Apuan Carbonate

The project talks about an environmental transformation. Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy. A fascinating place, because of its geological, botanical and landscape characteristics. In this part of Tuscany is extracted the world famous White Carrara marble. Every year from the quarries are removed approximately five million tons of mountain, but only minimally for ornamental use: about 80% of the extracted marble is constituted by fragments, widely used in the production of calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate is highly used in industry, due to its special properties and its relatively low cost: construction industry, bleaching of paper, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and foods, toothpaste, paints, glues, detergents, plastics, rubber, glass , ceramics, just to name a few. A large list of products that we all use every day but every day the environmental impact increases and the landscape undergoes irreversible changes. It would be appropriate to take the calcium carbonate elsewhere or use other substances instead of it. This place is a symbol of environmental critical issues of our country and I think we need a long term strategies, oriented to sustainable activities, to start a different trend, otherwise the problem will be resolved only when the mountain will be completely erased.