The Secretariat of Environment and Climate promotes a 'Sustainable Marathon' in celebration of World Environment Day.

On June 5th, the program will feature simultaneous environmental actions in various regions of the city - Photo: Press Release/SMAC

The Municipal Secretariat for the Environment and Climate (SMAC) is promoting the “Sustainable Marathon” until June 8th, with more than 50 activities focused on environmental awareness in different regions of the city. The highlight of the program will be next Friday (June 5th), World Environment Day, when simultaneous environmental circuits will be held in various areas of Rio de Janeiro.

To see the full schedule for the “Sustainable Marathon”, visit: http://viradaosustentavel.prefeitura.rio

The initiative brings together members of the department's main programs to highlight actions in environmental education, protection and preservation, recycling, urban afforestation, and community mobilization developed throughout the year.

— The Secretariat believes that climate and environment are urban, popular, and territorial issues. On this important date, we focus on programs carried out in communities, with the training of local agents. We reinforce what governs our work: the conviction that, through partnership with residents, we can build public policies, enabling Rio to rebuild its relationship with urban ecosystems — says Secretary Livia Galdino.

The programming for the 'Sustainable Turnaround' is aligned with the theme chosen for 2026 by the United Nations Environment Programme, which highlights climate change and the need for responses to the increasingly evident signs of environmental impacts.

Sustainable Turnaround Program

On June 5th, Flamengo Park, in the South Zone, will host a special program from 9 am to 13 pm. In the urban park designed by Roberto Burle Marx in the 1960s, the city will promote the “Community Environmental Circuit: Clean-up, Educational Experiences and Exhibitions,” near Rua Silveira Martins. The activity will bring together programs such as the Environmental Education Center and the Guardians of the Forests, a group formed by female community leaders.

Also in the South Zone, Rocinha will host, from 9 am to 13 pm, the “Community Environmental Circuit: Cleanup and Waste Transformation Campaign”, with the participation of the Guardians of the Rivers, local leaders who work in cleaning water bodies and raising public awareness.

On Ilha do Governador, the Sports Corridor will host the “Green Task Force: Environmental Conservation and Promotion of Urban Tree Planting,” also from 9 am to 13 pm, bringing together the Guardians of the Rivers, Guardians of the Forests, Carioca Gardens programs and the Environmental Education Center. The action will reinforce the importance of expanding tree cover to improve thermal comfort and environmental quality in the region.

In the Parque Realengo Susana Naspolini, in the West Zone, two events will be held: “Cultivating Community: Dialogues on Sustainability and Urban Agriculture” and “Women's Circle: Female Leadership for Sustainability and Collective Care”. The activities will include the participation of the Hortas Cariocas and Guardiãs das Matas programs. There will be distribution of native seedlings from the Atlantic Forest and workshops led by the Guardiãs, who will share knowledge on making products from recyclable materials and making full use of food.

To conclude the day's program, the Christ the Redeemer statue will be illuminated in green at night, in celebration of World Environment Day.