With the end of the scholastic year, the educational project “Knowing Lake Bolsena, a sustainable business opportunity” ended with great success. It saw, for the second consecutive year, about 800 middle school students engaged in study activities while many of their teachers participated in a training course on knowledge of the lake promoted in collaboration with the University of Tuscia.

An important new feature this year was reflections on job opportunities offered by the territory in addition to the usual environmental topics planned for the educational program. Topics included, therefore, not only analysis of critical aspects of the lake ecosystem, but also the promotion of organic agriculture, the enhancement of local knowledge and cultural heritage, the development of conscious and sustainable tourism.

All the students and their teachers showed great commitment, enthusiasm and involvement, which also produced unexpected results.

The project ended with a beautiful exhibition (drawings, posters, models) held on May 25 at the Rocca dei Papi in Montefiascone.

Here, the students held a bilingual conference in front of a large audience of Italian and international lake-loving citizens. The title of the conference was: Discovering Lake Bolsena: history, art, culture, traditions, mysteries, fragility.

At the conclusion of the project, there was an unexpected invitation for a delegation of students to participate in World Environment Day, June 5, in Viterbo. And a pleasant surprise was the awarding of a cheque for 500 euros from the Comprehensive Institute of the Lake to spend on projects for environmental sustainability. The event, entitled “Respecting the environment is health” was promoted by ASL Viterbo (the local health authority) in collaboration with the University of Tuscia, the Provincial School Board and the National Magistrates Association of Viterbo.

Furthermore, as part of the Environment Days “A Lake to Love”, at the conference held at Bolsena Auditorium on June 9 entitled Lake Bolsena towards the future: sustainable agriculture, new economy, Niko Pallotta of class 3A Grotte di Castro was proclaimed winner for having designed the best logo for the future bio-district of Lake Bolsena. With obvious emotion, the President of our association, Angelo Bertea, said: “In thirty years this boy will face the problems we are leaving; his logo is a message that comes to us from the future asking us ‘Do something now, while you still have time!’”.

The logo shows a large green leaf which, as if to protect it, contains the lake with its islands. A beautiful logo that, together with the conference in two languages, shows how “the youth of the lake” take an active part in the defence of this precious natural, artistic and cultural heritage, putting themselves on the right track, even anticipating Greta Thunberg who urged all the young people of world to take possession of their future.