Joseph Julca was born in Peru and is a marine biologist; Noelia Cantador is from Madrid and is studying physics, Veja Zilakauskaite is from Lithuania and wants to become a graphic designer. Though their lives seem different, the three share the same belief: save the environment from collapse. Wearing mountaineering boots and work gloves, they move fences between the mountains to restore the fence of the Hayedo de Montejo in the northern mountains of Madrid, protecting the ecosystem from invading animals. Julca, Cantador and Zilakasukaite, along with 27 other young people, have been selected to take part in Planet4all’s environmental volunteer work carried out last week by the NGO Ayuda en Acción.
At 28, Julca is one of the leaders of the organization Sustainable Alliance for the Oceans in Chile (SOA for the English acronym). He is studying a Masters in Science Communication in Valencia and believes that spreading his knowledge is the best way to promote a sustainable world. “If we’re able to convey scientific knowledge, we’ll certainly be able to mobilize politicians to make the right decisions,” stresses the young man from Lima, while collecting pine cones that the volunteers will use to build a hotel Insects.
A group of participants from the Planet4all volunteer program led environmental rescue work in the Sierra de Guadarrama last Wednesday by Guillermo Jimenez Carazo (©GJCarazo / Ayuda en Acción)
“We always look to those who have the experience, but not to those who have the energy,” says environmental educator Enrique Pino, who has been teaching environmental education for more than two decades. While leading the tasks in the Buchenwald, Pino proudly praises the conscience of the volunteers. “They are committed to their work and live more consistently with the emergency situation that we are experiencing,” says the activist, referring to the danger to biodiversity and the climate crisis that is eating away at the planet.
“Three years ago I adopted a more conscious lifestyle: I reduced my meat consumption, I started recycling and I decided to consume fairly,” says Noelia Cantador on the way to the shelter in Buitrago de Lozoya, where they live and live where the rest of the day’s activities take place. Although he is not studying a profession that is strictly dedicated to environmental protection, he knows that he can make a contribution to protecting the environment in his everyday life, and working in the mountains has increased his motivation. “I want to find other volunteers in the area who will continue to help,” he beams after mentioning that his family buys vegetables from a gardener in another city in Madrid.
The Planet4all camp is part of a package of initiatives funded by the European Union in 12 countries on the continent to promote sustainable development
Educating young people who feel empowered to support environmental initiatives in their communities is the driving force behind Planet4all’s volunteerism. “We want them to ask themselves: what can I do? How can I influence my family, my friends, my work, my university…?” explains Begoña Rodríguez, project coordinator at Ayuda en Acción, a Spanish NGO that focused on her work in helping people transform their communities, with a presence in more than 20 countries. Planet4all is part of a package of initiatives funded by the European Union and promoted by various NGOs for cooperation and humanitarian action in 12 countries of the continent to promote sustainable development.
This future is also a common goal for Veja Zilakauskate, who intends to combine her career as a graphic designer with promoting a greener world. “Through my work, I can help spread campaigns on environmental issues through advertising,” says the young woman from Lithuania, who remembers with a smile the orchard she had as a child in the garden of her house in the city of Telsiai im north of his country.
Enrique Pino supervises the work of the volunteers as they learn to make soap and insect repellent©GJCarazo / Ayuda en Acción
With small actions like tending the orchard of the old Zilakauskate house, Pino trains his students and shares the environmental projects of the residents of the Sierra de Guadarrama, which stretches over almost 340 square kilometers, outside the borders of the capital. “There are many examples of sustainability-related neighborhood initiatives here. Ecological consumption projects, sustainable mobility, reclamation of meadow orchards, communal chicken coops and many other cooperations,” lists Pino, who knows first-hand the care of the ecosystems in the area.
Walks along ecological trails, support for environmental education centers, rescue operations for native species and discussion workshops on climate change and biodiversity are some of the activities that the young people have carried out as volunteers.
María Ruiz, an Andalusian veterinary student, recorded the key moments of the camp and shares the lessons with her Instagram followers. Using his cell phone, he records the process of his colleagues as they learn to make soaps based on caustic soda, mosquito repellents with natural essences and honey beeswax looms to wrap food and replace the use of plastic wrappers. Julca, Cantador and Zilakausakaite wave the wax-smeared cloths to dry. “I can’t wait to make it at home,” says Cantador, who has already memorized the entire packaging process to show his parents and younger sister.
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