Environmental Center Launch in Sirmione Promotes Climate and Health Awareness
Sirmione (Brescia) – Environment and health take center stage on Saturday, February 19 in Sirmione: at 9 a.m., the inauguration of the new premises of the Centro di Rilevamento Ambientale (Cra) at Punta Staffalo, followed an hour later by the opening of the conference organized by the Region and the Municipality on the theme “Understanding the Environment to Govern Development” at the Grand Hotel Tenne.
The Centro di Rilevamento Ambientale, a sort of “sentinel” for the Garda environment, directed by Dr. Eugenio Zilioli from the Cnr in Milan, was established out of the need for objective knowledge of the environment and territory — not only of Sirmione but of the entire southern Garda area.
The activities of the Cra, in summary, will produce environmental bulletins and weather forecasts every three days, updates and scientific research on water and air quality, and support for public and private activities and research.
Furthermore, the Center will serve as a constant point of reference and environmental knowledge for all schools in the Garda region. Weather bulletins will be distributed during the tourist season to hotel and campground guests, seaside resorts, and at information offices.
Inauguration and Conference
After the ribbon-cutting, attended by the regional Environment Councillor, Franco Nicoli Cristiani, attention shifted to the conference organized jointly by the Region and the Municipality of Sirmione.
Following welcoming remarks from Mayor Maurizio Ferrari, it was Nicoli Cristiani who opened the series of interventions with an outline of environmental protection initiatives undertaken during this legislative session.
This served as a sort of retrospective on activities that placed Lombardy among the leading regions in Italy’s institutional landscape — both in terms of regulatory measures and investments and resource allocation.
Subsequently, interventions were given by Maria Cristina Treu, Gianni Pilo, Adriano Musitelli, Pier Luigi Paolillo, followed by Mons. Enrico Chiavacci, Francesco Longo, Benito Melchionna, and Edoardo Croci.
Afternoon Discussion
In the afternoon, an engaging and heated roundtable discussion took place on the theme: “Environmental Governance Between Sharing Responsibilities and Movement Ideology”, moderated by Cesare Stevan (Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano).
The panel of speakers included distinguished figures: Enzo Capra (President of Asm Brescia), Alberto Cavalli (President of the Province of Brescia), Enzo Cossu (Provincial Councillor for Ecology), Edoardo Croci (President of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, Arpa), Enrico Mattinzoli (President of Brescia Artigiani Association), and Michele Piermarini (Sirmione’s Councillor for Ecology).
Finally, the director of the Center, Eugenio Zilioli, and Giuliana Sandrone, Principal of the Sirmione State Middle School, reported on environmental education initiatives and the collaborations between Cra and the school sector.
