ECO  TALE  

 

In  a  simple  but  weird  act  of  magic,  the  little  star  reached  the  Portuguese  skies.  Only  57  seconds  had  passed  since  she  had  last  been  seen  in  Italy!  Tired  of  such  impressive  performance  (flying  at  the  speed  of  light),  the  star  fell  on  the  main  mast  of  Sagres,  the  school  ship  of   the  Portuguese  Navy,  which  was  arriving   from  her   third  circum-­‐navigation  trip.  This  tall  ship   is  a  tree-­‐masted  ship  with  22  square  sails  on  the  fore  and  main  masts.  The  star  got  stuck   in  her  main  mast  which  rises  42  metres  above  the  deck.  After  some  painful  moments,  she  finally  managed  to  free  herself  from  the  hooks  and  fell  on  the  deck…  luckily  she  didn’t  get  injured!  

The   ship  was   reaching   the   Sado  estuary,   a  broad,   shallow  estuary   to   the   South  of  Lisbon.   This   amazingly   beautiful   place   is   worldwide   known   for   its   breeding   and  wintering  water   birds,   a   large   population   of   dolphins,   frogs,   lizards   and   snakes   as  well  as  its  well-­‐conserved  sand-­‐dune  habitats.  

The   little   star  was  absolutely  delighted  with   the   scenery!   “Wow,   this   is   awesome!  What  a  lovely  place!  I’m  sure  it’s  a  SPA!  Yes,  it  must  be  a  SPA  –  a  Special  Protection  Area.  Everything  is  so  natural  and  well  cared  for.  But,  what  place  is  this?  Where  am  I?”  

A   strong  male   voice  was  heard  not   far   behind  her:   “We  are  overlooking   the   Sado  estuary   at   the   moment.   It   is   one   of   the   biggest   Special   Protection   Areas   in  Portugal…”.   Simultaneously   the  melody  of   a   typical   Portuguese   song   -­‐   Fado  –  was  being  played  on  one  of  the  crew’s  IPOD.  It  was  so  loud  that  the  star  could  tell  what  it  was…  and  that  was  enough!  

 “I  have  always  heard  that  Portugal  was  a  small  country  but  a  very  beautiful  one  and  it   is,   indeed,   very   beautiful!”   The   star   was   fascinated!   The   view   was   absolutely  breath   taking.   However,   as   the   ship   was   reaching   the   shore   the   waves   were  stronger,  so  the  star  got  sea  sick  and  fainted!  She  was  saved  by  a  baby  dolphin  who  had  been  watching  her  for  a  long  time.  Her  light  was  so  bright  and  engaging  that  the  dolphin  couldn’t  help  following  it.  He  wanted  to  save  the  star  so  he  took  her  to  the  shore!   The   entire   population   of   dolphins   followed   behind   as   well   as   hundreds   of  different  species  of  birds.  It  was  a  wonderful  parade!  

The   star  woke  up   very  dizzy.  Her   sugar   levels  were   very   low…   she  opened  up  her  eyes.   The   place   was   crowded.   People   were   speaking   in   very   different   languages:  

tourists!   The   place  was   full   of   tourists!   She  woke   up   in   Lisbon,   the   capital   city   of  Portugal.  There  was  a  pretty  young  girl  in  the  crowd.  She  was  wearing  a  lovely  silver  dress   along  with   a   very  nice  hat  made  out   of   recycled   cloth,   cork  bottle   tops   and  pink  paper   flowers.  The  girl   looked  gorgeous!  She  was  eating  a  pastel  de  Belém  (a  typical   delicatessen   from   Lisbon),   which   she   shared   with   the   frightened   star.   She  then  realized  it  wasn’t  a  dream.  ”Yes!...  I’ve  made  it!  I’m  alive!  I’m  alive!  I  know  this  place,  I  googled  it  for  one  of  my  History  assignments.  This  is  Lisbon!  That’s  the  Torre  de   Belém   and   that’s   the   Padrão   dos   Descobrimentos   over   there!   The   first  Portuguese  navigators  departed  from  here  to  discover  Africa  and  Asia  and  America…  Vasco  da  Gama,  Diogo  Cão,  these  are  just  a  few  I  can  remember  …  ”  

The  star  twinkled  twice  at  the  pretty  girl   in  the  silver  dress  and  within  seconds  she  was   on   her   shoulder.   Neither   the   girl   nor   her   parents   had   experienced   such   an  impressive  moment  ever.  The  star  was  grateful  too!    

“If   you’re   in   Portugal,   you   have   to   visit   all   the   beautiful   places   we   have   around  here”,   said   the   girl’s  mother.   So   they   set   off   on   a   trip   along   the   coast   line   of   the  country   and   visited   many   wonderful   white   sandy   beaches,   tall   lighthouses,   great  medieval  castles  and  fortresses…  The  girl’s  father  was  driving  an  electric  car.    There  are   plenty   of   these   cars   in   Portugal.   People   are   getting   friendlier   with   the  environment   each   and   every   day.   Then   they  went   to   the   countryside  where   they  contemplated   equally   beautiful   landscapes,   green   forests,   crystal   clear   rivers…  No  matter   where   they   were   heading,   south   or   north,   east   or   west,   everything   was  beautiful.  “You,  guys,  recycle  a  lot,  don’t  you?  You  have  so  many  recycling  points…  they’re   everywhere!”   the   little   star   uttered.   “You   know,   I’ve   travelled   a   lot   lately,  I’ve   seen   not   seven   but   a   hundred  wonders   all   the  way   to   Portugal.   I’ve   been   to  some  unpleasant  places   too,   that’s   true,  but   the  most   important   thing   is   that   I’ve  learned  a  lot!”  

The  star  was  so  happy  and,  therefore,  so  bright  and  shinning  that  she  flew  high  up  in  the   skies,   disappearing  out  of   the  people’s   sight  and   reach.   The   silver  dressed  girl  wasn’t  sad  or  worried.  She  said  to  her  mother:  “Love  and  joy  led  her  up  where  she  belongs,  mommy!!”  

Tired   again,   the   star   woke   up   in   a   different   dimension.   At   least   she   believed   so:  everywhere  she  looked  at  was  green,  natural,  divine.  The  sky  was  bright,  no  clouds,  mist   or   whatsoever…   just   some   huge   white   blades   hanging   somehow   from   the  skies.....  “I  died  and  now  I’m  in  heaven….”,  the  star  said  with  relief.  

She   was   somewhere   in   the   Douro   Valley   region.   The   place   was   spectacularly  beautiful  with  the  hills  falling  steeply  down  to  the  river’s  edge.  The  most  dominant  feature   of   the   landscape   was   the   terraced   vineyards   which   have   been   built  throughout  the  centuries,  row  upon  row.  The  Douro  Wine  region  is  a  UNESCO  World  Heritage   Site   and  Cultural   landscape,  where  Port  wine  has  been  produced   for   the  past  two  thousand  years.      The  white  blades  were  part  of  the  huge  turbines  belonging  to  one  of  the  many  wind  farms  in  the  place.  She  was  marveled!  

While  the  star  was  contemplating  the  magnificent  view,  she  heard  a  strange  sound…  croaking,   she   thought.   She   looked   right   and   there   it   was:   a   cute   baby   frog!   The  amphibian   couldn’t   stop   crying.   He   was   desperate.   He   had   lost   his   family:   both  daddy  and  mommy  frog  were  run  over  by  a  car  and  his  twin  sister  had  died  of  grief.  He  was  all  alone  in  the  world  now.  Poor  thing!  

The  star  was  all  ears  to  the  frog’s  story!  She  had  no  idea  of  the  problems  this  species  was  facing:    habitat   loss,  climate  change,  pollution,  pesticides,  competition  (this   is,  new   introduced   species)  and  predators.   She  knew   that   frogs  absorb  air  and  water  through  their  skin,  so  they  are  the  first  to  be  affected  by  a  polluted  environment  -­‐  they  are  affected  by  water,   land  and  air  pollution  because  they   live  on   land  and  in  the  water.  However,  she  didn’t  know  that  in  Portugal  most  frogs  and  toads  are  run  over  by  cars  ……  “That’s   tragic  and……….strange,   too!”  she  thought.  “But   I  have  an  idea!  It’s  very  easy!  I’ll  help  you  my  friend!”  

A  strange  noise,  followed  by  a  strong  vibration,  was  felt  by  the  star…  someone  had  posted   a   like   in   Go   Green,   Go   Clean,   Act   Now   Facebook.     “Thank   you   Comenius  people!  With  teachers  and  students  like  you,  our  planet  will  always  be  blue!”  could  be  read  in  Diogo  Cão’s  laptop.  

“Diogo  Cão,  the  navigator?”  the  star  asked.  

One   of   the   talking   wind   turbines   answered:   “Not   in   this   world!   Diogo   Cão,   the  teenage  boy  from  Vila  Real!  That  famous  boy  from  Diogo  Cão  School!  Come  on,  let’s  meet  him!  

“The  boy  must  be  very  interested  in  environmental  matters!”,  the  star  thought!  She  was  right,  indeed.  

Diogo  Cão  introduced  the  star  to  all  his  schoolmates  and  showed  her  all  the  projects  they   were   dealing   with,   the   ideas   they   came   up   with   to   help   solve   some   local  

environmental   issues…  They  showed  her  their  Comenius  Project  website  as  well  as  the   Facebook.   After   adding   her   name   as   a   friend,   she   promised   to   advertise   it  worldwide  and  add  as  many  eco-­‐friends  as   she  possibly   could.  The   star  was   really  very  surprised  to  learn  that  all  the  children  in  Portugal  were  very  friendly  and  cared  so  much  about  planet  Earth.  She  was  also  happy   to   learn   that  many  schools  were  awarded  green  flags  meaning  they  were  eco-­‐schools,  friends  of  the  environment!  

“Well,  well,  well!!  What  about  the  frogs?”  the  star  asked  the  students.  

“Frogs?  What  frogs?”  the  students  asked.  

“Well,   you   know,   on   my   way   to   Vila   Real   I   met   this   lovely   baby   frog…   He   is   an  orphan!  His  parents  were  run  over  and  his  sister…well,   it’s  a  very  sad  story!  Now  I  know  that’s  the  first  cause  of  frogs’  death  in  your  country.  But  I  had  an  idea  to  save  the   frog   population!   I   had   some  meetings   with   your   local   authorities   (Town   Hall,  Environmental  Associations,  Animal  Protection  Groups,  University…)  and  everything  is  settled.    

“So,  tell  us!  What  can  we  do  to  save  the  frogs?”  asked  the  curious  kids.  

“There  are  many  things  you  can  do  but  let’s  just  focus  on  these  four  things:  building  underneath   road-­‐crossing   tunnels   for   them  to  cross  without  being   smashed  under  the  wheels  of  passing  cars;  setting  up  40  cm  high  walls  along  major  roads  to  trap  the  amphibians  and  then  capture  them  and  safely   transport   them  to  the  other  side  of  the   road;   joining   in   special   events   such   as   “Clean   up  Alvão  Mountains”;  making   a  frog  habitat  in  your  garden  or  in  your  school.  It’s  easy,  isn’t  it?  You’ll  get  the  leaflets  with  all  the  detailed  data  tomorrow  and  then  you  can  start  working!”  

“Wow,  that’s  rather  easy!  Why  didn’t  it  cross  our  minds  before?  But,  are  you  sure  it  will  work?  Will   the   politicians   and   the   “big   green   leaders”   help   us?  Do   they   even  care  about  the  frogs?”  

“Of  course  they  do!  Partnerships  with  schools  are  already  arranged.  And  let  me  tell  you   something:   they   showed   themselves   very   interested   and   helpful!”   the   star  explained.  

 The  kids  were  very  enthusiastic  with   the  brand-­‐new  project  and  couldn’t   find   the  right  words  to  express  their  happiness!  

Brighter   than   ever   before   in   her   long   star   life,   she   flew   over   the   kids’   heads,  performing   an   old   stars’   dance,   touching   each   of   them  here   and   there.   Blessings!  

That’s  what   she  was  doing,  blessing   them!  She  wasn’t  an  ordinary   star,   she  was  a  fairy  star,  who  was  also  a  friend  of  the  environment.  And  by  that  time  she  was  ready  to   leave.   She   had   accomplished   her   mission   among   the   Portuguese   people.   She  twinkled  twice  and  disappeared  into  the  misty  sky.  She  headed  east  to  Romania.