Ecomondo 2023 - Umbria launches environmental project "Act You, change is in our hands"

The Umbria Region was present at the 26th edition of Ecomondo, the trade fair for ecological transition held in Rimini from 7 to 10 November, with its own stand (Hall 3 - Stand 412-513) and announced the launch of the project "Act You, change is in our hands," created in synergy with AWorld, an Italian startup and official platform in support of the United Nations' global "ActNow" campaign against climate change and in support of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

The Project aims to raise awareness of sustainability issues in Umbria by engaging citizens in a path of active participation for the good of the land that brings positive changes in environmental education. The AWorld application, the beating heart of the project, will host four dedicated spaces, each aimed at a specific audience, which will act as "aggregators" for participants. The first aimed at the entire citizenry, one for regional and investee company employees, one dedicated to the world of education, and another to the world of work. Challenges, rewards and active participation; not only enjoyment of content, but also active participation through the implementation of sustainable actions in daily life and the challenges proposed within the app that will bring, to the most enterprising citizens, individual rewards such as free admissions, as well as collective rewards such as the restoration of public parks and more.

"The Umbria Region," said Roberto Morroni, regional councillor for Agricultural and Agri-food Policies and Environmental Protection and Enhancement, "promotes good practices and processes that conform to the criterion of environmental, economic and social sustainability, in order to make the territory a place increasingly suited to systems of widespread Quality. The intent is to enhance the brand of a land privileged by beauty, history, culture and production of excellence, integrating to the identity factors of success the element of Sustainability as a common denominator for the preservation of the heritage of existing resources and for the guarantee of an intelligent development.

"The 4 P's - People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace,” continues Councillor Morroni, “will guide the growth of the Umbrian territory with opportunities for citizens to grow in a healthy environment, facilitated by the development of the circular and responsible economy, the preservation of biodiversity, soil, and water, in a society that is fair and peaceful because it is non-discriminatory, just and non-corrupt. With this vision we will present at Ecomondo the guidelines of the Regional Air Quality Plan and the Regional Waste Management Plan. As far as air quality is concerned, special attention will be paid to measuring data from the Terni valley, which has been specially observed for its negative contributions in the past. But 29 million euros will also be used in projects to replace obsolete biomass plants with efficient systems, to incentivize the purchase of low- or zero-emission vehicles, in campaigns to stimulate virtuous behaviour by the population.

"Then, as far as waste management is concerned," concludes Councillor Roberto Morroni, "in a timeframe between now and 2035, the scenario of waste treatment and disposal will have to be totally redesigned, reducing its production, bringing the fraction that ends up in landfills to 7 percent by 2030, improving in quantity and quality the differentiated waste, bringing it to 65 percent five years ahead of EU regulations. And again, action will be taken in standardizing the modalities of collection systems, on stimulating the adoption of conscious behaviour on circularity and reuse, on optimizing facilities by containing costs and locating them according to a proximity principle. To close the waste cycle, the Plan also envisages thermal treatment with direct energy recovery: in terms of pollution, this scenario will be equivalent to the annual activity of only 10 households."

In the busy program of meetings and round tables scheduled in the regional stand space, the appointments organized by Arpa Umbria and Auri, which with the coordination of Sviluppumbria have contributed to the creation of the exhibition space within Ecomondo, stand out.

(press release issued 03/11/23  by the Agenzia Umbria Notizie)