Environmentally sustainable development in the province of Belluno (Italy)

In recent years, the municipality of Ponte nelle Alpi, in the province of Belluno, has developed an excellent environmental policy, that has allowed it to come first place in the 2010 Italian award Comuni Ricicloni for separate collections of household waste, to achieve the ISO 14001 certificate in 2010 and the Emas recognition in 2011. In 2010 the municipality started the joint project PubblichEnergie, together with other local authorities, to promote the use of renewable energy sources, in particular photovoltaic energy. Informative meetings with people, enterprises, associations and local authorities were convened on the opportunities of safeguarding both environment and public health. Among the innovative aspects of the project there is the possibility of supporting a Joint Purchase Group to develop the potentials of photovoltaic technology. Furthermore, the possibility of access to promotion initiatives granted by the EU, in particular the Energy Count, is provided for.