The Prat de Llobregat Cemetery is a candidate for the 'Best Environmental Initiative' award in Spain

August 9, 2016 – The Municipal Cemetery of El Prat de Llobregat is one of the four finalists for the 'Best Environmental Initiative' category in the third edition of the Spanish Cemetery Competition, organized by the funeral magazine Adiós Cultural. The cemetery, which is publicly owned and managed by Àltima, a funeral company with over 300 years of experience in the sector, is the only Catalan cemetery competing for this award in this category. The facility in Baix Llobregat is competing with a comprehensive project focused on sustainability and biodiversity, pioneering in the cemetery sector. This project aims to assess the cemetery’s carbon footprint to minimize its environmental impact in the area while also implementing measures to promote the flora and fauna of the Llobregat Delta.

According to Joan Ventura, Director of Cemeteries at Àltima, "The cemetery of El Prat represents a significant challenge in environmental management because it is located very close to Barcelona’s international airport and just 300 meters from the protected areas of the Llobregat Delta. Given this context, this nomination is very good news and acknowledges the work we are doing.” Unlike the other three categories of the competition—Best Cemetery, Best Architectural Monument, and Best Story—whose finalists are voted on via the Adiós Cultural website, the projects competing for the Best Environmental Initiative award, like El Prat Cemetery, are selected exclusively by a specialized jury chaired by the naturalist and UN Global 500 awardee, Joaquín Araújo.

A Green Cemetery Next to the Llobregat Delta

The Llobregat Delta is a unique and protected area, though it is also threatened by the proximity of various infrastructures, primarily Barcelona’s airport. The Municipal Cemetery of El Prat, located in this area, is implementing various environmental measures as part of a project to promote sustainability and biodiversity. On one hand, a study has been conducted in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) to measure the carbon footprint of the cemetery, identifying which activities have the greatest impact in terms of climate change and evaluating the best options for reducing it. It is the first cemetery in the country to conduct such an analysis. The facility also adheres to the ISO 14001 environmental standard. On the other hand, to improve the area's biodiversity, collaboration is underway with the Consortium for the Protection and Management of the Llobregat Delta Natural Spaces to carry out actions that support the local fauna and flora. "Our goal is to work towards making the cemetery a ‘natural extension’ of the protected spaces of the Llobregat Delta,” says Joan Ventura. Measures to be implemented at the site include enhancing the bat population—key for controlling insect pests, especially mosquitoes—along with common owls, barn owls, white-tailed gulls, common gulls, and lizards, all of which are primarily threatened by pesticide use or the proximity of urban areas. There will also be plantings of native herbaceous and shrub species from the delta in various areas of the cemetery, with a particular focus on promoting the Prat orchid.

Roques Blanques: 2015 Winner of the Best Environmental Initiative Award

The Roques Blanques Cemetery Park, located in Papiol (Barcelona), won the Best Environmental Initiative category in the 2015 edition of the Spanish Cemetery Competition. This cemetery-park is also managed by Àltima and, like El Prat, is notable for its location in natural surroundings, within the Collserola Natural Park. Roques Blanques was recognized for implementing pioneering initiatives in ecological burials in Spain, such as the Calm Forest and Family Trees, which address cremation and promote the planting of native Mediterranean trees, as well as the use of biodegradable urns.