UB Environmental Sciences students visit the Falconera to learn about the restoration project

We shared our experience in environmental restoration with a group of university students, highlighting Molins’ commitment to sustainability and biodiversity.

On Friday 11 March, around twenty university students visited La Falconera. The students of the 4th year of the Environmental Sciences Degree of the UB, who are taking an elective course on Environmental Restoration, were accompanied by their professors Beatriz Duguy and Josep Maria Ninot from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology of the UB.

The students arrived at around 9:30 am and were quickly given their PPE (helmet and reflective waistcoat) by Molins staff. During the course of the day, the students had the opportunity to listen to professionals responsible for various relevant areas and to see the Falconera and its restored area.

The first introduction to the exploitation was given by Pere Puigdomènec, the Falconera’s foreman, who explained how all the extractive activity works, the type of stone and how the blasting is carried out. Once in the wooden house, Elena Colomina from the marketing department commented on the sustainability objectives of Molins and Cementos Molinos, as well as the details of the future restoration of the Falconera, with emphasis on the flora, fauna and the relationship with the community.

One of the topics that was also discussed was how Molins is using, on a trial basis, technosoils, a very innovative methodology in quarry restoration. These are substrates activated with organic amendments that we use with three objectives: to revalue waste, to improve CO2 fixation in the soil and to help diversity by creating balanced soils.

He also agreed that Molins has been selected by ANEFA (National Association of Aggregates Manufacturers) to give a presentation on technosoils at the future Aggregates Congress, to be held on 25, 26 and 27 May in Oviedo. And finally, before the end of the day, the students were able to walk around the restored area of the Falconera, where they were able to study the botanical species of the area.

From Molins we will continue to promote the dissemination of the work carried out in the Falconera in terms of restoration and to welcome universities and educational centres in order to promote biodiversity and the values of sustainability in society as a whole.