The Italian Group Prada presents the second edition of Forestami Academy. The initiative in collaboration with Forestami, the reforestation project for the metropolitan city of Milan, aims to educate and involve citizens on the subject of urban forestry through a three-year program of meetings, seminars, and workshops, and involving leading national and international experts on greenery and forestry.

Following the launch of the Forestami Academy in 2023 with the theme “Knowing forests and where they grow”, the second year of the initiative will focus on the correlation between nature and physical and mental health and well-being.

“The importance of greenery and its benefits to people’s well-being is a subject dear to the Prada Group as demonstrated by our ‘garden-factory’ architectural projects, in which nature is the key element. The cultural challenge of the second year will be to understand the impact, supported by scientific evidence, that trees have on the quality of life for all of us, both from an emotional and physical perspective. People's health also depends on knowing what can benefit their well-being. The Group will work alongside the Academy on this journey of discovery,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of corporate social responsibility.

Three meetings are scheduled under the wide umbrella of “Urban forestry: well-being and health”, including two classroom meetings at Triennale Milano, broken down into an introduction to the topic with interactive tools, a face-to-face learning component with experts on the subject, and working group discussions. In addition to an outdoor lesson, a genuine field experiment to put into practice, expand, and verify the knowledge acquired.

“Only citizens who are well informed can make an active contribution to safeguarding and improving the area in which they live," added Stefano Boeri, president of the Forestami scientific committee. "I would like to thank the Prada Group for its active support of the Forestami Academy initiative: a true Urban Forestry School, designed to offer citizens, free of charge, the know-how developed over the years by Forestami, its operators, and researchers, to expand wooded and tree-covered areas in our metropolis.”

Photo: Courtesy of Parda Group