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A club that gathers all the economic actors facing the "water lands" of Oristano in a common path of continuous improvement of environmental sustainability. "Friends of Maristanis" is born, the private facet of the project focused on the protection and sustainable development of the wetlands surrounding the natural heritage of the six Ramsar sites of the Gulf of Oristano.

"Since 2017 Maristanis has been working in order to that the eleven municipalities hosting the ponds protected by the 1971 international convention converged in shared and integrated management. Since the beginning the project was not limited to the natural element, it involved tour operators, fishermen, farmers, breeders and artisans, all those who interact with the environmental resources. Friends of Maristanis works to include a significant percentage of all economic actors operating in the area, all those who want to accept this challenge, because sustainability has become a factor of competitiveness" explains Luca Santarossa, territorial economist of the MEDSEA foundation, coordinator of the Maristanis project.

“Friends of Maristanis” has already a small vanguard of twelve structures which attended the club inauguration during the ceremony organized for the World Wetlands Day, celebrated in Santa Giusta between 2 and 3 February. To become part of the group it is sufficient to demonstrate that at least intervention has been made within the business activities, aimed at reducing the consumption of water, energy and mitigating the impact on other natural resources. The structures must also accept the communication material that the Maristanis project has distributed for customer awareness. During the Santa Giusta ceremony each structure received a certificate, an exhibitor containing the vademecum for the eco-sustainable tourist and the window stickers that certify the club membership.

"I am the daughter of a fisherman, I care about the defense of the sea and the ponds", says Rita Circu of the B&B Terre del Sinis in Cabras. Together with her daughter Francesca she was among the first to join the initiative. In her B&B all appliances are low-consumption, and the principle of saving water is applied in every activity of the structure. Rita Chessa of the B&B "Rita and Renzo", the town of Riola Sardo, has used solar panels to improve energy savings and has adopted low-consumption light bulbs. “We must all work together to protect our magnificent territory. I often talk to customers, trying to suggest simple sustainable practices, such as the attention to be paid to the consumption of water in the rooms, but I am not always successful. I believe the Maristanis vademecum will help", says Rita.

“We operate in the same territory, we must protect and promote it. We immediately decided to join the club", explains Roberta Maria Sanna of the Mistral hotel in Oristano. The two structures of the Mistral can already boast the Ecolabel, the European Union's eco-label which distinguishes products and services which, while guaranteeing high performance standards, are characterized by a reduced environmental impact. The autoclaves pressure has been reduced, and the water consumption in the rooms has been controlled thanks to the latest generation taps. The lighting system that benefits also from photovoltaic panels.

“Every year we’ll add a small improvement. We are focusing on water, but soon we will include other forms of reducing the environmental impact. It's a simple and effective process", explains the territorial economist Santarossa. "Together it is easier to promote the territory, which presents itself to the world not only for its enormous beauty, but also for its environmental sensitivity".

The next club meeting is scheduled for March 11 in Oristano. The expansion of the Club to other sectors will be discussed, as well as the the "Charter of Principles", and a shared communication strategy. It will also be possible to participate in the assembly via streaming, through the Maristanis Facebook page.