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Italian Eco-Friendly Valley Is Model for Europe |
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By Francesca Colombo*
In
the last 14 years, the residents of Varese Ligure have brought into
practice an ingenious way of life and development based on respect
for the environment.
MILAN - An example of coexistence of a healthy
economy, environmental care and social well being, Varese Ligure,
in the northwestern Italian valley of Vara, is perhaps Europe's
cleanest and most ecologically friendly community.
From farming to livestock, from renewable energy to recycling of
waste, from sustainable tourism to social programs, everything in
this village spread over 1,600 hectares, in the middle of the mountains
of Liguria province, is carried out with the strictest respect for
nature.
Home to just 2,350 people, the municipality was destined to be filed
away on tourist itineraries. The population was aging and the younger
people preferred the bigger cities to seek better work opportunities.
The decline prompted village authorities to change the traditional
development model for a sustainable approach, which in the last
14 years has turned Varese Ligure into an example to be followed
both within Italy and across Europe.
This is the first community that received two European environmental
certifications (ISO 14.001 in 1999 and EMAS II in 2002) and a prize
for "best rural community of the Old Continent" in 2004.
"The services function well in the framework of respect for ecology
and cleanliness is the consequence of that whole policy. The environment
was the only resource we had, and the only thing we could exploit.
So the benefits are for everyone," Varese Ligure's Mayor Michela
Marcone told Tierramérica.
Ninety-five percent of the territory is farmed organically: the
fruit and vegetables have not been treated with pesticides or other
chemicals. The animals, especially beef and cattle, are also raised
under the eco-friendly credo.
One such example is the Cibele cooperative. "It isn't easy to follow
the rules, because they are strict, and there are controls throughout
the year," owner Percy Wochiecivich told Tierramérica.
The shift from the usual commercial practices to sustainable farming
techniques benefited the 50 agricultural cooperatives in the area,
which provide food for school lunches and sell to local supermarkets
and to neighboring towns. Most have increased their workforce and
their revenues, as has the Carni San Pietro Vara cooperative (750,000
euros annually) and Casearia (1.3 million euros).
Varese Ligure is a pioneer in care for environmental quality. The
village has four wind turbines, standing 46 meters tall and spinning
at a velocity of 7.2 meters per second, saving 30,000 euros each
year in energy costs, as well as avoiding 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide
emissions.
The town also has solar panels that generate energy according to
their size and the amount of sunshine the cells receive, producing
about additional 23,000 kilowatts. This represents a savings of
9,600 kg of carbon dioxide emissions (the leading cause of the "greenhouse
effect"). And there is a hydroelectric dam that provides energy
for the households of 3,000 people.
The production of waste in this "eco-valley" has fallen to 350 kg
per person, compared to the province-wide average of 530 kg per
person.
"It is one of the most advanced communities in Europe in terms of
the environment, and an example of how to administer a particular
territory, almost in the mountains, and with many problems," Stefano
Sarti, regional president of the Italian non-governmental environmental
organization Legambiente, told Tierramérica.
Sustainable tourism has been on the rise in Varese Ligure, drawing
travelers who seek peace and quiet, enjoy nature, and who can adapt
to the environmental rules. Most of the visitors come from Germany
and Britain, and they much appreciate the efforts made by this tiny
Italian community.
"Some of the young people have returned, because 140 new jobs were
created, tourism and trade increased. Today the citizens feel proud;
they are the protagonists of these changes and they are motivated
to stay," president of the association Qualitambiente (Quality Environment),
Maurizio Caranza, said in a conversation with Tierramérica.
* Francesca Colombo is a Tierramérica contributor.
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