The most prestigious award in for grassroots environmental work, the Goldman Environmental Prize, was awarded to Italian national Rossano Ercolini and five others last night at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ercolini himself and learn about his remarkable efforts to combat waste burning which grew into a nationwide Zero Waste movement.
Mr. Ercolini, a 57-year-old school teacher from Capannori, Tuscany, grew concerned when he heard of plans to install a waste incinerator two miles from his school. Recyclable waste is still commonly burned in Europe, so Mr. Ercolini took matters into his own hands and formed Ambiente e Futuro, an initiative that educated his community about the hazards of incineration and proposed alternative, zero-waste practices.
Amazingly, the incinerator construction was cancelled, and Mr. Ercolini himself was asked to create a waste management plan for the community. This work laid the foundation for a Zero Waste movement that has been adopted in 117 communities in Italy and spread throughout Europe. None of this would have happened had Mr. Ercolini not had the courage to speak out against detrimental environmental practice.
Way to go Rossano! Italy and the world thanks you for your selfless efforts. To learn more about this inspiring story, give a look to the mini documentary below.