Task force of children against waste

Bicycle frames, tyres, building scrap, buckets, electric cables and an incredible selection of plastics. If nothing had been done, this waste would have spoilt the environment forever. But, on a sunny Sunday morning, children from the Montessori School, together with their parents, Friends of “Campo dei Fiori”, and boys and girls of the Association “Pensiero Acquatico”, led by Riccardo Palumbo, the promoter of the pro-environment activity in Casciago, decided to clean the area of “La Valletta”, between Casciago and Varese, a natural spot of extraordinary beauty, which is home to an old, open-air wash-house fed by underground springs.

“We realise it’s tiring,” said Fabrizio Anesa, the Deputy Mayor of Casciago, who was wearing boots and gardening gloves for the occasion. “But at any age, everyone can do something; in fact, the children learn by doing, from the older ones. You can give over a few hours of your time, and end up in a friendly, varied group of people; it’s nice to see that so many of us want to do something for this area.”

The initiative created a lot of interest in the area, and about forty people came to the rendezvous, including volunteers and vehicles of the Padana National Guard Civil Protection Service. Riccardo Palumbo was visibly satisfied with the day’s success. “With the number of people available, we decided to employ some of the volunteers in ‘La Valletta’, and send some to the Vellone River, in Avigno, not far from here. Resources must never be wasted; this way, we were able to double the effectiveness of our work.”