At the European Parliament to talk about a possible Europe

We began the year by participating in an exciting meeting, bringing the voice of a possible Europe based on sustainability, culture and inclusion.

On 14 January, we entered the European Parliament in Brussels for the first time as #GreenHeroes#GreenHeroes , the place where the policies that will shape the future of Europe are discussed and decided.

Being there, as a benefit corporation, was a deeply meaningful and exciting moment for us: bringing real stories of sustainability, responsible work and care for the local area into the European institutions.

Not as an isolated case, but as part of a broader dialogue between politics, business and civil society.

The Green Heroes initiative: a sustainable Europe is possible was organised and promoted by Annalisa Corrado, our #GreenHeroes captain, who became a Member of the European Parliament in July 2024.

She was the one who believed from the outset in the need to bring into the European institutions the voices of those who, every day, try to translate sustainability into concrete actions.

It was Annalisa who promoted and developed the #GreenHeroes project, involving Alessandro Gassmann, who had long been questioning his own role and individual responsibility in the face of major environmental challenges.

Thanks to his sensitivity and notoriety, Alessandro has chosen to support this initiative, helping to raise awareness of the stories, projects and businesses that are part of #GreenHeroes, amplifying a message that we often struggle to spread far and wide on our own.

Bringing all this to the European Parliament meant affirming that sustainability is not a niche issue, but a political, cultural and economic vision that deserves to be heard, given space and continuity.

A necessary comparison between those who decide and those who act

The Green Heroes: Europe’s sustainable future meeting brought together MEPs, entrepreneurs, designers and key players in the ecological transition.

A moment of listening and discussion in which a simple but essential message emerged strongly:
sustainability is not an abstract idea, but a daily practice that many organisations are already carrying out, often quietly.

Bringing these experiences to the European Parliament means recognising their political value in the highest sense of the term: stories that work and can inspire concrete choices.

What are Green Heroes?

Green Heroes is a cultural and civic project created to showcase an Italy made up of people, businesses and communities that have chosen to put sustainability at the heart of their actions.

Not a list of best practices, but a collective account of real experiences: companies, cooperatives, projects and territories that demonstrate how environmental sustainability, social responsibility and economic competitiveness can coexist.

A project that gives a voice to those who act, even before they speak.

Our journey in Green Heroes since 2021

Pieces of Venice has been part of Green Heroes since 2021.
For us, this has never been a goal, but rather a responsibility: to continue to demonstrate that a company can generate cultural, social and environmental value while remaining true to its identity.

Over the years, this path has been consolidated through meetings, discussions and exchanges, each of which reinforces the idea that change is not achieved alone, but through networking.

During one of our previous meetings, we recounted this journey in a dedicated article, which also traces the birth of the book.

Io e i Green Heroes written by Alessandro Gassmann and Roberto Bragalone

and the profound meaning of this initiative:

In the evening: the story continues in the bookshop

After the meeting at the European Parliament, the group moved to the centre of Brussels, to the historic Filigranes bookshop.

It was there that the presentation of the book Io e i Green Heroes. Perché ho deciso di pensare verde (Me and the Green Heroes. Why I decided to think green) continued in a more intimate setting, open to direct dialogue with the public, bringing the stories of the Green Heroes out of institutional settings and into people’s everyday lives.

“Io e i Green Heroes. Perché ho deciso di pensare verde”tells the story of a great man of cinema. His commitment to the battle to save the planet. Testimony to how a different world is still possible. In this book, Alessandro Gassmann opens his heart, recounting his childhood days and his achievements to date.

And it is thanks to fatherhood that Gassmann rediscovers a common thread – or rather, a green thread – that connects all the stages of his life: ecological awareness, which becomes an awareness of the climate crisis and a commitment to combat it.

This gave rise to thtelling the stories of the telling the stories of the true heroes of our time, those who, often working behind the scenes, are inventing a virtuous way of combining economics and the environment… an autobiography, but also a diary of civic engagement, a passionate account of the stories of those who are not standing idly by in the face of climate change, and at the same time an invitation to take action to give our children back their future.

Among this group of “sustainability heroes” is Pieces of Venice.

Returning from Brussels with an additional responsibility

We return from this experience with an even stronger conviction:
sharing what works is an act of culture and social commitment.

For Pieces of Venice, being part of this journey means continuing to believe that even a small ‘piece’ can contribute to a larger change — if it is part of a network of people, ideas and values that are all looking in the same direction.