The ties between Detroit and Italy date back to 1899, the year of the first Auto Show, the same year in which Italy sent its first consul to this city, recalled the Italian ambassador to the USA, Mariangela Zappia. "We are currently the only European country that has a consulate in Detroit and this says a lot about the relations between Detroit and Italy and, of course, between Detroit and Turin, the automotive capital of Italy," Zappia said. "Italy is at the forefront of innovation in the automotive sector", remarked the ambassador, recalling the "Italian champions" present at the 2023 Auto Show, in particular in the electric cars sector.
"Tonight we celebrate sustainable mobility, after having celebrated the Space sector and Italian fashion. We wanted to use sustainability as an underlying theme, because it crosses various sectors", said the Italian consul in Detroit, Allegra Baistrocchi, promoter of 'LoveItDetroit'. "Italy is at the forefront of the fight against climate change and is fighting for this internationally, so why not use design as a vehicle for this issue?", added the consul.
Kerry Duggan, sustainability expert and CEO of SustenaibiliD, an organization she founded in 2017, after having held various consultancy roles in the Obama-Biden Administration, also spoke about the links between Detroit and Italy. "Clearly we both have in common that we create things. And not only do we produce things, we are innovative, we design, we are both known for design. Detroit is a UNESCO city of design. And obviously I don't need to say anything about Italy and the its design heritage," Duggan said, after moderating the expert panel.
Among the speakers of the evening, also Marco Bruzzano, senior vice president of regularory affairs of DTE, the Detroit energy company. "Companies like DTE are focused on reaching net zero emissions as quickly as possible. We just announced that we will retire all of our coal plants by 2032. And we are on track to reduce our emissions by 85% by 2032. The innovation ecosystem that we have in Detroit, with the automotive companies, the utilities, the investments that are being made from all over the world make this an incredible moment," Bruzzano said, underlining that "in this moment, when the transition will impact so many people, from businesses to residents, it's so important to listen to all stakeholders, reach out and understand everyone's concerns, make sure no one is left behind as we navigate this transition."
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