Learning sustainability by doing: Station for Transformation and the active engagement of local community through hands-on activities in Rovereto

Acorns may not be the most appealing ingredients to collect during a forestry tour aimed at discovering lesser-known natural resources or ingredients, like wild nuts and small fruits. However, acorn flour derived from processing its seeds can be used for producing noodles or falafel, as happened in Rovereto during one of the workshops led by the agri-food changemakers hosted in temporary residency as part of the Station for Transformation project.

Cooking classes that experimented acorn flour as a versatile ingredient or small fruit jam-making workshops were not just opportunities of culinary exploration for curious foodies, but served as platforms to engage people in discussions about the biodiversity of the valley surrounding Rovereto and the sustainable use of natural resources.

How can residents be involved in conversations on sustainability?

The so-called low-threshold activities are key-elements of the action that Station for Transformation is fostering in Rovereto. These initiatives aim to raise awareness about the challenges related to climate change among different categories of residents, particularly those who are not usually reached by conventional workshops and events organized on these topics.

Past projects carried out in Rovereto highlighted the need of testing innovative approaches to engage target groups such as local youth, elderly persons and families with migrant background. The participation in the URBACT National Practice Transfer Initiative, which explored the role of arts and culture in addressing climate change across eight Italian medium-sized cities, shed light on the role of local museums and festivals for promoting innovative practices and educational activities on sustainability.

This experience was further developed through the ACQUA project, which concluded in December 2024. Funded under the National Strategy for Global Citizenship Education, ACQUA led to the creation of multi-stakeholder educational communities committed to fighting climate change and to the organization of training sessions and public campaigns on the sustainable use of water resources.

However, despite their success in engaging target groups, these projects revealed how challenging it is to reach residents who rarely access to cultural premises or educational activities. To enhance the access to knowledge on sustainability for all, Rovereto is using the abandoned spaces of the station, which are going to host some innovative activities related to the main environmental challenges of the Alpine region.

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“Station for Transformation is part of a broader action that Rovereto is carrying out on sustainability issues. These actions are developed through environmental education projects that are interdisciplinary across different departments. The redevelopment of the station spaces plays a crucial role in consolidating awareness-raising actions, for example by providing spaces for student classes to carry out environmental education activities and engaging university students and the city's economic and productive sectors” says Arianna Miorandi, Deputy Mayor on social welfare of Rovereto.

Addressing climate and biodiversity challenges in Trentino 

The Alps and Trentino, where Rovereto is located, are major hotspots of climate changes. The Alps are the second largest reserve of biodiversity in Europe and host 30,000 animal species and 13,000 plants species. However, rising temperatures threaten their survival, as most species are unable to ascend the 60–70 meters in altitude per decade that are needed to continue living in their ancestral climatic conditions.

According to the latest report by ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), Trentino-Alto Adige has the highest per capita soil loss in Italy, with 385.22 m² per inhabitant—a value significantly higher than the national average of 364 m². Much of this loss is concentrated around urban centers, with a considerable impact on reduction of natural habitats and increasing flood risks in valleys such as Vallagarina, the focus area of Station for Transformation.

The intensive monoculture of apples and grapes in Vallagarina is a leading cause of soil degradation, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss. These non-regenerative practices hinder the natural restoration of the agricultural ecosystem in a region already vulnerable to extreme climate events, such as the Vaia storm, the Adige River drought and the forest fires in Trambileno and Vallarsa in 2022.

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“Climate change is generating incredibly fast degradation processes in this region. While in other areas of Italy the effects of drought are felt to a lesser extent, here in Trentino just a few months without rain can make farming nearly impossible. Despite the general perception among residents that everything is fine because we live in a green area, there are many environmental issues that receive little attention and should be highlighted to raise awareness among the population” says Carlo Bettinelli, representative of La Foresta, the project partner of Station for Transformation which is planning and implementing the low-threshold activities.

Learning on sustainability through hands-on activities

Involving people in collaborative activities, where it’s possible to take action together, is the strategy followed by the partners of Station for Transformation for breaking social isolation and involve residents both from Rovereto and the surrounding valley in the educational activities fostered by the project.

Events such as the cleanup tours across Leno and Adige rivers called DaiNeta (wordplay in local dialect, meaning “Come on, clean!”) invited residents to participate while learning about local biodiversity and the role of water in the local ecosystem. Guided by members of the group acting as experts and knowledge-keepers, these cleanup tours apply New European Bauhaus approach to making knowledge accessible for all and empowering local communities to engage with the challenges linked to climate change and biodiversity loss.

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“We asked ourselves how we can talk about these issues in a way that does not discourage or depress people. In an era of multiple crises, it's essential to find ways that allow people to feel actively engaged without feeling overwhelmed by the problems we face” says Sebastiano Moltrer, representative of La Foresta.

The abandoned spaces of the station of Rovereto, that will be turned into a hub for sustainability, serve as crucial entry points for engaging different categories of residents. Some of the spaces will host innovative functions, such as a library of things for sustainable action in the Co-Creation Space, which will improve what is already ongoing in the spaces hosting La Foresta, where activities such as clothing swap attract students or families with migrant background, making possible the promotion of the low threshold activities on sustainability through the word of mouth.

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Based on the curatorial concept developed by the partners of Station for Transformation which highlights food as a strategic tool for community building, the activities of the EUI project are fostering a cultural shift, inviting residents in taking part in the transition of the abandoned spaces of the station into a hub of knowledge on sustainability and contrast to climate change.

Agri-food changemakers as innovative drivers of knowledge 

The agri-food changemakers involved into the temporary residency programme of Station for Transformation are committed to organize public events to showcase their research and action to the local audience as part of their activity in Rovereto.  

By October 2025, 36 low-threshold activities - including fieldtrips, collective baking sessions, and hands-on workshops - will take place in Rovereto. These activities emphasize manual skills and foster interaction among people while introducing participants to innovative knowledge and practices on seeds, plants, herbs, cereals, traditional farming and sustainable food production.

The community-spaces of the station where La Foresta is installed since 2017 as community academy are hosting some of the first initiatives of the series that are facilitating the interaction between agri-food changemakers and local residents, creating unexpected connection between knowledge from different geographical and technical contexts and local traditions.

Mexican artist and filmmaker Elda Ortiz, based in Tyrol with extensive experience as a professional cook, introduced her temporary residency experience in Rovereto with an event in which she tested the production of tortillas and tacos using corn produced in Vallagarina valley. Organized in collaboration with the Slovenian artist Andrej Koruza (whose story whose showcased in the first Zoom-In of S4T-Station for Transformation), another agri-food changemaker who also worked on corn processing during its temporary residency in Rovereto, the event explored nixtamalization techniques and the cultural journey of corn from the Americas to Europe, bridging local farming practices with the spiritual reverence for corn in Mexican traditions. 

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“Tacos are a very social food and provides an interesting ground for conversating with people who were very interested to learn more about the culture of corn in Mexico. I think that food is like a medicine, and when we talk about corn, we need to talk about the fight for preserving these plants, that are considered sacred in my country” says Elda Ortiz.

By collecting local corn seeds and experimenting with traditional processing methods, these agri-food changemakers sparked broader discussion on sustainable agriculture, contributing to decolonize knowledge about specific corn species but also creating a common ground for sharing knowledge on sustainable farming. 

“In Rovereto talking about corn led to deeper conversations about sustainability and food justice, what food is available to us daily and at what cost. Sharing a meal is a powerful way to introduce sustainability topics in an engaging way” concludes Elda Ortiz.