Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Each GEV is trained to intervene in two large areas:

1. information, education and awareness of the Milanese population on environmental issues (look at active projects);
2. surveillance and control of the territory.

The main tasks relating to territorial control can be summarized as follows:

• information on current legislation on environmental protection as well as on the criteria, means and behaviors needed to achieve it;
• supervision of environmental factors and components and of the environment considered as a whole, in order to prevent, report or ascertain facts and behaviors sanctioned by legislation;
• collaboration with the competent authorities
  - for the collection of data and information relating to the environment and for environmental monitoring;
  - for emergency and rescue operations in the event of emergencies or ecological disasters.

During the performance of the service, the GEVs are public officials with administrative police functions. They can ascertain and sanction abuses within their direct competence.

The voluntary ecological surveillance service is carried out on a personal and free basis and does not give rise to the establishment of an employment relationship.

To become a volunteer Ecological Guard it is necessary to attend a training course, organized periodically by the Municipality of Milan as the managing body of the service. The course also includes practical training phases.

At the end of the course, aspiring GEVs must take an exam before the regional commission.

The aspiring Volunteer Ecological Guard must have the following characteristics:

• Italian citizenship or citizenship of a member state of the European Union;
• aged between 18 and 70 on the date of enrollment in the training course;
• enjoyment of civil and political rights;
• absence of final criminal convictions;
• possession of the physical, technical and moral requirements that make it suitable for service;
• guarantee a commitment of at least 168 hours per year, to be distributed at the times foreseen by the order of service according to the needs identified by the organizing body and the availability of the Guard.

The courses last approximately 60 hours divided between:

• lessons in the classroom and on an online platform;
• outings in the field, generally on Saturday morning.

Topics covered include:

• legal and regulatory aspects relating to the figure of the GEV;
• organization of the service;
• environmental protection;
• naturalistic aspects and knowledge of the territory.

Elaborate
At the end of the course, GEV aspirants must take a theoretical-practical exam in front of the regional commission appointed by decree of the president of the regional council.

Assignment of the assignment
After passing the exam, the Prefect approves the appointment as Security Guard.

A decree of the Municipality of Milan confers the role of voluntary ecological guard, defining the territorial scope and the rules of competence.

The volunteers receive the qualification of sworn private guards from the Prefect. Subsequently, the Municipality of Milan assigned them the role of voluntary ecological guard, organizing their tasks and activities.

Within the city administration, the GEVs currently report to a specific unit within the Security Department.

The mandate decree identifies the territorial area of ​​competence and the rules subject to the GEV's power of assessment, in compliance with the provisions of the decree of the president of the regional council.

In the presence of particular agreements, the power of assessment can be extended to the rules contained in the regulations of regional parks, provinces, mountain communities and provincial capital municipalities.

Every year, from May to October, the volunteer Ecological Guards offer free itineraries in city parks to help citizens discover and enhance the environmental heritage.

The initiative is called "Wonders and hidden treasures in the parks of Milan."
 

To educate and raise awareness of tomorrow's adults on environmental issues, the GEVs are aimed at primary and lower secondary school students.

The topics at the center of the educational project (air, water, greenery, waste, energy and energy saving) are treated with the help of teaching aids that offer clarity of presentation and encourage the involvement of participants.

At the end of the series of meetings, a party is organized in which teachers and parents also participate. On this occasion the children receive the GEV Junior card.

The activities are totally free.