May 10 is “National Bicycle Day” and the Italian Ministry of the Environment and the CIAL (Italian Consortium for the Recovery and Recycling of Aluminium Packaging), will be launching 2 initiatives designed to highlight to the close link that exists between sustainable mobility and the recycling of materials, in particular aluminium, that is not only 100% recyclable but endlessly so.
CYCLOPRIDE – Milan and Palermo
The first initiative to mark the start of this special day that is of interest to all cycling enthusiasts, is Cyclopride: a bike ride that will involve some 30,000 enthusiasts of all ages who, with their own bicycles, will invade the centres of Milan and Palermo, like a joyful and contagious wave of colour.
The idea behind Cyclopride comes from a passion, namely that for the bicycle, and from a firm belief that the time is now right for this means of transport to also be promoted beyond those groups of cycling enthusiasts and others who practice it as a sport.
One statistic in particular has shown that, for the third consecutive year, more bicycles have been sold in Italy than cars, and in some cities, in Milan in particular, bicycles are being chosen as the preferred means of transport by citizens from all walks of life, political leanings and ages, and from a broad cross section of the social spectrum.
The start of the great bike rides are both scheduled for 10.30 am on May 10, in Piazza Cannone in Milan (Sforza Castle) and at the Foro Italico in Palermo.
The Milan ride in particular, will be started by the Undersecretary of State for the Environment, Barbara Degani and the Director General of CiAL, Gino Schiona, both of whom will be riding the famous Ricicletta® recycled bike which, precisely because it is made from 800 used beverage cans, is the symbol of aluminium recycling.
They will be accompanied by representatives CBM Italia Onlus (an international humanitarian organisation), which this year is a partner in Cyclopride, and to which CiAL and the Ministry for the Environment are donating six Riciclette® (recycled) bicycles for them to use as they go about their day-to-day work of combating infant blindness in the villages of Third World countries.
What is more, CiAL will also be present with another activity aimed at increasing people’s awareness about the separate collection and recycling of aluminium: aluminium cans, containers and trays, aerosols, tubes, caps and even foil; it’s a reminder to everyone that the recovery of these types of packaging is absolutely essential if we are to safeguard our planet, because aluminium is a material that is totally and endlessly recyclable. This results in enormous savings in energy and material: around 95%.
CIAL’s participation in Cyclopride has resulted in the event becoming one of those which, at a European level, form part of “European Clean Up Day” and to the “Let’s Clean Up Europe” campaign launched by the European Commission.
The initiative involves twenty-eight nations, including some non-EU countries. The campaign is centred on a call to action: an invitation to organise collections and extraordinary clean-up events for parts of their local area, between May 8 and 10, across the entire country, actively involving their own local citizens.
Watch the video presentation about Cyclopride 2015.
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THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK JERSEY – Expo Milan
(LA LEGGENDA DELLA MAGLIA NERA).
The second initiative, on May 10, also promoted by the CiAL Consortium and the Italian Ministry for the Environment to mark “National Bicycle Day”, will be a theatrical event staged at the “Theatre at the Centre of the Earth”, in EXPO’s Biodiversity Park.
The performance, featuring the actors Gualtiero Burzi, Matteo Marsan and Massimo Poggio, tells the tale of “The Black Jersey”, namely one Luigi Malabrocca who, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, became the perfect embodiment of the losing hero. He came last in the Giro d’Italia cycle race in 1946, four hours behind Bartali, last in 1947 almost six hours behind Coppi and it wasn’t until 1949 that he finally lost his “record” of always finishing last, when he was “beaten” to it, after a historic battle, by Sante Carollo.
With a style aimed at reviving ancient traditions and handing them down to the younger generations, this is a celebration of the bicycle and the Ricicletta® (recycled bicycle), the star of the production, a symbol of sustainable mobility and the recycling of aluminium.
Watch the production’s trailer here.
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