The municipality of Envigado, a partner of INTERLACE project, implemented a series of creative and innovative citizen engagement activities. The citizens of Envigado had an opportunity to co-create a mural that showcases the stunning local biodiversity and take part in environmental education and other activities
Development of Art for Conservation through participatory mural paintings
In December 2021, two murals with environmental topics and historical references were painted in Envigado: Las Tres Lomas Ecozone (33 metres), and the Quebrada La Ayurá (100 metres). The aim of this activity was to strengthen the stewardship of local nature by showing the environmental components of the project in a pleasant way and through art. For the Ayurá mural, a strategic point was previously identified with the community. Different stakeholders were invited and an environmental group of illustrators and artists was hired to coordinate this activity. This group spent 15 days co-creating with the community a design for the mural. The painting of the mural was carried out with the intervention of the participants and passers-by in the area with graphic elements referring to the Ayurá stream: including characteristic social expressions such as washerwomen; local fauna such as "cacique candela", "zorro perro" and ocelot; and the hydric and plant diversity of the area.
Renaturalisation and enrichment of gardens to mitigate heat islands in Zone 3 of Envigado
From October to December 2021 the city’s team undertaken renaturalisation and enrichment of gardens, aimed at mitigating heat island effect and strengthening the condition of urban nature. Envigado’s Team and community members of the INTERLACE local stakeholder group transformed hard to soft areas through the design and planting of functional gardens. Such activities also were an opportunity for promoting stewardship of nature in the zone 3 territory. These activities included painting the steps of the stairs (80 square metres) and the installation of 200 linear clay pots with ornamental or edible plants on the facades of the houses.
Training workshops for INTERLACE local stakeholders in Envigado
Three training workshops took place in La Heliodora and La Guayacana parks in Envigado in December. These workshops were targeted at the members of INTERLACE local stakeholder group in the city and their families, especially for children. They were: The magic caterpillar (experiential workshop on the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly), introduction to the world of birds (knowledge for the conservation of common birds in the urban environment), and building of biodiversity gardens.