Varese is not Salerno: racist campaign or smart advertisment?

by Silvia Musso

Do you remember one year ago - it was February 2011 – the bad act of the municipality of Spresiano (North-East Italy) that on the flyer of a public meeting about waste recycling had inserted an image in which a person threw into a bin a Calabria shaped waste? At that time we had wondered if it was an act of "Padan" racism or a simple gaffe or even a fake. Well, these same questions have accompanied the beginning of a recent awareness campaign on recycling sponsored by the city of Varese (North Italy).Some weeks ago, in fact, on the city's streets posters have appeared, bearing only the claim: "Varese, is not Salerno" (Salerno is a South Italy city)

The appearance of the posters immediately provoked an echo of voices, criticism and accusations as evidenced in the pages of the local newspaper Varesenews: «"Varese is not Salerno" and it is a storm. The poster around the city has not gone unnoticed. On our Facebook pages are getting hundreds of comments. The cliam is read in many different ways. And the news arrived also in Salerno. Do not miss Salerno's citizens who write on Varesenews».

The initial storm was calmed down, however, by the explanations of the administration. This was a teaser action – there were actually two kind of poster "Varese is not Salerno" and "Varese is not Pordenone" -before the proper campaign commissioned by the Mayor whose goal is the public awareness on the benefits of sorting waste.

On January 19th, in fact, the Mayor Attilio Fontana contacted his colleagues of Salerno and Pordenone with a letter in which he explained that the municipality of Varese intended to carry out a publicity campaign to sensitize the citizens to separate waste by referring into the posters to the two cities, virtuous examples for separate collection. Pordenone with 78.1% is the most virtuous city of the North in terms of recycling, while Salerno with 70.3%, has the best performance in the South. Varese, with 48.9% have already a good result, but municipal administration wants to improve these.

The administration's idea was certainly intriguing, looking at the amount of reactions triggered mainly on social networks. To evaluate the success, however, we must wait for the next phases of the communication campaign and above all ensure that the first interest of the citizens will turn into a real change in their habits in order to achieve the goal: to arrive by the end of 2012 to 65% of separate waste collection.

We'll see.

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The European Week for Waste Reduction doubles!

by Eleonora Anello

Finally here. After a long wait, the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) will run for the third time between 19 and 27 November 2011, with the aim of informing large numbers of European citizens about the simple actions that they can take in everyday life to help contribute to waste reduction efforts. According to the last count, 7035 EWWR actions are being implemented in 2011. Once again, the previous year’s record has been broken! (4346 actions in 2010).In order to coordinate and promote the 2011 Week, 34 Organisers across 20 countries are mobilising stakeholders and validating their actions.

Under the coordination of the 34 organisers and with the support of the European Secretariat of the Week, a variety of project developers, including administrations, associations and NGOs, businesses and industry, educational establishments, etc. are getting involved in the EWWR by carrying out awareness-raising actions about waste reduction, with various target audiences (citizens, employees, pupils, etc.).

These actions will focus on the various stages of the product cycle, ranging from production and consumption to reuse. They will be focused on one or several of the 5 following themes: Too much waste – Better production – Better consumption – A longer life for products – Less waste thrown away.

The European character of the EWWR will be reinforced by introducing common actions across Europe in 2011. These common actions will take place during the Week in different locations in Europe using the same methods, sharing the common objective of highlighting their real impact on waste reduction. There are five categories of common actions, focussing on various symbolic issues: Paper waste reduction; Food waste reduction; Repair & reuse; Excessive packaging waste reduction; Clean-up days. The idea is to measure the waste avoided during the actions themselves and to communicate this information.

The most outstanding European Week for Waste Reduction actions will be rewarded at the European Waste Reduction Awards Ceremony in June 2012 in Paris.

We want to conclude by using the words of the President of AICA, Roberto Cavallo, who spent all these years for the success of the EWWR in Italy: «Prevention comes before all! The nature, even dramatically, tells us this. The doctors tell us this. The laws tell us this. An extraordinary lay prophet like Calvin tells us this. Let's try together with the EWWR».

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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!

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The Youth Eco-parliament meets in Turin

by Eleonora Anello

It will conclude tomorrow, June 23, 2011, at the Casa del Quartiere of San Salvario, in Turin (North Italy), the Youth European Eco-parliament work. The sessions that followed each other regularly saw young players from, 18 to 30 years old, that debated on environmental issues and studied the dynamics of decision rules governing the European Parliament.

The initiative is part of the European Eco-citizens project, which belongs to the ban "Torino incontra l’Europa” (“Turin meets Europe"), inserted in the European program “Torino, capitale europea dei giovani 2010” ("Turin, European Youth Capital 2010") and is sponsored by the Istituto per l’Ambiente and the Educazione Scholé Futuro Onlus, with Acmos, .eco, NEC (Notranjski Ekoloski Center) and DVŽU (Društvo vseživljenjsko učenje) and is funded by the National Agency for Youth (Ang) and the Municipality of Turin.

The Eco-parliament is undoubtedly an opportunity to meet and dialogue «to discuss critically, but also creatively environmental issues. Recreating a real institutional structure, the participants can better enter into the dynamics of political decision-making and become active participants able to analyze and intervene in the European political decision-making» as the organizers said.

The topic that sparked the last meetings was the water, a theme dear especially to Italian participants who were preparing to go to express their opinion about the future of this precious good that the current government wanted to privatize.

At the last meeting, by free entrance, Serbs and Italians will face in order to find common points between the environmental policies of two different countries and combine their experiences in an intercultural exchange of best practices for development of community education for sustainability. The goal? Looking for innovative and creative solutions to real problems involving the environment.

An important learning experience that focuses on youth and that demonstrates how future citizens of tomorrow have understood that the current changes taking place in our society require the opening of a profound and systematic dialogue. The Eco-parliament is an opportunity that allows their idea of the environment, the participation and the exchange to meet and get rich with the complexity of European experience, knowing they can affect change and participate actively in local and European politics.
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Right information: the class action against Italian public TV

by Silvia Musso

Although it is not strictly environmental communication, it is still a right to information. For this reason Envi’s editorial staff has decided to talk about the initiative launched by Altroconsumo: a compensation action against RAI, Italian public TV.

Altroconsumo, the most common association of consumers in Italy, whose aim is the consumers’ information and protection, is asking in favour of those who paid the yearly fee for the 2010, a compensation of 500 euros for the damage caused by RAI behavior.

In 2010, according to Altroconsumo, Rai has not fulfilled its obligations, recruited through the Public Service Agreement and imposed by law, to give an objective, impartial and balanced information. During the election campaign that preceded the vote in local elections of 28 and 29 March 2010, for example, Rai has some of the main programs of political information and analysis, as Ballarò, Porta a Porta, Anno Zero, Ultima Parola. So one of the main tasks of public service broadcasting - to allow the aware formation of every citizen of their political will - failed.

At the same time, Rai, betraying its role as concessionaire of public service broadcasting, with the primary objective of achieving balanced and impartial information, has recognized some parties spaces greatly superior to those granted to other political formations which have also took part in the election. Behaviour repeatedly sanctioned by Agcom.

Also this year, Rai, near to the last local elections on May, has been repeatedly sanctioned by AGCOM (the last fee to the Tg1 - the television news on first channel - was 258,230 euros, the maximum extent permitted by law as a recurrence) for violation of par condicio law because of the continuing imbalance of time spent by political parties majority than the opposition.

The information campaign to collect membership is quite simple and is based on press releases, interviews and participation in events. On 9th May, for example, a meeting, organized by the National Council of Consumers, was held during the PA Forum at the New Fair of Rome, on the problems and prospects of the "Italian-style class action" to a year and a half after the entry into force of Article 140 bis of Consumer Code.

Specifically Marco Pierani of Altroconsumo spoke of the collective action against the public television and the class action as a means of protection of a wide variety of subjects, but also about the general interest to safeguard the primary right to free, plural and objective information.

Information and news on the class action are available on the website of Altroconsumo. To join you need to call a toll free number. An operator answers and explain how the action works. This first call is used to pre-join. You can give your references and after June 22, the date set for the Judge meeting, those who gave their references will be contacted to explain how to proceed.

The campaign from the communication point of view is not very elaborate and certainly has not used those many innovative diffusion channels that we have seen for the recent environmental campaigns before and after the Italian referendum vote. In any case the initiative promoted by Altroconsumo is having a good result likely thanks to both the theme itself of the class action - the inalienable right to information - and the economic aspect - the compensation of 500 euros.

The success is demonstrated by the number of subscribers who continue to adhere and that appears in the Association home page: more than 40,000. But the number is rapidly growing!
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Referendum campaigns teach bottom up environmental communication

by Silvia Musso

If the institutional public communication does not do its work, people move from the bottom.

In these weeks before the Italian referendum vote of the next 12th and 13th June, in fact it is possible to see real participatory democracy demonstrations.

While the broadcasters and the national media send only some confused message on the next roll, the web is a river full of links, video messages, images, websites etc. aimed at promoting the only instrument of direct democracy that we have in Italy.

If you look a bit, you’ll find a world of various initiatives throughout Italy.

We start from the WWF video campaign “Non farti prendere per il naso. Sono tutte bugie. Sconfiggile andando a votare”("Do not get caught by the nose. They are all lies. Defeat them going to vote"). There are three video messages ("Let's vote yes"; "The lies about the water"; "The lies about nuclear") characterized by the symbol of a long Pinocchio nose. The aim is, in addition to promoting the referendum, "unmask the lies on the water and nuclear" as stated by Stefano Leoni, National President of the Italian WWF in the first video.

On the issue of water privatization, over the referendum campaign "2 yes" for water as common good", launched by the Italian Forum for Public Water, whose Envi has already reported, at the local level have hundreds of initiatives developed. As the one launched by the City of Capannori that has designed and published a video on You Tube. The video has had many views and has attracted strong interest, as evidenced by the comments left by visitors themselves. Some are very appreciative, others, however, stress that it is too populist and naive. But everyone agrees on the importance of communicating the right and duty to vote.

About the question on the nuclear issue, the experience that seems more effective from the communication point of view, is that of 7 young people who have chosen to deprive of liberty for a month and living locked up in a shelter under clear radiation protection rules. Fully sealed and isolated they cannot eat fresh vegetables, cheese, milk, meat or fish. They live according to strict rules of radiation protection protocol provided in the event of a nuclear accident with release of radiation and have only the Internet to communicate with the rest of the world.

«It's an extreme act - as they themselves show on the site - to stress their No to nuclear power and defending the future of all. They will not get out until the referendum will cancel the nightmare of a return to nuclear power in Italy».

Their project, supported by Greenpeace, is called "You are the crazy people" and this slogan does not certainly need further explanation.

The website contains a logbook, ie messages, videos and daily reflections of these young people.
The countdown, day by day, reminds those who visit the site that the date of June 12 is coming and that all responsible citizens are called to answer.

Looking at the world of Facebook and YouTube music videos are multiplying. One of the most effective is "12th June" which some members of famous groups such as Mellow Mood and Africa Unite cooperated.

The refrain "on June, the 12th of June" is almost a mantra that gets in the head and does not let you anymore. A real subliminal message that reminds the listener that on June 12 we can express our right and duty to vote.

The thousands of people who use the social networks can, in addition to share links and videos, change their profile picture with specific messages that invite to vote as "I do not abstain - Battiquorum".

Then, if the quorum will be reached what better occasion to celebrate? Look in your city the barsa, clubs etc. that have joined the initiative “Vuoto a rendere”. On the evenings of the referendum (Sunday 12 and Monday, June 13), to those who will be in the possession of voting card special offers or discounts (amounts and details are at the discretion of managers) will be guaranteed. To obtain the discount you can simply show the stamp that shows the voter turnout.

The organizers of the initiative say: «We and managers of businesses do not care whether the X was put on the yes or no. Their decision to vote is free and confidential. This initiative is not related to any political party or referendum committee, nor does it give instructions to vote: it only aims to bring more people to the polls and encourage participation in Italian political life».

Where, in fact, public communication lacks, environmental communication is spreading from the bottom using new, innovative and effective channels that have a disruptive force and a skill to reach a large number of people.
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Let's bring our bag for the environment

by Irene Gozzelino

This is the second edition of Porta La Sporta and, few weeks before starting; it has already proved to be a must for those public utilities, companies and people that want to promote with practical actions a more sustainable use of plastic packaging.

Silvia Ricci, coordinator and founder of the permanent campaign, told us that today almost 5 districts and 6 groups of the large-scale retail trade, as well as groups that took part in the last event, have just adhered to the campaign: “This year we started to promote the campaign a month earlier than last year - Silvia Ricci says – in order to give people and interested groups more time to organize themselves. The second edition of Porta La Sporta” takes place in a crowning moment for the problem of plastic packaging: recently the prohibition of commercializing plastic bags has come into force and the last European directive about waste management has been acknowledged. It recognizes for the first time the reduction and consequently the prevention of the waste as the most important actions to undertake.”

Porta La Sporta has been enriched with two parallel initiatives: Mettila In Rete (Put it in the net), which improves reusable packaging for the fruit-vegetable large-scale retail trade and Sfida all’ultima Sporta (Challenge till the last bag), a contest between towns for packaging reduction.
Sfida all’ultima sporta can be promoted by unions of towns, districts, regions, associations, and groups that are able to obtain from sponsors founds to invest in ordinary maintenance of local schools.

Mettila In Rete is an informative and educational campaign addressed to those citizens that are used to put fruits and vegetables in many different plastic bags. “Mettila In Rete underlines that the plastic bags are overused and, in many cases, useless. However, to accept this and break the habit , new actions are necessary, such as: bringing a bag from home, asking the dealers to weigh fruits and vegetables without bags, giving to costumers baskets or similar in which to put fruits and vegetables before weighing etc. If those actions take roots among people, in the next future the birth of a common front of public opinion that can change/influence the market as well as the political decisions will become possible.”

Talking about communication, Porta La Sporta resounded thanks also to the slogan: “sporta” (an old word that stands for shopping bag) is not a common term– Silvia Ricci explains– but its strange sound aroused people curiosity.”

We inform also that the companies e/o groups that want to attend to Porta La Sporta, can find on the dedicated site advices, instruments and procedures of promotion and diffusion, in order to make easy and successful their participation.

All participants will be mentioned on the site, divided into categories to be more traceable.
What more could you ask? It’s a great campaign, both for its aims and for the instruments that proposes.

To demonstrate once more that saving the nature also means saving money.
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Life+: the new way of communication of the European Community

by Annalisa Audino

Communication is fundamental for any type of project, specially for all the new initiatives of developing politics that find hard to reach a lot of public. In fact, to reach all the various kinds of readers and to know how to interest all the generations is very difficult.

In particular, the environmental politics is one of the most binding matters and it’s complicated to make it accessible to everybody: it has various thematic, many various groups and various ways of communication as the associations devoted to particular matters (from those animalistes to those tightly ecological), the web sites like ours, the newspapers and the various projects. Among these, there’s Life, the official way of communication and development of the environmental politics of the European Community. It was born in 1992 and it’s developed during the years financing, till 2006, 3104 projects in Europe with a total contribution of around 2.2 billion of euro. Beginning from 2007 instead Life began plus, a further phase of the project of communication that will extend it up to 2013 and that it foresees the investment of further 2143 billion of Euro.

The legal bases of Life+ are represented by the Rule (EC) N 614/2007: during the period of validity, the European Committee will appraise and will sustain a project a year ( a project that answers to one of the principal thematic, that is to say LIFE+ Natura and Biodiversity, environmental LIFE+ Politiche and LIFE+ Informatica science and Communication). The communication of the projects and the same financing are directed to public and private corporate associations of the European Community and they must concern actions in the 27 states members. The complete text of the rule of Life+ is free on the web site in the devoted section; beginning from the home pages are available besides the news related to the seminars in progress, to those scheduled and to the various financed projects. It is available besides the file of those of the past years.

But there’s yet a new project to succeded Life+ in the period 2014-2020: an online public consultation website to gather views on the next financial instrument for the environment.

«We welcome your opinions on its objectives, priorities and support modalities – the managers explain - This online consultation is one part of a wider public consultation, whose responses will be taken into account in the European Commission's proposal for a new instrument. We welcome contributions from national, regional and local administrations, environmental stakeholders, the private sector, and the general public. The consultation is in the form of a series of 19 questions, and you also have the possibility to give your opinions and suggestions. It is open until mid-February 2011. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value. As Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director, has explained, the safeguard of the environment is a matter that must interest all and that, being very complex, must use sinergy of all the productive, political and social sectors».
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San Francisco, open city

by Silvia Musso

Last November in San Francisco a decree became active. The decree, wanted by Mayor Gavin Newsom, is about the transparency of public administrations. According to the new law, departments and agencies of the city must publish the data at their disposal to better communicate with citizens. In this way www.datasf.org was born. It is a site that collects information relating to the territory of the City and County of San Francisco, divided by type: administration & finance, environment, geography, housing, social services, public safety, public works, transportation.

The site allows you to find the set of data in different ways: general research, tags / keywords, and categories. The objective is to improve the access to the city data through open reading formats.

Once registered you can post comments, reflections and criticism, ask questions that will appear publicly and will be read by other citizens and administrators. In this way you can open a dialogue and exchange.

Regarding the issue "environment" the news and data available are very diverse. Ranging from the study on monitoring of winds to the action plan on climate change in San Francisco, from the monitoring of the state of pollution of beaches to the water quality in the Bay of SF, from the Parks management to the program for green businesses.

For each topic there is a brief description, some information and links to access to further information and documentation and a place where you can leave comments and share them publicly.

The practice of open data, that is the issue of public data in open format, so as to make it easy to access and reuse, endorsed by the SF administration, is present in many other contexts, such as Washington, London, Canada , Australia and Scandinavia to name a few. This approach requires that government data are made public, accessible and usable by everyone, not passively, but to encourage exchange, dialogue and debate. In this process of release of data, the Internet turns out to be the best way because it allows a high degree of interactivity and can be used by everyone.

Also in Italy there are similar experiences, as www.spaghettiopendata.org. Unfortunately this is not an institutional or government site, as in the case of SF, but the action of a group of individuals. It is the result of work of many citizens that have reported links and reorganized them. The aim, as stated on the site itself, is, on one hand, to provide a provisional entry point to the Italian public data waiting for them to become Open Data, and, on the other, to give emphasis and visibility to the various database of local administrations that have moved autonomously making public their information.

Although the result of the will of individuals, it is still a very useful tool to follow the evolution of this particular type of public communication, based on transparency and on direct consultations with citizens. Of particular interest is the concept of reusability that depends on two essential conditions for the Open Data: the format (for example a XLS file is more reusable than a PDF, but less than a XML) and a license that enables the reuse .

Regarding the relationship between environmental data and the theme of the Open Data, Matteo Brunati, one of the owners of the site Spaghettiopendata, says: «The State was also created to manage public affairs, namely that set of assets that belong to all citizens. Among these things there is obviously the territory. At a quantitative level the territory speaks to us through the data, through its monitoring that actors on behalf of the State are delegated to do. All data, collected during such operations should have the right of an open and facilitated consultation. The data tell a lot about environmental pollution trends, mobility and the exploitation of our land. They can be a vehicle of a new participatory urban planning, much closer to the life of active citizens of the territory. For this they are also a fundamental medium to trigger new virtuous mechanisms of control on long-term defense of that common good which is the place where we live».
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Renewable energy: in Italy it is a matter of "points of view"

by Valeria Rocca

It 's all a matter of point of view: the glass half full or half empty? Here's the key question about the ambivalent situation of Italy on opportunities related to the world of renewable eneries and green economy.

It disheartens to see that, on the occasion of "World Future Energy Summit 2011”, held in Abu Dhabi, January 17 to 20, out of 148 participating countries (Iceland, Pakistan,Portugal, Sweden, Morocco, Bangladesh, Georgia, Luxembourg, Spain, England, Germany, France, and Palestine, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Korea, Denmark, Canada,Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Turkey, Poland and of course the U.S., India, China and the United Nations with the participation of Ban Ki-Moon) there was no official Italian representative, but only 25 companies. The hastiest conclusion would be that in Italy there is no interest in the future renewable energies. But if you look at the local, maybe you could be denied.

In Siena, January 17 to 22, it took place the "Energy Week".
The event, sponsored by the Province of Siena, in collaboration with APEA (Provincial Agency for Energy and the Environment) and supported by the Fondazione MPS, was designed as an opportunity for information and insight dedicated to many important actions on renewable and energy savings. There were presented data, projects and innovative experiences that have already developed or are being born in the province of Siena.

The event is also an opportunity to talk about the project ''Siena Carbon Free', with which the Siena territory applies to become, by 2015, the first area in Europe with zero CO2 emissions.

The complex project is intended to improve the energy efficiency of public and private buildings, the support for the dissemination of photovoltaic, the production of renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions.

«The Province of Siena -says Gabriele Berni, provincial councillor for the environment -has made the strategic decision to bet on the green economy and on the production of technologies, equipments and materials for renewable energies and energy efficiency, convinced that investing on the environment is a way to create opportunities for economic development and employment in our area».

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We are all in this together!

by Francesca Maio

Attack, attack! Don’t’ worry! It’s just the Europe biodiversity campaign launched by the European Commission to celebrate the year of biodiversity with a plan to promote awareness amongst citizens and countries and to emphasize the importance of maintaining it.
This is an alarming situation and the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea on the National Strategy for Biodiversity thinks that it is necessary for a «multidisciplinary approach with a strong collaboration between policy makers, administrations, agencies, academic and scientific people and stakeholders to achieve conservation objectives and to promote the social, cultural and economic development, helping to improve the quality of life in the immediate future and for generations future».

Certainly it will not be simple to realize it but the interests are very relevant both for the future of man and for the planet that hosts us.
An important action in support of the natural world is the communication campaign for Biodiversity, planned to engage with thousands of people across the European Union about how we are interconnected with nature. Only awareness is not enough to halting global biodiversity loss by 2020, so it is important to do something and to become active.
The EU campaign is built around the slogan, 'Biodiversity - we are all in this together', and the logo created by a human figure composing with various shapes of animals and plants.

How and where was this campaign?
The first meeting took place in Amsterdam in March 2010 in the form of a crime scene, the outlines of animals and plants were drawn on the ground similar to CSI, to demonstrate the corpses of the shocking and scary biodiversity loss. The event has a positive impact on people and it was repeated in the same way in Bucharest, Warsaw, Milan, Sofia and Madrid.
In a “WEB – generation”, the EU Campaign can be found on Facebook and on the website of the European Union the way to communicate with people. For example, you can view information about plants and animals, alternative behaviors to the dominant styles in order to protect our natural world.

Among the many initiatives, I remember the Quiz show on Biodiversity, in France and the awareness by some celebrities who have chosen to be 'Ambassadors of Biodiversity' promoting information and news on specific species to raise awareness.

The goal was reached: the attention caught, the message spread and now many people know the problem; no more excuses for moving backwards! More...

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The European Week for the Reduction of Waste Materials to the sound of music

by Eleonora Anello

The European Week for Waste Reduction opened today at 11am at the same time in 22 EU member states to the sound of the No Trash Mob, a collective of protests that saw thousands of people gather in many public places to play musical instruments which were derived from or were entirely made out of discarded materials and containers.

A unique event in Italy, and a double event for the No Trash Mob, which was organized by the Consortium of Municipalities of Navigli (Lombardia) which suddenly saw musicians, students of the Alessandrini Vittuone technical college and those of the Institute of Higher Education of Einaudi Corbetta take part. The concerts have been ‘given the’ most complex campaign ‘Reducing together’, presented by the Consortium and validated as an official action of the Week by the European Committee.The musical event was opened and closed by two press conferences in which ‘the Decalogue of Waste Reduction’ was distributed to the mayors who make up the Consortium, accompanied by a questionnaire designed to measure the awareness of citizens on waste prevention. The instrument will be subject to the citizenship and the results it produces will be used to design and direct the most effective waste program in 2011. Exploring the knowledge and opinions of citizens who are preparing to establish a more responsible attitude towards waste is useful and interesting, and helps to identify priority areas for intervention, as well as learning the best ways of communication that will be used in the design of future projects.

The event has been a success with regards to the mobilization and involvement of younger generations, who were able to express their views in a friendly atmosphere and participate directly in the actions they wanted to take.

Carlo Ferrè, the chairman of the Consortium of Municipalities of Navigli, is very pleased: “This is the No Trash Mob twice! We have about 300 participants. We realize that this is a symbolic event, but the commitment of the Consortium does not stop there. For us this is just the beginning of a journey that wants to focus on prevention. In the territories presided over by us, the collection reaches peaks of 75%. An excellent result from our point of view, however it is not enough if the quantity of waste is still high. The aim is to reduce waste and empty containers like the ones that were used by the No Trash Mob”.

“The empty containers sound louder”, added Luigi Alberto Tarantola, the Mayer of Albairate and the president of the Consortium.
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Record of participants for the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction

by Silvia Musso

From November the 20th to the 28th, in more than 22 European countries, the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction will take place with more that 3000 participating bodies.

In Italy, the Italian Promotional Committee, which consists of the Ministry of Environment, Federambiente, Rifiuti 21 Network (the Waste 21 Network), the Province of Turin, Legambiente, AICA, E.R.I.C.A. Soc. Coop., and Eco Town, which are validated by over 580 actions from all Italian regions (the last year there were about 400), a number that puts it in second place in Europe after France.

Many public and private entities, known as project developers, will implement awareness raising activities on the specific issue of waste prevention, which can be achieved through source reduction and reuse.

However, success of the campaign is not only quantitative but also qualitative. The assets are varied and original and are often the result of a longer process, which are closely related to the campaign and are intended to be born and die within a few days. The real success of the week will be helping to raise general awareness on the issue of waste prevention.
The events include a conference on a national level from the university of ‘Trashing the Trash’. Communication models for the prevention and the doorstep collection of waste organized by the Environmental Communication group (CHANGE) and the Faculty of Communication and Science Knowledge of the University of Rome (the Congress Center, Faculty of Communication, on the 23rd of November), the conference has put prevention at the core of sustainable waste management (Genova, November the 26th at 9:00am, at the Palazzo Tursi), and the First National Seminar on Research on Waste and the promotion of good practices of environmental sustainability (Capannori (LU), on the 20th and 21st of November, at the Municipal Auditorium) during which the Italian Network of Home Composting will be officially founded.

Also of note is the project ‘Riduure si può’ (Reducing is possible) which is coordinated by Legambiente through its many circles during the 27th and 28th of November.
The ‘Week’ will be officially launched in Europe by a series of events by the FlashMob or NoTrashMob, as they were dubbed in Italy.

The NoTrashMob are to launch the SERR which is a meeting of citizens who take steps to promote waste prevention in a festive atmosphere. Participants are encouraged to meet in a public space which is accessible and visible – e.g. square, schools, theaters, multipurpose centers, e.t.c. – to play along with their baskets and other containers which serve as symbols of waste reduction. The result is a sort of “Batucada”, the original music of Rio de Janeiro played on traditional Brazilian percussion instruments similar to drums: the only difference is that the repinique, tambourine, agogo and Apita will be replaced here by our waste bins, bottles and anything that can be used to symbolize waste reduction and responsible consumption, as well and make noise. In Italy the NoTrashMob will be more than ten, a number that puts us in first place among all State Parties during the ‘Week?, from Sicily to Lombardy, Calabria in Peidmont, Liguria, Venteto and Lazio, which will use the motto; “the more empty the bin, the louder the sounds!”.
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Trento to invest in less waste

by Eleonora Anello

Red reusable packages for meat, green reusable packages for fruit and vegetables and crates to help move and stock them in the supermarkets with little extra packaging. This is one of the main consolidated habits thanks to the "Spesa Leggera, acquista prodotti con meno imballaggi produrrai meno rifiuti"(Light expenditure, purchasing products with less packaging will produce less waste!) campaign entry in March 2010 and promoted by the City of Trento, to prevent the consumer from putting in their basket unnecessary packaging and containers, surplus that drives up the cost of purchased goods, and once opened goes straight into the garbage.

«The campaign is only part of the complex and multifaceted project that the city of Trento, a municipality of long-conscious waste management and always in line with the latest European standards, has decided to implement and ranging from policies to reduce production of waste at the source, by the increase of recycling through initiatives designed to stimulate and develop concrete actions and participation» said the deputy environmental councilor, Michelangelo Marchesi.

“Light expenditure” has made use of a standard communication plan: such as informational material and posters, shelf tags, separate cashiers, commercials broadcast within the stores; street billboards, woven bags and a branded “interactive map” of member stores, within the city.

But the operation that gave more effective results was the work on the mountain. The committee of directors have been making efforts to involve mass distribution in order to establish a working group, which has not yet been finalized. In that meeting the objective is being found difficult to overcome at the local level, due to the fact that the operators of major chains, although they have an attitude of responsibility, sensitivity and collaboration, may only apply a small amount of shares, and are able to influence the choices of multinational companies, for example, in the design of packaging, which overshadows the environmental aspect.

Despite all these limitations, 6 industrial groups have joined the protocol so far (Conad, Naturasia, Coop-Superstore, Sait, and Orvea ed Eurospesa). The 18 stores have pledged to take seven mandatory actions (provision of reusable or compostable bags, adoption of paper for packaging meats and cheese for a reduced impact, sale of products that can be refilled, returnable beverage containers, used batteries recycling programs and rechargeable batteries, the supplying to charities of food close to it expiration date) in addition to voluntary measures (a presence of products with a reduced weight of packaging or packaging made of recycled materials, sales or detergents and food products in bulk, the adoption of compostable bags and containers for counter products, and the sale of cloth diapers).

The administration is awaiting the first data set to be provided by stores. Meanwhile, the Province of Trento assessed the project and, realizing its validity, has decided to expand the participating areas. The City Council are aware that the next to be involved will be smaller, local producers.
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Understanding to act, acting to change

by Anna de Polo

It was renewed until 2011 the SEE Campaign, Sustainable Energy for Europe, launched in 2005 by the European Commission and aimed at raising awareness on issues of climate and the environment and promoting sustainable energy to public and private companies, NGOs and citizens. The European Community has set itself the objective 20;20;20 by 2020": i.e. 20% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, taking the use of renewable energy to 20% of total energy consumption and 20% increase in energy efficiency. Achieving this ambitious target should involve all levels of society, not only governments but also the other players in the energy landscape. «Our country, however, has developed over the last decade a top-down approach to the problem - noted the manager of the SEE Italy Campaign for the Ministry of Environment, Antonio Lumicisi, according to which - We have not been able to develop a national energy policy that would involve all energy users».

In Italy the SEE Campaign, active since 2006 under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, has been realized so far in activating a hundred partnerships in the five thematic areas of the Campaign, one of which is Promotion, Communication and Training. This is the one that showed the most interest, including 41% of partnership activated up to date. Particular attention, in fact, was paid to information on climate and energy issues and to the spreading of good environmental practices. The aim is “Understanding to act more consciously in the path of environmental and energetic sustainability." From this need of training and information was established in 2010 the publication "Energy and Climate: understanding to act", by Luca Mercalli and Daniele Cat Berro, published by the Italian Meteorological Society. This document is of remarkable clarity but also full of scientific information, answers to many questions about climate change, climate and environment in general, that the average citizen stands, often without finding reliable and comprehensive responses by normal means of information.

What are greenhouse gases? Is global warming an unequivocal fact? Are biofuels a solution? Which is better, tap water or bottled? Nuclear: yes or no? Few of us can say they have clear ideas on these issues, which, although now daily heard by everybody, are rarely addressed with clarity, thus leaving room for doubt and questioning. The text is divided into two sections: the first, called "Understanding", explaining the processes that regulate climate and climatic changes occurring on our planet. The second section, entitled "Acting", outlines what has been done, is done and should be done at international, national, local and private sectors to combat global warming and create a more sustainable society.

The 66-page publication comes from the idea that the development of an environmental awareness is the first step towards the adoption of more rational and sustainable practices by all levels of society, from national governments to individual citizens: everybody must know how to change, and change is the only way to overcome the environmental problems that afflict our planet and of which global warming is only the most extensive.
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The appeal of Peel's organic

by Eleonora Anello

A very attractive vision that coordinates true images of an organic waste that returns to a beautiful new life. While we are seeing a continued spread among the population of practicing separate waste collection, one of the habits that is taking off slowly, mainly because of strong resistance, is the organic waste collection. We speak of a campaign of environmental communication, perhaps a bit dated, built in 2007 in Canada, which has achieved excellent results in a surprising time, that is when the environment was not considered so important.

To reach 70% of organic crop by 2016, the Region of Peel has developed a broad action commonly known as "Organics Recycling Program”, which began with "See waste in a new way. Organics recycling waste Gives New Life”. This first step was characterized by a message reinforced by meaningful images that have been admired by insiders to be part of a small event in the network.

The promoters’ invitation, coded primarily through the images, was therefore a look at the organic waste from another point of view, turning the vision and refocusing on the result of the recycling process: from smelly fish bones will be born beautiful flowers, just as lush tulips can sprout from banana peels.

In reality, the “Organics Recycling Program” aims to make the region an independent waste management area, especially in order to produce a “Made in Peel” compost, a brand that has been communicated to the citizens as a bearer of wealth as well as an advocate of independence. In this regard, Elaine Moore, the then chairman of the Public Works Committee stated: «We are excited to launch this program and are proud of our reputation as a leader when it comes to waste management and recycling. Diverting organic material from the waste stream is to reduce dependence on landfills Peel, creating a more environmentally responsible waste management».

In June, three months after its launch, about 50% of households had joined the program, collecting more than 7,300 tons of organic material that gave rise to almost 1,900 tons of finished compost, enough to cover 71 football fields.
One year on, the data had stabilized: «We are helping to make Peel a sustainable eco-community - says Andrew Pollock, director of waste management - Approximately 50% of households that received a green bin are participating in the program. We invite all families to participate by placing their food waste and soiled paper products in their green bin. It is easy to do and the environmental benefits are substantial».

If the campaign made on the traditional media has had good effects, the virtual one hasn’t been able to match the same results. The part of the site of the region dedicated to the program has been updated to 2008. Worse still, is the presence on the social networks. A Facebook group has been created to track the number of families who diligently participated in the program, the posts are limited to 4 while the members to 16. Perhaps in 2007 the campaign was too advanced!
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The Echo sustainable pride of Scotland

by Paolo Ghiga

Raise your hand those who have not associated, even once, Scotland with Nessie, the famous Loch Ness monster. Renowned in every area of his territory, which is divided broadly into three regions, the Southern Uplands, Lowlands in the Central and the Highlands. The most famous area, North Scotland, is rich not only in significant natural and environmental value, but also world famous tourist destinations: including its 800 beautiful islands, charming botanical gardens (which can be found in Edinburgh, Glasgow, up to Drummond, Crarae, and Inverewe Gardens, just to name a few), which testify to the attention and respect for nature that epitomises the Scots.

A fantastic website which deserves an attentive visit is keepscotlandbeautiful.org, which presents programmes dedicated to the Scottish environment and its preservation. For over forty years the slogan "Keep Scotland tidy" has been the mantra for all who care about Scotland’s eco environmental heritage.

The campaign, which includes numerous initiatives, has two strands: the first being the more competitive, "Beautiful Scotland", which encompasses awards and achievements related to horticulture, environmental responsibility and community participation in these areas. The second strand, "Neighbourhood Awards", despite the name, is not competitive. It gives support and recognition to local communities which are starting environmental improvement campaigns. To increase communicative action there is a regular newsletter, a website full of teaching materials and educational articles, plenty of information online, and an annual awards ceremony celebrating the best participants.

A really interesting initiative is the "Dumb Dumpers" campaign, which helps to monitor and investigate those who recklessly abandon waste. This campaign aims to assist the police by encouraging people to report fly tipping in their local area.

Other campaigns such as "Food on the go", and "Have some pride", are focused on the problem of increasing waste generation and trying to keep the streets free of abandoned waste. Linked to this campaign is "Bought in Brechin … ... Left in Lanark", which offers a reflection on the figures reported that an estimated 100,000 pieces of litter are dropped each year on Scotland’s roadsides from cars. The website also includes a "How you can take part" section dedicated to how the public can participate, with a section focused on pet owners and their responsibility to keep the streets clean from pet droppings. The problem of excrement has become increasingly significant in recent years, and therefore is considered among the most important campaigns launched by Keep Scotland Tidy.

As the involvement of communities and neighbourhoods increases, the new initiative "National Spring Clean" has been launched, where in April tens of thousands of volunteers take part in a fun litter pick of their neighbourhood to help clean up Scotland.

Acting in a straight forward and vigilant manner, Keep Scotland Beautiful represents a model of how you should effectively interpret and act upon the environmental and sustainable eco message. More...

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The Europe and the new possible mobility

by Silvia Musso

Also this year, from 16 to 22 September 2010, thousands of towns and cities across Europe will take part in European Mobility Week, the biggest global event dedicated to sustainable urban mobility, promoted by the European Union. Containing many events, it will conclude Wednesday, with the car-free day, known as “In town without my car” and include many other related initiatives.

Since 2002, when it was opened for the first time the Mobility Week, the number of participants is increasing. And the 2009 data confirms this: 2181 member cities and 4440 permanent measures were undertaken to promote sustainable mobility.

The ninth edition, this year, is accompanied by the slogan "Travel Smarter, Live Better," which seeks to make slightly unusual but smarter ways to travel more attractive.

The goal of the week is focused on its target to create new awareness of urban mobility, in order to highlight the major problems of a transport system based mainly on private motorized vehicles, the consequences of which can affect the health of citizens, as well the added dangers of traffic accidents, respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and social isolation.

«The aim of the European Mobility Week - said EU Environment Commissioner, Janez Potočnik - is to empower local authorities in the choice of policies on urban transport, in order to improve their impact on the environment and quality of life of citizens».

This year's events, at the moment promoted by 2027 cities, are coordinated by three nongovernmental organizations (Eurocities, Energie-Cités and Climate Alliance). The most active nation is Spain with 567 initiatives, followed by Austria (429), France (147) and Poland (113). 37 initiatives are taking place in Italy. In the city of Bologna, for example, an auction of second-hand and abandoned bicycles is planned, and in Turin free "antitheft punching" for bicycles is being offered.

For those who want to join but have little imagination, the site suggests actions to take (some symbolic), which can be easily achieved. To the administrators the following are suggested; to revise the “Plan of the city” to ensure that people no longer have to face long and recurrent journeys to reach services and go to work; to develop a plan for sustainable urban mobility, by limiting car access and parking in some areas or introducing low emission or low-speed zones; financing campaign information; and to share the best practices on sustainable mobility with other European cities.

For individuals, the EU suggests looking for housing close to transport links, or trying car sharing and car pooling routines.

The Mobility Week is proposing new lifestyles choices, however simply offering an alternative transportation to the car is not enough to get a lower impact mobility. It’s perhaps necessary in the long term to rethink the urban landscape and change the entire culture of travel. This is a real wake up call for public administration, the European Mobility Week is an opportunity to test their policies on transportation and to present them to the citizens, aided by the media coverage that this type of initiative will create.
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The Province of Leghorn anticipates the EWWR

by Eleonora Anello

Institutional and social forces, ahead of the European Week for Waste Reduction (20 to 28 November 2010), have joined in the campaign “Meno rifiuti” (Less Waste) to educate the Leghorn citizens to produce less garbage.

«The presence of packaging in the waste is a growing trend that only the caution of a conscious consumer can slow making light purchases – debuted Giorgio Kutufà, President of the Province of Leghorn at the official presentation of the project in November 2008 – The campaign represents a collective effort in wanting to reduce the amount of waste generated and based on a political awareness that involved 54 players and sees to work well together».

”Meno rifiuti” is in fact divided in two specific fronts: firstly it aims to inform people about how consumption habits can help to reduce waste; while at the other it involves the institutions, the enterprises, and the economic operators of the territory in the implementation of measures aimed at reducing waste. We spoke with Nicola Nista, the provincial environment assessor.

What is the campaign?
«The main objective is to increase awareness of the environmental and social costs of waste production. Costs that are not only necessary for disposal, but also those due to environmental degradation, which falls, then, upon future generations. For this, in the first phase, we heavily focused on information to support the growth of awareness by the consumer and direct it toward more correct buying behaviour. In this sense we also made a nimble "handbook" with tips on how to spend "more light", i.e. choose bulk products or with less packaging, use reusable shopping bags, etc.. We have also drawn attention to the campaign through a dedicated website, posters, information material that we have distributed in various ways. The whole campaign was recognized by the image of two tasty green apples, symbolizing the expense: one enclosed in an absurd packaging (plastic bag and strap) and the other one “free”. With this message the Province urging people to reflect on the uselessness of some packages, while giving the impression that the packaging “choke” the product. Were also made several technical meetings, coordinated by the Province, to stimulate the planning of those members. The result of this work was a real Operational Action Plan through which to implement best practices in the territory».

Interesting adoption of a testimonial near Leghorn as Migone, a famous comic.
«Migone is one of the most famous comedians of Leghorn, very well known for his participation in the Italian TV show Zelig. He's definitely a character much loved by Leghorn who especially appreciate the humor at times surreal but tinged with bitter irony. He is also extremely sensitive to social issues and has been enthusiastically to our proposal to represent the campaign for which has not received any compensation».

In which phase is project?
«Nowadays we launched the second phase of the campaign that is now in the crucial phase with the implementation of projects contained in the Action Plan. We identified four lines of action: reducing packaging, longer life of objects, how to manage the municipal waste collection, waste reduction in the public administration and in the offices. On these lines move projects "P.A.G.U.R.o” (Projects and Actions for Management and Use of Waste), presented by some partners and co-financed by the Province. Among the various projects there are some of particular interest. “Niente sprechi”(No waste), with the promoter the Province, which seeks recovery of unused or non-marketed goods (unsold food, pharmaceuticals and publishing products) that will be distributed to charities in the area. “Buona da bere” (Good to drink) draft submitted ASA (the local environmental services company) to reduce the use of plastic bottles by promoting the use of tap water in the offices of the Province, in the schools. Another interesting project, which was largely successful among citizens, is the distribution of raw milk. The initiative, organized by the Municipality of Leghorn, saw the installation of a vending machine located in the “natural” commercial of the district Borgo Cappuccini. Finally, a project to promote the separate waste collection and the composting household organic waste is treated by CRUMA (Marine Aquatic Bird Rehabilitation Centre) of Leghorn. The headquarters of the Centre, in fact, will host a trail on this subject, with the installation of compost bins and information signs that explain the operation of the composting process and how to implement it at home».
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When also classic music is ecologic!

by Annalisa Audino

Who has told that the music is not ecological!?! The Festival MITO SettembreMusica (from 3 to 24 September 2010) confirms for the fourth edition its appointment in favor of the environment and communicates through one of the most exciting arts its message: all we can contribute to the respect and the improvement of the quality of life of our world.

The annulment of the issues produced by the Festival and the reduction of the environmental impact to the minimum is a concrete appointment in the energetic saving, in the appointment of the resources and the first subjects, in the reduction of the harmful issues and in the compensation of the produced CO2 thanks to the creation of new forests.

The organizers of the festival have asked for the appointment of all the partners, suppliers and musicians to sensitize the public and the institutions for a cleaner and respectful world. To compensate the issues of CO2 MitoSettembreMusica has sustained first of all the creation and guardianship of forests in growth in the Park Rio Vallone, in the Province of Milan, and in Madagascar, sticking to the project Impatto Zero of LifeGate. The two projects have a great scientific and social value: to contribute to the creation and guardianship of areas inside the Park Rio Vallone, to preserve a green lung in a territory strongly urbanized, and, in Madagascar, to maintain the ecological equilibrium typical of the place. Besides the international project foresees also the restructuring of the villages, of the road that brings in the city, of the electric net, the construction of a small dike that can bring water to the village, the digging out of wells to allow the cultivation of algae.

MITO SettembreMusica sustains also the reforestation of city green areas in Turin, through projects of reduction of the greenhouse emissions realized in developing countries: the issues of CO2 produced by the Turin edition of the Festival will be calculated with the support of Environment Park according to what anticipated from the norm ISO 14064-1, related to the declarations in subject of greenhouse effect, and certified by an independent third organism. For the calculated impact it will be predisposed in collaboration with Clean Planet, system developed by the group Asia, a project finalized to individualize opportune actions for the compensation of the emissions of CO2 residual lists in projects of Forestazione, projects CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and Voluntary projects (Voluntary Emission Reductions.

MITO SettembreMusica is not the first initiative devoted to the environment through the music. Protagonists in the summer 2009 had already been the Street Academy with the project As it plays the chaos and Umbria Jazz with concerts of band that used recycled tools. In short it is time to change music, in all the senses, and to make some respect of the environment and the actions for it an essential foundation.
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