Welcome!

My name is Franco Borgogno and I am a journalist, environmental science communicator, nature guide. I am a Park Guide in the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps.

I love mountains and especially alpine wildlife, but I have long been involved with the sea, Ocean Literacy, plastic pollution, climate change, and biodiversity protection.

I have participated in three expeditions to the Arctic (2016, 2018 and 2019), written two books ('A Sea of Plastic' and 'Plastic, the Solution is Us. Stories of women, men and children doing the right thing', Nutrimenti Edizioni), participated in research in the Mediterranean, on rivers and in the Alps, gave lectures and performances, made mini-documentaries, video installations and photographs. I try to use all possible languages to reach the widest possible audience and tell what I see, what I touch with my own hands, what I hear from researchers, scientists, experts and activists, from the people who thanks to a simple idea, a perhaps minimal initiative affect the dynamics of entire communities.

Here you will find my work (synthesized), but I am available for any further infpormation and suggestion. Welcome!

Who I am

I was born in Turin in 1965. I make the journalist for 30 years with extensive multimedia experience: print newspapers, TV, web in local, national and international newspapers. I am a writer, communicator and environmental science educator

I was born in Turin on October 2, 1965. I have been a journalist for over 30 years with extensive multimedia experience (print newspapers, TV, web in local, national and international newspapers), writer, communicator and environmental science educator (over 200 public events and 30 thousand students met in the last years), environmental hiking guide in the Piedmont Alps, photographer, Maritime Alps Park Guide, traveler. Scientific-environmental project manager of the European Research Institute ETS Foundation.

Climate Reality Leader in the Climate Reality Project founded by Al Gore.

(over 120 public events and 10 thousand students met in the past three years), environmental hiking guide in the Piedmont Alps, photographer, traveler.

President of Ocean Literacy Italia, an association of scientists, teachers and information professionals, for the dissemination and diffusion of WO in Italy.

Climate Reality Leader in the Climate Reality Project founded by Al Gore. 

Author of 'A sea of plastic' (2016, published in France in June 2019) and 'Plastic, the solution is us. Stories of women, men and children doing the right thing' (2020).

Winner of the 2017 AICA-oscar Italian Environmental Communication Award, the 2018 Carlo Marinkovic Journalism-Literary Award and the 2018 Seafuture Science Book Award, the Sea Trophy and the 2020 Blue Prize-Earth Prize.

Co-author of scientific publications Mitigation strategies to reverse the rising trend of plastics in Polar Regions e Microplastics in seawater: sampling strategies, laboratory methodologies, and identification techniques applied to port environmentSociety Role in the Reduction of Plastic Pollution e Microplastic Contamination in Snow from Western Italian Alps e Quantification of Microplastics in North-Western Mediterranean Harbors: Seasonality and Biofilm-Related Metallic Contaminants and How many microplastics are present in the Po?

Author of the poster presentation (‘Macroplastics massive observation over 81°N: HighNorth18 expedition record on july 2018 ‘) at the international scientific conference Arctic Frontiers (Tromso, January 2019) 

Final selection at the International Ocean Film Festival with the documentary-short '5 Gyres North West Passage Expedition.

Sono 'ambassador' of the 5 Gyres Institute

Mentioned among globally influential artists (photography) for raising awareness of marine protection in 'The Universal Sea Guidebook'. (Berlin, March 2019).

Trainer for teachers (elementary, middle and high school) and AIGAE environmental hiking guides (years 2018-2020) on ecology, climate change, Ocean Literacy, pollution. 

Author of the video installation @433_2050 at the 2018 Science Festival (Genoa), part of the artistic photographic project of environmental dissemination Arctic Grafts'.

Speaker in over 200 between workshops, TV programmes (Rai and Sky), national and international seminars and conferences on environmental themes.

Tutor as for environmental science journalism at the Master of Journalism "Giorgio Bocca" all'University of Turinwhere in the past (since 2010) I have also dealt with online, television and press office journalism

Author of the video onInternational OL Conference (urly.it/38rrf) for theUnesco.

Author on Repubblica (print and online) of the reportage-research on plastics at the North Pole: urly.it/38rrh

Since a few years I dedicate myself toOcean Literacy (education and dissemination on the importance of the sea for human life: from environmental to economic and cultural reasons) and I am co-founder, and  President of Ocean Literacy Italy. In particular, I'm in charge of the study and communication (at the educational and journalistic level) of the problem of plastic waste in water.

In August 2016 I participated in the first sampling expedition for plastics and microplastics in the Northwest Passagewith the 5 Gyres Institute in Santa Monica (California, USA), and on this expedition I have made a documentary "short", finalist at the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival, and wrote the book A sea of plastic (Nutrition, June 2017).

In July 2018 I participated in the expedition HighNorth18led by the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy (destination 81°, Yermak Plateau north of Svalbard) documenting for the first time the presence of macroplastics in the Arctic ice pack and collecting samples to ascertain the quantity and quality of microplastics.

In 2019 I coordinated - with Roberto Cavallo, AICA and Erica coop. - the sampling and analysis in the project A bit of plastic e 'Plastic snow', first course-wide sampling of the Po River to quantify the presence of microplastics in the course of the Great River and on annual snowfields in the high mountains (published 2020). 

Honorary Chairman of the Committee 'Enough Plastic in the Sea,' born in Rimini.

In past I've been working on Tuttosport until 2001, as sent e head of service (cycling, swimming, basketball, athletics, volleyball). I then worked as freelance for various Italian and foreign newspapers, dealing with of numerous themes, from politics to economics, from entertainment to the environment. I have been involved in press offices (for international subjects and events). I was co-founder of some of the first Italian experiences of online journalism (www.piemontebasket.com, www.quotidianopiemontese.it) and spokesman for the President of the Piedmont Region 2005-2010), Mercedes Bresso.

Blogs

HERE IS THE SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING CLEANALP PROJECT HIKES

MAY 27, MODIFIED PROGRAM DUE TO SNOW AT HIGH ALTITUDE. Pian della Mussa-Pian della Ciamarella; meeting at 9 a.m. Pian della Mussa parking lot; about 450 m elevation gain, difficulty E.

MAY 28, MODIFIED PROGRAM DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF SNOW AT HIGH ALTITUDE. Hike to Lake Vasuero; meeting at 9 a.m. Chialambertetto bridge; about 800 m elevation gain, difficulty E

JUNE 10, HIKE IN VALSAVARENCHE, IN THE HEART OF GRAN PARADISO NATIONAL PARK. Starting in Dégioz, we cross the Savara stream and arrive at the village of Vers le Bois. From here the historic royal mule track departs for the former royal hunting lodge of Orvieille. The precious centuries-old coniferous forest to be crossed and the pasture basin around the former royal house present remarkable naturalistic insights. But it is the mule track and the royal house that provide the highlight of the first part of this history-rich trail.

Packed lunch in the beautiful and scenic basin of Orvieille from which we overlook the entire central chain of the Gran Paradiso massif. The scent of the first precious blooms of alpine meadows, the presence of marmots and ungulates bring the grandiose naturalistic setting back into the foreground. For the descent, from the hunting lodge continue in a loop on the nature trail to Eau Rousse. Meet at 9 a.m. Parking lot Town Hall Square Degioz. Elevation gain about 600 m. Difficulty level E (hiking).

JUNE 11 HIKE IN VALSAVARENCHE, IN THE HEART OF GRAN PARADISO NATIONAL PARK. Departure from Eaux Rousses. After crossing the Savara stream and the pastures at the bottom of the valley, along the former royal hunting road, we ascend into a mature forest of larch and spruce trees, Possible to observe signs of the presence of typical local inhabitants, from squirrels to black woodpeckers. Having met the trail that climbs from Tignet, continue until you spot the Levionaz Dessous alpine pasture. This is the most important in the valley, in the vicinity of which are a hut reserved for researchers studying ibex in the park and the park ranger's hut. The route continues along the large Levionaz plateau, leaving the Levionaz du Milieu pasture on the left to finally arrive at the last pasture of Levionaz Dessus.

The area is of high naturalistic interest and is almost unique within the entire park for its enormous wealth of wildlife, both in terms of the variety of species present and the number of specimens. Return downhill to Tignet (a small Valdostan village famous for its precious and well-kept typical alpine architecture ); wishing to continue further in a loop, crossing the Savara stream again, we gently ascend to the Eaux Rousses parking lot reaching the cars left in the morning. Meet at 9 a.m. parking lot on the main road in hamlet Eaux Rousse; elevation gain about 700 meters, difficulty E (hiking)

JUNE 17, IN COOPERATION WITH MONVISO PARK. Pian del Re-Buco di Viso; hike to the first tunnel in history, built in 1479, three years before the 'discovery' of America by Christopher Columbus; a hike for trained walkers, in a rugged and extremely fascinating scenery, in the area dominated by the massif and profile of Monviso, which does not present any particular technical difficulties; meet at 9 a.m. at the Pian del Re parking lot (fee required); elevation gain about 900 m, difficulty E

JUNE 18, IN COOPERATION WITH MONVISO PARK. Tour of the Lakes of Monviso; easy hike entirely in the presence of the King of Stone, Monviso, formerly Mount Vesulus; we will have a chance to admire the variety of colors, from dark blue to turquoise, of Lake Superior, Lake Lausetto, Lake Chiaretto and Lake Fiorenza: a day not to be missed if you like alpine lakes; elevation gain about 400 m, difficulty T/E; meet at 9 a.m. at the Pian del Re parking lot (fee); elevation gain about 900 m, difficulty E

JULY 22. Day immersed in the colors and shapes of the flower trail, an extraordinary spectacle with departure from Valcavera Pass in Stura Valley (about 300 m elevation gain, difficulty T/E)

JULY 23. Day of literally sensational views in the Stura valley, from the Valcavera pass to the Colle d'Ancoccia and the Colle Margherina with passage through the Maira valley on the Gardetta plateau (about 200 m elevation gain, difficulty T/E)

JULY 29-30. Pagarì Refuge, Saturday outward and Sunday return (overnight stay at the refuge), Gesso Valley-Maritime Alps Park (about 1400 m elevation gain,difficulty E)

Contacts

Franco Borgogno

Corso Siccardi 11 c/o European Research Institute

b.franco@eri.net.in

frankieborgogno@gmail.com