World Environment Day at the EUR Lake

An environmental event in the green heart of the EUR

June 5th is the date chosen by the United Nations since 1972 for World Environment Day, and in Rome, this occasion has found a natural home in the Carlo Pietrangeli Garden, the green belt surrounding the EUR Lake. Here, Earth Day Italia, the association that also coordinates World Earth Day celebrations in Italy, organizes an open-air evening talk show that combines scientific outreach, institutional discussion, and contemporary artistic expression.

The formula is simple and effective: no stuffy conference in a closed room, but a stage overlooking the water, free admission, and a diverse audience of local residents, university students, and families taking advantage of the early summer evening. The event is part of the garden's summer program, which hosts musical and cultural festivals in the Ninth Municipality of Rome Capital, in the Lazio Region, from late May to late June.

The theme: plastic, nature, and a pact to be rewritten

The most well-documented edition, in 2025, was titled «Between Plastic and Nature: A Pact to Be Rewritten?» and followed the theme chosen that year by the United Nations, dedicated specifically to plastic pollution. The central thread is the ambivalent relationship between a material that revolutionized 20th-century daily life and the damage its disposal causes to seas, rivers, and soil. Hence the questioning tone of the title: not a final condemnation, but a call to redefine the rules of use, focusing on waste sorting, recycling, and the circular economy.

Who participates

The talk is moderated by Pierluigi Sassi, president of Earth Day Italia, and brings together a panel of institutional and technical speakers every year. Participants in recent editions have included:

• Rome Capital and the Ninth Municipality (EUR), with their environmental departments
• the Lazio Region
• ISPRA, the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
• COREPLA, the national consortium for the collection and recycling of plastic packaging
• Sapienza University of Rome, with the Department of Communication and Social Research
• AICS Ambiente and the Virtus GVM Roma basketball team, committed to a partnership dedicated to plastic reduction
• local associations such as TartaLazio, active in the protection of sea turtles along the Lazio coast

Art as an environmental language

One of the most recognizable elements of the event is the presence of artists. Street artist Moby Dick opened the 2025 evening by creating a large painting of a lion live during the debate. Cristina Finucci, an architect and creator of the Garbage Patch State, also participated; her artistic project gives the form of a "State" to the enormous islands of plastic waste floating in the oceans, a way to make an otherwise abstract phenomenon visible and narratable.

Workshops for children and families

The talk is not the only offering. In the days immediately following, the garden hosts three days of free educational workshops designed for children: meetings about sea turtles, activities to discover urban nature, and poetic walks along the lake. It is the most participatory part of the initiative, transforming an evening of debate into a small, widespread environmental festival.

The Roman context of June 5th

World Environment Day in Rome is not concentrated in a single location. Around June 5th, the city sees a flourish of parallel cleaning and awareness-raising initiatives promoted by AMA, Acea, and associations like Plastic Free, with interventions along the Tiber, in the Ostiense district, and on the coast, capable of collecting tons of waste in just a few hours. The EUR event represents the moment of public reflection, with Earth Day Italia acting as the cultural director.

Why it is worth attending

For those visiting Rome in early June, this event offers a different perspective on the city: not the Forums or the historic center, but the rationalist EUR district with its artificial lake, willow trees, and skyscrapers in the background. A free, open-air evening that combines civic engagement with summer leisure, highly popular with locals and still little known to tourists.