Simona Bertini
Simona Bertini is a citizen who, like many artists (she is an opera singer with a 25-year career in theater and still performs in concerts and teaches), is highly receptive to the wonders of nature, particularly trees. In 2020, she established the Tree Committee Viale IV Novembre in EMPOLI, Florence, to safeguard 44 historic trees that the municipality planned to cut down with only nine days’ notice, following a mainly visual inspection. After a prolonged struggle, the committee succeeded in getting the trees properly examined, ultimately saving more than half of them (which, five years after the court ruling, show no signs of failure). Throughout these years of commitment, meticulous study of legislation, and a series of actions – including demonstrations, petitions, warnings, and complaints – she found herself among many others in similar circumstances. Some of these individuals have been fighting for years and thus require all the information and support they can get. Together with several of them, she formed a small, very active, and cooperative group that, in September 2024, evolved into ONDA (Organismo Nazionale Difesa Alberi – National Organization for the Defense of Trees). This organization coordinates the numerous efforts scattered across the country, aiming not only to spread the information needed to oppose many dubious green maintenance measures but also to establish a robust and extensive base among citizens and professionals to demand enhanced protection for the tree heritage.