Earth Day

By Kate Krehel and Hayden Tarr

April 22, 2025: Earth Day. A day to retain awareness for and thank our Earth for the abundance it provides us, and a reminder to fight against climate change, a constant concern commanding more and more of its presence in our lives. While the phenomenon feels intimidating at times, we all have a part to play to protect our earth and mother nature against this force, to help prevent waste and minimize our carbon footprint. And we can do so through easier methods than one might imagine.

Recycling: Through simple recycling and composting efforts, we reduce the need to extract natural resources. And while a few plastic bottles may seem insignificant, every small piece of trash contributes; in 2018, recycling and composting saved over 193 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from polluting the environment and contributing to global warming. It also conserves energy – it’s important to remember that energy is used creating every product we own and use, and conserving such energy is instrumental in fighting climate change. Recycling just 10 water bottles conserves enough energy to power a laptop for 24 hours!

Italy makes it easy by providing various different trash bins; through simply separating your trash and thereby recycling and composting, you reduce waste and improve the state of our planet, reducing carbon emissions greatly. Every bit counts, and it’s easy!

A handy-dandy recycling bin, right across the street from FFE housing. Photo by Alice Adams.

“Even if you don’t normally spend time outdoors, however, a bit of time in nature can have beneficial effects on your mental health. It’s been known to decrease anxiety and improve one’s concentration, memory, and creativity, all whilst showering your body with an immunity boost, lowering blood pressure, and more!”

Green Spaces: While Florence is filled with towering buildings and stunning architecture, there’s one thing notably missing in its historic landscape: green. As someone who spent extensive time in nature, I myself initially felt off-put by this lack of trees and foliage. Even if you don’t normally spend time outdoors, however, a bit of time in nature can have beneficial effects on your mental health. It’s been known to decrease anxiety and improve one’s concentration, memory, and creativity, all whilst showering your body with an immunity boost, lowering blood pressure, and more!

The view from Orto dei Semplici. Photo by Kate Krehel.

Luckily, Florence does have green spaces, just tucked away as hidden emeralds scattered throughout the city. There’s the illustrious Cascine park, a large, public space filled with trees by the river, and Boboli Gardens, gorgeous though not free (save the first Sunday of the month). There’s more spots than just these, however. The Bardini Garden, unknown to most tourists, is just across the river; after 5 years of restoration efforts, it opened in 2010 and provides an extraordinary view of the city. Orto Dei Semplici, behind Piazza San Marco, first opened to farm medicinal plants in 1545, but now hosts flowering beauties from all over the world in this enchanting garden. Past these, more gardens and parks dot the city with little green havens, which you can read about here. So, on a particularly stressful day, make sure to pop by and let nature do its healing work, and to appreciate the wonders that it brings.

The Boboli Gardens, right here in Florence. Photos by Alice Adams.

Deforestation: On this same note, it’s important to be aware of the massive impact of deforestation and the destruction of nature. Trees, especially those living in old, healthy forests, sequester, or take in, tons of carbon during their lifetimes, storing it in their roots. By chopping down trees, we release this carbon into the atmosphere, thereby not only contributing to climate change, but also disrupt entire weather systems and injure an ecosystem that heavily relies on each being. In fact, 40% of trees surrounding the one cut will die, as this interferes with a series of incredible and complicated networks we don’t fully understand yet. And this rings true, considering deforestation is one of the primary causes of biodiversity loss. Truly, nature is incredible, and we must treat her with respect and work with instead of against her in the fight against climate change.

“There are so many ways you can positively contribute to preserving and restoring the world’s forests, a key aspect to the fight against climate change.”

Luckily, the EU has been establishing more regulations to hopefully lessen deforestation. In July 2021, they released their new Forest Strategy 2030 as an effort to decrease deforestation and help conserve these necessary carbon sinks. They’ve also passed legislation in 2023 to require companies to verify that their products sold in the EU have not contributed to deforestation or forest degradation, which will come into effect at the end of this year. It’s legislation like this that needs to be passed in greater amounts, to take as much action as we can to preserve our forests.

These images, taken on Marist’s Fall 2024 Rivers of Tuscany Trip, depict the Tuscan woods only a couple of hours from Florence. Photos by Alice Adams.

Italy on its own has a total of 4,395 protected areas, comprising 1,749 sites designated under national laws and 2,646 recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing 643 Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing 2,364 Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

You can also contribute to preserving forests through everyday choices. It’s as simple as the food you decide to pick up from the grocery store. 75% of deforestation occurs due to the expansion of agriculture, and products like beef, soy, cereal, and palm oil are some of the largest contributors. Refraining from these foods can go a long way towards greater sustainability, and more trees standing. Past this, you can always support public policies pushing for an end to deforestation and participate in afforestation efforts through planting trees and participating in trail work to help restore our forests. There are so many ways you can positively contribute to preserving and restoring the world’s forests, a key aspect to the fight against climate change.

A look at deforestation. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Climate Initiatives in Italy: While climate change may feel bleak at times, there is reason for hope. People all around the world are rising up to take action against climate change and provide our Earth with the desperate help it needs. Italy aims to be climate neutral, or to have zero carbon emissions, by 2050. The country has already reduced their emissions by more than 34% since 2005, and is on a positive path towards a more sustainable future, especially through considering hydrogen alternatives.

Despite the gravity of the overall situation of climate change, there’s always room for positivity and hope. For uplifting stories, I enjoy perusing through euronews, a site providing hopeful and heartwarming stories about climate breakthroughs and successes in the environmental field in Europe. Europe isn’t the only continent diligently working for this, though; all over the world, people are stepping up to fight for the protection of our earth and against climate change.

“Despite the gravity of the overall situation of climate change, there’s always room for positivity and hope.”