Rush to the final present...

by Silvia Musso

In previous post, we have already tried to understand how to diminish our environmental impact during the next Christmas times. Now we try to find the most ecological gift.
About clothes, Greenpeace remind us that we can opt for “toxix free” labels that thanks to the Detox campaign launched in July 2011, firms such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and H&M has been engaged to eliminate toxix materials from their products by 2020.

WWF, instead, suggest do not give exotic animals or derived products, avoiding to feed their illigal commerce; to make shopping using the bycicle or public ways of trasportation; to give organic products deriving from the fair trade.

If you have children, good are the toys of Ecogiochiamo, online shop of sustainable and low impact articles made with natural materials (wood, paperboard, silk) and atoxix colors.

Two obejcts, stressed also on the website www.mestieredimamma.it for their educational and ecological peculiarities, seems to us very stimulating. The house on tree realized in paperboars that can be built without scissor and glue and that can be colored and Crokitoo, table game made by paperboard with accesories in natural wood, that learn the eating habits of different animals.

For a solidal Christmas, Altromercato shops propose interesting ideas adapt for all ages, for house, body care and other objects attentive to environment and producers rights. On its website, moreover, with a funny test, you can choose online the right gift for the person who will receive it, without finding themselves in the scuffle of the stressful rush to the final present.

For us the best present remains a good book, preferring editors that print on paper friend of forests. Among books reviewed by Envi, we indicate in particular way Meno 100 kg by Roberto Cavallo. Another very recent book is Basta il giusto (quanto e quando) - “Just the right (how much and when)” - by Andrea Segrè (Altraeconomia edizioni). They are two books that give good ideas to list the yearly proposals for the new year, with the best wishes that in 2012 we all will be able to reduce waste and consequently our ecological foorprint.

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EWWR 2011: Casematte and Equiliberi. Turin and Pinerolo to reduce waste.

by Francesca Morra

The third edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction has finally begun, involving 960 actions throughout Italy. Among these, about 16% will be implemented by associations, which are assuming a major role spreading the spirit of SERR 2011 among their members, and not only them. Let’s start from Piedmont, taking a look to the non-profit organization Equiliberi and to the association Casematte.

Equiliberi Onlus is a Pinerolo-based association committed in social solidarity activities in many different sectors, always with special care to environmental protection, principle enshrined by the Association Charter. Through the initiative “L'impronta (ecologica) è servita” (The (ecological) footprint is served) Equiliberi carries out its awareness campaign on several occasions: submitting EWWR questionnaires to City’s administrators, to volunteers of AVASS and for all students; giving sustainable development classes; cooking dinners with leftovers, organizing travelling aperitifs and afternoon snacks for spreading waste reduction.

In particular it should be noted the presentation of the Sustainable Development Project on November 22, from 18:30 – to around 20:00 at Eataly Pinerolo - route Poirino 104, Pinerolo (Turin).

It’ll be focused on food recovery and on education to sustainable development in the catering industry as well as on best practices for waste reduction. President Maria B. Romano says that, with these initiatives, the association proposes «to contribute to moulding a culture aimed at preventing the production of excess waste and at creating opportunities for businesses and the urban system in general».

The Casematte association was formed in Turin in 2009 by a group of professionals working in promoting social and community development. For the EWWR 2011 they created the initiative “Guardacampo in città” (Scarecrows in the city): it's an exhibition, visible from November 22 to 27 (at the Collective Garden, Turin) of scarecrows made ​​from recycled materials by the students of ASL TO 2 and of the Educational Service of Deaf Institute of Turin. These scarecrows, together with having a decorative function, host in their structure plants and vegetables, enabling a “vertical” small and portable balcony growing treated with self-made compost.

According to Chiara Casotti, one of the founders of the association and in charge of the EWWR 2011 activity «collective participation in cultivating a plot of land together, encourages openness to social and cultural diversity, facilitating, in particular, the integration process of foreign citizens and persons with disabilities, in a wider perspective which goes beyond the environment».

Of particular interest, this action proves itself to be even more innovative giving the chance to "adopt" the scarecrows: close to each of them, in fact, will be left a sheet of paper on which anyone can write his name for requesting the adoption.

Do not miss the opportunity to participate in these worthy of note actions.

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