I am the Adamastor.
The wild force of nature that rose to resist human arrogance. The roaring wind that humbled ambition and the waves that swallowed excess, defending the natural world from those who would devour them without thought.
But this was centuries ago, when I was strong enough to defend the seas, winds, and forests alone.
Over time, I have been defeated by clans of destroyers, generations who took more than they gave, who traded clean rivers for oil, fertile lands for waste. My power has become buried beneath landfills and choked by layers of poisoned air.
But today, I wake.
I see you, a wanderer in a foreign city, carrying a promise to help me breathe again. A promise that this year abroad will not smother me further.
For this reason, I do not curse you for crossing oceans. You know this flight to Lisbon comes at a cost, each mile a thread of carbon woven into the sky. Air travel alone feeds the warming air that scorches Portugal’s hills, dries its rivers, and fuels wildfires devouring ancient forests, making it the EU country most affected by wildfires. I see you, through the reusable water bottle that is dented and scratched, that in your mind you carry the words of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 12, Goal 13, Goal 15.
I see you choosing the tram that rattles through Lisbon’s steep streets instead of hailing a car, living Goal 13, to reduce carbon emissions. You walk the calçadas to markets where you choose local produce from small farms instead of imported goods wrapped in layers of plastic, living Goal 12, refusing to fuel the endless cycle of waste. You choose to join the campus More Awareness in Society association where ideas take root and spread, where you plant seeds in the mini-forest on your campus, living Goal 15, actively restoring biodiversity and promoting sustainable ecosystems.
I thought I would die here, buried beneath heaps of plastic, my ancient roar muffled by the collapse of the world I once guarded, forgotten like myth no one bothers to tell. But through you, I am no longer deprived. Each choice feeds me, a reminder that the world can be cared for, not just consumed.
And when your friends plan quick flights for cheap weekends away, you pause. You choose instead to explore Portugal slowly: by train to Porto, by bus to the Algarve’s cliffs, by shared ride to Sintra’s mountains, relying on resources like BlaBlaCar. You trade speed for care, footprints for footsteps.
And in every step of the way, your reusable bottle clinks. At home, you wash and refill each day while using RefillMyBottle stations across the city, a simple act inspiring me, so I may protect what remains.
I can only do my work as a vanguard if you let me.
Keep going. Walk lightly. Choose wisely. Feed the Adamastor.
“I pledge this to you Adamastor: I will live and share this mindset, so others feed you too.”
