The company Àrids Garcia, based in Llinars and a member of the Gremi d’Àrids de Catalunya (Catalan Aggregates Guild), was honored with the prestigious Community Partnership award at the Sustainable Development Awards 2025, held recently in Brussels (Belgium). These awards, promoted by Aggregates Europe, recognize the best sustainability initiatives among 66 entries from 16 European countries.
The winning project is the story Les aventures del mussol Poliol i el dúmper Enric (The adventures of Poliol the owl and Enric the dumper), a narrative combining environmental education, empathy, and awareness regarding the balance between quarry industrial activity and biodiversity. The book, published in Catalan, Spanish, and English, tells the story of the friendship between an owl and a dumper working at the quarry, and how they find a solution to protect the nest and ensure coexistence.
“"Children do not know what aggregates are, nor do teachers. It is necessary to explain that they are essential."
The international jury highlighted both the pedagogical vocation of the project and its capacity to generate positive alliances with the local community. The story has been presented in schools and libraries, and the profits from its sale have been entirely donated to the Fundació Privada Lar, dedicated to social inclusion in Vallès Oriental.
This marks the second consecutive European recognition for Àrids Garcia. In 2022, the company was previously awarded for its project “Si hi ha pedrera, hi ha vida” (If there is a quarry, there is life), focused on protecting cliff-nesting birds at the Llinars quarry, thus consolidating its trajectory in sustainability and environmental integration.
