{"id":81111,"date":"2025-06-21T14:54:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T17:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81111"},"modified":"2025-07-21T11:26:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:26:28","slug":"were-working-at-the-micro-level-because-there-are-people-destroying-things-on-a-macro-scale-in-rio-de-janeiros-north-zone-green-roof-favela-combines-art-climate-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81111","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019re Working at the Micro Level Because There Are People Destroying Things on a Macro Scale\u2019: In Rio de Janeiro, ‘Green Roof Favela’ Engages Popular Culture on World Environment Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bringing<\/a>
Bringing together community leaders, entrepreneurs, and activists from different favelas in Rio, the event organized by Green Roof Favela helped spread community-based knowledge and socio-environmental solutions. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Each year, on June 21, growing numbers of people from around the world celebrate World Localization Day<\/a>. In 2020, the NGO Local Futures<\/a> organized the first World Localization Day. Countless citizens, initiatives and organizations are involved in localization, even if they may not use the label. Localization, put simply, has to do with reconsidering where we apply our focus: moving it close to home\u2014to building community well-being and self-reliance through local systems for food, economy, housing, knowledge, and more. It is not about nationalism or isolationism, but about shifting awareness away from dependence on top-down globalization and toward how we can strengthen the world from the ground up: by strengthening our communities and their own ways of life and systems of production. <\/em>In honor of World Localization Day 2025, RioOnWatch produced this article on the sharing of local, nature-based knowledge and technologies in the community of Parque Arar\u00e1, in Benfica, Rio\u2019s North Zone, during an event that was part of the 2025 World Localization Day calendar<\/a>\u2014an agenda recognized and celebrated in over 100 countries.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 7, in celebration of World Environment Day and World Localization Day, the Green Roof Favela<\/a> project hosted a cultural afternoon in the Parque Arar\u00e1<\/a> favela, in Benfica<\/a>, Rio de Janeiro\u2019s North Zone<\/a>. The Pra\u00e7a da Nacional (also known as Z\u00e9lia Duarte Borges Square), located at the entrance to the community, was home to the event.<\/p>\n

Around 60 people, not counting interested passers-by walking through the square, took part in the day\u2019s activities. The event united environmentalists and community organizers like Severino Franco, from the Friends of Rocinha Ecological Park (APER<\/a>); Neuza Nascimento, columnist for the social impact news site Lupa do Bem<\/a>; Emerson Menezes, from the Salgueiro Favela Herb Growers<\/a> collective; Claudia Queiroga, from the social gastronomy project Gastromotiva<\/a>; Al\u00ea Castanheda, Tiririca, and Daniel Real, from the local initiative Arar\u00e1 Backyard; Val\u00e9ria Santana, a researcher on the rights of nature; Sergio Anversa, environmental studies professor at Uniabeu; and Lenilza Leal, artisan and collector of recyclable materials\u2014alongside Parque Arar\u00e1 residents. The program featured rap performances, a poetry jam, talks, and workshops.<\/p>\n

Environmentalism in the \u2018Language, Rhythm, and Vibe of the Favela\u2019<\/h3>\n

Responsible for organizing the event, Green Roof Favela<\/a> represents a community-based solution<\/a> to urban heat islands<\/a>\u2014a phenomenon that has been worsening with the climate crisis<\/a>. For Luis Cassiano Silva, who created the project in 2012, this Environment Day gathering encouraged the practice of environmental action in favelas\u2014from simple steps like planting to more complex efforts such as building and installing green roofs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day, we did an interview for [a news outlet] from France. I decided to try something new: I brought my laser thermometer out to the street and started measuring the ground, the cars, the walls\u2014even joking with residents: \u2018How hot do you think this asphalt is?\u2019 Then people were like, \u201852\u00b0C (125.6\u00b0F), 47\u00b0C (116.6\u00b0F).\u2019 When they saw 67\u00b0C (152.6\u00b0F), 69\u00b0C (156.2\u00b0F), they were shocked. And that’s when it hit me: you don\u2019t see a single stray dog on the street. And usually, all that heat hits the rooftops too. These days, we use a lot of metal roofing. The heat hits those roofs and intensifies the heat wave hanging over us. I know I\u2019m not going to fix this alone. We\u2019re working at the micro level because there are a lot of people destroying things on a macro scale. And I get that what we\u2019re doing is really small\u2014but it matters a heck of a lot. It gives us a reason to feel good.\u201d \u2014 Luis Cassiano Silva<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Luis<\/a>
Luis Cassiano Silva, the driving force behind the Green Roof Favela project, discussed the importance of raising awareness among favela residents about environmental issues. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parque Arar\u00e1 is a favela located between the neighborhoods of Manguinhos<\/a> and Benfica. Its proximity to Avenida Brasil<\/a>\u2014a major expressway with the highest volume of vehicular traffic in Rio\u2014and to the Manguinhos Oil Refinery (currently called Refit Refinery)\u2014generates heat and emits greenhouse gases, contributing to the clearly felt urban heat island in the community.<\/p>\n

Today, Parque Arar\u00e1 has two public green spaces: Pra\u00e7a Matupiri and Pra\u00e7a da Nacional. Under Silva\u2019s leadership, Pra\u00e7a da Nacional has become an environmental reference point in the community. There are currently five green roofs in the favela: one on Silva\u2019s own home, three on commercial establishments, and one at the motorcycle taxi stand in Pra\u00e7a da Nacional. According to Silva, residents\u2019 interest in adopting green roof technology on their homes tends to grow as strategic efforts to raise awareness around environmental issues become more widespread in the community. One of these strategic actions, he says, was the event held on June 7.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/a>
At Silva\u2019s home, the first green roof in Parque Arar\u00e1 represents the starting point of a local solution to urban heat islands. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCulture helps draw people in, so they can start picking up information. It\u2019s a lighter way [to introduce environmental issues] than bringing in a bunch of biologists\u2014people might not understand anything and just get bored. When I started researching green roofs, I found a way to talk about environmentalism in a way that\u2019s not boring. That\u2019s why it\u2019s called Green Roof Favela\u2014because I bring [all of it] into the language, rhythm, and vibe of the favela.\u201d \u2014 Luis Cassiano Silva<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Knowledge That Doesn\u2019t Depend on \u2018Academic Approval\u2019<\/h3>\n

One of the activities featured at the event was a guided visit to the Lilian Cecilia community garden<\/a>, built within the grounds of the Medalhista Ol\u00edmpico Maur\u00edcio Silva Family Health Clinic, located in Parque Arar\u00e1. The visit was led by Sergio Anversa, environmental studies professor and the person responsible for the garden. The project began after the clinic identified the need to complement the treatment of its psychiatric patients, many of whom are residents of Parque Arar\u00e1. Inaugurated in April 2024, the garden includes species such as aloe vera, Brazilian pepper tree, yarrow, as well as unconventional edible plants (PANCs<\/a>) and corn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe manager at the Family Clinic asked us to do an [environmental] project, saying that many psychiatric patients were left waiting for a doctor, when there just weren\u2019t enough. That made patients very anxious. So I proposed a garden project for the elderly. She agreed to it, but didn\u2019t want it to be just any garden. So we came up with a philosophy for the garden: we chose food security and sustainability, and we wanted to reconnect people with their ancestral knowledge<\/a> [especially of medicinal plants] by bringing their own understanding into the space. Everyone leaves their contribution.\u201d \u2014 Sergio Anversa<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the open mic, various community organizers and activists shared their experiences, highlighting that nature offers countless solutions to the challenges faced by favelas. For Emerson Menezes, from the Salgueiro Favela Herb Growers<\/a> collective, addressing this topic also contributes to the recovery of ancestral knowledge, traditionally cultivated through grassroots practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe this knowledge has always existed and will continue to exist, regardless of whether academic knowledge approves of it<\/a>. Because it\u2019s practical, inclusive, and also due to issues of income. Sometimes, favela residents don\u2019t have access to industrialized medicines [due to] cost. Having access to a natural remedy that you can harvest from your own garden, find in a forest area or in a community garden is a lot more interesting. At the same time, having academic institutions recognize and understand<\/a> that this knowledge is effective\u2014I think that’s also fantastic. This kind of integration is increasingly necessary, because this ancestral knowledge has been established for generations. For a long time, science dismissed it, [but] today, when we conduct [scientific] studies on these plants, we see that the properties our grandmothers talked about are now recognized by academia\u2026 Still, we always say: it\u2019s essential to see a doctor\u2014one thing doesn\u2019t cancel out the other.\u201d \u2014 Emerson Menezes<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Emerson<\/a>
Emerson Menezes, from the Salgueiro Favela Herb Growers collective, sparked reflections on the integration between ancestral knowledge and scientific knowledge. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Claudia Queiroga, a solidarity cook trained through the Gastromotiva project and founder of the first<\/a> School of Social Gastronomy in the neighborhood of Engenho da Rainha, commented that favelas are full of innovative ideas\u2014but to make them a reality, effective support for entrepreneurship<\/a> is essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think what we need is money, [but] it\u2019s not. What we need is opportunity, visibility. How do we make sure that a person from the favela, who’s doing their best, gets seen? That\u2019s the mindset we need: projects need to get out of the favela and be seen. We need to get out there and talk about them. In the project I\u2019m part of, I have a friend who makes eco-friendly soap, but it can\u2019t be used [and sold and distributed just anywhere] because it doesn\u2019t have an official seal of approval. But it cleans! And we can prove that it does! So what can we do for this woman? Create opportunities for her to make the label for her soap! How can we improve someone\u2019s life without just handing out money, without planning? It\u2019s about really holding their hand [the whole way]!\u201d \u2014 Claudia Queiroga<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Claudia<\/a>
Claudia Queiroga, from Gastromotiva, discussed possible pathways to bring innovative ideas emerging from favelas to life. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The entrepreneur insists that the favela is a specialist and must be heard in the search for solutions to its own problems. Lived experience is the best school and a key driver in the creation of effective, low-cost, and replicable solutions\u2014like Green Roof Favela.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Cassiano brings up the idea of green roofs, it\u2019s amazing to think that having greenery on your rooftop can lower the heat in these places without spending much. This kind of work transforms spaces, lives, and people. Doing it in the favela, right where people live\u2014that\u2019s the importance of doing favela-based business. If we\u2019re in the favela, then this is where the power to transform is. The best places to eat, to live, are here. You transform things from the inside out.\u201d \u2014 Claudia Queiroga<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018We’re a Collective, Nature Is a Collective\u2019<\/h3>\n

Artists Big Papo Reto<\/a>, Boc\u00e3o 1313<\/a>, Ed MC<\/a>, Jo\u00e3o Black<\/a>, and MC Tales de Mileto also took part in the event, standing in defense of the cultures that emerge from within the favelas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to have events like this to raise awareness among people in the community about the environment, sustainability<\/a>\u2026 Even about entrepreneurship itself, so people can learn how to earn their daily bread. Rap is a tool for transformation because, through music<\/a>, we can reach people.\u201d \u2014 MC Tales de Mileto<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"MC<\/a>
MC Tales de Mileto performed his music and defended rap as a tool for social change. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tigo Conex\u00e3o Penetra, a hip-hop<\/a> artist and basketball art educator active in the favelas of Santa Teresa and beyond, was also present.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of this event is seeing this square looking beautiful and revitalized, with so many [plant] species all around. It\u2019s about seeking self-knowledge and understanding how nature works\u2014both inside and outside the human being. And knowing that we are a collective, that nature itself is a collective.\u201d \u2014 Tigo Conex\u00e3o Penetra<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For rapper taPre Poetisa, born and raised in Parque Arar\u00e1, introducing environmental issues through art\u2014especially through hip-hop\u2014can amplify solutions and broaden discussions around various problems, such as food insecurity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in the favela face a lot of problems, and unfortunately, we\u2019re not going to think about environmental issues if we\u2019re\u00a0 hungry, if we don\u2019t have clothes to wear. There are just too many problems. We get stuck in that and forget that sometimes, that same problem could be solved with a new idea. The garden at the health clinic is one way to solve it. Because, who knows\u2014soon we might be planting and harvesting fruit [from that garden]? So in a way, we\u2019re already addressing the issue of hunger, because healthy food is more expensive. It\u2019s really important to have this kind of solution, to take this type of action.\u201d \u2014 taPre Poetisa<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"taPre<\/a>
taPre Poetisa celebrates the community garden project, reminding fellow participants that solutions can come from within. Photo: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Read below the full poem by taPre Poetisa, recited at the event organized by Green Roof Favela:<\/p>\n

In the midst of the concrete jungle,
\nwhere all you see is brick and stone,
\na flowery green roof catches your eye\u2014
\nand you wonder if its owner might be losing their mind.<\/p>\n

In this ecological madness,
\nin this urban chaos,
\nwhere heat is relentless,
\nthe shade of plants is a living privilege.<\/p>\n

Too bad so few can see it.<\/p>\n

Beyond the contrast,
\nof gray cement
\nto the green of leaves,
\nto feel cool air instead of a heavy haze,
\nto feel that plants do save us from the smothering heat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About the author:\u00a0Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/a>\u00a0is a journalism student at Unicarioca and was part of the first Journalism Laboratory organized by Mar\u00e9\u2019s community newspaper\u00a0Mar\u00e9 de Not\u00edcias<\/a>. She is the author of the\u00a0Anti-Harassment Guide on Breaking<\/a>, a handbook that explains what is and isn\u2019t harassment to the Hip Hop audience and provides guidance on what to do in these situations. Lopes is from\u00a0Morro do Timbau<\/a>\u00a0and currently lives in\u00a0Vila do Jo\u00e3o<\/a>, both favelas within the larger Mar\u00e9 favela complex.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Support\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0<\/b>by clicking here.<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas Each year, on June 21, growing numbers of people from around the world celebrate World Localization Day. In 2020, the NGO Local Futures organized the first World Localization Day. Countless citizens, […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":81112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1288,1290,1333,1268,1271,329,452],"tags":[3774,396,2747,472,3406,2405,258,910,504,474,385,2622,223,1569,473,382,3705,37,1621,293,1809,2840,471],"writer":[3501],"translator":[3452],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[3706],"class_list":{"0":"post-81111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-highlight","8":"category-civilsociety","9":"category-event-reports","10":"category-favelaculture","11":"category-favelaqualities","12":"category-solutions","13":"category-rio20","14":"tag-ancestral-knowledge","15":"tag-art","16":"tag-benfica","17":"tag-climate-change","18":"tag-climate-justice","19":"tag-community-garden","20":"tag-community-solution","21":"tag-creative-organizing","22":"tag-culture","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-environmental-education","25":"tag-event","26":"tag-favela-as-a-model","27":"tag-green-roof","28":"tag-heat-island","29":"tag-hip-hop","30":"tag-localization","31":"tag-north-zone","32":"tag-parque-arara","33":"tag-poetry","34":"tag-rap","35":"tag-series-sfn-exchanges","36":"tag-sustainability","37":"writer-amanda-baroni-lopes","38":"translator-staff","39":"photographer-amanda-baroni-lopes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81111"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81139,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81111\/revisions\/81139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/81112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81111"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=81111"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=81111"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=81111"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=81111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}