The now retired information technician, Marina Iwamoto, owner of a farm in the city of Toledo, participates in the Verde Novo project sponsored by Petrobras through the Petrobras Socioambiental program. The owner and her husband contacted Copaíba this year and the area is already in the process of being restored.

Born in northern Paraná, Marina remembers the period when areas of native forest were sold by the state government to rural producers. Marina's father was one of the buyers when she was between 5 and 6 years old. “I remember with sadness the people deforesting and all that beautiful forest being destroyed. My notion of the environment, of nature as it is, this beauty, this love, I've had since I was a little girl and from that day on I decided that I would have land to plant forests”, comments the owner.

After retiring, he began to search for a property and through the recommendation of a friend, he managed to fulfill his dream of owning land and also, with the help of the project, reforest the property in the south of Minas. On September 12 this year, 1,000 seedlings of native trees were planted in an area of 0.42 ha by her and her husband.

The owner confesses that it was not easy to change the office and the busy life of the big city for the tranquility of the countryside and the hoe “Today I put into practice the dream of restoring my little piece of land and having a forest, even if small. My husband and I planted and are now taking care of the seedlings, although it is not easy due to lack of practice, it brings me great satisfaction. It is the legacy I will leave.”

Want to know more about the project? access www.copaiba.org.br/verdenovo/ or call (19) 9 9953-8382.