You can give a hand to the climate: a Museum about the environment lets us understand how

by Silvia Musso

After the not so exciting results of the conference in Copenhagen a year ago, and while the Earth’s nations are trying to reach a climate agreement during the gathering in Cancun, Mexico, until December the 10th for the sixteenth UN conference on climate change, institutions and people are acting to better understand what is meant by climate change and are committed to implement sustainable behavior.

In light of this, the ‘Museo A come Ambiente di Torino’ (the Turin Museum of Environment) opened on December the 3rd ‘CLIMA!’ (CLIMATE!), a new teaching exhibition, which focuses on the subject of climate change by proposing an interesting read for all ages through the perspective of science and communication alarms!

The museum director, Carlo Degiacomi, has kindly answered some of our questions.

At the Turin Museum of Environment you have inaugurated a new exhibition area on climate change. How did this enter your museum?
“The area is called ‘CLIMATE!’ and is located in the lobby of the museum, in a central role. It starts at the beginning of the trail then continues to various levels concerning energy, transport, waste, water and food. It raises the question of the future of the planet to visitors without being too alarmist, but without any uncertainty: we must now, both individually and collectively, try to identify possible changes to our behavior. Facilitate the enjoyment and recommended routes, suggest questions, facilitate the use of the “machine of disclosure” (in the exhibit), while helping the public to find solutions”.

The slogan “La Terra chiede aiuto…e io le do una mano” (the Earth is asking for help… and I give it a hand) is certainly very attractive. What message would you like to convey to the visitors?
“Knowledge is really needed for people to act, and thus to think, discuss, analyze, investigate, detect and eventually develop a good practice. What can each person do? Everyone at any age can be a little more practical when concerning environmental issues: thinking about how they live, how they eat, how they spend their free time, how they dress…”.

Why did you decide to engage in this new adventure?
"The language of science, through interactive models which are playful, funny and emotional, allows us to address any issue, especially a complex one, so often the public is not sufficiently informed. Our goal is for those who visit the museum to leave a little more informed and able to think for themselves, by examining the pros and cons of many aspects of daily life, which people often fail to interpret. On an issue like climate change we must also spread the idea that it is not only our good practices, but also governmental acts on an international and local level, that can play a crucial role and therefore must be a big part of their choices".

What makes this project innovative?
“The innovation is in the use of many technologies (included eco-label-conscious displays about energy saving), which are not designed to impress, but to provide information in a direct way to engage and develop a curiosity that remains in our brains even after the visit, when we go out, when we watch T.V., when we read the newspapers, when we make a trivial action at our house and we wonder if we could not do it in a different way: it is an interesting level of disclosure that tries to suggest new behaviors”.

This new exhibition area, conceived and designed by the staff of the Museum of Environment is certainly compelling: wherever you touch, stand, listen or look. The visitor becomes an active protagonist: not subject to a one-way communication, but actually gets involved, and is confronted with himself and with others. We recommend visiting the “Museo A come Ambiente: conoscere e giocare… per cambiare” (the Museum of the Environment: learn and play… to change”) because they say that the exhibit is certainly much more attractive to experience directly!