The “Società Geologica Italiana” (Italian Geological Society)  is a nonprofit association. Founded in Bologna on September 29, 1881, and declared Ente Morale by Royal Decree of October 17, 1885. It is the oldest Italian scientific association working in the field of Earth Sciences. Its purpose is to advance, promote, and disseminate geological knowledge. It currently has about 1,300 members in Italy and abroad, 14 active sections and a Documentation Center at the Geotechnology Center of the University of Siena. 

The Società Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia (Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology), founded in Pavia on December 12, 1940, as the “Italian Mineralogical Society,” is a nonprofit association working in all areas of the Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences. It got its present name in 1970, and has over 500 members in Italy and abroad. It promotes affiliations with other scientific and cultural associations aimed at related disciplines through common activities and initiatives.

Since 2014, the annual congresses of the two Societies have been held together. In 2022, the SGI-SIMP Congress “Geosciences for a sustainable future” aimed to encourage the joint action of the different actors working in the world of Geosciences. Indeed, the Earth Sciences scientific community is directly involved in the study of the climate crisis and its consequences on the planet. 

In line with the Climate Action of the European Green Deal, the Congress will donate a share to a reforestation project, to sequestrate CO2 emissions from the activities related to the conference. Over the years, the Italian Geological Society has supported the reforestation of Bosco Sacile, one of the last ancient forests in the Friuli lowland, and the forests of Enego, which were heavily affected by Storm Vaia, in 2018.

The reforestation intervention chosen by the two Societies for 2022 and 2023 is led by Etifor, a spin-off of the University of Padua and part of “Biodiversity and Climate” (BioClima). It is a call for proposals co-funded by the Lombardy Region to conserve biodiversity, counter the climate crisis, and enhance ecosystem services of forests.