Ponta Grossa sustainable: Environment, innovation and planning for future generations by Carla Martins Kritski

The development of cities imposes increasingly complex challenges on public management. Population growth, urban expansion, the need for infrastructure, the preservation of recursos naturais and the impacts of climate change require a new way of thinking about municipal planning. More than responding to the problems of the present, it has become indispensable to build public policies capable of preparing cities for the next generations.

In Ponta Grossa, this vision guides the action of the Municipal Secretariat of Meio Ambiente (SMMA). Over the past few years, environmental policy has ceased to focus exclusively on licensing and supervision to take on a strategic role in planning sustainable urban development. This transformation consolidated a more integrated, technical and innovative environmental management, in which the protection of the recursos naturais came to directly dialogue with urban mobility, drainage, waste management, adaptation to climate change, environmental education and the quality of life of the population.

This evolution also represents a change in the way we understand the meio ambiente. Preserving is no longer just protecting natural areas. It means planning the growth of the city in an intelligent way, reconciling economic development, social inclusion and environmental conservation. It means understanding that each intervention carried out today directly influences the city that will be delivered to future generations.

For this purpose, the Municipal Secretariat of Meio Ambiente strengthened its technical structure, improved administrative procedures, expanded the integration between its departments and consolidated instruments capable of making environmental management more efficient and preventive. The strengthening of environmental licensing, supervision, territorial planning and project management has now offered greater legal certainty, greater technical capacity for decision-making and better conditions to follow the accelerated urban growth process experienced by the Municipality.

This paradigm shift made it possible to develop structuring public policies, based on technical knowledge and long-term planning. More than solving immediate demands, SMMA began to act by anticipating challenges, organizing strategic information and building solid foundations to guide the sustainable development of Ponta Grossa in the coming decades.

Among these initiatives is the hiring of the Free University of Meio Ambiente (UNILIVRE), responsible for the preparation of one of the most important environmental studies ever carried out in the Municipality. The project contemplates the integrated analysis of the three main urban watersheds of Ponta Grossa — Arroio Olarias, Arroio da Ronda and Arroio Pilão de Pedra — understanding not only their environmental characteristics, but also the way urban growth influences the dynamics of waters, drainage and occupation of the territory.

It is an innovative planning, designed to guide the development of the city for the next 100 years. From technical surveys, hydrological modeling, environmental diagnostics and territorial studies, the project identifies areas susceptible to flooding, critical drainage points, erosive processes, silting, occupations in valley funds and opportunities for environmental recovery.

More than producing diagnostics, the study proposes structuring solutions capable of integrating engineering, urban infrastructure and environmental conservation. This systemic vision allows future interventions to be planned considering the behavior of river basins as a whole, reducing risks, increasing the efficiency of public works and preparing the Municipality to face the impacts of climate change.

By adopting a one-century planning horizon, Ponta Grossa demonstrates that sustainability is not limited to the needs of the present. The Municipality begins to build public policies aimed at future generations, using science as a management tool and understanding that rivers, streams and valley funds are structuring elements of urban development.

It is precisely within this integrated vision that the Environmental Complex of Lake Olarias is inserted, one of the greatest symbols of the environmental transformation experienced by Ponta Grossa. In addition to being a space dedicated to leisure and contemplation, the lake plays fundamental functions for the urban drainage system, for the control of floods, for the improvement of environmental quality and for the enhancement of public spaces.

Over the years, however, the natural sedimentation process has been intensified by the urban growth of the river basin, gradually reducing its hydraulic capacity and compromising its efficiency as a damping structure of rainwater. The accumulation of sediments also interfered with the environmental quality of the complex, requiring a structuring intervention capable of restoring its functionality.

It was in this context that the Municipality promoted the desassociation of Lake Olarias, one of the most important works of environmental recovery in its recent history. Much more than removing accumulated sediments, the intervention represented the recovery of the functioning capacity of a system essential for urban drainage and for the protection of the population against extreme rainfall events.

All the execution was carried out with technical rigor and permanent environmental monitoring. Monitoring, operational controls and mitigation measures have allowed the intervention to occur responsibly, demonstrating that large infrastructure works can walk side by side with environmental conservation when properly planned.

However, the recovery of the Lake of Olarias does not end with the disassociation. On the contrary, this stage represents only the beginning of a broader process of environmental requalification, designed to ensure that the benefits obtained are preserved over time.

The next phase of the project incorporates nature-based solutions, including the deployment of ecological sedimentological control cells and ecological islands, structures that integrate environmental engineering, ecological recovery and urban planning.

Ecological cells will act as natural mechanisms of sediment retention, reducing the speed of water flows before they reach the water mirror and significantly decreasing the occurrence of new silting processes. In addition to increasing the efficiency of the system, these structures increase the durability of the interventions carried out, reducing the need for future corrective works and strengthening the environmental resilience of the complex.

The ecological islands, in turn, will expand the diversity of existing habitats in the lake, favoring the recomposition of vegetation, creating shelter areas for the fauna and contributing to the ecological balance of the aquatic environment. Integrated with the recovery of ciliary vegetation, these structures reinforce the role of the complex as an important urban ecological corridor and space destined to the conservation of biodiversity.

This new configuration further strengthens the Wildlife Refuge, expanding the conditions for the maintenance of local fauna and flora and consolidating the Environmental Complex of the Olarias Lake as a reference in sustainability, environmental education, leisure and resilient urban planning.

As a natural development of this entire process, the creation of the Environmental Protection Area (APA) Olarias stands out, an instrument that consolidates the permanent protection of one of the most important environmental heritage of Ponta Grossa. More than a conservation unit, the APA represents the materialization of a long-term vision, ensuring that the investments made in environmental recovery are preserved and guide the sustainable occupation of the territory.

APA Olarias integrates urban planning, conservation of recursos naturais, protection of springs, environmental education, scientific research and public use. By establishing guidelines for the development of this region, it ensures that growth and preservation move harmoniously, strengthening the environmental resilience of the city and protecting a heritage that belongs not only to the current generation, but also to future generations.

Thus, the planning of the river basins, the de-assessment of Lake Olarias, the implementation of ecological solutions and the creation of the APA cease to be isolated actions and become a single public policy of territorial transformation. A policy that demonstrates that sustainable development begins with the knowledge of the territory, the recovery of ecosystems and the decision to protect, permanently, what is essential for the future of the city.

The preservation of recursos naturais, however, does not depend solely on the protection of waters, green areas and ecosystems. As cities grow, so does the generation of waste, making it indispensable to adopt public policies capable of turning one of the greatest urban challenges into sustainable development opportunities. In Ponta Grossa, this vision consolidated a new way of understanding the management of solid waste: more than promoting the environmentally adequate disposal, the Municipality began to see waste as resources capable of generating social inclusion, moving the economy, reducing environmental impacts and fostering innovation.

This transformation is based on the principles of the circular economy, a model that breaks with the traditional logic of disposal and encourages the reuse of materials, prolonging their life cycle and reducing the extraction of recursos naturais. From this perspective, municipal management has strengthened public policies aimed at recycling, the valorization of recyclable materials and the energy use of organic waste, consolidating a more efficient and sustainable system.

In this context, the Recicla PG program stands out, which strengthens the selective collection and expands the recovery of recyclable materials throughout the municipality. Far beyond an urban cleansing action, the program promotes awareness of the importance of waste separation at source, stimulating a change in behavior that benefits the entire recycling chain. Each correctly designed packaging represents less waste sent to final disposal, lower consumption of raw materials and greater efficiency in the use of resources.

The success of this public policy is directly related to the work carried out by the associations of waste pickers of recyclable materials. Recognized as fundamental environmental agents for the functioning of the circular economy, waste pickers play an essential role in the recovery of thousands of tons of materials that return to the production cycle. By strengthening these associations, the Municipality not only expands recycling rates, but also promotes social inclusion, work generation and income, valuing professionals who contribute daily to environmental preservation.

The institutional strengthening of the associations, combined with the expansion of environmental education campaigns and the encouragement of the correct separation of waste, demonstrates that sustainability depends on the joint participation of public authorities and society. Recycling is no longer just an operational activity, but a public policy that generates environmental, economic and social benefits.

Sustainable development, however, also requires attention to waste from intense urban expansion. The growth of construction, driven by economic evolution and increased occupation of the territory, brings with it the challenge of proper management of construction waste (CWD). Without efficient control mechanisms, these materials can result in irregular discards, environmental degradation, obstruction of drainage systems and high costs to public power.

To face this challenge, the current management strengthened the application of the existing municipal legislation, instituted in 2016, intensifying the mechanisms of supervision and control of the major generators of construction waste. The objective was not to create new requirements, but to ensure effective compliance with the standards already established, promoting greater responsibility on the part of entrepreneurs and all those involved in the construction chain.

Among the main measures adopted is the requirement of the Civil Construction Waste Generation Reports (CWDRs), an instrument that allows monitoring the origin, the volume produced and the environmentally adequate disposal of the waste generated by the works. This control strengthens the traceability of materials, increases the transparency of processes and significantly reduces the possibility of clandestine disposals.

At the same time, the Municipality intensified the registration and control of construction waste transporters, known as hunters, as well as the plants responsible for the processing and final destination of these materials. This structure provides greater legal certainty to entrepreneurs, strengthens environmental supervision and ensures that all waste flow can be monitored from its generation to its final destination.

These actions demonstrate that urban development and environmental preservation are not incompatible objectives. On the contrary, a city that grows sustainably needs to ensure that its expansion takes place in an organized, responsible and environmentally compliant manner. Strengthening the management of construction waste is therefore an important urban planning tool, contributing to a cleaner, safer and more future-proof city.

Another example of the integration between innovation and sustainability is the UTB – Biogas Thermoelectric Plant, an enterprise inaugurated in 2021 that has transformed Ponta Grossa into a reference in the energy use of organic waste. The plant converts food waste into biogas and, subsequently, into electrical energy used to supply the municipal public, demonstrating that what was previously treated as waste can become a strategic resource for the Public Administration.

Although the structure was already in operation, the current management concentrated efforts on expanding its use, strengthening the network of reception of organic waste and increasing the volume destined to energy utilization. This strategy expands the efficiency of the plant, enhances the production of renewable energy and strengthens the municipal policy of circular economy.

One of the main advances occurred with the expansion of the service to large generators of organic waste, especially food industries, restaurants, hotels, industrial kitchens and condominiums framed as large generators. These enterprises began to segregate organic food waste and its forwarding to UTB, strengthening an environmentally adequate destination chain capable of generating benefits for the entire community.

This initiative is supported by the National Solid Waste Policy, which establishes the responsibility of large generators for the environmentally adequate disposal of waste under their responsibility. In this context, Ponta Grossa offers an efficient and innovative public solution, allowing these generators to comply with their legal obligation by forwarding the segregated organic waste to the UTB, without the need to incur additional costs of destination, simply promoting the correct separation and delivery of materials according to the technical criteria established by the Municipality.

By transforming a legal obligation into a public policy of collective benefit, UTB demonstrates how environmental management can generate concrete results for the entire city. The higher the volume of waste properly routed to the plant, the greater the production of renewable energy, the lower the amount of waste destined for final disposal and the lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the decomposition of these materials.

This process is complemented by the use of an electric truck, incorporated since the plant’s implementation, responsible for the collection of organic waste, including those from the Educação Infantil Municipal Centers (CMEIs). In addition to reducing emissions from transport, the vehicle symbolizes the Municipality’s commitment to innovative solutions with low environmental impact.

The increase in the receipt of waste from the productive sector and from condominiums demonstrates that the circular economy depends on co-responsibility between public authorities, private enterprise and society. By integrating large generators, sustainable logistics, energy utilization and clean energy production, Ponta Grossa consolidates a public policy that transforms waste into opportunity, strengthens sustainability and prepares the Municipality for the environmental challenges of the coming decades.

Thus, programs such as Recicle PG, the strengthening of waste pickers’ associations, the improvement of the management of construction waste and the expansion of UTB reveal the same management strategy: to understand that sustainable development is not limited to the correct disposal of waste, but involves planning, shared responsibility, technological innovation and valuation of resources. By adopting this integrated vision, Ponta Grossa demonstrates that it is possible to grow, generate wealth and increase the quality of life of the population without giving up environmental protection, consolidating the circular economy as one of the pillars of the development of the Municipality.

The consolidation of a modern environmental policy requires that the planning of the territory be accompanied by permanent actions of adaptation to environmental and urban transformations. As cities grow, so do challenges related to climate change, environmental quality, land use and the need to preserve recursos naturais without compromising economic development. In Ponta Grossa, this reality has driven a series of initiatives aimed at building a more resilient city, prepared to face the challenges of the present and the future.

Among these initiatives, urban tree planting occupies a prominent position. Beyond the landscape aspect, trees play essential functions for the environmental balance of cities. The expansion of the vegetation cover contributes to the reduction of heat islands, improves air quality, favors the infiltration of rainwater, reduces erosive processes, protects urban biodiversity and provides greater thermal comfort and well-being to the population.

Understanding this importance, the Municipality strengthened its tree-planting actions, promoting the planting of species suitable for the urban environment, the recovery of degraded areas and the qualification of public spaces. The planning of the arborization began to consider technical criteria related to the characteristics of each species, the compatibility with the urban infrastructure and the valorization of the local biodiversity, consolidating a public policy that combines landscape, functionality and environmental conservation.

The search for more environmentally sustainable solutions has also driven the adoption of new technologies in the maintenance of public spaces. Among them stands out the use of the electric sheath, a method that gradually replaces the use of chemical herbicides in the control of vegetation in roads, sidewalks and other public areas.

In addition to significantly reducing the use of chemicals, the electric hopper minimizes the risks of contamination of the soil, water resources and adjacent vegetation, offering greater safety to workers and the population. This technology demonstrates that small operational changes can produce important environmental gains, reinforcing the Municipality’s commitment to more sustainable and innovative practices.

At the same time as strengthening actions focused on the present, Ponta Grossa also began to structure public policies aimed at facing one of the greatest challenges of today: climate change. The recognition that extreme events, changes in the rain regime and rising temperatures directly impact urban infrastructure and quality of life led the Municipality to begin the construction of a climate agenda based on technical planning and scientific evidence.

As a fundamental step in this process, the Municipal Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GEE) is prepared. It is a technical instrument that will identify and quantify the main emitting sources existing in the municipality, producing information indispensable for the planning of public policies aimed at mitigating emissions and climate adaptation.

Much more than a statistical survey, the inventory represents a milestone for municipal environmental management. From it it will be possible to set goals, set priorities, monitor results and guide investments capable of reducing the environmental impacts of human activities and increasing the resilience of the city against climate change.

The data obtained will support the elaboration of the future municipal legislation on adaptation and coping with climate change, an initiative that will position Ponta Grossa among municipalities committed to structured public policies to address one of the greatest environmental challenges of the 21st century. This legislation will allow the integration of actions related to urban planning, drainage, tree planting, waste management, mobility, energy efficiency and protection of recursos naturais, consolidating a long-term municipal strategy for sustainable development.

The construction of this climate policy dialogues directly with the other projects developed by the Municipal Secretariat of Meio Ambiente. The planning of the river basins, the recovery of the Lake of Olarias, the creation of the APA Olarias, the strengthening of urban forestry, the circular economy and the production of renewable energy through the UTB are no longer isolated initiatives and are now integrated into the same strategy of adaptation and environmental resilience.

Another important advance promoted by the current management refers to the environmental regularization of the municipal public heritage. Among the projects of greatest relevance is the beginning of studies aimed at the regularization and environmental licensing of the 20 municipal cemeteries, a process unprecedented in the history of Ponta Grossa.

Although cemeteries have been public facilities consolidated for decades and perform a relevant social function, they have never been subjected to a comprehensive process of environmental regularization. Recognizing the importance of this adequacy, the Municipality initiated technical surveys, environmental studies, diagnostics and evaluations necessary to meet the requirements of the competent environmental bodies.

The works contemplate aspects related to the geological and hydrogeological characteristics of the areas, the conditions of the soil, the protection of the groundwater, the existing infrastructure and the necessary measures to ensure that these structures function in accordance with the environmental legislation in force. It is an initiative that combines environmental responsibility, legal security and efficient management of public assets.

By promoting this process of regularization, the Municipal Administration faces a historical liability and demonstrates that sustainability also passes by caring for existing public equipment, incorporating environmental criteria to the management of essential services provided to the population.

The consolidation of all these public policies is only possible because environmental education remains one of the pillars of the Municipal Secretariat of Meio Ambiente. More than transmitting information, educating environmentally means educating citizens who are aware of their role in building a sustainable city.

Through the Center for Environmental Education (CEA), projects aimed at schools, awareness campaigns, workshops, technical visits and community actions, the Municipality brings the population closer to environmental issues and stimulates collective participation in the preservation of recursos naturais. Each activity developed strengthens the understanding that sustainability does not depend exclusively on public power, but on the shared commitment between government, the productive sector and society.

This educational process also strengthens other municipal policies, encouraging the correct separation of waste, the rational use of water, respect for protected areas, the enhancement of urban forestry and compliance with environmental norms. Environmental education thus becomes a permanent instrument of social transformation and the construction of citizenship.

At the same time, licensing and environmental monitoring continue to play a key role in promoting sustainable development. In addition to activities aimed at controlling and enforcing legislation, these instruments began to act in a preventive manner, guiding entrepreneurs, accompanying the implementation of new projects and ensuring that economic growth occurs in accordance with the principles of environmental protection.

This technical action provides greater legal certainty to investments, reduces conflicts, strengthens compliance with legislation and ensures that urban development happens in an organized and responsible way. Environmental supervision is no longer perceived only as a sanctioning instrument and is now a mechanism for planning, prevention and qualification of public management.

By integrating tree-planting, technological innovation, climate policy, environmental regulation, education and supervision into one institutional strategy, Ponta Grossa demonstrates that sustainability depends on permanent, planned and articulated actions.

Rather than responding to current challenges, the Municipality builds the foundations of a resilient city, prepared to face the environmental transformations of the coming decades and committed to a development model that places the quality of life of the population and the protection of the recursos naturais at the center of public decisions.

 

Article from the book "Ponta Grossa 203 years: From the route of the tropeiros to the tracks of innovation"

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