2023 was a busy year of initiatives for the Foundation, some new, some inherited from Acqua dell'Elba. As with all new activities, 2023 saw the launch in the field of the projects developed in 2022. This has enabled the Foundation to understand how to operate most effectively in its five action areas and how to devise new project strands.
The overall balance for 2023 was very positive with all projects submitted in May 2022 being launched and, above all, achieving the expected results; in some cases, the results even exceeded expectations. The main results included:
- Via dell'Essenza. In 2023 the Acqua dell'Elba Foundation and the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago worked together to equip the first of the seven paths of the new Via dell'Essenza with new signage. In particular, two new panels were erected at the beginning and at the end of the path and five signposts with QR codes were installed along the 6.68 km route. The QR codes redirect to a page on the Acqua dell'Elba Foundation website which provides details on the things the hiker can see at that specific location. The site has also been enhanced with general technical data and detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna that can be observed along the route.
- Book Project. The libraries of Elba's secondary schools were enriched with the 100 books that had been promised. These were joined by other books on the specific topic of gender equality and female empowerment. On this topic, some students from the two schools also conducted a year-long field project as part of their Civil Education studies.
- Educational projects for young children. Thanks to the work of artist Alfredo Gioventù, many primary school children in Marciana and Marciana Marina participated in the "Di_Verse at School" educational project, which saw the children develop a bond with their land and an awareness of its natural features through manual work, personal creativity and group work. Donations to the "A Sea of Books" box located at Spiaggia delle Ghiaie in Portoferraio also continued.
- The fifth edition of SEIF - Sea Essence International Festival, the first international festival dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the sea and its essence, took place from 30 June to 2 July with a special focus on the topic of "Transitions" (environmental, economic and social), and was an unqualified success. The 2023 event was also endorsed by the UNESCO Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and had three times as many sponsors, many of which extremely high profile: The Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the Italian Ministry for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, Coast Guard - Harbour Office, Ispra, ASVIS, Federparchi, the Region of Tuscany, National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, IULM University, Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Symbola, Legambiente, Marevivo, VisitElba, Elba Youth Forum, the Municipality of Livorno, the Municipality of Marciana Marina, Pro Loco Marciana Marina, the Municipality of Marciana, the Municipality of Portoferraio, the Municipality of Campo nell'Elba, the Municipality of Capoliveri, the Municipality of Porto Azzurro, the Municipality of Rio. The 3-day event was attended by thousands of people and enjoyed widespread media coverage, benefitting from the growing awareness around sea-related issues.
- For the seventh year running we donated three new €1500 scholarships to young artists from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts as part of the "Acqua dell'Elba Arts Prize".
- Health and society: donations were made to the "Diversamente Sani" and "EndoElba" associations and we promoted and organised an important webinar on endometriosis, open to the general public, in collaboration with the Humanitas Foundation and Dr. Andrea Busnelli of the Humanitas San Pio X hospital of Milan.
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