People living in we now call Italy have a long history of recycling. Need some marble blocks for the new basilica you’re building as the principal place for the pope? No problem – there’s a lot of already quarried stone down at the old Forum. And what about a really spiffy high alter when St. Peter’s is finally finished? In 1623 Lorenzo Bernini just striped some of the bronze plates from the Pantheon and melted them down to cast his famous baldachin.
It turns out that Italians are still pretty good at recycling today, as well as other aspects of an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. It is quite common to see separate receptacles for garbage and recyclables in public spaces in towns big and small – though like virtually everywhere not everyone puts the correct material in the correct place. And while there is not a lot of green marketing in Italy – the clothes, shoes, and leather bags on sale everywhere emphasize style– there’s quite a lot going on that is less visible.
