Italy: Monsano goes organic

For some years the inhabitants of Monsano, near Ancona in Italy, have said goodbye to pollution by replacing diesel with self-produced vegetable fuel: oil- seed, soya, sunflower …

No sooner than the supermarket shelves are replenished with seed oil a new order must be put in. Not just private cars but also public transport has switched to organic diesel ? vegetable oil and methanol. It is bought by the municipality and is a little more expensive than the oil bought in supermarkets, but still less expensive than diesel.

?We are the first in our region, and among the first in Italy, to turn to fuel coming from renawable and clean sources of energy? says Monsan's mayor Gianluca Fioretti. Add to this a scrupulous energetic policy, a big reduction in consumption and of greenhouse gases and what you get is an extraordinary municipality.

Such a commitment for the environment has a distant past: ?In the eighties a factory caused the largest European pollution case as a result of hexavalent chrome. The cost for Monsano was high? explains Fioretti. ?Since then, sustainability and eco friendly practices have become a priority. An example? The Festa del Buonsenso, in September, encourages virtuous practices in food education, consumption, and respect for our surroundings.

A cooperative called Monsanoinforma, that is active in trade fair and photovoltaic energy, has made solidarity a guide line for its consumer choices. It relies on small, local producers as well as supporting Third World economies.

It is thanks to these initatives that a national association of virtuous municipalities has now taken shape. A network of local entities committed to promoting environmental sustainability and that share a number of experimental projects: from green purchases to recycling to bioconstruction.

www.monsanoinforma.it