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M I L A N
Italian classics with an eco twist,
like vegan chocolate salami and
tiramisu, tofu lasagna and seitan
sliced with Sicilian oranges.
Milan’s greenmovement isn’t
limited to fashion and food, the
city’s architecture is also getting
the treatment. Eminent
architect Stefano Boeri has
designed Italy’s first highrise
towers covered from top to
bottomwith vertical gardens.
Part of a wider urban vision
called Bosco Verticale (“Vertical
Forest”), a pair of residential
towers are under construction in
the Garibaldi Repubblica area of
the city centre – due to be
completed in 2013. The idea, says
Boeri, was to bring nature into a
dense, urban area that is
notoriously lacking in green
space. “In the beginning we
thought, let’s try to imagine a
building that can produce the
same amount of organic life that
you would normally find in one
or two hectares of forest,” he
explains. That means over 700
trees, 11,000 ground cover
plants and 5,000 shrubs on the
facade. The vegetation will do
more than look pretty however
– it is also thought to benefit
health by absorbing CO
2
and
dust particles, producing oxygen
and protecting residents against
sound pollution.
For the tourist wanting to
take it all in, a good way to start
is by booking in at the brand new
Hotel Milano Scala in Via
dell ’Orso. Attempting to get
close to “zero-emissions
hospitality”, the renovated 19th-
century mansion reduces its
energy usage via a heat-
exchange system. Water usage is
reduced by filters, sensors and
computers manage and monitor
room temperature, and all paper
products come from sustainably
managed forests.
La boutique Rizieri on Via
Ponte Vetero in Brera offers
green shopping and beautiful
shoes. Designer Riccardo
Rizieri uses vintage materials,
corn-based fabric and chrome-
free calf leather for his creations,
which are made by hand in Italy.
Green concept store
Serendeepity in Corso Di Porta
Ticinese gives damaged vinyl
records a new life as household
accessories, as well as selling
other new and vintage items.
“We know the value of re-use and
many of our products, such as
T-shirts made of organic cotton,
are selected from designers who
really care for the environment,”
says owner NicolaMazzetti.
Another essential stop isW
Milano onViaWashington. The
charming boutique is a treasure
trove of vintage and sustainably
produced homewares, clothing
and accessories. It’s one of the
fewplaces to see the products of
Sofia Retro Bazar, a jewellery
design label that uses recycled
wood from restorers’ workshops,
Plexiglas taken fromoldmuseum
exhibits and specially treated
vintage chains, rhinestones and
fabric. Supported byMilanese
eco-communications platform
C.L.A.S.S., the brand is gaining
popularity with people who want
to purchase ethical products.
“We wanted to explorematerials
and form to preserve the
environment and createmodern
jewellery, reflecting our time,”
says designer Ilaria Tranfa.
GreenMilan is still a fairly
new idea, but with the
trailblazing path set by a few
visionary Italians, it’s set to
become entwined in the life and
energy the city is famed for.
From eco-conscious fashion brands
to organic eateries, a crop of green-
minded businesses is popping up across
Italy’s most conventionally grey city
Clockwise from top:
Bracelet from Uroboro
Design; Serendeepity
store; Hotel Milano Scala
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