In 2024, Legambiente Festambiente APS proudly joined the “Puliamo il Mondo” campaign, aiming to raise awareness in local communities about environmental protection and respect for our territory. As part of this important initiative, our association also took the opportunity to promote internationally significant projects. One such project is the Parcce Erasmus+ initiative, which was highlighted through a series of educational events held in schools across the province of Grosseto.
The Parcce project focuses on addressing the challenges of climate change in the Mediterranean region. Its goal is to provide quality education on climate-related issues by developing and testing both traditional and innovative educational materials, engaging both educators and students in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.
Designed to encourage critical learning on essential topics, the Parcce project encourages students to directly participate in activities that help them gain specific scientific knowledge about climate change, while also developing crucial transversal skills. Ultimately, the project aims to help cultivate a generation of aware citizens who are equipped to promote a greener, more sustainable Europe, in line with the EU’s climate neutrality targets set for 2050.
Through this initiative, Legambiente Festambiente APS has successfully amplified the impact of the project, creating valuable opportunities for education and awareness. These efforts have allowed students in the province of Grosseto to engage with globally significant issues, deepen their understanding of climate change, and gain the tools needed to become active participants in driving change.
The initiative has been embraced by numerous towns and schools across the province of Grosseto in Tuscany (Italy). In particular, the towns that have joined the initiative include:
- Pitigliano
- Gavorrano
- Seggiano
- Grosseto
- Castiglione della Pescaia
- Massa Marittima
Pitigliano:
On October 2nd 2024, together with the children of classes 5A and 5B from the elementary school of Pitigliano, we cleaned up the Paul Harris park, an area particularly frequented by both children and adults due to the presence of playground equipment, a small football field, and various recreational areas. Different types of waste were collected, including cigarette butts, glass bottles, and small pieces of paper and plastic. Also present at the event was the Councillor for Environmental Policies and Sustainability, Serena Falsetti.
Here are some photos from the cleanup:
Seggiano:
On October 22nd,2024, together with the children of the third grade class from the Tamburelli Elementary School in Seggiano, we cleaned up areas surrounding the school. A variety of waste was collected, primarily cigarette butts, different types of paper, cans, and plastic bottles.
Below are some photos from the cleanup:
Grosseto:
On November 5th 2024, together with 140 students from the 2nd grade of the Dante Alighieri Secondary School, we cleaned up the area surrounding the school, the areas near the railway line, and the inside of the “Velodromo” park. A variety of waste was collected, including plastic bottles and containers, cans, kitchen utensils (old pans and pots), cigarette butts, various types of paper, sanitary waste, and old bicycles.
Here are some photos from the cleanup:
Gavorrano:
On November 7th 2024, we made a stop in the municipality of Gavorrano, cleaning up two areas, one within the town itself and the other in the Caldana district. Over 90 children participated in the initiative. In the Caldana district, the cleanup focused on a playground, frequented by both younger children and older kids, as it also has a small football field. The most common types of waste were plastic bottles, cigarette butts, firecrackers, and paper. We then moved to the town of Gavorrano, where two public parks were revitalized; in this case, the most common types of waste were cigarette butts and straws.
Below are some photos from the initiative:
Castiglione della Pescaia:
On November 12th 2024, together with the children from the elementary school of the O. Orsini Institute in Castiglione della Pescaia, we cleaned up a stretch of beach approximately 2 km long. The most common types of waste included cigarette butts, broken old umbrellas, plastic fragments of various sizes, plastic straws, cotton swabs, (microplastics that cannot be traced back to their origin), and fishing lines and hooks.
To add to the list of participants, the municipality of Massa Marittima, although the date of the event is yet to be determined.
Thanks to the cleaning initiatives we carried out together with schools in the province, both in marine ecosystems and in urban and rural areas, we had the opportunity to talk to the students, as well as the broader community, about the extreme fragility of these environments, especially in relation to climate change and rising temperatures.
