Workıng For Nature

They say that people who do not love animals cannot love… we love animals and we are very aware that we share this world in life. The cooperation between humans and animals, albeit involuntarily, has existed for hundreds of years and will continue. The best friend of the visually impaired is the guide dog, the villager's best friend is his goats, cows and chickens, there is no need to explain where the cats are…

We form a special bond with animals, we welcome them into our homes as life partners. We help the animals we see on the street. Animal love is one of the most beautiful aspects of being human. Animals have always done their best for nature and this planet in their own way. We will tell you the story of what would have happened if there were no mules in Italy.

If there were no mules in Italy, about 30 km from Rome. The town of Artena, which is far away, would most likely become uninhabitable. About 30 km from Rome, the Italian town of Artena has found an effective and creative solution to waste management with no environmental impact: the mule. Mela, Gioia and Pastora are three mules that walk the streets of the center of Artena, and the men help collect the waste for the town's 13,000 people. Located at the foot of the Lepini mountains, the pedestrianized city center is Italy's largest of its kind, with six kilometers of steep ascents and descents. The area is car-free due to its steep slope, but the side streets are open to the mules of the Bucci family. "My father and uncle taught me everything and I passed on all my experience to my son. Uphill, downhill, tight turns, mules are smart and they do the turns well," said Emilio Bucci, owner of the mules.

Mules carry bags full of waste and effectively do the collection service in the historic city centre. Recycling is also available at Artena, as mayor Loris Talone explains. "We've had very good results with mules, more than 80% of the recycling has been achieved. We got the idea because everything that is moved from the old city center is now transported by mules," Talone said. The service is truly sustainable: no garbage trucks, zero noise and zero emissions. Animal droppings are also collected by the mule driver, a versatile ecological operation.

They say as stubborn as a mule… yes, there are many stubborn people who do not understand recycling and do not want to understand the benefits of plastics. But in time they will understand. A day will come, everyone will understand what kind of costs we would face without plastics, that we would not be able to find solutions in many aspects of our lives without plastics, that plastics do not jump into the sea on their own. We believe in this and we will continue to write about it.

It's not too late to think about what we do for animals, how much effort we put in for them, mules in the cities, dolphins in the seas, squirrels in the forests. Even a bowl of water will make them happy.