Time Capsules from Young Minds: Greener and Seed-based, Secured for the Future's Sake
Party in the Park: Planting Seeds for the Future
A wet and jubilant crowd of kids, under the watchful eye of local greenery commissoner Francesco Tresso, recently buried a time capsule at the Aporti Gastaldi kindergarten. This kicks off the third edition of the Festival del Verde, a city-centric plant extravaganza that runs until May 25.
Time to Grow
To welcome the initial wave of activities—a series of meetings and workshops aimed at introducing children to the urban jungle—a celebration was thrown at the school grounds. The capsule, hidden beneath the soil, holds two important elements: a packet of poppy seeds, gifted by the Adipa Botanical Garden of Lucca, and a stack of sketches portraying a city blanketed in verdure.
Blossoming Dreams
According to Giustino Ballato, co-creator of Festival del Verde, "Greening up the youth is crucial, given our theme: 'The Future with Plants'. We've expanded this year's festivities to dedicate an entire week to education, working hand-in-hand with schools. Children embody nature, and what we're doing here is sowing seeds for the future."
Besides the time capsule filled with imaginations and hope, a cherry sapling was planted as a guardian of dreams for the next 25 years.
A City in Bloom
Among the young eco-artists, Lucia and Younes, aged five and proud Coccinelle students, shared their visions. "I've drawn a forest, a house, a rabbit, a mouse, and a clock—just like the time capsule," Lucia beamed. Younes added thoughtfully, "There are lots of plants here, which is fantastic because they give us air. If we didn't have them, we'd struggle just like astronauts in space."
Tresso chimed in, "It's vital for our future generations, living and learning in environments like this with lush gardens, to grow close to nature from a young age. Initiatives like this foster familiarity and transform them into advocates for this vital cause. It's worth noting that Turin, with an abundance of school gardens, city parks, and green river corridors, ranks among the greenest cities in Europe. Let's make the most of this advantage, nurturing the appreciation of this precious resource in the children, as they are our future citizens."
The average child's visions for the future are tied to a city in bloom, as shown by Lucia and Younes, who envisioned forests, homes, and gardens in their artwork. This aligns with the city's commitment to education and self-development, emphasized by the Festival del Verde, which dedicates an entire week to urban gardening and horticulture. Thus, the lifestyle in Turin encourages nurturing the appreciation of nature from a young age, fostering future generations of advocates for the cause of preserving green spaces, thereby improving the education-and-self-development prospects of its citizens.
