“Aula Aquilone”: Sustainability Soars Ever Higher
During the 2024 European Week for Waste Reduction, a special event lit up the environmental education scene: the announcement of the winners of the 2nd Edition of the "Aula Aquilone" Contest, organized by LCI - Lavorazione Carta Riciclata Italiana. The project, involving schools from all over Italy, aims to raise awareness among younger generations about material reuse and the importance of sustainability, turning creativity into a powerful engine for change.
In the contest, students are invited to design and build eco-friendly kites using mainly recycled materials, such as recovered paper or other waste, to create unique works that blend creativity, environmental messages, and craftsmanship. The contest encourages attention to reuse, promoting the concept that waste can be transformed into useful and artistic resources.
“We are deeply proud of the success of the second edition of Aula Aquilone. The numbers speak for themselves: 94 participating projects, growing enthusiasm, and a creativity that never ceases to amaze us. This contest is not only an opportunity to reward students’ talent and commitment, but also a powerful testimony to how schools can be laboratories of ideas for building a more sustainable future,” said Marco Silvestri, CEO of LCI - Lavorazione Carta Riciclata Italiana.
The Awards
The challenging task of selecting the winners in the four categories was entrusted to: Caterina Capelli, Artistic Director of the International Kite Festival; Libri Finti Clandestini, an art collective specialized in paper reuse; Simona Falasca from GreenMe, an expert in sustainability and environmental communication; and Marco Silvestri, CEO of LCI – Lavorazione Carta Riciclata Italiana and promoter of the project.
FLIES THE HIGHEST:
The award for the highest technical score went to the project “Dimezziamo” by class 1A of San Francesco School, I.C. San Vendemiano (Treviso), winning a €1,500 voucher for school supplies.
MOST CREATIVE KITE:
With their project “Cartaquila”, class 2C of Narcisi School, I.C. Narcisi (Milan), won thanks to originality and aesthetics, receiving a prize of €1,000.
MOST POPULAR KITE:
The project “Ghosts of the Depths” by class 4D of Wolf Ferrari School, I.C.S. Morante - Filzi (Milan), captured the audience on social media, winning a prize of €800.
GREENEST KITE:
The project “Macera e Vola” by the 2nd-grade class of San Giuseppe La Salle Primary School (Milan) stood out for its use of recycled paper and environmental message, earning an €800 voucher.
“Educating young people about sustainability, material reuse, and resource appreciation is a crucial challenge, and seeing so many schools embrace the project with passion is a great source of satisfaction for us. This result confirms that we are on the right path: Aula Aquilone is not just a contest, but a concrete message of change, pushing us to do even more.
A special thanks goes to the schools, teachers, families, and everyone who made this extraordinary outcome possible. Their commitment is the real driving force behind this project and a positive example for the entire community,” concluded Silvestri.
