On 5 August, for the second consecutive year, the environment section of the “Montale Away from Home Award”, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Liguria Region, which will take place from 9 pm in one of the most fascinating places in this municipality, the churchyard of Sant’Andrea (Piazza Massola 40). The evening, conducted by the President of the Award Adriana Beverini and by the Vice President Barbara Sussi, will begin with the assignment of the Special Recognition to the Mayor Luca Del Bello representing the Municipality of Levanto for the good environmental practices implemented for almost twenty years in creating a harmonious combination of environment and sustainable development. Two women will be awarded who, in different years and in different ways, have shown and demonstrate with deeds and not just with words, how to live the environmental commitment: Grazia
Francescato, always a supporter of an ideal that integrates social and secular values with ecological and environmental values, passionate about literature, cinema and theater and Letizia Palmisano, eco blogger, environmental journalist, expert in social media, green economy, disseminator of good practices companies and public administrations, as well as being a business consultant and event organizer.
Franciscan Grace, environmental leader, journalist, writer. For fifty years on the environmental protection front, she has been president of WWF Italy, member of the WWF International Board, twice President of the Greens, Green Parliamentarian and Spokesperson of the European Greens, member of the National Coordination of SEL. As a journalist, she was correspondent in Brussels for the Ansa Agency, collaborator of various newspapers and periodicals (including ‘La Repubblica’, ‘L’Unità’, ‘Panorama’), special correspondent for numerous magazines (‘Natura Oggi’, ‘Oasis’, ‘Airone’) and host of TV programs dedicated to nature (‘Geo’ and ‘Il Viaggiatore’, Rete 3 RAI). She is currently a member of the Aspen Institute General Council and testimonial of various environmental and animal welfare associations. You have been dealing for years with the relationship between Nature and Spirituality and with interreligious dialogue for the protection of creation. You were among the first to promote the ecological conversion of the economy and society, the integration between the environmental, social and economic dimensions, combining the reasons for work and the reasons for the environment. She is the author of numerous essays, articles, publications on environmental issues and the relationship between Mother Earth and Spirituality. She has received many awards and mentions both in Italy and abroad for her environmental leadership. She was among the founders of the feminist movement and of the magazine ‘EFFE’, author of numerous publications and promoter of events / experiences for women’s liberation and gender equality. She speaks four languages (Italian, English, French and Spanish), she loves walking and living in nature, she is interested in literature, art, cinema.
Letizia Palmisano, environmental journalist and ecoblogger. You write for various publications and portals. Moderator and speaker in many events, she is a teacher on subjects related to web 2.0 and environmental communication. She is on the organizing committee of the Green Drop Award film award. In 2018 he won the Macchianera Internet Awards for his commitment to disseminating issues related to the circular economy, he won the European Week for Waste Reduction 2020 and 2021, citizen category for his commitment in the fight against electronic invisible waste ( 2020 edition) and for the commitment to give a second life to used books. With Matteo Nardi for Città Nuova in 2021 you wrote the book 10 ideas to save the planet before chocolate disappears. Her blog is www.letiziapalmisano.it. As usual for the “Montale Fuori di Casa Award” books of the two winners will be purchased and then donated to the public present at the end of the event. Della Francescato’s book Traveling with the Archangel, the story of a journey that winds its way from the forests of the Amazon to the Greek island of Simi, from the Azores to Chilean Patagonia (Mediterranean editions) with a preface by Guido Ceronetti. Della Palmisano will donate to the public the book 10 ideas to save the planet before the chocolate disappears published by Città Nuova in the series I Prismi. Written jointly with the journalist Matteo Nardi, the book with its captivating title is structured in ten chapters and provides in the simplest way important suggestions on what each of us can do right away starting from his home life to save our planet. . In fact, living in a greener way is easy and you can start with simple small steps: it will be us and the planet who will earn. “The idea of a Special Recognition to the Municipality of Levanto – explains the President Adriana Beverini – instead starts from the exceptional event that took place on 15 July 2022 in Levanto, when a specimen of sea turtle of the” Caretta Caretta “species nested on the the Pietra beach. This event, as also remarked by Legambiente La Spezia, is the positive sign of a marine environment which, if properly safeguarded, knows how to recover by giving emotions “.
To the organizers of the Prize, however, it seemed something more: the recognition for the environmental policy practices that the Municipality of Levanto has been carrying out since 2004, when, deciding to base the socio-economic development of the local community on a high quality of life and to a sustainable development of the territory, it obtained the first certificate of conformity of its environmental management system: “ISO 14001”. In fact, this certificate paved the way for the acquisition of further and more binding certificates (such as the “Emas” certification obtained in 2017), which are periodically renewed, reflecting the continuing commitment in the environmental sector by successive administrations. until today. A profound commitment also conforming the design of large public works to the landscape context: this is the case of the wastewater treatment plant built in 2016 in Vallesanta, which received the “The factory in the landscape” award from the Unesco Club of Foligno and Valle del Clitunno with the motivation: “For the quality of the intervention, which, although it concerns an industrial type activity, fits harmoniously into the landscape, with the advantage of excellent technical solutions”. The building, built right behind the new Vallesanta promenade, in an environmental area of great value, has in fact fully responded to those ideals that aim to promote a new ethics of urbanization, in which “sustainable development is based on balanced relationship between social needs, economic activity and the environment “. The purification plant also contributed to achieving, for the first time in 2016, the Blue Flag, the most important environmental quality certification awarded by the “Foundation for environmental education” to towns that pursue sustainable land management , with particular reference to marine and lake areas “. In 2018 the Municipality of Levanto also acquired the Lilac Flag: recognition attributed to entities particularly active in equipping towns with infrastructures, services and initiatives that make places easily accessible and usable to people with disabilities, stimulating hospitality towards the so-called “Accessible tourism”. The environmental policy of the Municipality of Levanto is planned and made public in documents (such as the Environmental Declaration, the Environmental Analysis and the Register of Environmental Aspects) which are periodically updated and which identify the environmental aspects connected to the activities and services provided in the area. .