Eurospital Volunteers Join Forces with Legambiente and ENPA
To mark the company's 78th anniversary, Eurospital organised a corporate volunteering day dedicated to environmental protection and animal welfare.
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Now in its third edition, Eurospital’s corporate volunteering initiative has become a highly anticipated annual event, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering a corporate culture based on solidarity, collaboration, and inclusion.
To commemorate its foundation in Trieste in September 1948, Eurospital once again celebrated its anniversary by giving back to the community in which the company was established and has continued to grow. On its 78th anniversary, employees contributed their time, dedication, and care to initiatives supporting the local community.
For one day, Eurospital volunteers stepped away from their desks, computers, and usual workstations during working hours, putting on gloves and workwear to participate in environmental and social projects benefiting two organisations operating in the Trieste area: one dedicated to environmental protection in collaboration with Legambiente, and the other focused on animal welfare in partnership with ENPA Trieste.
“Working side by side with colleagues from different departments provides not only an opportunity to recharge outside the office, but also a chance to put social responsibility into practice by engaging directly with organisations operating in the Trieste area and taking care of our local environment,” states Giulia Kropf, Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of Eurospital.
“Days like these demonstrate that tangible commitment can generate positive and sustainable change for our entire community. My sincere thanks go to everyone who chose to participate and to the organisations that welcomed us.”
Cleaning Up Farneto Park with Legambiente
Since 2008, Legambiente has supported companies in developing corporate volunteering programmes. Founded in 1980, Legambiente is one of Italy’s longest-established environmental organisations, promoting an approach to environmental protection that integrates nature and society.
The organisation is distinguished by its extensive local presence, with branches operating across 99% of Italian provinces and municipalities. This strong connection with local communities represents one of its greatest strengths, fostering social cohesion, operational independence, and, above all, active citizen participation through targeted campaigns and initiatives.
Its overarching mission is to promote a greener, more inclusive world that respects nature, animals, and people alike.
Eurospital volunteers gathered at Farneto Park, affectionately known to the people of Trieste as “Boschetto”, a woodland area covering approximately 110 hectares and extending from Cacciatore Hill towards the city.
The park’s name derives from “bosco di farnie”, referring to a woodland of English oak trees. Its origins can be traced back to 1533, when the Austrian rulers ordered the area to be enclosed to ensure its preservation.
Today, in addition to being a historic gathering place, Farneto Park serves as an essential green lung for Trieste, contributing to air quality and the well-being of the city. It also provides an important natural habitat supporting the biodiversity of plants, fungi, and animals.
Preserving the cleanliness and accessibility of this valuable woodland is therefore essential for the local community.
Equipped with protective materials and equipment supplied by Legambiente, Eurospital volunteers dedicated their time to collecting litter and illegally discarded waste throughout the park.
Among the day’s activities was an educational waste classification exercise designed to raise awareness of the importance of identifying and categorising materials found in the natural environment.
Six volunteers marked out a designated area using a cord and carefully collected waste materials from the surface without disturbing the soil. The collected items were then examined and classified according to their composition, distinguishing between glass, plastic, and other materials.
Particular attention was paid to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), including electronic components such as microchips, which may contain recoverable materials and can be directed towards appropriate recycling and recovery processes.
The collected waste was subsequently sorted and separated by category, allowing its quantity to be measured and ensuring appropriate disposal.
At the end of the morning, volunteers gathered at the information stand to review the results of their work. The final weighing revealed an achievement that brought considerable satisfaction to everyone involved: almost 110 kg of waste had been removed from the woodland!
This significant result, made possible through collective effort, demonstrates how shared commitment and practical action can make a meaningful contribution to environmental protection.
Caring for Animals at the ENPA Shelter
For the second consecutive year, Eurospital volunteers returned to support ENPA Trieste, the local branch of the Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali (Italian National Animal Protection Agency).
Founded in 1871 at the initiative of Giuseppe Garibaldi and officially recognised as a non-profit organisation in 1979, ENPA operates without government funding and rescues thousands of injured, abandoned, or distressed animals every year, regardless of breed or species.
The organisation is also actively involved in developing and promoting legislative proposals aimed at protecting animals and their natural habitats.
The Trieste branch operates 365 days a year, thanks to volunteers working in weekly shifts and independent veterinary professionals who regularly participate in specialist training programmes focused on animal rescue and care, ensuring high standards of welfare for the animals housed at the facility.
The centre comprises 400 square metres of indoor facilities, including heated and air-conditioned recovery areas, a veterinary clinic, an operating theatre, an X-ray room, and an analysis laboratory, as well as administrative offices providing information and advice to members.
These facilities are complemented by the Farneto Wildlife Sanctuary, extending over more than 80,000 square metres, which includes enclosures for rescued wildlife, supervised outdoor areas for domestic animals, and educational activity spaces for schools.
Working alongside ENPA staff, Eurospital volunteers carried out a wide range of maintenance activities, both outdoors and within the shelter facilities.
At the Farneto Wildlife Sanctuary, volunteers cleaned woodland areas by cutting and collecting branches, pine needles, and logs, which were then stacked along the enclosures. They also removed fallen leaves from pathways and drainage channels to maintain accessibility and ensure proper water runoff.
Additional activities included painting metal animal shelters with a specialised anti-rust coating to prevent deterioration, as well as repairing and treating wooden shelters for birds and small rodents with protective wood preservative.
One particularly rewarding task involved the complete restoration of the turtle enclosure, which was thoroughly renovated and reorganised to improve the animals’ living environment.
Meanwhile, another group of volunteers worked inside the main shelter, supporting the maintenance of animal cages, assisting with administrative duties, and undertaking meticulous tasks such as shelling walnuts and hazelnuts for the rodents.
These activities provided valuable practical assistance with the daily care of the animals and contributed to supporting the ongoing dedication of ENPA’s staff and volunteers.