ON 5 OCTOBER “SUSTAINABLE INTERACTIONS”, THE SOStain SICILIA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM

The voices of sustainability experts applied in different disciplinary and production fields will alternate during the second edition of the International Symposium " Sustainable Interactions ", scheduled at the Hotel Torre del Barone in Sciacca (AG) on 5 October at 2 pm, promoted by SOStain Sicily Foundation .

“The Symposium on Sustainability is intended as a moment of aggregation and discussion between speakers from Italy and abroad who can offer their expert contribution on a topic, that of sustainability, which by its nature must be addressed from a multidisciplinary perspective” , says Alberto Tasca , President of the SOStain Sicilia Foundation. “We have the opportunity to discuss with experts and scientists on issues that are not necessarily connected to the production and commercial aspects of our work, but which are fundamental for generating new research and innovation projects. The objective is to increasingly raise the bar in terms of defense and custody of the natural, economic and social heritage of our Region. A way of networking by promoting a system of thought, but also a working method that has the Common Good at its center and synergies between different stakeholders".

If on the one hand, this now recurring event is a concrete opportunity for discussion, on the other it aims to highlight how Sicily has become a territory of good practices applied to an ever-increasing number of wineries that implement the SOStain protocol, designed to green, socially fair and economically effective viticulture. SOStain is, in fact, the sustainability program for viticulture in Sicily, the first region in Italy for agricultural area dedicated to organic production, managed by the SOStain Sicilia Foundation and promoted by the Consortium for the Protection of Doc Sicilia Wines and by Assovini Sicilia.

More and more Sicilian wineries have voluntarily chosen to measure, through the SOStain protocol, their impact on the ecosystem to reduce their footprint on the planet through good practices in the vineyard, in the cellar and throughout the organisation. Currently, there are 40 companies associated with SOStain, of which 24 are already certified, for a total of 5,703 certified hectares of vines and 21,342,093 bottles also certified.

The talk will consist of 4 panels aimed at illustrating, in addition to the news from the SOStain world and the sustainability programs implemented by the Foundation's partners, the importance of nature education with its relative socio-economic impact.

Starting the work of the Symposium, moderated by the actress Anna Favella, strongly committed to these issues, will be Alberto Tasca , president of the SOStain Sicilia Foundation, who will bring greetings from the Board and provide a balance sheet of the last year, including new members and new projects. This will be followed by the speech "The measurement of sustainability in wine: results of the SOStain Sicily Foundation" by Lucrezia Lamastra , president of the Scientific Committee of the SOStain Foundation and professor at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Piacenza.

The second panel, “Nature Section”, will be opened by Francesco Picciotto , director of Service 3 “Protected natural areas” of the Sicilian Region, with a speech entitled: “Earth education and environmental interpretation as a method of reconnection with the natural environment within the regional system of protected natural areas”; Gaetano Benedetto , President of the WWF Italy Foundation Study Center, will launch “The “30x30” challenge: can Sicily be the protagonist of the new biodiversity protection strategy?”; Gianluca Sara , professor and coordinator of the Ecology laboratory at the University of Palermo, will reflect on "Biodiversity as the keystone for a changing world"; Paolo Fontana , entomologist at the Mach Foundation in Trento, will illustrate the theme "Bees as indicators of environmental quality"; Attilio Carapezza , entomologist and President of the Sicilian Natural Sciences Society, will raise the question of "The decline of insects and the silence of the countryside"; Marco Pistocchini , Forestry Doctor of the “Campo dei Fiori” Regional Park Authority of the Lombardy Region, will talk about “Life in the woods: how to protect yourself from water and fire. The virtuous case of Campo dei Fiori”. In closing “Energy transition: utopia or concrete project?” edited by Maurizio Cellura, Director of the Center for Sustainability and Ecological Transition of the University of Palermo.

The "Economy and Society" section will be launched by Matteo Ward , CEO and co-founder of WRÅD and author of the docuseries "Junk - Full Wardrobes", with his speech "The true cost of Fast Fashion"; followed by Christian Sarkar , Regenerative Marketing Institute and publisher of The Marketing Journal, with “Regeneration: The Future Of Community In A Permacrisis World". Gianfranco Marrone , Professor of Semiotics at the University of Palermo and Director of the "Umberto Eco" International Center for Semiotic Sciences in Urbino, will go "Beyond nature and culture: terrestrial". The director in charge of Wine Meridian, Fabio Piccoli , will make a comparison starting from "From certified sustainability" to arrive at "proven sustainability", while Slow Wine USA journalist Deborah Parker Wong will be called to "Insights for a sustainable future: opinions, trends and the potential of the US wine market”.

The last panel will see the SOStain partners alternate: from the Allianz Foundation “Umanamente” which will talk about the EduSostain Project through the theme “Philanthropy generates sustainability”, to Unicredit with a focus on “Sustainable Finance in support of sustainable innovation”, passing through Amorim Cork with a speech entitled "Corporate well-being as a driver of success". Finally, OI with the presentation of the “Bottle 100% Sicily” project as a “Virtuous process of circularity and impact reduction”.

Around 50 journalists from Italy and abroad will take part in the Symposium. The event is however open to the public: interested parties can participate by registering at the following email address: info@fondazionesostainsicilia.it.

SOSTAIN FOUNDATION :

SOStain is the sustainability program for viticulture in Sicily promoted by the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Doc Sicilia and by Assovini Sicilia. There are 40 companies associated with SOStain, of which 24 are already certified, for a total of 5,703 certified hectares of vineyards and 21,342,093 bottles also certified, which share the desire to experiment, during their production process, with good practices aimed at protection and enhancement of biodiversity and the communities in which they operate. Other companies are formalizing their membership to further strengthen the Foundation's commitment to leaving a better world for new generations. A model, the one created by SOStain, which on these issues contributes to making Sicily a happy island. A region that is already the first in Italy for organic surface area (i.e. 30% of the national total), as well as the first in Italy for sustainable viticulture, i.e. subject to organic and/or integrated production regulations, with over 42 thousand hectares.