| The nave is framed by rows of mismatched columns — some smooth, others fluted; some made of granite, others of marble. They are topped with a motley mix of both Corinthian and Ionic capitals. Some columns needed extra material to accommodate their varying heights. They look like they came from a secondhand store. Which is, in fact, roughly the case. San Giorgio is a "spolia" church, in which many of the basic architectural elements were reused from older buildings. Spolia is Latin for spoils, familiar in English usage from the phrase "spoils of war." In architecture, it refers to the reuse of decorative and structural elements. The mismatched columns and other oddities throughout the nave of San Giorgio are signs of recycling. As the planet faces a climate crisis that could dwarf the human impact of the collapse of Ancient Rome, these churches are getting another look: as a model of the sort of recycling that is key to a sustainable global economy and building sector, currently responsible for more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. | 
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