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GLOBE Italy: Global Water Celebration “Rivers in Spring 2025” Brings Together Thousands in Mantua (Mantova) and Around the World

Apr 25, 2025

Collage of people at the 2025 Rivers in Spring celebration. On 21 March 2025, more than 4,000 students, educators, scientists, and local citizens gathered in Mantua, Italy, for the 25th edition of “Rivers in Spring”—a vibrant celebration of World Water Day. Held both in person, along the shore of Lake Mantua, and online across the globe, the event connected people of different ages and nations through learning about and protecting one of our planet’s most vital resources: water.

The 2025 main theme, “Glacier Preservation,” highlighted the alarming loss of glaciers around the world. Other key topics included microplastic pollution, the water–climate connection, and other critical issues related to sustainable water use.

Organized by GLOBE Italy, LABTER-CREA Mantova, Associazione GLOBE Italia APS, MMPT, and Deakin University, the event was made possible with the support of many local partners and the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Regional Coordination Office (RCO).

Joyful and Diverse In-Person Celebration

The in-person event at Lungolago Gonzaga, on a lakeshore in Mantua, featured over 100 interactive stands filled not only with scientific presentation and experiments but also with creative workshops and hands-on water-themed activities. Schools from across Italy took part, creating a dynamic and joyful atmosphere.

Group of people at the lake shore.

People on the shore of the Mantua Lower Lake

Students led and explored activities on a variety of topics—from river biology and water quality testing to monitoring microplastics in the environment.

“Seeing so many young people excited about protecting water and learning science gives us real hope for the future,” said Sandro Sutti, coordinator of GLOBE Italy and one of the event’s main organizers.

A Truly Global Event

While the lakeside event was alive with activity, the GLOBE community also connected online. The international live broadcast, coordinated by Alessandra Sutti and Stuart Robottom, researchers from Deakin University (Australia), featured inspiring conversations with students and scientists, opening remarks from the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia RCO, and live glimpses into the activities in Mantua.

During the event, students from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Guatemala-Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States presented their impressive water-related projects.

Meanwhile, a national broadcast in Italian connected schools from across the country, sharing their efforts and voices in support of clean water and environmental education.

“We are grateful to all GLOBE students, teachers, scientists, coordinators—and even non-GLOBE participants—who joined live or sent in videos,” said Stuart Robottom at the close of the international session. “Your energy, passion, and creativity continue to make the Earth a better place.”

🎥 Recordings are now available:

Art and Action: Microplastics Awareness Through Science and Creativity

A major focus of the event was microplastic pollution in water. Some of the student videos featured in the international broadcast were originally created for the powerful exhibition “The Torments of Poseidon: Microplastics in the Hydrosphere,” held in Palmanova, Italy, earlier this year. With more than 3,000 visitors, the exhibition connected science, student voices, and artistic expression to raise awareness about one of the planet’s most urgent environmental threats.

Flyers for “The Torments of Poseidon: Microplastics in the Hydrosphere” event;
for more information (in Italian) and images, go to POSEIDON

Go to the exhibition trailer: TRAILER DELLA MOSTRA

As part of the event, the Microplastics Monitoring Campaign 2025 was also launched. This global campaign encourages schools to collect and share data on microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes, and seas—further strengthening the scientific community's understanding and response.

“We’re proud of what we achieved this year, both in person and online,” concluded Lorella Rigonat, GLOBE Italy country coordinator “But we know the work doesn’t stop here. Together, we can keep learning, teaching, and protecting our water.”

Press Coverage

This event was covered by numerous local news outlets in print, on television, and online. One newspaper dedicated a 20-page insert dedicated to World Water Day 2025.