At the end the journey of “Treno Verde”

by Eleonora Anello

A train to monitor the levels of noise and air pollution in the cities where the tour will stop and to disseminate environmental information. These are the ingredients of "Treno Verde” (Green Train), the historic campaign that since 1988 Legambiente carried out in collaboration with Italian State Railways with the participation of the Ministry of Environment, ANCI and, among others, the contribution of Telecom.

The initiative for this year has started from Syracuse March 12, 2011 and will end further North, in Genoa, tomorrow, after crossing nine cities.

This is a real laboratory that travels on rails. The train is full of environmental education initiatives. In fact, on coaches it is possible to visit interactive exhibits as well as to participate to conferences and public debates. During the stop 72 hours, the control units of the Experimental Institute of the State Railways are placed in strategic areas of the city to analyze the air to check quality and to collect data on noise pollution.

Dual objective of the campaign is to raise the public awareness and influence local government, in terms of quality of life. With the scientific data measured in real time, a confrontation, which covers various topics, is triggered: from the greenhouse effect to the climate changes; from the energy saving to the renewable energy; from the separate waste collection to the sustainable mobility; to the preservation of the artistic and cultural heritage.

Great importance is given to the relationship with the institutions. «The awareness of the individual together with a specific responsibility on the part of local governments can reverse this trend - Legambiente says - In every stage of the Treno Verde we will ask the mayors to sign a pact for the environment, an effort to bring into the field all possible actions to combat air pollution, energy waste, the impact of waste on the territory».

Poor communication often does not allow citizens to become aware of the real risks that face environment and health. Treno Verde helps to take participative initiatives to improve the sustainability of daily living.