Green education model

Named after the first mayor of Lisboa after the 25 April Revolution, the Aquilino Ribeiro Machado garden and the horticultural park provides an area of 25000 squared meters of green space, connecting Alvalade to the Alta de Lisboa. Divided into various zones interconnected by walkable trails and paths, the park offers fields where locals dedicate themselves to farming and gardening, several fitness types of equipment, a children playground, tables and benches and a different kind of viewpoint for a different sight of the city, watching the planes of the Humberto Delgado airport landing or taking off. There are bicycle roads along the park as well. (7)

The didactic park Salvatore Buglione links its agricultural tradition and presence of plants and trees with social and cultural innovation (namely a playground for kids, a didactical botanical garden and an organized reading lab). A specialized lab aims at promoting civic and eco-functions, in line with the overall project of the city of Naples to allocate 2 million euros to regenerate the green areas of the city. The project “Orti Sociali” of the park represents an attempt to reach social inclusion and environmental awareness, underlying the crucial function of public parks in terms of environmental and social services (Ref.1.)

The intervention at Ness Gardens was a result of the recommendation from the landmark 2010 report - 'Towards a New Social Purpose: Redefining the Role of Botanic Gardens'. (Reference 2). It is part of Growing the Social Role of Botanic Gardens research project, whose aim is to work with local communities on common issues of social and environmental importance (Reference 2). Additionally, as part of the University of Liverpool, the Gardens provide a resource for research programmes (Reference 3).
The project involved workshops, designed to support the botanic gardens through their engagement with their social roles and help them deliver their chosen project. The three participating botanic gardens were asked to develop and deliver a discrete project that would address a social issue or community group relevant to their garden. Ness targeted socially disadvantaged people in its catchment area. A group of students from Shorefields Technology College in Liverpool took part in a joint project where for six days, they swapped the urban classroom for the garden. The evaluation was done by RCMG (Reference 2)

The "PROSIT" project aimed at undertaking a series of actions based on environmentally compatible mechanisms to protect and recover the coastal rural territory of Cinque Terre. Today, the terraced landscape is characterised by intense processes of land abandonment and disuse, caused both by practical and economic difficulties of maintenance and by social changes. There is a risk that the damage caused by land abandonment can compromise the area's delicate hydrogeological balance, especially in an area where landslides and floods are highly common (1). A demonstration project to recover abandoned terraces was carried out in five areas of the park (1).

The park acts as a source of biodiversity for the whole Padana Plain. Many species are threatened by the loss or degradation of their habitats and the invasion of alien species. Of particular concern are the loss and degradation of wetlands and the degradation of streams, springs and secondary water courses. This project aims at restoring the natural habitat and reintroducing the original plant an animal species, while keeping under control invasive alien species. (1). The project is set to end on 31st of October 2020. (1)

A previous mining site was redeveloped into the Puits Couriot Park-Museum of Mining. "A first part of the park was opened to the public in 2006. Since then, the developments have followed one another and others are to come in the near future, among others, the footbridge spanning the railway line" (Ref. 5). The park was redesigned from 2014-2017 with the intention to preserve the historical heritage of this museum of the mine. "The park Joseph Sanguedolce (or also mentioned as Couriot Park) is designed to meet the usages of all, in a gentle logic of appropriation of the site by nature, conducive to walking and relaxation. The large lawn is maintained for sporting activities or relaxing in the grass, in the sun ..." (Ref. 3).

The green area which surrounds the famous museum has been renewed in the last years. It is an interesting site of botanic interest, as there are more than 400 species of plants living there, and more than 150.000 trees. In particular, the company Slow Food Campania cultivated a small vegetable garden. Is a project of small- scale agriculture, in order to enhance a variety of cultivation and biodiversity conservation. The company Slow Food has been supported by the company Lande srl, specialized in the revitalization of historical green areas at the urban level (Ref.1).
The interventions include the restoration and re-functionalization of 10 areas: the Garden and Casamento Torre, the Giardino della Fruttiera di basso, the Fagianeria, the Capraia, the Porta di Mezzo, the Cisternone, the Cellaio, the Vallone di San Gennaro, the ex Eremo dei Cappuccini (Ref.1).

The OrtoCollettivo project focuses on the creation of common spaces to grow local sustainable food while raising awareness about environmental challenges in cities. The project is based on teamwork: if there is work planned for today and someone cannot come to do that job, someone else will do it, with the ultimate benefit of everyone. It, therefore, stimulates common values about well-being, sustainable food production, and sharing time and activities collectively as a group (2). The initiative is ongoing and expanding, however in 2020 there were voices from the people living in the area that the poor maintenance of the terraces caused landslides and disturbed traffic. Nevertheless the NGO that initiated the intervention defended the project and suggested that the issue is caused by the lack of canals for the rain water to flow in. (8)

The project, concerning the installation of an experimental site for research and demonstration on the environmental benefits of the green roof in urban areas, arises from the need of the public administrations, and in particular the City of Genoa, to get a thorough technical knowledge in order to make urban planning tools more effective in the process of improving life quality in the urban environment (1).

The green wall was built as a pilot project in cooperation between the national government, the University of Genova and the Ecosystemic Research Group with the aim to assess urban air pollution. The wall is being monitored to understand which plant species are the most ideal for carbon sequestration in cities (2 and 3).