Seven Rooms & bar: when the tradition meets the sustainability

by Irene Gozellino

Holidays are still far, but the Envi.info’s team would like to offer you a new chance of relaxing for those of you who wish to take a break: the SEVEN ROOMS & BAR of S. Benedetto del Tronto (centre Italy). We’re talking about a nice Hotel and B&B, very functional under a logistic point of view as it is near the city-centre and by the sea, with beautiful rooms equipped with every comfort, free Wi-Fi connection, affordable prices and a familiar atmosphere. Why should we write about it? Because the SEVEN ROOMS & BAR is a unique example of sustainability (as it was also certificated a few weeks ago) and by this we don’t mean only environmental sustainability.

The owners, Pietro and Angelica, are both deeply involved in the protection of the region and its environmental resources. The entire energetic requirement of the hotel is supplied by solar panels and most of the food and the wine served are not only organic but also “Km 0” and of local origin.

Since November 2011 the SEVEN ROOMS & BAR became the first Circolo AIAB (Italian association for organic agriculture) of Marche Region, an association of local producers and consumers for the diffusion and development of a sustainable agriculture. The activities promoted by the Circolo, such as the chance of tasting many organic specialties, are all listed in the beautiful and easy to use website of the Hotel.

The owner, Pietro Canducci, has kindly answered our questions.
What prompted you to give your hotel a "sustainable" and environmentally friendly identity?
“A deep passion for these issues that turns into a real and daily commitment to make our life more sustainable. I think it is important to involve other people into this passion, only then we can make a system of issues that cannot be underestimated. With my business I provide a service, by communicating and creating awareness. I'm the first to involve people who had never even tried to learn about these things!"

Do you think this identity could be an added value compared to other "normal" business hotels?
"Yes, absolutely, and it will keep on adding value to it over time”.

How do you communicate all this to your customers and what is their reaction? Do you find appreciation? If yes, what kind?
“We write them by mail, we communicate through the website and through its events, by notifying them personally when they arrive to our facility. Plus, some information material is available in every room. The reaction is positive at least from those who make use of the hotel and from outside (especially foreigners). For what concerns the natives, (the Sambenedettesi), there is still prejudice, the city is not fully mature […] However I know that more and more people are approaching positively to my work. There is curiosity, my company's Facebook page reached 186 fans in less than a year and this means a lot for a small company like mine [...] however the sensitivity increases. Although the percentage of people who wish to know about initiative is already sensitive, therefore they find pleasure in finding a place where they can share the same passions and the same interests with others!"

If you're not convinced yet, just think that your stay at the Seven Rooms & BAR could be entertained by one of the exhibitions of young local talents to which parts of the structure are made available in order to expose their creativity, always at at Km 0.

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Terramacchina: a journey through the difficulties and the love for an overworked territory

by Francesca Morra

Traveling across intensive cultivations, large companies, economic experts and ecologists champions of sustainability, entrepreneurs more or less sensitive to the issue and small barns of the province of Parma in crisis: this is the path that lies in front of those who take a seat on a chair and watche the documentary “Terramacchina”. This is the result of a research project that involved the network of Centri di Educazione Ambientale della Provincia of Parma, coordinated by CIREA (Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali – Università degli Studi di Parma) and in collaboration with Assessorato Ambiente of the Parma Province.

The 72-minutes movie runs faster jumping from a tangible world, made up of images and testimonials from the territory to a world without space and time where the main character is Febe, a girl who plays and paints, whose fantasies come to life through the magic of animations. Daniele di Domenico, the director, says “Terramacchina wants to spread a love and warning message for this land, but it also turns in a very concrete way to the production system, which can be seriously threatened by an impairment of natural resources at the basis of food production”.

As the title of the documentary says, the Earth has become “a machine to let operate in a reckless way” where intensive-growth crops are extended over the whole territory. We can no longer procrastinate and shift the consequences of our actions to future generations, represented by Febe in the movie, who is “he personified image of a new environmental consciousness, of a new culture of responsibility”. Responsibility that goes beyond the moral question of sustainability, extending until an economic point of view: sustainability gives benefits to everyone, not just to the environmentalists!

The first projections (Monday, October 10, 2011 - Cinema D'Azeglio of Parma, Thursday, September 22, 2011 - Cinema D'Azeglio of Parma) have sold out. This important public response led the organizers of the project to promote the projection of the documentary all over Italy. Anyone can organize a screening in his city: just go on the official website of the project in this section and request a free DVD.

The trailer ends with the finding that alone is enough to stimulate interest on the topics of the documentary: a backwards countdown of the new births every second in the world! It is indeed time to make room for new solutions existing in the agro technic area, in order to continue living on the Earth, who gives us so much but requires many cares.

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The trees growing on buildings...

by Annalisa Audino

That town planning, architecture, engineering are changing is a fact. Just as it is true that all plans are gradually trying to give greater attention to the environmental impact, undertake to safeguard the green areas of cities and try to raise awareness among citizens in respect of the nature that surrounds them. But sometimes the design and art have the upper hand. As it is happening in Milan, where some buildings are designed as covered by an expanse of green up to represent almost a wood: real ecological skyscraper designed by Stefano Boeri.

In these months several activities are ending: the wind tunnel tests of Polytechnic and the design of a system of anchoring the roots of the trees, as well as a constant monitoring of home control applications for the new wood vertical. The goal is the realization within an area of over 300,000 square meters of buildings certificated only with the North American system of LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design). Particularly waiting the challenge on the Island for 29,000 square meters: it is, in addition to the two structures intended for habitation by Boeri (105 and 75 meters), the buildings signed by internationally renowned architects William Mc Donough (offices for 6,300 square meters) and Lucien Lagrange (residential 4 storeys). And all in record time: by 2013 Hines, the company promotion project, thinks to complete all new neighborhood.

In particular, the two buildings of Stefano Boeri will become one of the landmark of Milan that changes and look towards Expo 2015: covered an expanse of green, the two towers provide 120 large trees, 544-sized, over 4 thousand small shrubs. The trees will be planted on the four facades of the buildings and will protect the structure from excessive radiation of the summer months while let pass it in winter. According to the designers they'll fight also noise pollution, grabbing soot release moisture and produce oxygen. And if do they break? Also this was calculated. Evergreen plants, and Feuillants (chosen for their ability to live in conditions and not to create allergies), will get to 6 feet tall and a safe anchorage system will be well publicized to the wall.

«We will verify the plants one by one – explained Laura Gatti, one of the paesaggiste agronome – the real critical moment will be in the first two years, then the roots will make sure the structure. Paramount will be maintenance: sensors will monitor the growth, the need of water, the status of the basins, the steady anchor. There will also be a centralized watering system with probes». Obviously the distribution of trees has been carefully studied: ecological and ornamental plays characters so that the whole Green is recognizable as a system architecture. But is this really the right way to create green spaces in cities? Woods vertical to free climbing? Milan has an important tradition in the field of urban planning and design of the city as intimate connection between architecture, society and social trends: the example given, therefore, should not be to a masterful construction that sand create, firmly on the ground, the right balance between buildings (with solar panels, lifts that work with renewable energy, etc) and green areas? More...

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Election campaigns for who is not afraid to get their hands dirty

by Eleonora Anello

Armed with gloves, shovels and hoes, unusual groups of gardeners are striving to make flower degraded and grey corners of the city. It's called Guerrilla Gardening, was born in New York in the '70s and is into real subversives attacks, at the limit of legality, which often materialize in blitz at night. In recent years has had a very mass media success, which has favoured the emergence of many grassroots groups.

Here is a brief identikit of the true activist of today: they do not show themselves, trying to conceal their identity as much as possible; selflessly give a better landscape and green spaces that everyone can enjoy; keep in touch with other members through Internet and social networks. A movement that comes from below, uses the forms of synchronous communication and makes activists and local government agree.

From these principles Azione Zero (Action Zero) was born. It is an initiative of guerrilla gardening that Sunday, February 28th has affected the whole Region of Puglia (South Italy). Altamura, Oria, Brindisi, to name only a few cities, have given up political gardening, with the aim to sensitize the entire community in a peaceful way by showing that the electioneering is done not only putting up hundreds of posters but also simply, improving urban spaces. We already talked about the environmental impact of election campaigns and Giuseppe Cellie, the organizer of Brindisi action, confirms us that «the guerrilla gardening initiative is part of the best practices designed by the “Factory of Nichi” (Nichi Vendola, President of Puglia Region –ndr-). The idea is to practise acts contrary to those that are usually done in politics and, in particular, that a candidate makes. We sharply juxtapose, for example, who in these days is already smearing our cities with illegal election posters. We propose a campaign that not only is environmentally friendly and respectful of people, but which may also become useful to society like, for example, retained the beds».

But the desire of green also pervades the workplace. Sue Beesley, English, 25 years of service in the IT industry, designed “garden office”, a sort of gardening like a method to work better, more in harmony with their colleagues. The initiative was welcomed by a growing number of managers, especially because it seems to make individuals more productive. In the terraces of the offices, often colonized by smokers, the expert recommends colourful flowers and fragrant shrubs such as lavender and rosemary. In addition to be a sensory pleasure, the garden company brings benefits more than positive: many workers, in fact, in order to be able to grow their piece of land, arrive even in advance in the workplace. And consider also that the fruits offered by the garden can be used in canteens.

So, if you have a green thumb or, conversely, your house looks like a jungle, you can donate some of your plants getting in touch with the group of guerrillas or with the closest office to your area. More...

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Adopt a garden at distance

by Eleonora Anello

On spring has begun the sowing of the land. The first deliveries are expected in June. And some people have thought for those who live in urban areas and have neither time nor space, or simply did not want to engage in the production of farmers. “Le verdure del mio orto”("My garden's vegetables ") arises from these conditions: deliveries a week at home, exclusive agricultural areas to be selected for size and cultivation and to cultivate as delegated.


But how can we adopt a virtual garden? We ask it to Giovanni Ferraris, 36 years, PR manager.
"It is all in 4 easy steps: define the size depending on the composition of the household or group, for example we have offices and businesses, the last one that has adopted a garden is a catering company. Then you must select the vegetables by choosing from a range of 39 vegetables and selection of flower beds with herbs, berries or flowers, and, finally, select the accessories among those proposed as the photo-album with the collection of images, or the scarecrow to give an identity to their land. In the future we would like to offer other local produce such as cheese and meat to complete the offer”.

Vegetables are all organic, even if to save on the final costs, the company has not yet certified, deliveries are done with a truck to reduce methane emissions and pollutants, among other attention directed to the exclusive use of natural fertilizers, drip irrigation to save water, control weeds by mulching with biodegradable fabrics.

This project of cultivating agricultural consumption exploits the potential of digital communication, which thus becomes the tool to manage self and return to old traditions closed to those who live in urban areas. A virtuoso blend of innovation and tradition, marriage that is being consolidated in many other situations.

Compliance with the seasonal vegetables and the knowledge that the consumption of foods in season helps to boost the immune system represent some of the key principles underlying the Fife Diet.
Fife is a region of Scotland situated to the north of Edinburgh, where for several years the local consumption has been promoted to reduce air pollution among the causes of climate change. A pioneering project that encourages people to use only products that come from surrounding areas. The supply chain becomes shorter and thus are unable to eat better and save money.
To contact the producer and consumer it will be a mobile software that will find the nearest suppliers and create a network of outlets for local produce in urban centres.
The project works so that in one year by the 14 members who founded the network has gone to 600. Interesting how this project has also impacted on the social morphology of the area, in fact many families were finally established in Fife to follow this new way of life.

But this kind of experience is multiplied. In the U.S., the term "locavore" refers to people who eat only locally sourced food, while in Canada and Australia are active in the "100-mile diet", people who try to eat the food that comes from a radius of not more than 100 miles from their home.

All new dieters ensure that the new diet is not only good for the environment and the wallet, but also to the line. Certainly it is a way to lose weight for summer thanks to the massive cutting of sugar in processed foods. More...

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“COLTIVARE LA CITTÀ”: urban agricolture

By Alessio Sciurpa

The development of urban agriculture, the spread of roof gardens and vertical gardens among others, are some of the symptoms that underlie the need inherent in the inhabitants of large urban areas to retrieve a contact with nature, agriculture and the food genuineness that is linked to them. As already noted Lester Brown in his Plan B 3.0, so Andrea Calori in his “Coltivare la città, giro del mondo in dieci progetti di filiera corta” (Growing the city, around the world in ten projects of short chain) by heading to this trend, gathering for the first time in a single volume experiences of urban agriculture from various parts of the world, some recent, other outstanding for years. What do a Bronx immigrant, a woman from a suburb of Osaka, a farmer from Senegal, a baker of Monaco and a Venezuelan driver?
Each of these people is the protagonist of stories related to food. Each belongs to groups and communities, more or less formalized, we are organized to sell or buy food which is consumed near the place of production.

The book recounts experiences that arise in different contexts with different modes of development linked by a single thread. How long has required the its preparation and from where did the idea?
The drafting of the book itself was very fast, but this was possible because we have on our shoulder some fifteen years of work on the relationship between city and country, through activities rooted in university research at the “Politecnico of Milan” (Italy) and related to the participation the world of movements and social networks. In particular since 2000, we initiated research on a city or institutional initiatives with strong spin part in the environmental, social and economic development and capable of producing practical policies for local development self-sustainable. From these, we have improved the experiences of agro-food chains short-involving local and give new impetus to urban agriculture. Altreconomia, who knows our work, we proposed to write a text, since the topic does not exist publications. The drafting of the book itself took three months working full time, during which we first selected the projects most important to us, and then rebuild them as much as possible in detail, even interviewing players directly. Finally we tried to tell the selected projects through real stories, with the intention of making them accessible to everyone, even those who do not deal with the issue of short chain in terms of academic qualifications.

Why talk about it today?
First, to restore the right proportion: the global market has made us believe that the whole world is nourished through a model of intensive monoculture production which is very distant-in time, space and trade-from the moment of consumption, but the data FAO tell a different story. The work of small family farms and methods associated with those of short chain feeds are third world population, with peaks that reach 90% in the African population case. Secondly, because we are particularly interested in the reality of Milan, who thanks to the presence of a suburban agricultural park, it offers in terms of short-chain, unexpected opportunities.
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