Daje de Alberi, the Roman volunteers who reforest the capital

“Whoever plants trees is an intelligent egoist, he does it to improve his quality of life,” he laughs Lorenzo Cioce, a 32-year-old Roman so selfish that he even founded an association for reforestation and urban green care. His name is Come on from Alberi, a name that says it all in Rome. Because the “daje” calls for action, but when it has the “de” in front of it it means only one thing: to abound.

Giving more oxygen to the city, adding greenery without forgetting what is already present and reclaiming the territory. There is so much behind this non-profit that is based entirely on the commitment of ordinary citizens. Retirees, students and workers who offer their time for the common well-being, but also donors who with small or large contributions contribute to the purchase of plants and materials. “And yet it all started in an amateurish way in 2019 – explains the founder – I started by planting trees under the house because the square where I lived was bare. From there I understood that more needed to be done”.

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Thus, after the toughest months of Covid, in 2021 Cioce founded the association and the first planting project is precisely in that neighborhood where the idea was born a couple of years earlier, the They name. And to get their hands dirty with him are the first volunteers. Since that day the people involved have become about 400 and the area of ​​intervention has expanded hand in hand. “We are now active in the II, III, IV and XV town hallbut we will soon reach other areas – says Cioce – we are registered with the Environmental Protection Department of Rome Capital and we collaborate with the institutions”.

Not just plantings

Recognizing them as they bustle through the streets of Rome is not difficult. With a white bib and the writing ‘Daje de Alberi’, they can be seen watering or pruning, freeing a tree from the grid that suffocates it or fertilizing it. “For us it’s not just a question of increasing the number of plants – explains Cioce – but of doing that work of care that the Municipality cannot guarantee. We are always active”. Not a criticism, rather a fact. Also because the principle on which the initiative is based is that of collaboration between the public and private sectors. “We can all do something, besides complaining. And the beauty is doing it together”. A thought enclosed in that “Share et albera” which has become the motto of the association.

Sharing and Albera

“We want to stimulate sociability, involve those who live in the neighborhoods and shopkeepers, develop a sense of community – continues Cioce – for this reason we organize group activities: from Give water, with which we water the plants in summer, at Daje de Alberi during the planting period or Daje de Cura in spring”. There is the benefit of being together, but not only. “We also take care of the health and wallet – concludes the founder – A tree-lined avenue is about 8°C cooler than a bare one and in the summer it saves a few hours of air conditioning or a fan. And while greenery increases the beauty and livability of a neighborhood, it also increases its economic value. Then where there are trees we tend to walk more, thus preventing cardiovascular diseases”. There are reasons to become “intelligent egoists”, just choose one.