San Giuliano Milanese, 15 February 2022 - On the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed with the Municipality for the redevelopment of some green areas in the area, the benefit company Arbolia has created a new urban forest of approximately 2,000 plants in the Municipality of San Giuliano Milanese.

The initiative was made possible thanks to the contribution of Valvitalia Group, a company active in the design, production and global supply of equipment and components for the energy industry, and ANICTA, the trade association that brings together Italian companies operating in the field of industrial thermal and acoustic insulation.

The new green belt is located in the Zivido district, south of the town centre, near residential and productive areas, and will contribute to the mitigation of noise and particulate matter, as well as having an important recreational function.

A total of 1,942 plants of different tree species (field maple, field elm, English oak, European hornbeam) and shrubs (hawthorn, viburnum lantana, dog rose) were planted in the identified area.

When fully operational, the new urban forest will absorb up to 332 tonnes of CO₂ over 20 years and up to 338 kg of PM₁₀ per year. The initiative also includes maintenance of the new green area for the first two years by Arbolia and subsequently by the municipality. The project will immediately become an asset for the local community and it is essential that everyone takes care of it.

The new forest is being presented today, Tuesday 15 February, in the presence of the Mayor of San Giuliano Milanese, Marco Segala, and the Councillor for Public Landscaping, Andrea Garbellini. Also intervened: Eng. Damiano Cotula, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of Valvitalia Group, Elena Mannucci, President of ANICTA with Past President Lorenzo Borsini, and Dario Manigrasso, Head of Operations, Marketing & Commercial of Arbolia.

"We are particularly pleased - comments the Mayor of San Giuliano Milanese, Marco Segala - that in Via Brigate Partigiane, on publicly owned land, there is now a 20 thousand square metre woodland thanks to the project financed by Arbolia, which has planted almost 2 thousand trees. We are proud that Arbolia, a Snam and CDP Foundation benefit company, has decided to implement a project of such environmental impact in our city, joining our "Adopt your City" initiative with its project to enhance and maintain one of the many local green areas. 

A city that we want to be increasingly green, with the ambitious goal of having 40,000 plants by 2030, or 1 plant for every inhabitant. San Giuliano fortunately has a lot of agricultural and green land, with less than 30% of its urbanised area. Even with the recently finally approved Territorial Government Plan variant, we are protecting public green spaces by increasing standard areas.

The new woodland, for which we would like to thank Arbolia and its partners, is direct evidence of how important it is to preserve and develop urban green spaces in order to make our city more liveable".

"With the completion of the Arbolia project ," explains Andrea Garbellini, San Giuliano Milanese's Councillor for Public Green Areas, "the whole area has practically changed its face, as the new green area practically joins up with the Oasis managed by the WWF in the Zivido Forest. It is important that entrepreneurial entities that were born to develop new green areas all over the country wanted to contribute with their skills and experience to enhance a central area of our city. In Arbolia we have found a willingness and consensus of ideas and strategies on how to intervene to safeguard the environment in which we live and ensure the quality of the air we breathe, both important actions and objectives that we intend to develop during our mandate".

"For us, this initiative is part of a larger project that aims to integrate ambitious but achievable environmental, social and governance objectives. We are proud to be at the side of a company like Arbolia on the road to a more careful and sustainable world," commented Eng. Damiano Cotula, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of Valvitalia.

"ANICTA takes an active part in the sustainable development of our territory and participates in the project conceived by Arbolia in collaboration with the Municipality of San Giuliano Milanese to improve the quality of life of citizens and contribute to the absorption of CO₂ emissions by creating a new urban forest."

"With this project we are creating the third urban forest in the Metropolitan City of Milan, thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of San Giuliano Milanese and the contribution of two companies committed to environmental sustainability. Arbolia continues its mission to create new green areas in Italy, for the benefit of the environment and communities,"commented Dario Manigrasso, Head of Operations, Marketing & Commercial of Arbolia.

The San Giuliano Milanese forest brings to sixteen the number of green belts created by Arbolia in Italy. In the next few months, the benefit company will develop initiatives in a further twenty municipalities from the North to the South of Italy.