Michael Rech, Mayor of Folgaria, manages one of Italy's most dynamic Alpine municipalities. Located in the Dolomites, Folgaria welcomes 2 million visitors annually while maintaining a permanent population of just 3,000 residents spread across 33 villages. This creates a unique tension: balancing climate commitments with the realities of a tourism-dependent economy.

In this episode, Michael explores how small mountain municipalities can turn climate goals into everyday action. He discusses practical strategies for energy efficiency in public buildings, innovative water management systems that respond to Folgaria's unique geography, and sustainable mobility solutions tailored to Alpine terrain. Throughout the conversation, Michael emphasises the importance of collaboration and long-term partnerships in overcoming resource constraints.

The episode reveals how small municipalities can move beyond theoretical planning to deliver concrete results, even with limited budgets and administrative capacity.

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Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:01:15) - Teaser question: if you have a fun fact, or maybe a very little known fact about Folgaria.
• (00:02:47) - Guest background
• (00:04:55) - Municipality Day-to-Day Reality
• (00:06:36) - Everyday Climate Action
• (00:07:54) - Balancing Local Pressures
• (00:09:45) - Energy Efficiency Upgrades
• (00:12:58) - Water Infrastructure Challenges
• (00:16:14) - Low-Impact Mobility Strategy
• (00:20:52) - Small Municipality Challenges
• (00:21:45) - Overcoming Implementation Barriers
• (00:23:57) - Approaching Meaningful Collaboration
• (00:27:25) - Segment: Shout Out
• (00:28:42) - Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”