A participation felt by people who are proud to be in Europe's attention for their environmental spirit. Treviso is counting the days until September to find out if it will have won the title Green Leaf Award 2022. Politicians, entrepreneurs, associations, young people are celebrating for having passed the first selection and for representing that Italy that works for urban sustainability. The title is recognized by the European Parliament and Commission on the basis of 12 environmental indicators. A part of Veneto in post-pandemic recovery has put itself on the line by competing with other medium-sized cities and asserting itself. Participation is, in fact, reserved for communities between 20 and 100 thousand inhabitants. The points of merit are recognized to those who have not artfully managed to build green projects in practice in the last two years (at least). Everything is evaluated: from energy saving, to mobility, to air quality, to artistic and cultural events. Italy represented by a medium-sized city can aspire to success.Given the natural characteristics of the area, it should not be difficult to manage it sustainably. But it is known that those who want to do things right must put money, bureaucracy, realization times, obstacles of all kinds into the account. On the other hand, to make Treviso work many years ago, the citizens relied on a sheriff mayor who fought against immigration and proved resistant to any innovation. Today is another story, less backward.
The Green jury will meet in Lahti in Finland on 8 September and on the 9th will award the title and 200 euros. The other five communities in the race are Bistrita (Romania), Elsinore (Denmark), Gavà (Spain), Valongo (Portugal), Winterswijk (Netherlands). Treviso is the first Italian city to reach the Top 6 and be counted among the finalists, the Municipality reminds us, demonstrating that it has been at the forefront of environmental protection for years. Among other things, a few days ago the municipal administration received from Legambiente the award as the most recyclable capital city in Italy. Alongside these awards we work for the restart with exhibitions, concerts, books.
Finally, as regards the European Green Leaf, eleven cities have received the title and all are very attentive to linking environment and culture: Mollet del Vallès (Spain, 2015); Torres Vedras (Portugal, 2015); Galway (Ireland, 2017); Louvain (Belgium, 2018); Växjö (Sweden, 2018); Cornellà de Llobregat (Spain, 2019); Horst aan de Maas (Netherlands, 2019); Limerick (Ireland, 2020); Mechelen (Belgium, 2020); Grabovo (Bulgaria) and Lappeenranta (Finland), who share the title for 2021. Expect September.
