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.