Go North

by Emanuele Biestro

Sometimes it happens even to the best communicators to stumble across complicated notions to be explained to the mainstream. This is not surely the situation of the Kairòs Studio, a group of people who aim to talk in a simple, funny and pro way mankind's challenges towards a sustainable future. Indeed, they have been called to create a cartoon movie explaining how the CO2 capture and storage technology works, a project carried on by some researchers at the University Centre in Longyearbyen, on the isle of Svalbard (Norway).

«When they contacted us to create a flash animation featuring the Longyearbyen CO2 lab's carbon capture project we jumped at the idea, but we were also conscious of the difficulties and hard work involved: to explain a complex scientific/technical project to groups of school children would be challenging» say on the project website Daniele Di Domenico and Simone Cau, who take care respectively of the video and multimedia section and of the animation within the Kairòs Studio.

Concerning this, the employees of the Kairòs Studio had the perfect intuition about creating a story featuring a little molecule of carbon dioxide named Dioxy, set first in a coal mine, then through the mineral mining and the combustion until the CO2 storage cave, where the setting is composed by an arena in which all the other CO2 molecules are entertained by a show lasting 12 thousand years: this is how long it takes for the CO2 to be stored!

«Working for a public composed almost entirely by 10 year old children really helped us because it is necessary to simplify a lot of things in order to communicate to children and let the fantasy go», says Daniele, who stressed also the work on the soundtrack «entirely original and of our own, with pieces and songs, very catchy, to impress the audience». The result is a 23 minute lasting video, divided into 8 episodes, published two by two each Monday, starting from February, the 6th.

«From the very beginning we conceived the video as a double-faced tool, very flexible. Indeed, it could be seen as a movie during conferences, shows and similar "live" events, otherwise it could be web broadcast through the episodes» says Daniele. The episodes will be available on the Kairòs studio YouTube channel and on the Facebook page.

The belief is to have done a great job for the children, hoping this would be the same for the adults asking to learn more.

More...

Summary only...

Green Flag for the Engim Artigianelli, Turin

by Emanuela Rosio

Students and pupils of compulsory education courses in the professional training center Engim, Piedmont – Turin, after more than a year and a half of daily work, have received the prestigious European flag of Eco-Schools. This is the first school in the Province of Turin and the first professional training center across the country that gains this recognition.
The flag was delivered by Daniela Marchetti, FEE contact for Piedmont, to the kids, teachers and the Director of the Institute, Marco Muzzarelli, during a press conference at the lounge bar of the Institute on January 26.

The event was attended by Enzo Lavolta, councilor for the environment of the Turin Council, and Carlo Chiama, councilor for the education of the Province.

Protagonists of the meeting were the kids of the eco-committee, who read the “Ecocodice”, and told how, every day, they study different ways to manage the wastes produced by the school, making observations and analysis, and involving the trainers in many eco-friendly practices, ranging from bike sharing and intelligent purchasing to paper recycling

The Ecocodice is divided into two parts. The first one is related to the Training Agency, which has to commit to make eco-friendly purchases and disseminate best practices in sustainability among the staff and the students. The second section regards directly the students, who have translated the code into a series of icons that will be disseminated throughout the school, together with rules to be followed to reduce the impact on the environment. Particular interest was aroused by the rule that says "pick up any litter on the ground even if it was not me to throw", showing how the students have been able to take charge not only for their own actions but also for those of their mates. It also demonstrates how the activity of a committee is able to determine a change of course involving everybody at various levels.

After listening to the rules and the method developed by the kids, Roberto Cavallo, President soc. coop. E.R.I.C.A. and president of AICA (International Association for Environmental Communication), says that here we celebrate the important step of a path of growth. He invites all the presents to feel, through their own testimony, active part of a network of sustainability, which can even look at forms of corporate competitiveness.

The eco-committee informs that all divulgation material can be downloaded from: www.torino.engim.it.

More...

Summary only...

Sometimes they come back: if plastic bags arise against those who dispersed them into the environment?

by Francesca Morra

Imagine if the container of your plastic grocery bags started walking across the home, or if the door of the pantry where you hid the nearly 300 bags the average person uses per year, opened up and begin to go out scaring guests during Christmas holidays. Imagine if, slowly, all plastic bags gathered to create a humanoid form 3-storeys high and began to move around the city and schools. Imagine how you would react...

This is what actually happened in Shanghai: the association Roots &Shoots, together with the agency Bates141, a network dedicated to communications and marketing, created an interesting and very effective advertising campaign about pollutant effects of plastic bags spread in the environment. They built an inflatable monster made ​​of plastic bags donated by the schools’ students, which circulated across streets and schools striking spectators.

The claim that accompanies the monster is "Waste plastic bags and they'll come back to haunt you" which, associated with the menacing image of the monster, stirred the heart of many students who witnessed the "birth" of this creature.

The supporting foundation is Roots and Shoots, which aims at educating new generations to environmental respect. The association's mission is precisely to raise awareness among young students because, as stated by Tori Zwisler, coordinator of environmental education projects «When you're doing environmental education you are educating not only children but also adults. If a kid saves energy also his parents will begin to do it, and then the neighbors and their families and so on ...».

Considering that plastic shopping bags are a waste most people do not realize to produce, we believe the visual impact of all these bags coming to life served the purpose of creating doubt in people who saw that.

Start thinking these 3 kilograms of plastic waste per year are easily avoidable becomes simpler and immediate if a monster of that magnitude is above us!

More...

Summary only...

School of reduction

by Silvia Musso

Again this year the schools have not been denied. For the third year, in fact, the percentage of participation of schools at EWWR has been very high.

As already shown by the action of the Pozzuoli School (Naples province), which in 2009 had won the European Award for schools category, the strengths that make effective the initiatives proposed by schools are the involvement of the community and the will to extend their duration at the whole school year. From all over Italy the enthusiasm and interest of students, teachers and headmasters on environmental issues of waste prevention widespread beyond the narrow boundaries of school walls to involve different actors: households, neighborhoods, people, shops.

Thanks to EWWR environmental education activities from few hours cut throughout the school year hve become true programming to be integrated to traditional programs.

This is what the three schools, among many others, demonstrated.

The “Istituto Comprensivo of Fiano” (Turin province, north Italy) with “Lo Zero Rifiuto!!! …. Buone pratiche sul territorio” (Zero waste!...Good pratctises on territory) conducted a brainstorming session on ways to reduce waste at school and organized a visit to a site that deals with the problems of waste and its reduction (composting site, company repair shop, second hand ...). It also began to network different local actors - municipalities, mountain communities, industries - for a project to be realized in the future and aimed at waste reduction, with the realization of a conference or a projection of films followed by discussion and an exhibition on the activities and achievements of students adressed to parents and inhabitants.

The “Istituto Comprensivo Galileo Chini – Scarperia” (Florence province, centre Italy) November 21st with "Rifiutili" (Useful waste) has sparked a number of initiatives that will continue throughout the school year. Students and teachers will dedicate to the creation of a laboratory of recycled paper, visit the store "Mercatopoli" that sells second hand items, to read passages about the restoration, reuse and recycle, reuse for the snack food not consumed during the lunch, etc. The parents of the students will also be involved in workshops as well as work of restoration of old objects in the school, to be sold during the year in the flea markets of the city centre, in the exchange of used textbooks, maintenance and renovation of school buildings and restoration and sale of used games.

The “Primo Circolo Solofra” (Avellino province, South Italy) instead made a real ecological week where the most important element was the involvment not only of students, engaged in "Operation Empty Garbage Bin", but also of their families. Parents had to agree to accompany their children to school on foot throughout the Week and to organize at home information meetings with relatives and friends to spread some good waste prevention practises to play in the week.

The schools have become a source of prevention messages addressed to the whole community through not extemporaneous actions, but integrated in educational activities, in continuity with previous years and with the cooperation of families and other local actors. The academic world has shown that the EWWR in these three years has succeeded in its main communication objective: to make the waste reduction a common practice, a lifestyle and not only a sporadically activity as teacher Anna Maria Dreoni of Scarperia claim: «The school has always had an eye for environmental education, adhering to initiatives and projects that, broadly speaking, had the intent to educate pupils to feel good in their environment. We think that in the first cycle is the fundamental task of the school teachers to educate children to the economical use of objects and their affairs and hence resources. EWWR offers us the opportunity to tell our children that we are in a broader horizon, which at the same time in which they reflect and carry of the laboratories, there are millions of children and young people across Europe who think the same problems and perform activities similar to theirs».

More...

Summary only...

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.

More...

Summary only...

United territory for the environment

by Eleonora Anello

«Even before it started, it is an example of cooperation between public, private and environmental agencies and the territory». These are the words of Cesare Naj, president of the Fondazione per leggere, promoter of Form@mbiente, complex initiative of environmental governance that aims to improve and update the knowledge for implementing common policies and broad participation in the environmental field. The project prepared by the foundation - Biblioteche Sud Ovest Milano, with 45 local municipalities, the Consorzio dei Comuni dei Navigli, AICA, and many other realities (Amaga and E2sco among others), wishes to speak to administrators and operators of public administration, to teachers and to the professional and manufacturing sector, in order to facilitate the creation of a true environmental culture in a participate way.

Form@mbiente is a structured program, sponsored by the Province of Milan and realized with the contribution of Fondazione Cariplo, which is composed of 4 complementary and interrelated actions. It will start with the information training course for local administrators and technicians, together with other similar meetings addressed to high schools and to the private manufacturing sector in order to involve the majority of citizens. Environmental issues like water, waste, energy, air, technology, home and territory will be discussed, even with real lessons on the field.

The second step concerns the drafting of the Action and Best Practices Development Plan, a document drafted in a participated and shared way by those involved in the courses. It will have to be adopted by participating municipalities. This will simply move to the third action, the most pragmatic, which schedules the creation and launch of joint purchasing groups. This is a particularly strategic activity because it give autonomy to the parties involved, building a legacy that will survive even after the project will completed.

The last step is about the communication for encouraging participation. The measures will be preceded by careful spatial analysis in order to modulate the effectiveness. It will then launched an essay and photography contest, especially addressed to young people. Texts and images selected will create a publication edited by the Fondazione per leggere. To stay posted, the citizens will be able to rely on the official website of the initiative and on the Facebook.

Form@mbiente ends May 30, 2013 with a big final event for presenting the results achieved.

«AICA has been involved in a real construction phase of a project with the territory - said the director of envi.info, Emanuela Rosio - starting from local needs. We are confident that this method will allow to develop synergies and to involve local people and institutions in a real change in behaviors and awareness about the central role that communication and participation play in the process of change».

More...

Summary only...

INFOPO: a river to navigate on!

by Eleonora Anello

These days rivers seem to have been forgotten by citizens, except for when they make a comeback due to their levels rising dangerously or black oil spills staining their fresh water.

So the rivers which cross many urban centers, become the protagonists of different environmental communication campaigns (some of them clearly fanciful such as the Big Jump). There are also initiatives that contribute little less spectacularly to rivers’ revival and to their promotion as public spaces to be exploited in a sustainable way. As the Infopo internet portal, opened in June 2009 and completely renovated this year in July.

Conceived and designed as an instrument of information and analysis on river’s life and places, its pages provide information, data, photos and movies, book reviews and references.

We ask Daniele di Domenico, head of the project, how are the things going...
«From the mails and comments we have received, we notice that Infopo has aroused much interest among the people even not using up the whole Web interactivity. We had peaks of interest during the environmental disaster which struck the Lambro river (and thus the Po) last year, because of the oil spill. Typically, these events raise a lot the population’s attention, making them demanding clear answers».

Why do you choose a website?
«CIDIEP, the structure which promotes the project, is in the field of information and education on environmental issues affecting the Po basin. From 2007 we promote projects in partnership with schools and local governments in order to encourage citizens’ participation to local governments’ decision processes. Working on such a big area (from Piedmont to the Delta of the Po river) we thought that a website could facilitate movements of information and help sharing experiences between far realities. Moreover, by a web-based analysis, we noticed that there were no spaces for grouping simple environmental information for public. There were just sites and portals managed by technical organizations and then professionals addressed. So we tried to work through the portal as CIDIEP used to do in field: we translated into plain and accessible language the information we obtained directly from authoritative sources such as authorities, environmental agencies, local governments, etc…».

Are you satisfied of your work?
«Well ... There is still much to do. It takes time before the network is aware that you exist and recognizes the website as a reference point, as a place where you can find information and ask questions and instances. Despite the crisis which is sweeping our country and considering the means at our disposal, we are pleased of the results we are getting».

A preview for our readers?
«At the moment we can just say that we are using Infopo as a support tool for concrete actions to activate across the territory».

More...

Summary only...

Kuminda: a menu of events that satisfies taste and minds

by Francesca Maio

An happening organized to communicate sustainable lifestyles with a festival that talk about food. From 14 to 18 October Cascina Cuccagna - one of the oldest agricultural farms of Milan, near Corso Lodi, behind Porta Romana – will be the location of Kuminda: a Festival about the right of food in Milan by ACRA and Terre di Mezzo.It will be three days of events to tell the food through art, music and drama in perfect harmony with a sustainable place symbol of Milan.

There will be moments with international experts, ethnic and bio happy hours and do not miss a meeting by many voices to talk about punjabi’s culture, migration and integration in Italy and Lombardia , followed by a delicious tasting of Grana Padano and pakore.

A farmers market will be an opportunity to experience a different kind of shopping by purchasing bio-products of the campaigns from Milan.

There's something for everyone, even for children which will be proposed special laboratories that will combine play and education to approach them to food and seasonal food.

Among the many initiatives do not miss the show LABEL, questions of label, which will reveal the background of the theatrical language prying the supermarkets and the way we consume. Lisa Casali blogger of Ecocucina, and her unusual dishwasher cooking workshop will guide us to learn to cook delicious dishes using the dishwasher as the "oven" zero impact. Seeing is believing.

On 17 and 18 October at Anteo Space Cinema, Kuminda will propose a selection of short and feature films from Festival delle Terre in Rome creating the opportunity to learn along with critics and directors, stories of culture and colture told through the camera’s eye.

From 14 to 18 October you are called to be protagonist with food to tell sustainable lifestyles. Don’t miss it! Be there!

More...

Summary only...

IED for Gaza: future architects build a sustainable school

by Annalisa Tancredi

“Think green, build sustainable”: a didactic structure with reduced environmental impact has been built in the middle of Parco Michelotti in Turin by students of IED- European Design Institute’s Master Course in Sustainable Architecture, during the workshop “A sustainable school”.

The full-scale model of sustainability will be presented to the press on Friday, October, 7 at 13:00, inside Parco Michelotti. During the press conference “Think green, build sustainably” there will be three different speakers: the Turin Environment alderman Enzo Lavolta, the Turin IED director César Mendoza and the Arcò Group – Architecture&Cooperation, which managed the design workshop with his consolidate experience in ecological design for developing countries.

The aim of the workshop in fact was to build up an eco-friendly classroom prototype which will be send to the Gaza Strip area. IED Master Course is directed byMario Cucinella – MCA Firm, whose students had to face a double challenge: designing in a sustainable way and, in the same time, dealing with a territory in which, due to tricky circumstances, it’s hard to estimate available resources.

Therefore, it was necessary to teach students specific construction techniques, considering variables such as poverty, materials’ availability and the workforce on site. Recycling materials is one of the taken techniques: it’s possible, for example, to re-use discarded tires and sandbags to build perimeter walls (already tested by Arcò Group during the "Tyres school" project), or to use wooden and sand beams for covering the building. Moreover, the techniques of assembling low-tech materials, which are versatile and fast with excellent bio-climatic performance, are very important.

For some days, the young future architects modelled with their own hands a smart and functional design project, proving that manual ability has not been replaced by the progress yet. We have to take a new point of view about object functionality, such as converting a tire in a brick.

More...

Summary only...

The future? Renewable

by Eleonora Anello

Today the Google’s Doodle in Italy is dedicated to renewable energy. The six letters which compose the name of the most famous search engine in the world have been transformed in green energy’s symbols. Its authors are students of Borgo Rosselli’s Primary School in Porto San Giorgio (Centre Italy), winners of “L’Italia tra 150 anni” art contest.

With more than 20.000 votes “Avanti con energia!” won the contest, focusing on sustainable energetic technologies like wind and solar power, that are weel-adapted to our country’s features. We hope they can be used for more than 150 years and over. In the meanwhile we save this hopeful Doddle on our pc!

More...

Summary only...

Earth’s future in a cartoon’s own hands

by Annalisa Tancredi

Ecology? A child of five years could be better educated than an adult, but thanks an Italian cartoon rather than Public Instruction: “2 friends for Earth”, co-produced by Rai Fiction and Union contact. The author is Marco Gisotti, journalist and environment communication expert: «I wrote this cartoon with all my passion - said the writer, author of a recent successful book titled “Guide to green Jobs” – but by now the production is at a standstill, despite RAI has appreciated it very much».

“2 friends for Earth” is addressed to 4-8 years old children and it’s aimed at promoting educational and training topics in a friendly way, supporting a sustainable and respectful way of life.

Pietro and Raimondo are two inseparable friends. Pietro is a 10 years old curious and muddler dreamer, fascinated by nature. Raimondo is the ecology-skilful man from the future, came to earth from 3000 A.D. to examine the old XXI century, which was lush and prosperous but caused the most environmental troubles.

The future-coming man explains the children, without any catastrophism, methods and solutions to preserve the Earth: using solar energy, recycle “4 R” rules, biodiversity conservation and resource saving.

This funny cartoon tries to raise a brand new awareness among young and adult people, in order to force them to get aware of the economic-social needed changes.

In 2008 RAI TRE broadcast thirteen episodes, than the project got stuck. «We wanted to perform 26 episodes, it’s a pity the series have not been financed yet, despite their success» said Mario Cavazzuti, Union Contact’s TV and Cinema Department Director.

Who missed the series can find it (in Italian) on the internet: www.rai.tv.

Last year a special episode has been directed for the "Frutta nella scuola” (Fruits in schools)" ministerial campaign. Click here to watch a part of it.

More...

Summary only...

Ravenna 2011: waste, water, energy and art

by Eleonora Anello

The “Ravenna 2011” cultural event is full off fringe initiatives. For the fourth year, visitors can admire the “Emergenze Creative” work of art. Many artists will take part in the initiative: Dacia Manto on waste, Elena Arzuffi on water and Massimiliano Pelletti on sustainable energy.

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with Labelab Laboratory, will be an occasion for the artists to share their environmental sensibility with a wide public, promoting a public art path across Ravenna’s historic routes, the same routes which will host the well-known environment festival.

In San Francesco square, among the arcade columns, the “Wood seer” big flattering sculpture will stand out, a piece by Dacia Manto focused on waste issue and in particular on waste materials reusing. The art installation is entirely made of old drawings made by the artist herself or by children involved in the project. The cloud-vegetation-like piece will take shape just in front of the public, who can take part in it bringing the artist their environment-themed pictures on September, 28 and 29, at 5 p.m.

In Piazza del Popolo Elena Arzuffi will work on water’s value,, inviting the public to take part in a kind of “gioco della campana (bell’s game)” with a “water square” instead of the classic “sky square”. Bringing back one of the oldest and most beloved children games, Arzuffi decides to pour the public’s fantasy out asking them three simple questions on water’s color, scent and shape. The most original answers will be edited on the Emergenze Creative website.

Lastly, in Piazza del Popolo we can admire “Rabbits in the sun”, a piece composed by sculptures of full-scale rabbits clustered around some glass jar capturing solar rays. The work of Massimiliano Pelletti shows how to produce energy and use it in a sustainable way. Indeed, during the day the piece captures sunlight to use it during the night lighting the funny rabbits. The recreational nature of this piece is aimed at intriguing young public, educating in the same time at using renewable energies.

We should not miss this interesting mix between art and environment, sharing the contemporary artists’ critical points of view on these matters.

More...

Summary only...

“Amnisiadi: forgotten waste Olympic Games”: when the game gets green!

by Valeria Rocca

The third edition of "Amnisiadi: forgotten waste Olympic games." will be held on Sunday, Sept. 25, contemporaneously with "Clean Up the World", a historic initiative of Legambiente. The initiative, supported and promoted by the INFEA network (Regione Piemonte project on services for environmental education), by the City of Avigliana and by the Lakes of Avigliana Natural Park, will take place just in the park, in the Little Lake area.

But what is Amnisiadi? We asked Laura Grandin some questions. She is the manager of Antichi Passi, an organization which is in charge of the guided tours service of the Park and manages Institution's teaching programs in schools.

First of all, why did you choose the name "Amnisiadi"?
«AMNISIADI is a word pun. Amnesia is a temporary loss of memory, while "Amnis," is a dialect word to name trash. Using play is a way to alleviate the waste issue in order to make it accessible to all. The question is: “Can we forget about our waste?”».

What are, specifically, "Waste Olympic games"?
«The Olympics are a weird waste collection: a race along different routes in the Lakes area. Participants are symbolically divided into teams and they have to collect as much material as possible along trails, supported by “Antichi Passi”’s guides and by eco-volunteers from the city of Avigliana. Later in the afternoon, there will be different “waste-themed” challenges and, of course, the prize-giving».

Which themes will be addressed during the afternoon and, in general, throughout the day?
«Games tend to emphasize how long-lasting, bulky, dangerous and high-priced waste are. The separate refuse collection arouses problems: the recognition of materials as well as their proper delivery. We are talking about invisible waste too, like insecticides, pesticides, cleansers and urban and agricultural discharges».

Which goals do you want to attain?
«This event is part of a group of different initiatives called "Educational Incursions", addressed to citizens and, in this case, even to non-resident users of public areas in the municipality where activities take place. The equipped area of Lake Piccolo, during public holidays, is normally crowded much more than an ideal Proteccted Area. The problem of waste is only a portion of the difficulties in managing the site. Wildlife disturbance, fires lighting, bathing and surfing bans and public order complication are some of the others. We want to ironically emphasize how important is to prevent waste. Recycle and reuse are not sufficient, we want to integrate the series of best practices on waste management with “R for Refuse”».

In which way did you promote the initiative?
«City of Avigliana press office and Avigliana Park manager were in charge of promoting the event. Furthermore we use mailing lists and you can find all informations on the web».

In brief, this is a good opportunity for walking across the beautiful area of Avigliana lakes and for safeguarding the environment.

More...

Summary only...

U4energy, schools compete to save energy!

by Francesca Morra

Can you teach students good habits in terms of saving energy? Can they learn to respect the environment by implementing small or big tricks? Can pupils and teachers together strengthen efforts in raising awareness of who is in and around schools? These are the challenges met by U4energy, pan-European contest devoted to energy education, organized by the European Commission under the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme and managed by Europan Schoolnet.

The competition involved 27 European Union member states, including Norway, Croatia, Iceland and Liechtenstein, with a total enrollment of 1,489 schools with 477 initiatives spread throughout Europe. In Italy were 3 schools for category A (students had the opportunity to design and implement an energy saving plan to reduce energy consumption in their schools); 9 for category B (this category is only intended for teachers, they have had the opportunity to present their lessons on energy efficiency at school having available methods, educational materials and teaching resources); and 10 for category C (led by teachers students have organized a campaign to increase awareness in their school making videos, posters, postcards and other communication material).

The European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger underlined the importance of these issues in his speech duruìing the opening of the competition, which took place in September: “I am sure that through their commitment, their innovative spirit and creativity, students and teachers make U4energy an excellent platform to share skills and knowledge in the field of education and intelligent use of energy in Europe ". He also showed how students and teachers have a critical role when it comes to awareness. This, together with an extensive communicative action, makes the project a great place for kids to communicate energy saving when they facing a world increasingly energy-intensive, needing a deep awareness of the impact that the immoderate consumption have on the planet.

The winners of each category were selected by a jury composed of competent persons in the field of environmental issues and energy saving. The awards ceremony will be held in October in conjunction with the "3 days for school" with the participation of other five countries: Austria, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, Czechoslovakia. Other ceremonies will be organized in multinational Lithuania, Bulgaria and Portugal; in Europe, the winners will gain international visibility in a high-level awards ceremony to be held in Brussels, where students and teachers will also visit the headquarters of the European Parliament. Waiting to see the winners we can keep in touch with schools and organizers by visiting the Facebook page.

This is a way of teaching good environmental practices, that start and arrive from schools to overcome the energy challenges of next years!

More...

Summary only...

Cambio Climático 2011: Argentina gives hospitality to the thrid Internation Congress on climte changes and sustainbility

by Silvia Musso

Since 8th to 11th August will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the third international conference on climate change, organized by UNLP, the Unidad de Comunicación Institucional Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.

Among the experts who will participate as speakers there will also be Erik Balzaretti, coordinator of the Italian Master in Communication of Sustainability and member of the Scientific Committee of AICA presenting a paper with a certainly intriguing title, "El Calent global, entre el Apocalipsis y el marketing" ("Global warming, between apocalypse and marketing). Envi stuff reached and asked him some questions.

What do you expect from this conference and from the dialogue with other experts?
«Firstly I want to say that the call as an expert in this international conference is an evidence that my work and AICA activity in these years were not in vain but rather of a certain value. Then, you always hope in some new ideas or at least some new points of view that that let the research to advance or to find some partners to work on issues of our interest. My paper, dedicated to the relationship between the media and climate change, is part of a strand devoted to issues of communication and culture and education. Now it seems clear that global warming is real and we need to find "the words to say it" and to prepare a quantitative and qualitative turnaround into the use of energy resources».

Your speech focuses on the collective imagination in the Environmental Communication of climate change. Can you explain briefly what it is?
«At the heart of our society there is not the people but the media. They, through various forms of narration, have taken the task of building our opinions, our hopes, our denials. The social and economic system through the media constructs the identity of each of us and of us all together. A good rhetoric to push for change must keep in mind the collective imagination and act on it if it wants to achieve effective communication. This is valid for climate change, better to say global warming because also the words have a more or less impactful meaning, as with all environmental issues».

In the paper you are presenting , you talk about "Cassandra syndrome that characterizes the environmental information". What do you mean by that?
«How you know Cassandra had received as a gift from Apollo, the ability to predict, but after he had broken his promise the Greek god had revoked the ability to be believed. Information firstly, but also environmental communication in general, suffers from this syndrome: you carry data, and it is expected that the future of humankind will be difficult if you don not decide to change the development system, but the citizens and the institutions find it hard to believe and to take action despite signs are getting stronger».

What should the Environmental Communication linked to climate change do to avoid an ideological interpretation of the data?
«Get out of the impasse of rationality and logic that allows the interpretation of data and relates to the citizen as a clenched fist that forces you to believe and stand up for working with the rhetoric, poetics, and the paradigm of desirability that instead is perceived by citizens as an open hand that caresses and persuades. In this sense, to act on imaginary, even through the most catastrophic one, allows the movements of consciousness and introjection of the subject that does not always you can get on a scientific-rational level. Ours is a society of mass consumption used to be flattered by the rhetoric of goods, including cultural ones, through the language of marketing and advertising. We need to develop emotions, as the rationality is not working».

Environmental communication and climate change: the thems to reflect are definitely numerous. While we are waiting to receive the report of the Professor Balzaretti on his participation at the congress, the debate can be also opened on these pages.
More...

Summary only...

Kids, responsibile tourists

by Silvia Musso

The schools are close and it is time of well-deserved holiday also for the children. If you dont' have ideas on what to offer your children, a help comes from WWF Italy and Touring Editore that together published the first guide on responsible tourism targeted at children.

Io viaggio responsabile! (I travel responsible!), this is the title of the book written by biologist Elena Gatti and realizrd under the scientific supervision of supervisione scientifica of WWF Italy, tells in comic form and log book the adventures of Berny and Ele, two enterprising kids, protagonists of trips to the seaside, countryside, mountains and travels troughout Egypt and Nepal.

Young readers are approached to a way of travelling that respects the environment, heritage and artistic cultures of the places and peoples, the interests of local communities. The kids learn without getting bored the five commandments of responsible tourist, which are dedicated to the chapters of the book: to protect the environment, to respect people, to meet the animals, to do smart purchases, to move without polluting.

«To speak of ethics and proper behavior in an abstract sense can be not only difficult to understand for a kid, but ... very boring! - Ornella Pavone, curator of the book and of the Junior Touring catalog, says - A funny communication as the comic book, and immediate, like the diary, written in first person by the two protagonists of the stories, stimulates curiosity and interest of children by making them go into the problems, skipping the "theory" stage».

From the story in fact the key principles of responsible tourism come out which are then summarized and systematized in fun cards. At the end of each chapter, in addition, readers can try the quiz and personalise the guide with their observations and photographs.

«The issue of Responsible Tourism is part of Touring Editore issues - Mrs. Pavone says- It is a current on which the attention of tour operatorsis is increasingly focused all around the world. So, from touring guides for adults, it was natural to transfer the message of the new style of travelling, sustainable and respectful of cultures and territories, also to children and teens, from 6 to 14 years, the readers of the volumes that are offered by Junior Touring».

The volume is unique in its kind. Io viaggio Responsabile! is the first book to bring these issues to children and it is new for both issue and formula. It is also a cross-reading of many school subjects: geography, science, history, literature, art, civics, religion are involved. It could be good not only for young people, but to be a useful tool for a teacher who wants to face informally with their children important and very timely topics.

In the coming weeks, while kids will enjoy reading this comic, teachers could start planning the next school year by placing these important issues of environmental and social sustainability into their teaching subjects.

Meanwhile, the collaboration betweenTouring and WWF Italy continues. It has been recently published Weekend nella natura (Weekend on nature), a guide on 45 routes in the WWF oasis, and in all probability Io viaggio responsabile! will be the first in a series of books for children that address the many issues of “light” tourism.

«This alternative way to travel - Mrs. Pavoneconcludes - has just overlooked the Italian scene, but is attracting growing interest from the public, especially the younger ones, because it proposes ways to travel adapt of everyone and favors the family target . Biking, hiking, trail rides, train, boat, natural oases: there is a whole world of adventurous and interesting trips even in the short and medium range, and children are naturally curious and always ready to go».
More...

Summary only...

Pomigliano d'Arco: between FIAT and eco-report

by Eleonora Anello

There has been much talking on April 4th, 2011, when they launched the news that the separate collection has got into the Fiat factories in Pomigliano.

«The Fiat - Raffaele Di Nicola said, the manager of Enama Spa, the company that manages the collection of urban waste in the city, at the launch of the campaign - has shown great sensitivity. The modernization of the plant for the production of the new Panda as well as the new mode of separation has created the opportunity to redesign the employee dining areas, adapting them to the needs of the new collection system». In fact, containers for paper were placed close to all offices and to each location. The car company has also scheduled meetings with all companies to inform them of the news about the environment.

In a press conference Di Raffaele said: «We are working with an innovative model of communication. Our campaign is silent. As a first step we have involved only the homogeneous subjects, including property and school managers, voluntary and environmental organizations, managers of both large and small companies and also traders. Our aim was to teach them about a direct communication towards the subjects they represent. Thus, firstly a word-of-mouth advertising along with posters and then, secondly, public meetings with the entire community of Pomigliano. The goal is to exceed 50% of separate waste collection by December 31st, 2011».

The campaign has involved not only the companies operating in the Campania region. The action created by the Fondazione Willy Brandt wanted to involve as protagonists especially families and schools. Enzo Pirone, FWB coordinator, has focused on the educational program at the heart of the campaign Riciclando (Recycling). «The boys of the fourth and fifth year of primary school will use the “Eco-report”, which is a mean of communicating with parents, but also a way to spread the idea of a good separate collection. By the use of the Eco-report, with a classic role reversal, they themselves will become protagonists, who, through questions and subsequent evaluations, will score their families’ behaviours and habits in the house management of wastes and separate collection. The Ecoreports will be collected and then digitized to be analyzed by experts, coordinated by FWB, in order to have a statistical analysis of the habits and behaviour of households». And it does not end here. The “Professor Recycling” has been put in charge of the relationship with the classes. By sporadic surveys he will be responsible for spreading the culture of sustainability through a theatrical approach, which should capture the attention and interest of kids who, in turn, will be called to create and dramatize a play and a performance on the theme of waste collection.

With an elaborate campaign of communication, which gets its strength from the use of a diversified language, understandable by everyone, Pomigliano d'Arco, already "Riciclone City", aims to become a centre of excellence in a critical area such as that of waste.
More...

Summary only...

Sixteenth edition for the International Summer School in Applied Environmental and Regulatory Economics

by Silvia Musso

For all those among undergraduates, graduates and employees in the private and the public sectors who wish to deepen environmental economics issues, the Fondazione Ambiente of Turin (North Italy) offers you the option of attending a summer school.

The Summer School in Applied Environmental and Regulatory Economics, at its sixteenth edition, is organised by the Fondazione per l’Ambiente “Teobaldo Fenoglio” in collaboration with the Faculty of Politics of the University of East Piedmont "Amedeo Avogadro" and lasts two weeks, since 5th to 16th September.

The course is articulated into three parts: a theoretical module, an industry analysis of the businesses dealing with environment with reference to issues such as waste, water, public transport, sports facilities, etc. and, finally, a discussion of case studies. Students will conclude their path with a final report, the purpose of which is precisely the analysis of a particular story case. Students will be engaged in collecting economic data and financial analysis of the main legal instruments governing the sector.

Also this year, after sixteen years, the Foundation has wanted to offer a chance to study and teaching during the summer to allow as many people as possible to interface with these issues.

In this context, the course is designed to provide the students with the basics of the theory of regulation that are applied to real case studies for a deeper understanding of regulatory issues and debates. Main topics are information asymmetries, industrial cost analysis and tariff setting, regulator’s capture, quality concerns, mechanism design and incentive contracts, the links and trade-offs between environmental and industrial policies within the national and European legislation framework.

Fondazione per l'Ambiente, founded in Torino by 24 public and private partners operating in Piedmont - among which all the four universities present on the regional territory - is a non profit body that promotes research, communication and experts' training in the sector of environmental and regulation policies at local level.

Environment is in fact a common good and everybody has to have the possibility to approach to a proper environmental information and knowledge, up-to-date with the current political and economical changes in order to be able to communicate them .

To have more information about the Summer School: iss@fondazioneambiente.org.
More...

Summary only...

With climate change, you can not joke but you can play!

by Marzia Fialdini

Va.D.Di. (acronym of "Tell that to the dinosaurs") is the first role-playing game entirely devoted to climate change, an online simulation developed by ISPRA (National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) to help high school students to reflect on one of the most urgent and serious problems of our days: global warming. Presented in May and consisting of a kit of teaching materials Va.D.Di. meets the aims of education geared to sustainability, as indicated by the Strategy for the Onu Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in progress until 2014, and it finds its origins in the organization by ISPRA of the National Conference on Climate Change of 2007.

The game-simulation is structured to teach students to deal with the issue of climate change firsthand, to enhance their civic awareness, encourage them to reflect on the climate issue and then bring them to identify their possible solutions. Each game involves 50 people and is set in the region Pycaia and its three main centres: Molaria (a seaside town), Naraoia (a major metropolitan city) and Santacaris (a picturesque mountain village). All places are named many fossils, so here explained the reference to dinosaurs in the name of the game.

Students can play the role of administrators (mayors, councillors, president of the region), ordinary citizens, experts and journalists to discuss and finally develop a plan for development of the entire region Pycaia, which prevents or minimizes the damage caused by climate change. Several issues must be addressed: the need to understand the responsibilities of human activity in climate-related problems (in fact, there are also the positions of the "deniers," those that define as natural cycles of climate changes occurred in the past), the need to combine economic development with reduction of CO2 through environmental education for citizens, budget and economic interests of industry. For each of the three affected communities, at the end of the simulation, it will also draw a profile of sustainability based on the choices of individual participants.

The distribution of materials to play the game-simulation will start with the beginning of the next school year in high-schools that request it. The teachers who decide to follow the project are required to participate in specific courses still in planning stage.

What future for the quiet Pycaia? And most importantly, what can the citizens do individually or working together? How do we need to change life choices and habits so that the environment does not become an enemy but can continue to be the ally of all time? We can therefore say that with climate change, you can not joke but thanks to Va.D.Di. you can play!
More...

Summary only...

Going on holidays to work

by Anna de Polo

For those looking for an experience outside the box for the next summer, the French organization APARE ("Association pour la Participation et l'Action Régionale”) offers an alternative and “useful” holiday. The association, recognized by the European Union, organizes each summer work camps and campuses in the Southern Alps and the Cote d'Azur, but also in countries around the Mediterranean such as Algeria, Greece, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.

In the work camps, volunteers of various ages and nationalities are actively involved in the protection and enhancement of natural and the cultural heritage of rural Mediterranean areas.
Over a period of 2-3 weeks, experienced professionals introduce the volunteers to the art of restoration and stonework. It is thus possible to benefit from an educational experience on the professional level, but also on the human level, thanks to the opportunity to know and work with people of different cultures and origins. There are also moments of leisure, where participants can relax with sporting, cultural and artistic activities: it is indeed a holiday, although different because useful and adventurous. The peculiarity of this kind of experience is to offer an opportunity that is diametrically opposed to the “pop” divertissement we're used to use to distract us from the worries of everyday life, but also, at times, from ourselves. Holidays are often an escape from routine life and the box in which we live most of the year, but this should not necessarily results in a kind of fun that in the end leaves us empty and tired. It can be rather surprising to find that the practical and manual work, carried out in contact with people different from us, the physical and mental engagement with something that has practical use and a noble purpose, can be much more satisfying and refreshing than any holiday of "pure fun".

The offer of APARE is just one of several proposals for environmental and archaeological work camps for young students or enthusiasts who want to share an experience of solidarity, civic participation and education. Also Legambiente offers each year volunteer camps focus on different topics, from biodiversity protection to the enhancement of the local cultural heritage. One of the work camps proposed for summer 2011 is about the environmental rehabilitation of territories affected by crime. «Legambiente has always been deployed against the eco-mafia. Since 2000 it’s working with Libera to realize work camps where environmentalism and legality meet together in order to become concrete projects - explains Luca Gallerano, head of the Voluntary Sector of Legambiente. The goal is to spread a culture based on citizenship that might conflict with the culture of privilege and blackmail, which is typical of the mafia in Italy, and thus prove that, even in places where the mafia has lorded, it is possible to reconstruct a social and economic society based on legality and on the respect for human beings and for the environment».

An alternative summer, after all, full of practical work, cultural exchange and environmental and civic engagement, to meet different people and discover something new about our territory, our culture and perhaps even about ourselves.
More...

Summary only...