New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
elisa.quaranta93@gmail.com

Basic information
Project title
PQP

Full Project Title
Progetto Quartieri Puliti - Clean Neighborhoods Project

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
In 3 years Elisa and Veronica involved up to 720 persons, and collected approximately 1 ton of plastic and 6 kg of cigarettes! It all started with installing ashtrays around the most crowded areas of Latina (Italy) and it continues with clean-up events on the beach and public areas, too. With their project PQP, Elisa and Veronica are making their city greener and are raising awareness in their local community. Now is the time to "grow"!

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Local

Where was your project implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Italy

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Municipality of Latina

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2020-03-01

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual in partnership with other persons
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project).
- First name: Veronica
  Last name: Russo
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Italy
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via San Carlo da Sezze 9
  Town: Latina
  Postal code: 04010
  Country: Italy
  Direct Tel: +39 328 408 3044
  E-mail: elisa.quaranta93@gmail.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/progetto_quartieri_puliti/?hl=it
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Veronica and Elisa. #progettoquartieripuliti
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
LazioInnova weekly newsletter

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
The project "Clean Neighborhood" aims to make the city where we live a greener place, where people are aware of the importance of a healthy environment and respect it. We were tired of seeing cigarettes everywhere laying on the ground, in the grass, and on the beaches. Moreover, it was frustrating to not see people picking up any garbage at the seaside or in the green public areas. This planet is our home and is our responsibility to protect and preserve it. So, we decided to take small and daily actions. In early 2020 the project has been approved by the municipality of Latina. To start, we installed 20 ashtrays in the most crowded and frequented area of the city, which is also the center of nightlife. The first version of our ashtrays was cans filled with thin gravel, open-air. We soon realized that when it rained, it wasn't a solution anymore. Then we updated them by closing and welding together two cans and leaving a hole to throw cigarettes in. Every ashtray has always been accompanied by a plasticized informative paper that explains the importance of NOT throwing cigarettes on the ground and the big damage that follows this action. As a second step of the project, we organize clean-up days. To organize the clean-up we use the Instagram project profile that counts now 650 followers. Every time we want to organize a clean-up day we discuss it with our community, asking where (beaches or public areas) and when they prefer to organize it. Only in 3 years of activity, we collected approximately 1 ton of garbage (mainly plastic, tires, and parts of the boats) from the beaches and 30 kg of garbage from public areas, and 6 kg of cigarettes. We are really happy and thrilled with the outputs of the project and we thought that is time to bring it to the next level. We want to build more efficient and resistant ashtrays, install them in other neighborhoods and buy more efficient tools for clean-up activities.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
Recycling

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Clean-up activities

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Raise-awareness

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Nature preservation

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Community

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The key objectives in terms of sustainability that our project has met are:
1) Conservation, Respect, and Preservation of ecosystems through clean-up activities in natural environments and the installation of ashtrays to prevent people from throwing cigarettes on the ground.
2) Bring a sense of belonging to the nature around us thanks to clean-up activities in both natural and urban environments that the citizens use to frequent, and live in.
3) Connect with nature, because after every clean-up we create a moment where we can share our thoughts, opinions, feelings, and ideas to make it better or even have lunch enjoying the seaside or the garden.

This project proves that to make a concrete change, especially for cities and citizens, you have to take small steps. We did not expect to have such a proactive reaction from the city, even if sometimes there are only 10 people to clean-up initiatives. But, what allows us to have always positive feedback is the passion behind the organization. We started this project with our funding and we are focused on the results in terms of preservation, restoration, and conservation of our greatest gift: nature. I think that the exemplarity of the project is behind the fact that we do not focus only on one big action but we want to create a net of small actions that together create a positive impact... and we are determined in achieving it!

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Our project aims to make the city we live in a greener place and we do believe that eco-friendly environments can increase the quality of life, and so the experience of citizens in daily routine. Moreover, it is really relaxing to have nice walks at the seaside without feelings of sadness and frustration about all the garbage around. Which is what links the project to an objective of aesthetics too. We have born and raised in this city, on these beaches, and we can ensure that the situation is becoming worse every year.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The project is open, we welcome everyone and participation is free. During summer we print a few t-shirts with our logo on them, if anyone wants to buy them then it is a contribution that covers the materials and the food/water we bought for the day.
The activities that take place in urban areas are accessible to everyone. When we clean the beaches, the accessibility depends on the area we are cleaning because few access areas are safe for people with reduced mobility.
The inclusivity is enhanced through our moments of sharing. The first one is when we met: everyone introduces themselves and we incentivize people to work in groups of two or three people that they do not know. A lot of friendships have started thanks to this option.
The second moment is at the end when we share the thoughts we made during the clean-up and what are our feelings and suggestions.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
Citizens are the core of this project. It is a project made for them, by them. They benefit from their own "efforts" and willingness, learning in the meanwhile that preventing is better than healing. The project is benefiting them by raising awareness, bringing a sense of responsibility, and creating a community that works toward a common goal.
Civil society is involved in the bureaucracy. Indeed, they permitted us to allocate the ashtrays and to organize the clean-up in public areas. We will meet with them again to discuss the installation of new ashtrays in other neighborhoods.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
The municipality of our city has always been involved in the development of the project. Without them, everything I explained above would not be possible. This is its added value.
To implement the cooperation we would like to help in the promotion of the activities but this is something we can achieve also with more funding, through social networks.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
Veronica is a third-level diver and her passion for the underwater world, and for nature, has been with her always. Elisa is a food technologist working on a sustainability assessment of the agrifood sector, as a doctorate project. The passion for respecting the environment, the preservation and conservation of ecosystems, and adaptation strategies to climate change is a crucial part of their lives. Both Elisa and Veronica are also actively involved in city life, creating networks and connections with different stakeholders because they believe that cooperation is a fundamental tool to achieve great changes.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
Even if without huge environmental modification, or construction, our project succeeds with the following:
1) Contribute to the protection, and restoration of natural ecosystems and biodiversity through the removal of garbage (especially plastic and microplastics);
2) Convey the sensation and the experience of belonging to nature and encourage a change of perspective towards the natural environment;
3) Raising awareness about the conservation and preservation of natural ecosystems;
4) Effective collection of around 1 ton of plastic and garbage and recycling it properly;
5) Saved the planet from 6 kgs of cigarettes thanks to our ashtrays.

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
Web link
Web link
- https://www.instagram.com/progetto_quartieri_puliti/?hl=it
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
We are aware that there is no practical innovation in our project, but we do know that the innovation here is grounded in the way we want to involve people in our activities. We know that is hard to change people's minds and suggesting they do the right thing is not easy, especially in a city like ours where people are made of appearances. But we found our way to be heard, friendly, and talkative in a way we can be assertive. I believe our innovation is the approach we use with our people and the way we take every step. Finally, I would like to specify that during our clean-up all the garbage is considered, both the big and the small ones. I am specifying it because before starting this project, Elisa and Veronica have been participating in different plastic clean-up and too often the small garbage are left on the beaches because "it is too difficult to pick them". Paradoxically, to us, the small ones are the most important.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
The human approach is based on: being assertive, being clear and transparent when explaining something, using simple words that can be understood by everyone, being friendly and smiley, and being active in city life.
Social approach: actively involve our public, be recognized by the municipality, create recreative moments during our clean-up, and communicate through our WhatsApp group the latest arrangements so everyone comes prepared.
Recycling approach: usually we have different groups focused on different garbage which are big plastics and aluminum, small and microplastics, paper, and not-recycling wastes.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
Our project is entirely transferrable and replicable in every place, both rural and urban, without any limitation of space and time.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 13: Act for the climate
SDG 14: Life Underwater
SGD 15: Life on earth
SFG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

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Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes