by InTrieste
In a push to deepen environmental awareness and public engagement, the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is launching a new season of its popular “Scuola per l’Ambiente” (School for the Environment), a state-sponsored series of free online seminars designed to demystify climate science and sustainability for both professionals and curious citizens alike.
Set to begin May 13, the 2025 edition will feature 12 sessions organized by ARPA FVG, the region’s environmental protection agency. The program, now in its latest iteration, was unveiled Monday morning at ARPA’s Trieste headquarters in the presence of Fabio Scoccimarro, the region’s top environmental official, and Anna Lutman, ARPA FVG’s director general.
“Our aim is to make environmental knowledge accessible and actionable for everyone — from public administrators to everyday citizens,” Ms. Lutman said. “The only prerequisite is curiosity.”
The sessions — open to the public with no prior expertise required — will address a wide spectrum of topics. These range from decoding weather data and understanding environmental DNA to monitoring toxic phytoplankton in aquaculture zones and tracking pollen levels in urban environments under climate stress. Other seminars will delve into the European Union’s new wastewater directive, regional radon risk zones, radiometric safety measures, antibiotic resistance in local ecosystems, and the vital role of oceanographic instrumentation in lagoon and marine monitoring.
Two sessions will target practical concerns for local governance: one offering an overview of emergency environmental protocols and sustainable management of waste and excavation materials; another focused on supporting informed decision-making at the municipal level.
Though the seminars are geared in part toward public officials, organizers say their broader mission is to foster climate literacy and empower individuals to better understand the systems shaping their environment — and their future.
“Environmental protection is not just for scientists or politicians,” Mr. Scoccimarro noted during the launch. “It starts with education, and that education must be available to all.”
The full schedule of seminars will be available on ARPA FVG’s website in the coming weeks.
