FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT, TRADITION AND FUTURE
Among the experiences of IL GIRO DEI VENTI, a great novelty was the significant planting of 250 olive trees In Carpignano Salentino. Equipped with gloves, shovels and buckets, the participants, united in pairs, concretely planted two small olive trees, starting from digging the hole to installing the stake to support the small plants.
In addition, participants had the opportunity to assign a name to their own olive tree, which was engraved on a wooden plaque hanging from the stem of the plant. The goal of this activity was to raise awareness among participants and others about the drama that Salento has been experiencing for about 10 years: the Xylella, a bacterium that has led to the death of more than 21 million olive trees. In addition to raising awareness, we felt it was essential to doing something concrete, involving the protagonists of IL GIRO DEI VENTI.
In fact, this planting enabled the recovery of one hectare of land from which some 200 dead trees had been eradicated, through the planting of 250 new olive trees that will form IL GIARDINO DEL FUTURO, land that will remain as a inheritance to future generations who will enjoy its fruits.
But it doesn’t end there. In fact, the project, which is part of the campaign #LOTTOPERILFUTURO launched by IL GIRO DEI VENTI: the proceeds from the sale of the oil produced by this garden will be periodically donated to the pediatric oncohematology division of the Vito Fazzi hospital in Lecce, Italy.. A gesture that ennobles the soul of those who have been and will be a part of it.
THE #LOTTOFORTHEFUTURE PROJECT
The project stands by the youngest children through a series of activities, and as its main goals it sets:
- Make entertain, raise awareness children toward the importance of sports e enthuse them;
- Support the Division of Pediatric Oncohematology at the Hospital Vito Fazzi in Lecce, Italy.
To raise children’s awareness of sports, IL GIRO DEI VENTI has included in the event days, a day dedicated to them with the initiative I BAMBINI DEL GIRO, an initiative that will be repeated every year.
Thanks to the support of the Italian Naval League and the Lecce Provincial Committee of the Italian Cycling Federation, this year, more than 120 children between the ages of 5 and 12 tried their hand at a junior SCRATCH RACE (track cycling race), a small regatta and a real JUNIOR MATCH RACE FINAL to experience IL GIRO DEI VENTI on a child-sized scale.
To support the Division of Pediatric Oncohematology, IL GIRO DEI VENTI has formed two partnerships, one with OlivaMi and one with Città del Sole.
With OlivaMi, in addition to IL GIARDINO DEL FUTURO, the sale of Oro del Salento, an oil produced by OlivaMi’s olive groves and bottled in 5-liter cans, has been included: for every 10 liters sold, an olive tree will be planted and 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Vito Fazzi Oncology Hospital in Lecce.
In collaboration with Città del Sole ,on the other hand, at the Closing Party of IL GIRO DEI VENTI a number of toys were purchased and donated to brighten the stay of children in the Pediatric Oncohematology Department, while 10 percent of the proceeds were donated directly to the hospital.
