ROME, October 20, 2021 – A new project for the GOGREEN Association with the inauguration of the latest “Betty’s Garden” in Italy.
The new 160-square-meter playground features flooring made of granules derived from the recycling of exhausted sports material collected by esosport.
The initiative, which started last year with a fundraiser for the creation of the play area at the Campo dei Miracoli in Rome’s Corviale district, saw the support and collaboration of RETAKE Roma, a volunteer organization committed to fighting urban decay, enhancing public assets, and spreading civic pride throughout the territory.
The choice to create the new playground right in the Campo dei Miracoli sports center in Rome is particularly significant: a notably difficult and degraded area of the city which is also home to Calciosociale, a non-profit amateur sports club operating in youth contexts at high risk of deviance, offering educational and pedagogical activities that involve the child and their family at 360 degrees.
A strong signal for the neighborhood’s residents and a precious gift for the children who, from today, have a new area to play in, built on the principles of the circular economy.
The collection of exhausted sports shoes through the esosport project has the ultimate goal—thanks to a recycling process—of generating secondary raw material, which was used to create the playground’s shock-absorbent flooring.
“Giving back to the territory and donating to those who have nothing: this is the meaning of our project for the Corviale district in Rome,” states Nicolas Meletiou, President of the GOGREEN Association. “We are happy to have been able to bring this space to life: children will finally have an area where they can have fun, express themselves through play, and learn to be together.”
“For us, it was a great emotion to see the children playing in this new playground with flooring obtained from recycled sports shoes,” says Massimo Vallati, President of Calciosociale. “Campo dei Miracoli is the field of inclusion, social innovation, and the circular economy. Thanks to this project, it gains even more value. In our vision, Campo dei Miracoli is a great laboratory for social, cultural, and environmental innovation in the city of Rome. Our hope is that this Betty’s Garden will be an example for the whole city. This is our dream!”
“The Retake Roma association actively collaborated on this project by involving its 80 groups present throughout the capital,” says Francesca Elisa Leonelli, President of Retake Roma. “The approximately 2 tons of used sneakers collected by Retake have become part of the shock-absorbent flooring of this Betty’s Garden. Retake will continue its commitment to collecting shoes to raise awareness among more students and citizens about the importance of reuse and recycling.”
“Betty’s Garden” is dedicated to Elisabetta Salvioni Meletiou, wife of Nicolas Meletiou, Managing Director of ESO Società Benefit, who supported her husband in running the esosport project until July 2, 2011, the date of her untimely passing.
The Corviale playground was designed by Cristina Cardini, built by Edilnard, and also saw the precious support of Generali, OVS, ESO, Il mio dono, and Tecno Service Italia.
Upon entering the park, children can immediately access three different spring riders, which have been oriented so that, while rocking, they can face each other. The choice of this type of equipment was not accidental. These games are designed to create an opportunity for recreation and socialization, through which children are spontaneously encouraged to develop empathy, respect, and dialogue. Furthermore, the fact that the springs are deeply rooted takes on a symbolic meaning centered on the concept of resilience.
Present at the inauguration:
- Nicolas Meletiou, President of the Gogreen Association
- Massimo Vallati, President of Calciosociale
- Roberto Tavani, Delegate for Sport for the Lazio Region
- Paolo Sannini, Retake Association
- Manuela Olivieri Mennea
- Gianluca Lanzi, newly elected President of Municipality XI
- Giorgio Farroni, silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Paolo Masini, President of BPA
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION SHEET
The ability of a material to bend without ever breaking strongly embodies the project’s philosophy and finds a triple value here.
As many psychological, pedagogical, sociological, and anthropological studies maintain, childhood is the age when the most influential and decisive foundations are created for the formation of a strong character, free from fears and preconceptions, open to new experiences, and capable of resisting difficulties with resilience.
Learning to react with elasticity and balance, and finding the ability to face life through proactive, free, and energetic action can begin in the early stages of existence, even before a rational understanding of its importance.
In this context and with this intent, “Betty’s Gardens” are born.
Furthermore, in accordance with sensitivity toward environmental issues and the understanding of the need to create social value in an innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking direction, the fact that in ecology resilience represents the speed at which a biotic community is able to restore its stability in the face of disturbances enhances the concrete hope that inspires, guides, and constitutes the essence of esosport.
Climbing and managing to reach the top independently does not only allow children to vent and channel their energy.
The sense of achievement and victory felt when reaching the top can influence the formation of self-esteem. Moreover, climbing in a protected environment, specifically designed for children’s safety and in the open air, allows for interaction with peers and can stimulate the ability to pay attention to others, acquiring a spirit of solidarity fundamental to our society.
