Soils are among the most important resources we have. We depend on fertile, aerated, irrigated and biodiverse soils to grow food, for cooling purposes and to store water. We need them to bind CO2, for the oxidation and reduction of certain elements, for the conversion of organic compounds and simply to enjoy nature. CIPRA's Ground:breaking project highlights why the unsealing and improvement of soils benefits everyone and what is needed at the political, legal and local level in the Alpine region to achieve this.
One of our most important activities in the project is the Alpine-wide unsealing competition! Our goal is to collect good practice examples of unsealing and soil improvement measures. We're therefore looking for examples from urban and peri-urban areas in different countries, of varying sizes and involving different stakeholders. We want to find the most committed Ground:breakers in the Alps!
Tell us about your activities! Whether it's converting car parks into green spaces, revitalising soils to promote biodiversity, eliminating heat islands, restoring permeable surfaces or creating recreational spaces. Ideally, these measures go hand in hand. Share your experiences and knowledge and help turn the asphalt jungle green!
Our competition runs from June to November 2024. You can apply easily via our online application form (see below). The competition is open to municipalities, civil society organisations and initiatives, businesses, research institutions and private individuals within the EUSALP perimeter. Only unsealing and soil improvement measures that have already been carried out are eligible to apply.
An international jury of five highly qualified members from Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy and France will identify the most committed Ground:breakers. The award ceremony will take place in February 2025 as part of a specialist conference on Alpine spatial planning in Salzburg (A).
All information on cipra.orghttps://www.cipra.org/de/cipra/international/projekte/laufend/ground-breaking/ground-breaker-award
