Report by Ms. Bruna Rondoni, the City of Cervia, Italy
The Asproflor Association awarded prizes for “Comuni Fioriti” (Blooming Cities) during the International Exposition of Machinery for Agriculture and Gardening (EIMA) 2021. At the national award ceremony for the “School in Bloom” Contest, Primary School M. Buonarroti from Montaletto won first place and the Special Diploma “School in Bloom” for their educational project “Pacifico” (Pacific), which is dedicated to the environment and nature, that all students at the school continuously engage in.
Photo: courtesy of the City of Cervia
The project is about a plant that the students named “Pacifico,” grown from the seed of a ginkgo biloba that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Its parent plant is close to 200 years old. Donated by the German city of Aalen, which collaborates with Cervia to work together for a world free of nuclear weapons, the tree was planted in 2015 in Dondini Park at M. Buonarroti Primary School in Montaletto di Cervia. It now measures 2.2 meters tall, and it continues to be cultivated by the students with great care and passion, as one should cultivate “peace.”
The Councilor Cesare Zavatta and the Green Delegate Patrizia Petrucci declared at the ceremony: “It is a distinction that fills us with joy and satisfaction. The children of the school and the whole community cherish the values of peace and environment.”