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Legambiente (Italy)

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 May 2016

Description of the flag
Earlier flags

See also:

Description of the flag

The Legambiente is the largest and most important environmentalist organisation in Italy, with more than 115,000 members. Founded in 1980 under the name "Lega per l'ambiente" (League for the environment) inside of the leftist cultural organization ARCI (Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana), it became an independent organization in 1986. In 1992, it changed its name to "Legambiente", a portmanteau word derived from the original name.

Already shortly after its foundation, the main symbol was adopted, a stylized green swan. The swan (in Italian "cigno") was designed by Gianni Sassi. Former president of Legambiente (1987-2003), Ermete Realacci, explains the symbol: "The Swan represents us, because it is beautiful, it lives in nature as well as in the city. And especially because, if required, it also knows to be mean." [1, p. 13] (my translation)

The several versions of the flag throughout its history show the swan on a yellow field, combined with the name of the organisation.
M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

Earlier flags

image by M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

The first flag showed the inscription "Lega per l'Ambiente" in a bowed line under the swan, and the inscription "ARCI" over the swan. At least the two photographs that I know showed all of this in black on a yellow field [2,3]; however, I am not sure if this was only a variant of otherwise green-on-yellow flags. This flag was probably used about 1980-1986.
M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

image by M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

After the separation from ARCI in 1986, the flag omitted the inscription "ARCI"; swan and inscription were obviously green. [4]
M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

image by M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

Around 1990, the inscription was changed to black capital letters in a straight line. [5,6]
M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

image by M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

The current flag shows the black inscription LEGAMBIENTE in a straight line under the swan. The flags do differ only slightly regarding the font type, letter size, letter boldness and colour shades. [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]
M. Schmöger, 22 June 2016

Sources:
[1] http://www.legambiente.it/sites/default/files/docs/_libro_30anni_unico.pdf
[2] L'Espresso 1985, 17 March, p. 37
[3] L'Espresso 1987, 31 May, p. 3
[4] L'Espresso 1987, 31 May, p. 150
[5] L'Espresso 1990, 10 June, p. 40
[6] L'Espresso 1994, 25 March, p. 70
[7] flag in collection Schmöger, bought November 2007 at ebay.it (size: 67,5x96cm)
[8] http://www.legambienteabruzzo.it/sito/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/chisiamo.jpg
[9] http://www.meridiananotizie.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LEGAMBIENTE-1.jpg
[10] http://bologna.repubblica.it/images/2012/12/05/195516622-7ada1d39-51d4-4b30-9d9f-a263c7807660.jpg
[11] http://st.ilfattoquotidiano.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Legambiente-interna.jpg
[12] http://vocedistrada.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/bandiera-legambiente.jpg
[13] http://www.blogtaormina.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Legambiente.jpg
[14] http://www.iltabloid.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Legambiente.jpg
[15] L'Espresso 2000, 31 August, p. 75
[16] L'Espresso 2002, 5 September, p. 66
[17] L'Espresso 2005, 7 July, p. 41
[18] L'Espresso 2005, 28 July, p. 75