SPORT & CLEAN
A SMALL SHARED ACT FOR A BIG CHANGE
hike & clean genova recap
climb & clean recap
SPORT & CLEAN 2022 EDITION
Sharing. This is the operative word for the second edition of the “Climb & Clean” project, which aims to raise young people’s awareness of the need to protect and respect the environment.
Conceived by mountaineers Matteo Della Bordella and Massimo Faletti, Climb & Clean is back in spring 2022 in an expanded edition that involves an increasing number of local organizations, but especially of new generations. The participation of children, who together with Matteo and Massimo will explore the natural world and see what’s out of place in this environment, is fundamental. A polite and respectful gaze that, as they grow up, will become automatic.
The content isn’t changing, but the message we want to spread is taking on even more substance: when you’re pursuing your passion for the great outdoors, remember to leave the places you’ve been better than how you found them. Don’t litter, and pick up and pack out any trash that you find. It’s a small gesture, but the sum of many small actions leads to certain change.
Only together do changes become cultural movements, so after the first edition, Climb & Clean is opening up to anyone who wants to participate. Because it’s not just a project for Matteo and Massimo. Climb & Clean is a project for everyone, which is why volunteers, organizations, and associations that are already working in environmental restoration are welcome to join in.
“Climb & Clean is sharing. It’s like roping up on a difficult route and coming out at the top tired but satisfied, knowing that everyone has made their small but important contribution to a great cause.”
Massimo Faletti - Founder of the Climb & Clean project
The volunteers who will live this experience with Matteo and Massimo will wear the official Climb & Clean t-shirt. A garment that identifies those who share a lifestyle and intend to inspire communities.
Available in a limited edition, it's made with 100% organic cotton. A material that’s environmentally friendly - because its production and processing use no pesticides or synthetic substances.
CLIMB & CLEAN
As climbers and mountaineers, Matteo and Massimo have chosen to bring their message to climbing crags, places that are frequented every day by a multitude of enthusiasts and therefore need to be protected and preserved.
As in the 2021 edition, this year the project is again embracing the whole of Italy, from Lombardy to Campania, by way of Abruzzo. This choice aims to highlight how the problem of leaving trash next to roads, along paths, or in the natural environment is not limited to certain areas but is present throughout the entire country.
Three locations have been chosen for this second edition: Valganna, in Lombardy; Pietrasecca, in Abruzzo; and Trentinara, in Campania. Here, with the support of local institutions, associations, and enthusiasts, Climb & Clean will try to disseminate its message, involving as many people as possible.
“Trash is a problem that affects the mountains everywhere, not just in Italy. It concerns each of us, and everyone can do their part to help solve it, both by demonstrating proper behavior and by spending some of their free time restoring beauty to affected places.”
Matteo Della Bordella - Founder of the Climb & Clean project
STAGE 1
Climb & Clean 2022 started in Valganna.
A special place for the Lecco's spider, who had his first experiences on the wall in this place and wanted to give back to the climbers who will come a clean and beautiful crag to climb.
With the help of fifty volunteers, over 1,500 kg. of waste have been collected between cans, bottles, litter and tires. Most of the garbage was found on the roadside, testifying to how the practice of throwing garbage out of the car window is still widespread.
STAGE 2
Climb & Clean has moved to Pietrasecca.
In Abruzzo the two climbers, with the help of 80 volunteers from the local areas, collected over 1800 kg. of all kinds of garbage, including refrigerators, televisions and beds. The garbage was near the wall, dated back to a few decades ago and caused significant damages to the environment, the landscape and indigenous living beings.
STAGE 3
The climbing and cleaning project on the Italian cliffs ended in the wonderful Trentinara. 2200 kg. of waste was collected in Campania, wood stoves, irons and sheet metal plates included.
Climb & Clean doesn’t end there. Matteo and Massimo have opened a pitch, called “The rubbish brothers” and graded 7b, to send a concrete, perennial message: when you live your outdoor passion, remember to leave the places explored at least as you found them!
CLIMB & CLEAN'S NUMBERS
The impact of Climb & Clean on the areas next to the cliffs is evidenced by the statistics on the quantity and type of waste collected:
✔️5500 kg. of total garbage
✔️32 tires - about 400 kg .
✔️700 kg. of glass
✔️500 kg. of plastic
✔️3.000 kg. of metal
✔️900 kg. of undifferentiated.
Important numbers, as well as the participation of the over 120 volunteers involved in the project. Some of them have chosen to travel hundreds of km. to give their contribution.
"People from outside come to clean something in a place that is not theirs"
VOLUNTEER OF THE CLIMB & CLEAN PROJECT
The meaning of Climb & Clean is summed up in these words. The solution to a common problem, such as the abandonment of waste, comes from a common respect for others and for the territory that we all live in.
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
HELP THE MOUNTAINS
CLIMB & CLEAN
"A MOUNTAIN OF TRASH"
" The Climb & Clean project was the brainchild of Massimo Faletti, an expert mountaineer from Trentino and an alpine guide instructor. With this initiative, Massimo wanted to raise awareness among climbers and non-climbers about the need to prevent littering and to allow future generations to experience nature and the beauty of the mountains. The areas near crags are marred by accumulations of all kinds of trash that damage the landscape, the environment, and the many forms of life that live there."
During a trip to Pakistan, Massimo crossed paths with Matteo della Bordella, a climber and president of the Ragni di Lecco (“Spiders of Lecco”) climbing club, with whom he shares a passion and respect for the mountains and climbing areas. The two climbers bonded over their light style of mountaineering and, especially, the belief that we can all improve this world only by acting in harmony with nature and the environment. Climb & Clean emerged from this common purpose and debuted in April 2021.
Karpos, which has been working with Massimo and Matteo for quite some time, enthusiastically joined this initiative, consistent with its mission of caring for the mountains and the land, and hopes to be able to continue to support it in the future.
“We hope that more and more people will decide to participate in projects like this and that we will all thus have an increasingly significant and positive impact on the environment.”
Giuseppe Lira - Karpos Brand Manager
2021 PLAN: FROM TRENTINO TO SICILY
The goal of the first edition of Climb & Clean was to inform people about the need to act immediately to change their habits and lifestyle and contribute to the collective well-being. In this regard, the involvement of a large number of organizations, local institutions, volunteers, and friends who have collaborated in the success of the program should be emphasized.
“We believe that the issue of waste is something that cuts across the whole mountain world and that concerns each of us. This is why we decided to start from Trento and travel to Sicily, symbolically uniting all of Italy in the face of a common problem.”
Matteo della Bordella – Partner of the Climb & Clean Project
THE PROJECT LOCATIONS
The first stop on the itinerary was the Forti di Civezzano crag, near Trento, one of the most recognized climbing areas in northern Italy, with more than a kilometer of wall suitable for all climbers. In the three days of work on-site, the team collected 4,500 kg of garbage of all kinds (including household appliances, bags, and containers with substances harmful to the environment), clear evidence of the seriousness of the situation.
The group then moved to the province of Syracuse, near the Gola di Buccheri. Around the crag of Sant’Andrea, 470 m high and suitable for beginners, the same amount of material was collected as at the Forti of Civezzano. Much of this waste, including the remains of a car, had been abandoned for some time, and special equipment was needed to remove it.
CLIMB & CLEAN BY THE NUMBERS
The assessment of the first edition of Climb & Clean cannot be other than positive, as the initiative’s large participation and numbers suggest. In the ten days of the project, more than 10,000 kg of trash were collected, divided as follows: household appliances and metal (42.75%), plastic (19.75%), tires and inner tubes (13.5%), undifferentiated waste (13.25%), and glass (7.75%).
Added to the large amount of garbage collected is the reduced impact on the environment due to the means of transport used. Massimo Faletti and Matteo della Bordella took the high-speed train from Trentino to Sicily and used an electric car to move around the local areas.
"The use of these vehicles made it possible to reduce emissions of CO2 and other pollutants by up to 75% compared to the quantities produced by the most commonly used vehicles, such as planes or gas-powered cars, over the more than 3,800 km planned. In this way, the promoters of the project wanted to launch a further appeal, demonstrating how everyone, in their own small way, can help minimize the impact of their activities on the environment."