Sustainable Projects for Christmas 2021
The Earth is our planet, unique and special with its biodiversity, its wealth of water and life; this year we decided to invest the Christmas gifts budget in 2 projects with the aim to make a small improvement in the life of each of us.
Our help to Treedom and 3bee which, with their contribution protect heterogeneity of the species, reforestation and local communities, wants to be a message of hope and cooperation for a better world.
Treedom Project
FPZ contributes to the reforestation of the planet with Treedom, by planting 600 trees around the world.
FPZ forest is born!
Trees are valuable allies in the fight against climate change, because they produce oxygen and absorb CO2, trapping it in their trunks, branches and roots. By doing so, they improve the quality of the air and help lower temperatures by subtracting CO2 from the atmosphere. Aware of the importance of protecting the environment, FPZ decided to support the Treedom project by planting 600 trees that absorb 654,500 kg of CO2 which would be enough to fill 805 trucks. Another benefit is the protection of biodiversity, a landscape rich in heterogeneous species is better resistant to disease and becomes a paradise for pollinating insects. In addition, the trees create an undergrowth capable of intercepting the rainwater and giving the soil time to gradually absorb it, thus protecting the territories from increasingly frequent extreme climatic events.
The project aims to have a positive impact not only on the environment but also on the people who live there. For these reasons, the project areas are mainly located in developing countries where the benefits of trees can really make a difference. The FPZ forest comes to life in Ecuador, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal and Tanzania. Furthermore, we have decided to plant trees in Italy, the country of our origins and our culture.
All the trees planted remain the property of the farmers who, for this project, are financed by FPZ for the production of the seedlings, the training, the distribution and the mapping of the trees. The communities acquire skills step by step that they can transfer to others and that offer farmers an income opportunity. Women are an active part of the project, also holding roles of responsibility. Many take care of the more delicate tasks, such as grafting and geotagging trees. Over time they acquire professionalism and skills that allow each of them to have their own economic autonomy.
Read the FPZ forest diary to stay updated on the tree growth process!
3bee Project
FPZ contributes to the protection of biodiversity with 3bee, adopting 3 apiaries.
FPZ Oasis is born!
Over the past decades, there has been an increasing loss of biodiversity due to multiple factors such as intensive agriculture, climate change, misuse of pesticides, and reduction of planted land in favor of urbanization. This deficit has triggered a chain reaction leading to the collapse of more than 30 percent of Italian hives due to lack of nectar and decline of pollinators.
One in ten pollinating insects is on the brink of extinction, and one-third of bee and butterfly species are declining. Pollinators are the main allies of biodiversity because, by allowing wild plants to reproduce, they ensure the maintenance of ecosystems and the environmental services they provide.
For this reason, FPZ chose to support 3bee’s project by adopting 3 apiaries each consisting of 5 hives. Through the adoption of the apiaries, FPZ supports the work of beekeepers by providing through 3bee Hive-Tech monitoring systems. Modern sensors allow remote and real-time monitoring of bee health status. With the latest sophisticated equipment, it is possible to prevent problems and reduce the mortality rate of pollinators with a positive impact on plants, flowers and yield of agricultural crops.
The project also aims to have a positive impact on beekeepers who by having these sophisticated technological hives can cut costs, optimize production, save time, and care for their bees by preventing problems and diseases.
To counteract soil fragmentation and simplification resulting from intensive monocultures and increased urbanization and to provide nourishment for bees FPZ has chosen to plant native species of trees with high melliferous potential to further support local biodiversity with significant positive impacts.
Legambiente’s Glacier Caravan
The constant increase in summer temperatures, for example, has led to a significant retreat of the Alpine glaciers, both in terms of surface area and thickness.
In fact, 200 Alpine glaciers have already disappeared in recent decades.
Where the ground was once completely covered by ice, today there are forests and bare rock, which not only means the loss of breathtaking landscapes but also the disappearance of biodiversity, important freshwater reserves, strong soil instability, and a subsequent increase in landslides.
Shining a light on such a delicate and important issue is the first step towards a more conscious and sustainable way of life. This is why FPZ has chosen to support Legambiente’s Glacier Caravan: a traveling caravan of experts that, in collaboration with the Italian Glaciological Committee and CIPRA (International Commission for the Protection of the Alps), carries out crucial analyses of the health of glaciers in different Alpine locations every year in August. In 2023, the caravan followed a route that included six stops across Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.
The goal of this project is to gather valuable information on glacier retreat, raise awareness among citizens and national and local institutions about the threats facing mountain environments, and explore possible countermeasures by analyzing and comparing the data collected with that from previous years.
For more information on the project, you can visit the Legambiente website.
Living with awareness and making forward-thinking choices is essential for building a more responsible and sustainable society that can protect high-altitude environments.
