The Municipality of Ferla has received national recognition for the green living wall, CARDIMED sub-DEMO 4.2, installed at the Valle dell’Anapo Comprehensive School. This initiative was recognised by the Consiglio Nazionale dell’Economia e del Lavoro (CNEL) — the Italian National Council for Economics and Labour — a constitutional body that advises Parliament and the government on economic and social policies. The CNEL Impatto PA 2025 award was given in the Education category for the project’s innovative and replicable sustainable water management and civic participation model. It was chosen from 62 nominations for the best practice award.
During an official ceremony in Rome, the Municipality of Ferla received the award, which celebrates the most effective and transformative public administration practices in Italy and recognises those that combine technological innovation, social responsibility and environmental sustainability to improve quality of life in local communities.
The other award winners were INAIL (the National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work), INPS (the National Social Security Institution), the Cremona Chamber of Commerce, Hera Ambiente, and ANBI (the National Association of Drainage and Irrigation Consortia). This confirms the national importance of the award given to the municipality of Ferla.
The award was collected by Ferla’s mayor, Michelangelo Giansiracusa; the councillor for the environment, Giuseppe Vinci; and Vittoria Calderone, head of administrative services for the ‘Valle dell’Anapo’ comprehensive institute in Ferla.
“This is a source of great pride for our community and the entire Syracuse area,” said Michelangelo Giansiracusa, “this award recognises the value of our collaboration with SVI.MED and IRIDRA, and the daily commitment of our administrators, school staff and citizens to creating a sustainable community,” he added.
The Municipality of Ferla thus confirms its position as a national benchmark for good practices in sustainability and social innovation, in line with the principles of public administration that prioritise people and the future of the planet.
“This infrastructure, implemented in a public school, transforms a technological system into an educational one — an open-air laboratory and an opportunity for civic cohesion. It nurtures a sense of community and identity in a southern region where water is a precious resource. By connecting the local dimension (as part of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan of a small municipality) with the European dimension (being monitored under Horizon Europe within the CARDIMED project), this initiative links technological innovation on environmental issues with the construction of shared social responsibility among young people in the place where they learn the principles of civil coexistence: the school.” (Excerpt from CNEL, Impatto PA 2025 Award — English translation by SVI.MED).
Recognition from CNEL reinforces the project’s contribution to the shared European mission of fostering climate justice, local empowerment and systemic innovation through small-scale, high-impact interventions.
Ferla’s experience shows that meaningful change often starts in schools, driven by the collective imagination of young people and the daily efforts of their communities.
