Thelife- A nonprofit organization of women rowers in
Venice ,Italy , is transporting groceries to individuals and families across the city. - Row Venice has partnered with local farms and businesses to help them deliver their goods.
- The organization's free service doesn't use carbon emissions. It hopes to continue the eco-friendly deliveries after Italy's lockdown is lifted.
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Tourists in Venice, Italy, have vanished, leaving gondolas to be used for something different — transporting groceries.
Older adults and individuals who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, making a typical trip to the grocery store more dangerous. In response,
Row Venice, a nonprofit organization made up of women rowers, typically hosts gondolier lessons for tourists, but the coronavirus has shuttered its business. In response, the nonprofit has pivoted to offering a free delivery service, according to its Instagram account.
Row Venice has partnered with local farms and businesses to help them complete deliveries across the city
Wearing masks and gloves, the rowers collect requests and then navigate Venice's winding canals to bring the groceries to a home or meeting point.
Italy has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Residents have been in lockdown since March and are only allowed to leave their apartment to go to the grocery store or pharmacy.
The high risk of catching the virus has left delivery services in high demand. Seeing that need, along with the chance to do it carbon-free, Row Venice offered to help.
"We offer an ecological transportation solution, lending a hand in this difficult time as we return to the origins of the city itself," the nonprofit said in a video.
The nonprofit hopes to continue its eco-friendly deliveries after Italy's lockdown is lifted
The city's canals have reportedly been much clearer since the lockdown order.
Without the millions of tourists who visit every year and the lockdown emptying waterways, sediment has settled.
Row Venice's gondoliers are some of the few on the empty waterways. But when life reignites in the city, Row Venice hopes to see more delivery services using the carbon-free gondolas and boats.
"We hope that this service will not be forgotten after the emergency passes and that other companies are persuaded that eco-sustainable rowing, albeit slower, is a viable choice," the nonprofit said in a video.
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