Florence’s central cinema to produce zero emissions

From February 1, the Odeon Firenze Cinehall in piazza Strozzi will be solely powered using clean energy, making it the first cinema of its kind in Italy. This shift was made possible thanks to a pledge between the picture house and Italia Rinnovabile, a Florence-founded company whose mission is to introduce renewable energy across the country.

Until now, the Odeon’s emissions stood at 100 tons of carbon dioxide per year, almost the same consumption as 50 households. From February, the cinema’s electricity will be provided by a hydroelectric plant in the Dolomites. The methane gas used to heat the venue will be replaced with gas from a green-energy provider that compensates the remaining carbon dioxide by reducing the equivalent amount through green-efficient projects across the world.

The project was achieved free of charge, without investment or the need to change the existing energy systems, saving on average 1,000 euro each year on bills.

The Odeon, which has operated as a cinema since 1922, is a popular meeting place for Florence’s international community due to the picture house’s Original Sound programme.