PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Extending over an area of around 370 km², Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and a unique meeting point of different morphological, geographical, demographic, and productive characteristics. Population growth and an expanding tourism sector, along with intensive agriculture and increased development, are having an adverse environmental impact on the area, increasing air and water pollution and generating high emissions of CO2.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE SALVAGuARDiA project aimed to reduce these environmental pressures on the Lake Garda area, by raising the awareness of all stakeholders on the various problems, contributing thus to the objectives of the European Green Deal (especially ‘Increasing climate ambition’, ‘Industry for a clean and circular economy’ and ‘Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments’). The main targeted stakeholders were municipalities, companies, tourism operators, NGOs and other local associations, and schools.
Specifically, the project aimed to:
- Launch an awareness raising and education campaign, which aims to empower local stakeholders and create a strong brand identity around the identified objectives of the European Green Deal.
- Co-design an involvement model, which will guarantee the direct participation of all target stakeholders in the protection of Lake Garda, that will be managed by the SALVAGuARDiA Committee and formalised by the Network Contract.
The project aimed to achieve the following goals:
- Establish a LIFE SALVAGuARDiA digital platform and attract at least 20 000 visits.
- Garner 150 reactions to the Call to Action, "Your Sustainable Gesture for Garda”.
- Attract 5 000 visitors to the thematic project exhibition.
- Engage 200 school classes using the educational area of the SALVAGuARDiA platform.
- Directly involve 10 schools, 30 companies, 10 associations and 10 municipalities in the project actions.
- Recruit at least 15 volunteers for the LIFE SALVAGuARDiA committee.
- Secure 30 signed Network Contracts.
- Enrol 100 volunteer ambassadors of the LIFE SALVAGuARDiA project.
- Organise three workshops with environmental opinion leaders.
- Engage 6 000 people in Lake Garda events.
RESULTS
The project managed to successfully set up a series of strategies aimed at engaging stakeholders in the Lake Garda area and to define a set of goals and actions to raise the awareness on the European Green Deal, focusing mainly on the objectives 2.1.1 Increasing climate ambition, 2.1.3 Industry for a clean and circular economy and 2.1.8 Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments.
In order to involve as many stakeholders as possible, the project defined a brand identity mark to strengthen the collaboration and sense of participation in the project’s activities and integrated in the steering committee as many stakeholders as possible amongst companies, trade associations, municipalities, schools and citizens. The result was an efficient implementation of an awareness raising campaign at all levels, which also included the use of influencers, content creators and local celebrities.
Each stakeholder participating in the project and signing the project’s network manifesto (contract) received an environmental assessment on their knowledge of the Green Deal Goals, which could be used to improve their impact on the territory.
A specific activity decided by the steering committee was to focus on the hostelries, identified as the main active industrial sector in the area, being the Garda Lake a tourist attraction point. Specific activities in the analysis and reduction of the carbon footprint impact of four hotels has been successfully carried out.
The SalvaGuardia committee has allowed the organisation of a variety of initiatives and events which showed a capillary awareness raising, with a particular effort in the involvement of the population and schools. A well-structured didactical offer aimed at awareness raising has been administered in more than 200 classes among 26 schools.
A strong dissemination campaign has been set-up and several events have been carried out to spread awareness in the Garda area. Particularly effective was the Elogio del Limite (Praise of the Limit) event which was composed of two exhibitions and installation of land arts in 5 municipalities of the Garda area on how anthropic activities impact the environment and climate.
Nevertheless, despite the effective participation of some of the area's municipalities and the increase of local awareness, the implementation of specific policies aimed at reducing the environmental impact in the area has not been carried out.
All the expected results as set out in the indicators have been reached and overcome, reaching a huge participation in the various initiatives. The municipality of Brescia (not targeted by the project) asked to replicate the exhibition of the Elogio del Limite in their municipality after the project’s end. The effectiveness of the SALVAGuARDiA steering committee allowed a strong liaison with Gada Uno (waste management company of the area), Acque Bresciane (water management) and Garda Sociale, which continues to maintain the committee alive, after the project.
