On March 22, Alboan and Medicusmundi Araba will celebrate World Water Day in Ataria, with activities for all citizens of Vitoria-Gasteiz, including artistic performances, the awards ceremony for the ‘Tantaz Tanta’ literary contest and the exhibition ‘We Are Amazonia’ ‘. This event seeks to raise awareness about the value of water as a vital resource and promoting its conservation.
Workshops at the Olarizu Botanical Garden
The Olarizu Botanical Garden, for its part, will continue with its usual offer of study workshops to learn about the plant species that surround the city, their properties, uses and associated culture. On this occasion, workshops will be held to learn about yew and holly, two emblematic species of the Alava forestsand the cypress, a species native to the eastern Mediterranean that is very present in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Likewise, a natural perfumery workshop will be held.
Among the naturalistic tours, there will be a traveling presentation of the book ‘Echos del Bosque’. Under different trees, its author will explain the uses, traditions and symbolism associated with oaks, chestnuts, hollies, yews… It is also worth highlighting the visit that will be made to the Armentia Forest by Vitorian biologists Patxi Heras and Marta Infante, who will show the most significant species of mosses and liverworts of this Green Belt park.
Likewise, the Olarizu Botanical Garden will continue with its offer of free guided tours to publicize its botanical collections of living plants. During the winter, they will be focused on the Mediterranean forest, where the abundance of perennial trees and shrubs will be the common thread to travel through the most unique forests in Southern Europe.
Two family activities complete the study offer, in which children will have the mission of discovering the treasure hidden in the boreal forests and imagining impossible trees. For its part, the Euskadi Seed Network will hold its usual open days at Casa de la Dehesa, on the first Friday of the month. It will be the opportunity to learn about the work of this association in the conservation of cultivated biodiversity.