by Maria Sole Ferrero
MONACO. Quality of life is an interconnected and multidisciplinary topic of global interest and therefore of great relevance, observing the detection of the level of how men should best live. From a specific person to a whole continent and its habitats, it intends to deepen all the disciplines of human knowledge, in order to use its potential not only to guarantee but also to improve the good of a whole community. Quality of life and well being are part of the common language related to the economic and social environment of a village, a town or a country. Quality of life means to benefit from a range of political, economic and social benefits developing its potential to lead a serene, healthy life.
Although every urban quality of life is measured by easily estimable economic indicators, social indicators are much more difficult to quantify. This fact has created a significant imbalance between the two categories of indicators: while specialists developed standard quantification criteria for the economic aspects, they had great difficulty in agreeing on how to measure social aspects, in order to establish the percentage importance of the major problems of our time, such as security against crime, ecology, political freedom, physical health, access to education, etc., as well as to seek solutions improving the quality of life. The argument is not at all new, starting with two Greek thinkers like Plato, who spent many years of his life organizing the government and the perfect city, and Aristotle, who treated it in his work “Nicomachean Ethics” using the concept “eudemonia “, which in Greek means “good spirit”aka happiness.
Over the centuries, many secular and non-secular philosophers and sociologists have described the elements needed to create a happy community, and the debate continues today around the world. Scientists and industry specialists organize meetings, conferences and laboratories whose main purpose is to activate awareness raising processes. Regarding the unprecedented cultural initiative due to the Artistic Manager Mr Romeo Ferrero, from Turin, the subject will be addressed during the first conference of “QUALITY OF LIFE” on 20th July at Novotel Monte Carlo from 3 pm to 7 pm between companies, operators of the sector, municipalities and citizens. The conference will deepen topics related to everyday life and often unfortunately neglected, such as the eco-sustainability of the processes of textile production, nutrition, body and mind wellness, and conservation of flora and marine wildlife. The debate’s media coverage is already on the social network. The event’s official radio partner Radionizza.it will broadcast the conference through its podcasts. Mr Ilio Masprone, Director of MonteCarloTimes, will certainly be present. Official partner of this event the magazine is known for its important and continuous support for sustainable development, a subject very dear to Prince Albert II. In 2015 the sovereign awarded Mr Masprone the title of Knight of the Principality of Monaco for its many cultural merits.
To get into the details of the interventions, Mr Cristiano Gatti, President of Confartigianato Imprese Biella and Regional Vice President of Confartigianato Imprese Piemonte will open the conference. As a member of the council of Tessile e Salute di Biella – Textile and Health – Mr Gatti will speak about this national non-profit association founded in 2001, which deals with the sustainability of chemicals in order to protect the health of the consumer and the Made in Italy brands. The association Tessile e Salute pursues its objectives within the institutions, so that its board of directors includes the Higher Institute of Health, the National Chamber of Fashion, the CNA, the Federchimica, and the Italian System of Fashion (SMI), which provides technical support to the fashion sector at the Ministry of Health, and the Ministries of Economic Development and Environment. Tessile e Salute has carried out important analyses at the national level. From one of them, carried out on behalf of the European Commission, we learned about the existence in Italy of a dermatological problem caused by imported clothes and shoes. The Tessile e Salute Association is especially attached to three words: Sustainability, which is not simply a theoretical statement, but which includes concrete aspects that are perfectly measurable; the Supply Chain, which is fundamental for the the environment’ protection, the workers’ health and the consumer information; finally, the above mentioned companies’Transparency.
All this is intended to provide guarantees to the Made in Italy brands, reduce risks and costs, create a unique authoritative voice able to provide technical / scientific answers and be a fundamental competitive lever. The parameters are defined in the “Guidelines for the eco-toxicological requirements applicable to clothing, leather goods, footwear and accessories”. This Certification can only be obtained if the production line is traced, from the raw material to the finished product, if all the chemical substances used are known and if the eco-toxicological requirements are met.
Regarding the feminine beauty in particular, Radionizza.it interviewed Ms Brigitte Papadopulos, representative of Dermadiane.com in Monaco. “After more than 10 years of training and specialization, I completed my studies with a doctorate in science (basic biochemistry applied to nutrition sciences) and with a specialization in micro-nutrition and nutrition-therapy. 
Years of observation and research to reveal the beauty of each woman in a natural and sustainable way have focused on the role of antioxidants in aging processes. Thanks to my many travels and different cultures’ studies, my experience has developed a wide range of natural and organic cosmetics as well as various dietary supplements. Five years ago, I created DERMADIANE because it was important for me to offer another choice, the one I call “Natural Chic”. Indeed, as a woman and as a professional, I was able to identify the various problems that have arisen over the decades for each of us. That’s how I developed healthy and effective methods.”
As for sustainability, Mr Graziano Consiglieri, journalist, writer and editor-in-chief of Vivere Sostenibile Liguria Ponente magazine, will be a point of reference for those who, from Ventimiglia to Varazze, work in the world of sustainable development and for those who wish to follow a model of life more appropriate and respectful of others and of the environment. Beyond the easy statements, however, how spontaneous is the quest for a sustainable lifestyle and how much is dictated by the fashion of the moment?
To what extent is this new attitude really incisive in the dynamics of work, the economy, health, leisure and, above all, social relations? How many characters, even the most powerful ones, do nothing to change the bad dynamics of use of the planet?
During this first QUALITY OF LIFE Conference in Monaco we will talk about it together, regardless of clichés, ideologies and preconceptions.
For the conservation of flora, we will have the experience of a “modern farmer”: Mr Marco Damele, writer, technician in organic farming and entrepreneur in Camporosso, in the province of Imperia, has a glorious past in the world of floriculture of western Liguria. After being awarded nationally and internationally for his green ornamental culture and after a long and intense professional career coaching young farmers, four years ago he developed a business focusing on old varieties of vegetables.
Today Marco is a biodiversity’s specialist looking forward to opening people’s minds to new forms of botanical and historical protection of the territory. Marco organizes a lot of cultural activities, meetings and conferences across Italy, where many farmers have yet adopted a fully sustainable bio- agriculture. Recently he has reintroduced the Egyptian onion in Liguria (Allium cepa viviparum). In 2017 he wrote the book “The Egyptian Onion” for Edizioni Zem with Ms Irina Reydes, a journalist and researcher at Moscow’s first medical university. In 2018 he published his first collection of vegetarian recipes entitled “Cooking with the Egyptian Onion” and in 2019 “A History of Agro-biodiversity in Western Liguria”. The Egyptian onion, rediscovered and cultivated today by many farmers in Western Liguria, is part of the Taste Slow Food Ark as a rare and ancient vegetable with exceptional characteristics. Simple to grow, even in pots on the balcony, it is particularly suitable for cooking for its pleasant taste and to be combined in many preparations, from aperitif to dessert. 
The book is a manual suitable for amateurs and farmers with anecdotes, suggestions for “variously organic” daily cooking methods and historical references. Moreover, in 2019 Damele published “Cantico. The voice of biodiversity”. Can plants interact with humans, can they communicate with the outside world, are they able to emit sounds, transmit sensory messages through an electrical signal? Mimosa pudica and many other flowering plants, such as African Sparmania, respond with a movement when touched, but all plants have defense mechanisms. Plants’ susceptibility is easily demonstrated in a more scientific way by applying electrodes and measuring electrical potential variations with appropriate devices and software. In state of tranquillity and suffering we will be able to obtain a concert of sounds, rhythms and melodies closely related to the natural. Through a series of events “Cantico: The Voice of Biodiversity” by Mr Marco Damele is an ideal format for meetings, seminars and educational activities to protect biodiversity and to raise awareness about biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
Mr Luca Coltri, diving instructor, cameraman and professional photographer, and Mr Sergio Cotta, diving instructor and marine biologist, have for years been carrying out a campaign aimed at raising the awareness of new generations and making them aware of the importance of protecting marine environments.
Among the many initiatives, A.S.D. Pianeta Blu of Ventimiglia organizes training days with children, days to cleaning up the coastal areas of Capo Mortola to raise awareness of the pollution caused by the negligence of individuals, days devoted to the recovery of abandoned plastics and fishing gear on the sea floor, in order to make fishermen more accountable for the effects of fishing if they are not regulated and to inform people of the dangers of plastics for the marine environment and for our health. At the institutional level, those present will benefit from a thorough study of Mortola Cape, one of the most beautiful natural territories of the Western Liguria, on the border between Italy and France.
In 1867, Sir Thomas Hanbury, in love with these places and its climate, decided to create a botanical garden with plants from around the world. In 1960, the gardens of Capo Mortola were bought by the Italian State and in 2000 the “Protected Regional Area of Hanbury Botanical Gardens” managed by the University of Genoa was inaugurated. The coastline in front of Capo Mortola and its seabed is in fact a unique habitat with a very large colony of Posidonia Oceanica and large coralliferous banks, an ideal environment for the growth and reproduction of many animal and plant species. It is precisely for this great environmental value and to ensure the conservation of the seabed that the Liguria Region created in 2018 the “Mortola Cape Marine Protected Area”, which is an integral part of the Hanbury Botanic Gardens Regional Park. The two institutions, the University of Genoa and the Liguria region, rely on the very valuable collaboration of A.S.D. Pianeta blu of Ventimiglia. The conference will end with the screening of a documentary on climate change, in which the Italian actor Mr Remo Girone, resident in Monaco for many years, participated actively, in collaboration with the “Portofino Marine Protected Area”.
