JOÃO CARDIGA EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY DISTINGUISHED FOR GOOD PRACTICES – ACTION – SUSTAINABILITY – OF THE CLUB TOP PROGRAM PROMOTED BY IPDJ

The João Cardiga Equestrian Academy, located in Barcarena, Oeiras, has been distinguished with the Club Top Good Practices Award for the Action – Sustainability category, promoted by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ).

The Institution publicly presented the good practices implemented at its facilities, based on the three pillars of sustainability: SOCIALLY JUST, ENVIRONMENTALLY CORRECT, ECONOMICALLY VIABLE.

In the presentation given by Maria Cardiga, she highlighted:

• "The Academy's role in defending equal opportunities. This social dimension is directly based on a permanent concern for people, in areas such as health, rehabilitation, sport, and leisure, always with the purpose of contributing to a fairer society that allows and defends social inclusion. In the environmental area, the focus was on the measures adopted, such as: Creation of a water decantation system in the horse washing area, which allows the use of this water for irrigating the riding arenas. Opening of Potable Water Boreholes. Adherence to a solar energy system through the installation of photovoltaic panels and outdoor lighting. In the area of stable construction, the academy used recycled profiles for the construction of 22 stables, a hay barn, and a tack room. In this project, 14,863 kg of urban plastic waste were used, avoiding the emission of 23,483 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere. Finally, economic viability. This Private Institution of Social Solidarity (IPSS) bases its funding on revenues generated by its own projects and on creative and dynamic management, to which the good practices highlighted and awarded here contribute."

For its part, "the IPDJ, through the Clube Top program, recognizes the importance that grassroots sports associations have in changing intervention paradigms in the development of sport and understands that only by empowering these organizations can we aspire to a sport with more demanding quality standards."

Also distinguished were Clube Naval de Lisboa (1st), Associação Amigos do Rugby do Belém (3rd), Sport Clube União Torreense, and Amigos do Atletismo de Mafra.