Environmental communication on local level: the importance of a relationship "of trust"

by Silvia Musso

Yesterday, October 29 at the Caffè Scienza of Ecomondo (Italian environmental fair) there was talk of environmental communication, taking as inspiration the publication of the book " Environmental Communication practical guide for public administrations", edited by AICA in partnership with Erica soc coop by Flaccovio publisher.
Have discussed about the theme the author Roberto Cavallo and the CONAI Deputy General Director Walter Facciotto, with journalist Gabriella Lepre as a moderator.
Cavallo has briefly outlined the structure of the book, which will be published on next year: after a theorical introduction, it will focus on practical examples from the experiences of those involved in the communication process. To complete the work there will be interviews to local environmental communication actors or people who for various reasons have followed advertising campaigns linked to environmental issues.
From this starting point (Cavallo has read some book passages in preview, citing among others the former environment councilor of Rome Municipality, Dario Esposito, the President of Federambiente, Daniele Fortini and the President of Kyoto Club, Beppe Gamba) the discussion focused on certain aspects, including the importance of the Code and the relationship with the territory.
Walter Facciotto has underlined that, through communication, the government should establish a relationship of trust with its citizens and not be limited to mere advocacy, and information. «There are many books that speak of communication, including communication and environment -said the CONAI Deputy Director - This practical guide is different because of its concreteness and the ability to translate a number of direct experiences in a book aimed specifically to public administrators».
Cavallo has yet mentioned the etymological root of the verb "communicate", reduce the distance between transmitter and receiver of messages.
The meeting was closed spoken about communications due to the reduction and prevention of waste, in view of the "European Week for Waste Reduction 2009" (EWWR 2009), highlighting how the feeling of helplessness of the individual facing a wide problem like this, it is to be addressed and overcome on communication level. More...

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Tck tck tck. It's countdown.

by Eleonora Anello

December 7th, 2009 is approaching. Eyes on the international meeting in which, hopefully, all countries sign the agreement currently on the table in terms of climate changes. Although the hypothesis seems unlikely, the Global Humanitarian Forum has launched the campaign "Tck tck tkc" to organize the mass of public support that will be pressing on participants.
The international organization, founded in 2007 and led by the ex-secretary general of the United Nations Kofi Annan, is coordinating the public to raise awareness about the devastating effects caused by global warming and increased support to vulnerable populations that will be most affected by these changes.

The promoters define Tck tck tck, an unprecedented global alliance with the ambitious aim to the United Nations Convention resulted in a "fair and binding" agreement.
The civil society is thus organized into a movement made up of individuals and associations not only ecologists, as WWF and Greenpeace, as well as humanitarian like the Red Cross and Amnesty International, religious (World Council of Church) and representatives of the arts and the entertainment, as “The age of stupid”, to join forces and do lobbying on the politicians.

The accessions to the campaign are collected on the site, the core of the promotion where you can not only download the material to spread independently the action (banners, logos but also the graphics to add to its electronic signature), but also creatively through his own style. You can also see the many viral movie, listen and download the song "Beds are burning", which lend their voices famous artists as Lily Allen, Youssou N'Dour, the Duran Duran, the Scorpions and many others.
But Internet is not the only means used for promotion. Kofi Annan has recently written to 100 world leaders to encourage them to participate in the campaign, asking them to put the issue of climate change on the political agenda. The same message will be delivered to 100 business leaders in the territories administered by them, inviting them, in turn, to write a further 100 trading partners, creating a real chain letter!

Between all the video material, we highlight "It's time to act on climate change", by Oxfam. The narrative tends to evoke in the target audience, whether general, a strong sense of anxiety and fear put it across the vision of natural disasters, which, however, are too distant from the common perception of climate changes. The selected images are of impact, the style blends with the peculiarities of the campaign but, however, are prevedibles.
To what extent the "threat" may affect the individual? The fear can persuade to the action, or end up suffocating it? The number of accessions present on the site, it seems that Oxfam has determined its good ingredient. Seems Oxfam has measured good its ingredient given the number of accessions present on the site.
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AICA Ecomondo 2009 special

by Silvia Musso

Thursday, October 29th, at 2.30 pm at the Caffè Scienza of Ecomondo (Fiera di Rimini, Hall South), AICA organizes the debate “La Comunicazione Ambientale per le Pubbliche Amministrazioni” (The Environmental Communication for Public Administrations), in collaboration with E.R.I.C.A. soc. coop.
Inside the Communication Sciences, the Environmental Communication appears to be a recently branch and, therefore, lacks a precise codification. The same terms that constitute the expression -"communication" and "environmental"- are difficult to define, since their semantic areas are large and heterogeneous. They are, in fact, polysemic nouns, which can take on different nuances according to different disciplines or contexts of application. Yet, in recent years, there has been a gradual increase in the availability of environmental information.
For this reason, AICA is preparing a volume specifically devoted to Environmental Communication for Public Administrations, which is intended as a practical guide that can provide some insights for understanding what environmental communication campaigns in the public sector are and how they work.
Behind posters, brochures, meetings, educational activities etc.. there is, in fact, a complex system that synergistically combines the work of many professional (technical and communication experts) and stimulates the dialogue and the confrontation among citizens and different stakeholders.
Walter Facciotto, deputy general director of CONAI, talks on the issue with Roberto Cavallo, AICA’s President and author of the book “Guida pratica sulla comunicazione ambientale per le Pubbliche Amministrazioni” (Practical Guide on Communication for Environmental Public Administrations, to be published by Flaccovio). Moderator is Gabriella Lepre (Science Editor of the Giornale Radio RAI).

Furthermore, inside Ecomondo 2009, on Friday, October 30th, there will be the national press conference launching the first official edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR). The appointment is at 12 am at the stand of Federambiente (Sector B3, stand 26).
Speakers are: Daniele Fortini, Federambiente’s president; Pinuccia Montanari, component of the Osservatorio Nazionale Rifiuti (National Waste Observatory); Roberto Cavallo, counsellor ACR + and AICA’s president; Roberto Ronco, Province of Turin’s Environnement Councillor; Graziano Delrio, Mayor of Reggio Emilia and referent of Rifiuti 21 Network; Federica Rolle, Italian National Commission for Unesco; Stefano Ciafani, Legambiente, Paolo Hutter, director of "Eco dalle Città” and CONAI, as the main sponsor of the initiative.
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All recyclable, including Tetra Pak

by Alessio Sciurpa

Province of Vercelli’s Environment Department (Italy) launches a widespread communication and information campaign, based on the claim “Tutti riciclabili” (All recyclable) to promote separate waste collection, and stakes on the possibility of recycling packages for drinks as the main change in everyday’s habits.
The campaign, in fact, is made in cooperation with Tetra Pak Italia, a company already used to make actions and sensitize citizens directly. It will be on air from the end of October till the end of November.
It is based on a mailing sent to all citizens living in the Province, with an informative leaflet (also distributed in public offices on the territory), and supported by billboards, radio and press ads.
To launch the campaign there has also been a congress, titled “A good waste collection for a good recycling”, including speeches by CONAI (national Consortium for packaging), COMIECO (national Consortium for paper and cardboard recycling), Tetra Pak Italy and Piedmont Region, plus Mr. Massimo Materi (Municipality of Vercelli’s councillor for sensitization to separate waste collection) who talked about the importance of involving citizens directly. The main aim of the congress and the campaign (all made by ERICA) is to put in evidence that separate waste collection helps to recover resources and preserving the Environment, underlining the innovation made by the recycling of Tetra Pak-like packages.
«We launched two messages today - declares Fabrizio Finocchi, Provincia of Vercelli’s Environment councillor - our Province have qualified itself in recent years to an almost total absence of recycle system. We are reversing this system and changing the fallout of the system. Rewrite a new provincial plan within the process that we started, which is a virtuous process. As a white sheet, easy to write, since there is written nothing. In this white sheet we have found an immediate synergy with Tetra Pak, a company that has a very high sense of corporate responsibility in terms of their environmental impact, very rare to find. The Province of Vercelli found very smart partnerships in this type of initiative. Excellent synergy that we had no problems to improve thanks of Tetra Pak operators intelligence, which I must say have environmental sensitivity at least equal to the public operators ». More...

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Who will pay the bill for climate change?

by Alessio Sciurpa

Interesting, entertaining and informative "The Bill", a shortfilm directed by Peter Wedel of Eco-film (Berlin), re-reads in an ironic way themes have long questioned. What is behind the development model of "developed" countries, the lightness with which we make our choices of consumption and who actually pays the consequences. Although it seems a bit rhetoric in the final part, the effect is definitely good.

Winner of last edition of Germanwatch Short Film Competition and financial support from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, "The Bill" premiere was at the Development & Climate Day Conference and Film Festival in Bonn last June.

Scripted with simplicity and efficiency, the characters well characterized although, appears to be a good environmental communication product.

Always ironic, but certainly with more affordable aims, “Ninjiin-The Way Of The Vegetable Assassin” of the British Do the Green Thing. More...

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Fun viral marketing

by Eleonora Anello

Half experiment half viral campaign. The fun can be an effective deterrent to change people's attitudes? If simply by climbing a ladder you can compose music, or if a garbage can produce funny sounds, would be more likely that people will stop using the escalators and leaving waste on the street? According to Volkswagen, yes. With that in mind the carmaker launched "The funtheory", a new viral marketing campaign starting in June 2009 in Sweden and now expanding globally.
The initiative seems to refer to the work of Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein titled "Nudge. Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness". According to this two authors, in order to direct people towards a particular choice in any field, from waste disposal practices of good citizenship, you need a "sting", an aid. And Volkswagen’s viral movies are so a good example of this new theory that they’re mentioned in Nudge's blog.

In a market where competition is becoming fiercer, and traditional commercials are snubbed by the public, to promote the new VW with eco-system BlueMotionTechnologies a more innovative and apparently successful way was finally choosen . The video "Piano stairs" in fact has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on YouTube and is part of a much larger viral marketing project than continue with an increasing involvement of consumers, called to produce similar videos before November 15. The winner will receive a prize of 2,500 €.

The theory works: it is in fact an increase of 66% of people preferred to climb the "Stairs piano" rather than being passively transported with a higher consumption of electricity by the comfortable but boring escalators. Furthermore, in a single day the trash "sound" has collected 72 kg of waste, 41 more than the daily average.
The leadership of Volkswagen say they want to make the world a better and more fun place to live and the site was created to support the initiative, promising to publish further demonstrations in support of their argument. Once the mechanism was triggered curiosity, "buzz" and anticipation surrounding the publication of the movies arises, in fact the channel has already announced the release of other "experiments". And in these days is online the highly anticipated "Bottle Bank arcade machine", a funny way to sort waste. But the next step will be so automatic? The consumer will associate the fun to the driving a Volkswagen? Or its focus will remain on sharing of videos with friends?
Again, this theory is really as effective in determining the actions of individuals as to suggest a new way of manipulating the masses without even instruct them because of the changes required? If so it would be worrying, or we must abandon this paranoid obsession and understand the nudge as a powerful tool for rethinking our habits and abandon ourselves to a new way of life that make us live better relations with our fellow humans and the environment?
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ANNOUNCED TODAY THE FINALISTS OF THE AICA PRIZE 2009 “COMMUNICATING WITH CITIZENS IMPROVES THE ENVIRONMENT”

AICA – International Association for Environmental Communication - announced today the finalists of the 6th edition of the “AICA Prize” for environmental communications.
There are three yearly awards:

“Communicating with citizens improves the environment”
The main award; every year has its own theme: for 2009 it is “Communicating the Green Innovation”.
Finalists:
- Motel Connection, per the project “H.E.R.O.I.N. - Human Environmental Return of Output/Input Network”, cross-medial project throughout music, comics, videogame and ecologic commitment
- “Waterlife” project, website, documentary and community on Great Lakes preservation

“Communicating the Kyoto Protocol”
Special award dedicated to CO2 emissions cutting.
Finalists:
- Panos Pictures, per Tuvalu Island reportage
- Global Warming: Early Warning Signs, a map on climate change scenarios

Career Award (entitled to Mr. Beppe Comin, one of the pioneers of environmental communication in Italy)
Screening is over and the winner for 2009 is Dr. Joe Smith (Open University – BBC).

The award-giving ceremony is scheduled for the first part of December in Turin (Italy): winners, exact location and date will be given as soon as possible.

AICA is an association constituted on January 2003 in Alba (Italy).
It is a cultural project which aims at knowing, studying and promoting national and international environmental communication actions; sharing and comparing campaigns, studying the possible use of media in relation to environmental issues, defining new strategies and collaborating with existing projects.

The evaluation criteria rely on five aspects:
• professional or cultural interest in environmental communication issues;
• both visual and verbal language effectiveness;
• original and innovative use of means of communication;
• choice of communication methods that should not only inform, but manage to inflict real behaviour changes as well;
• ability to reach the most large target possible, promoting positive behaviour models in terms of environmental preservation.

AICA Prize is made with the cooperation of Amiat, E.R.I.C.A. soc. coop. and Municipality of Turin.
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Free to copy

by Eleonora Anello

8101 copies of a documentary as a tool to push the Italian local government to reduce the environmental impact and improve the quality of life in their municipalities.

“Viaggio nell’Italia dei Comuni a 5 stelle” (Journey in the Commons to 5 stars) by Michele Dotti is a video-inquiry that shows the best practices of some local amministration that have decided to support the environment, the economy, the efficiency and the occupation of the territories that administer: put on DVD, was sent to the mayors of all the 8101 Italian municipalities, inviting them to implement what is shown in the movie.
The DVD is in fact a reservoir of environmental good practices, from which the mayors are encouraged to freely draw ideas and inspiration; a tool to publicize and disseminate an alternative model of society based on a logic different from that of unlimited growth that dominated the idea of development in recent decades and which put on the centre the people, its quality of life, its environment. Within the film will also see celebrities like Dario Fo and Beppe Grillo.

The campaign of spreading is performed by Marco Boschini assessor of planning for the territory (urban planning and environment) and for the heritage of Colorno (Parma) and coordinator of the Associazione dei Comuni Virtuosi (Association of virtuousirtuous Municipalities), an experience born from the idea of four mayors -Colorno (Parma), Melpignano (Lecce), Monsano (Ancona) and Vezzano Ligure (La Spezia) - that is spreading by word of mouth but mainly due to the results obtained and the credibility currently enjoyed by its promoters.
The "virtuous" have now become a movement that has attracted the attention of the media and of hundreds of thousands of professionals of the sector.

It’s in the planning stage the 2009 edition of Premio nazionale dei Comuni a 5 Stelle (National Award of Commons to 5 Stars), an opportunity to help create awareness among citizens and to encourage public entities in terms of "best practices" through the enhancement and promotion of "case studies" of experiences undertaken in these years and continued successfully.
The municipalities that have carried out projects aimed to reduce their ecological footprint can register by October 25th 2009. The categories in which you can compete are: territory management, ecological footprint of the municipal machine, waste, sustainable mobility, new lifestyles.
At the overall winner, which is the Common will have shown that an integrated action across all five categories, it will be a free consultation to start a pilot project of "sweet mobility", aimed at reducing the private traffic and the pollution.
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What can one blog do to change the world?

by Alessio Sciurpa

What can one blog do to change the world? Is the question asked by the organizers of Blog Action Day 2009.

The answer: not much, but fortunately there are many blogs!

Precisely for this Blog Action Day 2009 invites all the blogs on the planet to join the mobilization of a day, today 15th of October, in which all the bloggers posting on the same theme. This year's theme is climate change. Focusing on global warming "just as our leaders prepare to meet in Copenhagen [...] to agree on permanent solutions to this emergency," says the promoter Robin Beck of change.org.

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the whole world Blogger to post the same day a post on the same subject with the purpose of bringing attention to an issue of global importance. BAD 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. Anyone can make their views known, may join bloggers from every corner of the planet, launching discussions on the theme of climate change.

Three simple steps to join the initiative: register, promote, take action. And then post on climate change or issues related to it, such as renewable energy, impact on the future of our children or direct experiences. Or, again, the relationship between environment and economy. The slogan of the initiative is "One day. One problem, thousands of voices. "

A substantial 2.0 communication mode, which invites the visitor signs up to promote the event on the major platforms, twitter, facebook for example, and through periodic reminder. When registering, you can already express their preference for the theme of 2010. To choose the theme of the environment, thousands of people who have voted. The initiative works, as demonstrates that the members have gone in one night from 6936 Blogs from 135 different countries, to 8054 and 143 countries, when we post it. Including: Google and Mashable, Autoblog and TMZ, NGOs like Greenpeace and WWF and Mediapartners as Current. But individuals also.

We couldn't not join in!
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Green E-government

by Eleonora Anello

The Department of Environment of Parma launches Parmambiente, new portal dedicated to the territory which has the main objective of strengthening democracy and that is improving the relationship between taxpayers and administrators.
This is a site developed with the dual purpose of comply with the new laws and to make available to citizens a data and services container like analysis, projects and information on the state of the environment, on the levels of pollution, on improvement projects, on best practices adopted by government and, soon, even from the companies in the field of sustainability.

Area easily accessible and searchable, Parmambiente is a good example of "eGovernment". There it shows its main promoter: the assessor Giancarlo Castellani.

Assessor, what are the goals that arise in a administration in the building of a portal as Parmambiente?
«With the new portal we wanted to provide to all interested parties, subject to transparency, convenience and efficiency the information of the "state of the environment of our territory" that can and should be reported promptly to the community. It is important that all may have information about the environment we live in and it is even more in a province like ours, which is famous for its excellent food: excellence that to remain so they need a protected territory. Must not forget that the theme of the environment requires a continuous and constant attention. The goal achieved is therefore to provide an additional services to that staff and offices held regularly, all using the power of computing platform ».

Can the contact and attachment to their territories to improve and change the perception and thus the environmental behaviour?
«Where there is an environment to be protected must generate strong social values, for the simple reason that where there are strong social values, there isn’t the need to protect the environment, these simple words contain in them a fundamental truth that becomes the objective of our daily action through a continuous and extensive work that should be the preservation and protection of the environment to education to the same. There is a phrase that may further explain the importance of working on the values and the perception towards our territory, this phrase by Wendell Berry, poet, writer and above all a farmer for many years in practice first hand and spread throughout the world of traditional, natural and sustainable farming methods , that says about our children and their detachment have toward their environment: "Our children no longer learn to read the great book of nature from their direct experience, nor to interact creatively with the seasonal changes of our planet. Rarely learn where it comes from or where it ends up the water ... "». More...

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Europe and Regions for renewable energy

by Alessio Sciurpa

"Europe and Regions for renewable energy" is the name of the conference scheduled on 16 October at 9.00 am, at the Spazio Etoile, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome, by Sustainable Development Foundation (SUSDEF). The conference will provide an opportunity to review progress on the promotion of energy from renewable sources, as indicated by the Directive 2009/28/EC, which requires each state member to submit to the Commission a national program of action within on June of 2010, with the objectives to be achieved for all renewable energy sources (electricity, heat, cooling and biofuels).
The Foundation has produced a report in 2009 dedicated to the deepening of its
mix of different sources and their distribution among all Italian regions. This Report will be the focus of discussions with representatives from Europe, the Italian Government and regions. Inside the event, also will be given space to the comparison between the renewable industry and institutional representatives, to create an effective synergy between those who draw up the programs and business representatives of the sector, that those projects will be to implement.

Participation is free and to all will be distributed a copy of Report 2009 "Europe and the Regions for renewable energy."

Follow this link for the complete program.
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12th Cinemambiente

by Alessio Sciurpa

Beginning today, Thursday, October 8th, the 12th edition of Cinemambiente - Environmental Film Festival of Turin (Italy), with the screening of the film "We have already" direct by Francesco Hazzini and the Finnish documentary "Recipe for disaster" by John Webster, at the Sala Jyoto (Kyoto hall), Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 15.

Among the over 100 films of this year "Green Porno" by Isabella Rossellini, the British "The Age of Stupid" and "Adotta un Kilowatt (Adopt a Kilowatt)." This year’s program features a vast variety of topics: the world economic crisis and its repercussions on the environment; exploitation of natural resources; traffic and sustainable mobility; garbage and waste disposal; global warming; food production; bioethics; history of the green movement; censorship of images by totalitarian regimes; eco-compatible goods and green lifestyles and the families who adopt them.

Corollary at this initiative seminar and workshops and an exhibition of environmental video art will be on show at the “Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation”. All this things makes Cinemambiente one of the main event on environment film theme, one of the most dynamic and innovative genre in contemporary filmmaking which has gained a respected place in documentary film festivals around the world.

Follow this link for complete program. More...

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BOOK REVIEW: The environmental communication: systems, scenarios and perspectives

by Emanuela Rosio

Ravenna (Italy) - Wednesday, September 30th, Popolo Square, in the event Ravenna 2009 - waste, water, energy. Sustainability and Innovation, cities and regions, was presented the book “The environmental communication: systems, scenarios and perspectives” by Erik Balzaretti (Member of AICA’s Scientific Committee since 2003) and Benedetta Gargiulo; Franco Angeli Editor.
The authors were interviewed by Patrizio Roversi with Andrea Atzori, Director of the Consortium of Padua Basin 2, which promoted the book. During the event, Patrizio Roversi has done a nice example that highlighted the relational feeling, that environmental communication of a local nature can develop.
The example has been the introduction of the door to door service to the home of nonagenarian mother. This change has meant that the nephew had to explain to grandmother how to separate their waste, and that the old lady asked the help of a neighbour in the tasks of bringing the materials to the containers. And even on the refrigerator of the old lady there is a part for the indications on medicines to be taken and on the other side which materials give for collection, day by day. All this stems from a new form of dialogue between generations in which young people, with more environmental sensations, helps the elderly to return to the old habit of not throwing anything away, and obliged the neighbours to talk and interact also just to decide where to put containers.
From the nice environmental communication example of Roversi, we passed to the book, which has the undoubted merit, of turned into theory many concrete experiences of environmental communication. The text presents a first part on the environmental communication history and a brief overview of its evolution over the years. The book starts talking about environmental communication as social communication, and then the needs to introduce elements of assessment and monitoring of the outcomes of communication campaigns. Communicating environmental issues means in fact achieve measurable goals, especially when the campaigns are in support of local services.
In the second part will provide more operational guidance on new tools that can be used also through aggressive marketing actions, and that leading to direct contact with the population.
The communication is in continuous evolution, and the strategy change with the society to which they are addressed, bearing in mind that if on one side is important not to be too negative with messages, on the other side it is important reach the public directly and engage them.
At the end of the book, two in-depth on the evaluation of the effectiveness of the actions of environmental and web communication by Mimma Cedroni and Francesco Pira.
I Recommend the text to all those who want to deepen the theory of environmental communication, and make a leap forward in the analysis of new tools, and certainly those who have always made environmental communication in practice, pointing out that innovation in communication must always be the winning weapon.
Thanks to Erik Balzaretti for citing AICA in the history of environmental communication. More...

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A village celebrating… the organic waste collection

by Silvia Musso


For a day the merry-go-rounds kept motionless and the balls left in a corner: the park, in fact, was hosting several toys made with salvage plus a party dedicated to the organic waste collection.
The Catalonian Municipality of St. Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona) has chosen to involve children and their families in the final event of the communication campaign “Separa bé la matèria orgànica” (Separate the organic waste properly), to sensitize all citizens about the importance of collecting that kind of waste: a day in which were mixed together information, environmental education (also using a play for kids from 2 to ten years) and toys made using only salvages, proposed by the Catalonian group “Guixot de 8”, well known in whole Europe.
All participants –some hundreds of people, summing up children and adults- were then invited to make the test “Creus que això és orgànic?” (Do you think it is organic waste?): once filled, they could take part in a banquet, which waste (including glasses and kitchenware) had to be thrown into the bins of organic waste collection.

This event has been the final act of a various campaign of communication and sensitization, modelled on the territory, which staked on the direct involvement of citizens, with specific actions for particular categories. In addition to mailing and informative desks, they created multi-language leaflets (in Spanish and English, for tourists, and in Arab, for the many workers coming from Northern Africa living in that area) and contacted the commuters arriving every morning at the railway and bus station. A qualified staff went to the major villas, talking directly with home-maids, as they represent often the persons that make the separation of domestic waste. A double billposting was also made: first billboards were based on a provocative claim (“Do you think it is organic waste?”, also used for the final test), while the second series used the campaign’s slogan.

«Results will be seen in some months, but answers from citizens are already positive, thanks to the choice of using messages sent in different situations and using different languages –say the organizers- The strength of this campaign was the “tailor-made” project, based on real necessities of the Municipality of St. Andreu de Llavaneres». More...

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Green Living

by Eleonora Anello

Participation and sharing are at the base of "Ecologicamente", from 16th to 18th October in Fermo (MC - Italy). Promoted by the Cultural Association Spazio Ambiente wich since 1999, organizes meetings, events and competitions dedicated to promoting a new environmental culture, the event aims to provide to the citizens, not just, rigth and practical answers, inviting them to meet public administration representatives, institutions, associations and professionals.

An exhibition with stands of companies, institutions and associations and focuses workshops are the real tools of communication of this event. The presentation and the direct experience of green oriented solution are the means by which convey the creation of widespread environmental awareness. As the bio.eco.bar and bio.eco.ristorazione that will allow participants to taste products from organic farming and cultivation from areas adjacent, during the whole event.

The event will be an opportunity to talk and compare notes on issues related to sustainability, such as waste reduction with the presentation Saturday, October 17th of the new edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction, which we discussed in our previous post and that will be held November 21 to 29, inside the panel discussion titled "Reducing waste production is possible? Some answers”, to be attended by the Marche Region, International Association for Environmental Communication AICA, Legambiente Italy, University of Camerino-Faculty of Architecture. More...

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Investigastoro promotes the public water

by Eleonora Anello

Can a beaver and a small house help to promote the consumption of public water? Yes, if the house is a "House of Water" and the beaver is, in fact, a comic used to communicate with the public, starting with the youngest.

This is the experience of Alpignano (province of Turin, Piedmont) where last September 18th was inaugurated the "House of the Water", a covered structure which provides drinking water -natural and sparkling- from the city aqueduct managed by SAP, joint venture with majority public that handles this valuable resource both for domestic and commercial, industrial and agricultural usages.

To accompany the launch of the "House of the Water" was also conducted a specific communication campaign, just based on the aforementioned character (named "Investigastoro" as beaver-investigator and expert in the field always looking for good water to drink) and includes several actions: the involvement of traditional media to Web 2.0, from the billboards to the direct contact with users-consumers.
Significant used the claim: “Aiutare l’ambiente risparmiando? Facile come bere un bicchiere d’acqua” ("Help the environment saving? Easy as drinking a glass of water").

Objective of the initiative, in addition to promoting the domestic use of water from the aqueduct, it is also the reduction of the waste and the emissions of CO2 arising from the purchase of bottled water, especially in plastics.

We spoke with Raffaele Barrina, President of SAP and leading proponent of the initiative.

Why did you choose to install a Home of the Water? It is the right tool for promoting public water?
«We started from the observation that there are several clichés about the drinking water, mostly created by advertisements disclosed from the mineral waters on the market. We have tried to debunk them: it is not true, for example, that the water you buy at the supermarket is better, as regards taste and safety, in relation to water public. The House of Water is there to prove it. In addition, to cater to those who consume fizzy water (and avoid alibi), we chose to install a tap "with bubbles" while, to ensure good quality of our product, we distribute water that comes directly from one of the pipelines 'aqueduct and then by a continuous stream taken at 2 meters deep. The all -including then the House of the Water- therefore has a promotional function, dare I say "of marketing" for the product "Public Water"».

Around the inauguration of the House of the Water you have created a communication campaign also based on a cartoon character: Investigastoro. Why have you made this choice?
«Among the targets of our initiative we have privileged young people, the adults of tomorrow. We have so decided to focus especially on the primary school and Investigastoro is the star of a compelling comic: wants to know more about the quality and provenance of the water of the aqueduct. So, with scientific method, before he documented and verification on the ground and then draws his conclusions, which are obviously in favor of “water of the mayor “ consumption. We tried to involve as much as possible the students with the intent of educating them to a critical and responsible consumption: with their teachers have also interpreted the comic story, a tool that lends itself well to this type of activity».

How are the citizens? Have you other campaigns in mind for the future?
«Very good. The data also confirm to us: just a week after the inauguration we switched to deliver from 400 to 600 liters of sparkling water a day and, according to our estimates, we should stabilize around 800. Also the gruop who formed on Facebook has given good feedback, soon we will establish a blog on the SAP’s site in which citizens can speak about their experiences because we think that a comment made by a friend is much more reliable and convincing than a "formal" message taught by an institution. Besides, I noted with pleasure that the House of Water is becoming a real meeting place: some people now go there every day! This means that people have understood the message conveyed by the campaign, they realized that with their actions that costs nothing we earn them and the environment. In a few months, to December, we will consider whether to launch a new campaign to convince people to use glass containers rather than plastic ones. For now we leave them time to organize».
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Tetra Pack Italia vs. CO2

by Eleonora Anello

All of us, at least once in life, we found ourselves in this dubious situation: in which basket throws the Tetra Pak? To the question answers the Tetra Pak Italian division campaign "Where? In the paper basket” on air from September 14 to October 10 and addressed to 3000 Italian municipalities where the collection of this packaging is already active, thanks to specific agreements.

The Swedish company, a member of AICA (International Association for Environmental Communication), has designed an informational campaign that is aimed at an overall target. Communicative action continues the trend which began in 2008 with the campaign 'Tell to All", and works on two levels: one through billboards on this city and a national livel with newspaper ads and on internet,using especially social media.

The Tetra Pak website is the fulcrum of the institutional communication, where you can find all the information on how to recycle this package and linked to another “TiRiciclo”, a web space dedicated to the disposal of this particular waste. From here you can go directly to Facebook, where compute, through the test "How you are eco”, your green profile. Exercising the power of viral social networks, the campaign aims to build an online community of loyal users who spread the message.

The strategy also includes You Tube, where “Tetra Pak vs CO2 ", in minutes, shows the green strategy of the company through screens of famous videogames. The video is linkable and sharable in a simple and functional way with the major web platforms.
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