2010: the year of the environment?

by Eleonora Anello

Few believe it, but many consult it, especially at the beginning of the year when it becomes an unstoppable passion. But what exactly is the horoscope? Or, rather, why people can not avoid to read it? Definitely, it’s very popular, especially because it satisfies some important psychological needs of the individual, as curiosity to know what the future holds. Furthermore, it has the effect of containing the anxiety that arises from the responsibility to choose and so it reduces the insecurity.

For its fatalism, however, often the horoscope is considered highly uneducated. Not in Dobbiaco (Bolzano, Italy), on the Sentiero Naturalistico del Bosco (Natural Trail of the Woods), playful nature trail that dedicates one of its stations to the Celtic horoscope, a sort of tree calendar that, based on the day of birth, establishes a relationship between the characteristics of trees and those of people. The information structure is aimed primarily at an adult audience and is freely accessible. In this way, even those less interested in nature may be involved. «It's the station more philosophical!» - jokes Margareth Pallhuber, Officer Manager of the Natural Park Dolomiti of Sesto - «For us it’s a game, result of effective, innovative and unconventional communication. Starting from the curiosity of tourists, we can do environmental education in nature. Each card is in fact composed not only by the horoscope but also by features of the trees. The initiative collects success so that visitors would take away the texts that you can still find on the Internet».

If few people know their "Celtic tree", most are aware of the "traditional" correspondent. The latest trend, especially on the web, is to pull over, at first sight, so a little weird, the stars to the ecology. The strange communicative action was implemented by Matteo Pavesi, blogger-astrologer of Astro Ecologia: «Ecology and astrology are two disciplines that observe, evaluate and draw conclusions about the nature. The law of Mother Nature is the same that moves us and the whole universe, so there is no difference between us and an animal, a plant or a heavenly body. We are all part of the same universe».
So, are there signs "greener" than others?
«I'd say that all signs are equally attracted by respect for the environment but unfortunately it’s not so ... But no doubt the earth signs like Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn awaken more easily the value of Mother Nature, and thus are usually more sensitive to environmental issues, but this is a generalization ... The fire signs like Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, representing the zodiac for the values of human civilization, including its egotism, may instead be the least sensitive to ecological issues ...».

2009, just left behind, was the year of stall of Copenhagen and, in Italy, of the revival of nuclear power, the overbuilding and the geological instability (WWF Italy report). We hope that the civil society will move so that the 2010 can be considered the year of the environment. Also because the Italian philosopher and writer Umberto Eco says: «It’s always born under the sign wrong and being in the world in dignity way means to correct your horoscope day by day».