"The creativity, sustainability becomes an art exhibition”: in Padua to promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

 

by Valeria Rocca

Arts. Sustainability. Recycling. These are the three keywords of the project “Riciclarti-CANTIERE ARTE AMBIENTALE 2011” that from the 14th to the 23rd June 2012, will guest in Padova, Anna Breda Area, with the show "La sostenibilità diventa creativa ". There will be discovered 8 artists protagonists Fausto Trevisan, Sonia Passoni, Massolin Miriam, Francesco Mangiaracina, Gianfranco Gentile, Isabelle Fordin, Daniela Ferretti. 

We contacted Marisa Merlin, the Venetian artist, who has made recycling the tool to create new languages, as well as the curator of this exciting project.

When was it born, and what is the project “Riciclarti-CANTIERE ARTE AMBIENTALE”? 

The project “Riciclarti-CANTIERE ARTE AMBIENTALE” comes from my work as an artist. The project sees the first edition in 2008 with the aim to involve other artists on environmental issues through the language of art, to promote a moment of reflection on public issues identified, interpreted and developed by artists and designers.

On what values is based this ambitious project?  

 The Review RICICLARTI wants to stimulate the creation of posts, through the privileged language of contemporary visual art, creating reflections on the connection between aesthetic and environmental protection. The project believes in community relations "eco-centric", and to this aim, the artistic research offers important channels of communication addressed to the people, businesses and institutions in a shared environment. The strong cultural background of the project acts as a filter for each proposed initiative.

What objectives does it want to reach? 

The event, now an expected cultural one, intends to establish itself as the "Festival of Contemporary Environmental Art.

In short it will be opened an exhibition space at Anna Breida. What are the expectations of this event? 

Anna Breda Area has selected some artists and designers within the participants Riciclarti-Cantiere Arte Ambientale 2011 for an exhibition that handled with knowledge and generosity. In fact none of the Artists shall be personally present in the show because affected by the earthquake, and Anna Breda will donate the earnings to the earthquake victims Emilia. We expect a large turnout and interest, and I know that the experience and professionalism of the gallery and the quality of the works of her choices will satisfy the expectations of an attentive audience that followed us for years so far with rising curiosity. The exhibition space at Anna Breda is a qualifying moment for the review, and I can say that we close the series with an outstanding Award Show, which has among its intent to exit from the physical and temporal space of the exhibition and to relate the works of artists and designers with other important art and culture and stimulus, going on to a mutual exchange, artistic, cultural, economic and lifestyle.

Are you satisfied with the work done until now? 

I must say I am very pleased and proud of the work done so far, thanks to the collaboration of many people who believed in the project with enthusiasm, being able to relate with different reality as artistic, cultural and economic public and private institutions, we gained the 'interest of opinion leaders from various sectors, and of course the growing globalizing attitude for the quality of works and proposed initiatives. Participants in the exhibition are selected by call for competition by a jury composed of personalities from internationally recognized scientific fields, so the quality of the show is always very high. The Festival has grown so fast that became a Biennale, taking the name RICCAA (acronym for Riciclarti-Yard Environmental Art). The next will be the fifth edition in 2013, and the invitation to participate will be released the next October.

For more information www.marisamerlin.it or www.riciclarti.it (But the site is currently under maintenance) or www.spazioannabreda.com.

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Graffiti Grannys: knitting-sized cities

by Annalisa Tancredi

New forms of urban guerrilla are literally knitting balls of thread in the United Kingdom. In Cornwall there is a new spontaneous movement of "guerilla knitting", which aims at beautify urban spaces and color gray squares and public monuments with original knitted works. Authors of these crochets are Graffiti Grannys, a group of eight women between 45 and 65 years who during the night, in anonymity, adorns benches, lampposts and fences with objects made from wool and yarn. And so in the morning the citizens are surrounded by an explosion of bright colors and funny shapes that is a touch of exceptional urban creativity making daily routine more pleasant and harmonious.

A particular re-appropriation of urban space through the artistic expression of "yarnbombing", a street art midway between the graffiti and guerrilla gardening which shares the aim to re-enhancement urban environment. Its origins can be traced back to the name of texan Magda Sayeg, who in 2005 started to decorate at first door handles of her shop with knitted and then, on commission, city-bus in Mexico City and the Smart fortwo. Graffiti Grannys, however, are reinterpreting urban environment in the UK and, despite their commitments to knit around the world, have found a moment to answer our questions.

Who are Graffiti Grannys?
«We are a group of 8 aged between 45 and 65, we also have a lady who knit for us who’s 97!»

About your history: when is your movement born?
«We started yarnbombing on 1st April 2010 where we left 68 mice on the harbour wall in Marazion, Cornwall (UK). Ever since then we try to yarnbomb once a month!»

What are your values and ideologies?
«We love to make people happy and smile when they see our work! We go out very late or very early so we are not seen, as no-one knows who we are. All our work then vanishes as people collect them! We have just got back from New York as we were invited to exhibit in an exhibition held by Vogue Knitting Live. We have had work go all over the world, people find them and then take them back to where they live abroad. We now have lots of followers on Facebook and Twitter!»

If you were in Italy, where would you like to realize a guerrilla knitting?
«If we were to yarnbomb Italy, it would be nice to make somewhere that did not look so good, into somewhere very pretty to make the people smile as they go about there work!»

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In Berlin the garbage makes fun

by Irene Gozzelino

She writes on her own website that she´s feeling especially persuasive. She is ironic about the daily life of the citizens, made of walks with dogs, cigarette´s butts and garbage. She´s funny and she dresses only orange.
We´re presenting you the garbage disposal services of Berlin, managed by the biggest firm in Europe in this sector.

The firm is called BSR, an acronym that means “Berliner Stadtreinigung”, simply “cleaning of the city of Berlin”, and it was founded in 1951. Apart from an efficiency guarantee from 6000 employees and from 2000 vehicles for the waste collection, the BSR is remarkable for her communication capacity.

Every year the streets of the German´s capital are invaded of a new and funny advertising campaign about waste collection, street cleaning and garbage collection, that changes with the season. The cold colors of ice and snow mark the winter, more warm colors recall the summer´s sun.

The colors are changing but not the objective: to change our own bad cultural and emotional background about garbage and who collects it.

As you can see in our Facebook gallery, the garbage collector is represented like a familiar person: he takes care of the city (the home of all) taking away the garbage exactly like we do at home (the slogan is: “like at home...only more”).

In another image we´re seeing The Big Kathrine, an enormous child, that is dominating the city like a giant: she´s so big ´cause all the children, learning from an early age, can give a big contribution to clean the city, now and in the future.

Then the advertising images are genial that invite to throw away the organic rest in the appropriate baskets: most famous classical paintings are deprive of fruits and vegetables ´cause “old vegetables belong to the compost´s basket”.

Finally, we need to mention the trashcans on the street; they have an intelligent structure with an hole only for cigarettes, and are always provided with funny slogans like “CO2´s collector” or “WOW WOW it´so amazing how you have collected the defections of your dog the right way!".

Thanks to this this strong advertising campaign, the just diligent citizens are made aware of the recycling collection. One result is, that every year 6000 tons of organic waste are produced and transformed into bio gas that is used by the vehicles of the street cleaning and garbage collection.

The color of the BSR is a harsh orange, and we must state, that in this case, orange has never been so green.

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“Suburbs”, waste on canvas: art like social alarm

by Annalisa Tancredi

A painting shows the image of an abandoned suburb, invaded by junk but unable to respond effectively to emergencies. This time the waste issue is told through the eyes of an artist, steeped in materialism and desolation, loneliness and cumbersome, a mirror of the inadequacy of the administrative system and of the style of consumption our society still pursues.

«Environmental sustainability and artistic creativity combined to stimulate reflection on environmental issues». The climate, energy, pollution, recycling are the topics discussed at the national competition AxA - Art for the Environment, ended on 9 October, organized by “La forza del Segno” and supported by the municipalities of Cassina de 'Pecchi, Comazzo and Gorgonzola.

An opportunity to celebrate the marriage between art, environment and environmental communication, in which artists are spectators of the collective history and, simultaneously, reporters of their own reality in real time. Through the painting medium, art talks to us in a sensitive and soft language, but full of communicative functions which leads the viewer to reflect, inside himself, on the consequences of a simple daily act for the collective welfare.

The exhibitions were attended by 97 pieces of work from all over Italy and, of particular impact was the picture of Josè Augusto, painter and glazier from Licata, son of Cesare Augusto, a painter. Since 2007 Josè has decided to direst his work to social art ".. illuminated by the fact that we can love our own territory, not only praising the beauty, but also denouncing its defects and environmental degradation. I painted our natural beauty for years but then dissatisfaction took root: I was tired of painting subjects in which I could not find the Truth". His work "Suburbs", is a painting of empty boxes, cartons left on the ground, long dark shadows and a suburban wasteland as a backdrop.

What did drive you into painting "Suburbs"?
«Reality of Licata city is contrasted between beautiful landscapes and a situations similar to the third world: for years the suburbs have been like a landfill full of tires, appliances and trash piles. It represents the perfect balance between poor civic pride and administrative mismanagement».

What does the painting represent for you?
«Those rows of metal containers, in themself, are a pollutant. For years, I was putting in my garbage, and for me they are the mirror of administrative situations have occurred: clean and tidy during good management periods, dirty and forgotten during maladministration».

What would you like it to represent for the audience?
«For me it is very important to see the reaction of the audience: there are those who simply say "Good!", those who confessed they would never buy a picture like that, and those who don’t stop even for a moment to watch it, I think because the issue touches him too much closely».

Which lessons from your father do you enshrine?
«My father taught me to find beauty even where it’s hard to see, for example, when I paint a crumpled plastic bottle».

Which kind of resources would you use for planning an environmental communication campaign?
«I am not able to talk about communication, but if unintentionally I do that through my works is because I think a picture, albeit crude, is the best way to slam on people's faces the sad reality. We are used to live in paradoxical situations, and this doesn’t help people to change their attitude towards the environment».

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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!

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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.

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The drama and the fight against asbestos between cinema and the web

by Eleonora Anello

3000 deaths among former workers and ordinary citizens. 20 years in prison each requested by the prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello charged to the senior executives of the multinational Eternit, accused of "intentional disaster and lack of safety measures and precautions". This is the tragic story of one of the greatest environmental crimes at the hands of an industry that knew but kept quiet in the name of profit.

Those of us who take care of daily environmental communication have been very impressed by the fervour and the social cohesion arisen, after 30 years of silence, among the population of the affected areas.

In the intense wish of justice that meanders among the public opinion, art, in its various forms, plead the case, especially since there was the certainty that there are civilian casualties involved, meaning people that have never set foot in 63 Oggero Street, the base of Eternit in Casale. It has thus been seen an unprecedented explosion in information and communication, with the hope that the issue would have gained the proper visibility. And so it was.

One of the pieces most appreciated by audiences and critics is Polvere (dust), whose central theme is the asbestos,. The video-documentary by Niccolò Bruna and Andrea Prandstraller was awarded 2 prizes at the International Festival of Cinemambiente and, in recent days, one prize at the Euganea Film Festival.

The documentary film has drawn by “Asbestos in the dock”, a social networking project born in parallel and operated by Niccolò Bruna for the Association of Asbestos Victims (Afeva) of Casale Monferrato, aiming at highlighting all the heritage of information generated by research and enhancing and extending the message of the international civil battle. «The history of the process is a collective story - the author explains - a story where many people contribute to information and, through their narrative, complement the story. The pristine idea was to make a weekly report about the process and also to collect useful information for the documentary. In a short time, Asbestos in the dock was able to mobilize people who would not have been reached by the mainstream media, because their coverage is limited to the highlights of the process. Internet not only has been instrumental in helping to spread beyond the Italian borders the information needed to keep alive the international mobilization (on 2009 April 6th, the first day of the hearing, many foreign associations were present) but it has also encouraged the participation of the members. Thanks to the web there is indeed the possibility that a different kind of information will reach a better quality and a higher coverage than traditional media. The strength of the project is that it deals with a very specific and local issue; however, that attracts global interest. The media look at the spectacular side and not at the substantial one, but in Turin there is a process that can become a milestone for the issue of corporate social responsibility: it is a symbolic issue even more important than the process itself».

To repeat the eloquent words of the three prosecutors who are handling the case in Turin, it is a "huge disaster" that sees “as main allegorical accused asbestos", but whose devastating effects on workers and citizens are due to the conscious conduct of the two accused, which for years has been based on a single vile and despicable strategy: the non-communication of risks.
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“Migrant” ideas for a rising-up progress

by Anna de Polo

When art becomes a mean to communicate the environment and the environment becomes a source of inspiration for art, then the result is always winning, especially in a country like Italy, where, despite everything, the marriage of art and nature and of culture and territory results in a language that everyone seems to understand. The possibility to reach the ordinary citizen and touch its sensitivity is what science needs to get out of books and laboratories and lead to a real progress of the society. This is the ultimate goal of environmental communication. For this reason, every initiative that moves in this direction, whether large or small, deserves to be divulged.

There are many such events planned for the coming months. One of them is “Il Paese dei Nidi” (The Country of the nests), a "migrant project" which aims to promote environmental protection in a really unusual and creative way. Essential modules of bird houses, made by LIPU, were given to artists active in Piemonte to be customized and transformed into works of art. The result is twenty-nine "Bird Box of Author" which will be displayed in an itinerant exhibition in different locations across Italy. The first appointment was in Calosso, Monferrato, from May 21 to June 19. The exhibition moved then to Favara (Agrigento), to the Castle of Racconigi (Cuneo) and finally on the hillside overlooking the Lake of Orta, Ameno (Novara). Each event will be enriched by readings, sound installations and multi-disciplinary conversations, in a regular dialogue between scientific approach and artistic and creative approach, «In the belief that art -as noted by Patrizia Rossello, creator of the project- could trigger a process of change in society».

The same principle is at the basis of Riciclarti 2011 – Cantiere Arte Ambientale, a festival now in its fourth edition, which compares the contemporary visual art with the politics of environmental sustainability. Curated by Marisa Merlin and promoted by the cultural association Arteria, the exhibition displayed works of art and design selected by a panel of experts in a charming location, the Ex Macello of via Cornaro, in Padova, from May 27 to June 26.

Both initiatives use art as a tool to communicate and raise awareness, addressing the need to make newer and more appealing the concepts of environmental protection and of development of more conscious and sustainable individual and social practices. This is particularly important in a society such as ours, where the abundance of information that reach us every day makes us addicted to everything and in which the risk that the messages, although alarming, about the health of our planet will soon become stale. The indifference of the citizen is the best ground for moral and intellectual stagnation that in the long run can slow down the progress of society.
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“Funky Pudding: your waste may be used against you”

by Silvia Musso

Between 2008 and 2009, coinciding with the so-called garbage crisis plaguing Naples and Campania, from the imagination of the actor Luigi Ciotta begins to take shape the idea of an obese clownish character, almost deformed, whose only interest is to eat and live in a garbage can in the street to freely feed himself with everything people throw away.

From this early idea, under the direction of Philip Radice, Funky Pudding was developed. It is a street satirical show of the French-Italian Society En Croq and it is complaint about the food waste and junk food that troughout an obese chef with his kitchen located inside a large garbage can.

Parody of culinary television programs, and of the rituals around food and the relationship of the individual with their own waste, from autumn 2009, thanks to the involvement of the actress Dedieu Aurélia Paris, the show has added a second clown and extends the faced themes to the problem of consumerism by referring not only to Italy but to an international context.

«For us, the theater, as well as art in general - Luigi Ciotta says - is a way of talking and communicating with people and at the same time reflecting on the problems of society, so even those related to the environment. It 's always been in this way in history, a bit less perhaps in the contemporary world; then each artist chooses the most appropriate way to do it, ours is a satirical approach to the problem of waste and the consumer society. We have chosen the street theater trying to touch an audience as diverse as possible, through a very popular form of art».

The show, from its beginnings, has been welcomed both by critics and audience with the awarding of many prizes. The impact on the audience is strong: people start laughing for the grotesque and the absurdity of the situation and as the show progresses the laughter becomes even more conscious and sometimes bitter. The show does not only let you laugh, but it let you reflect and discuss.

The use of the theater could be very useful in environmental communication campaigns (in this case, for example on recycling or waste reduction), as a complement to the more usual channels such as posters, billboards, radio spots, public meetings etc. and also Ciotti seems to agree: «From the experience we're doing with this show, I would say that the theater is a very valuable tool of communication, and can be excellent as a supplement to social issues of various kinds. Often the "direct and frank" information has one side of "guiltiness", on the contrary if you get to captivate the audience in a positive way, through the laughter in our case, then it becomes easier to make them think about issues and maybe questioning their habits and ways of life».

The company, that would like to export the show beyond the French-Italian border, is working on Spanish and English versions. In June, the two clowns probably will fly in Canada.
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Tips for a sustainable Christmas

by Paolo Ghiga

Let's face it, as much as we hope to conceal and deny: every year from the early days of December, starts the countdown to Christmas shopping. Planning the first patrol, the comparisons, we live to reach the inexorable indecision, often, real marathons at the last minute, exhausting every point of view.
If we wanted to go further, in fact, we could perform the ritual of cadeau (giving a gift of) an eye on our beloved planet: for example, how about donating a tree? BosCO2, an initiative promoted by Legambiente, has as main objective to promote work by raising awareness of the environment, taking advantage of the holiday season. This is a particular forest, consisting of all plants donated for Christmas, which provides practical support to environmental protection through a personal contribution of 40 €, to ensure that a loved one receives the gift of an environmentally friendly greeting card, and can also be used as decoration.
Of course this ticket information characterizing the tree object of gift, which will be also have a specified nature area where it will be planted. It will also be possible to know the amount of carbon dioxide that the tree will help to compensate during its growth. The initiative seeks to repopulate Giussago Park and Lacchiarella (Lombardy).

If you want something more "tangible" by donating, why not move your attention to high tech gifts, but strictly green? The gift Green is a recycled product or product with recycled items, which uses natural energy or helps to conserve energy. There are multiple benefits: it can make the person who receives it happy, will undoubtedly be good for the environment and can be a great way to raise awareness among our friends for sustainable development.
Here are some examples: you go from a Christmas Wreath solar-powered, equipped with LEDs allowing energy savings, to a wall clock for natural energy: it is powered by electricity created by reaction, from copper and zinc from lemons. This is a design object designed by the prestigious Studio Anglo-French "Anna Gram", exhibited in numerous international art galleries.

If the persons to whom you want to make a gift to have a garden, why not opt for a splendid natural chair in grass? Some will require a minimum of time and care but the set including seeds, water, and ... patience seems intended, after the chair has taken shape, to give away great moments relaxing to the beneficiary.

Of course, the ideas aren't limited to these: there are safe and ecological bottles, water clocks, eco-notebook for zero impact, rain-fed earrings, table calendars on recycled material, with ecological and non-toxic colors for children, in short, just a search with patience and an idea surely will conquer.

If none of these tips there have excited you, why not try giving away a holiday to persons to whom we wish? Easy you say, just choose a tour operator that offers guarantees, devote at least one hour to choose a location, pull out the paper credit and voilà, you're done. And appearance purely ecological, all speeches on recycling and reuse? If you have been thinking of the travel agency you did wrong: there is a more sustainable way, through the barter. Already, if you have objects of any kind (from books, comics, via CDS, clothing, computers, etc.) which might deprive you, well you can exchange them with a stay for one or more persons, with various levels of comfort depending on the objects involved in barter.
Think about it, with the same amount of material, already produced at the time, simply circulating without further packaging, which now constitute a gift added CO2 production, etc. You can make someone happy without impacting heavily on the environment. The Week of Barter, which took place from 14 to 20 November promotes this idea, so why not also mention it at the upcoming Christmas? Good Ecological Christmas to all!
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Several variations of environmental communication in Ecomondo

by Silvia Musso

Also this year the editors of AICA will participate in the International Fair of Materials and Energy and Sustainable Development, better know as Ecomondo, which has reached its 14th addition.

The Fair, which was inaugurated on Wednesday the 3rd of November, with the participation of the Minister of Environment, Land and Sea, Stefania Prestigiacomo, will offer, as always, opportunities for discussion and communication between industry and environmental sustainability and institutional stakeholders, trade associations, public administrations, and NGOs concerned with green technology and new sustainable lifestyles.
Within this fair that might at first seem purely technical, one can find many opportunities, even for those who face the same environmental issues from the perspective of communication.
In this respect it seems worthwhile to highlight some of the so-called “special projects” of the Fair of Rimini.

Lets start with the EcoArt Project, an international cultural platform from a creative force of artists who aim to increase the awareness of environmental issues. There are activities involving young people, businesses and institutions at all levels, that aim to inspire attitudes and behaviors that are aimed to save the planet.
The EcoArt Project presents to Rimini and important example of contemporary art entitled “EcoBrain”, a group exhibition in the name of ethics, energetics, ecological sustainability, an accumulation or works created with studied languages, codes and materials which fit into the themes of social and bio-diversity.

Another project is the “Ambiente Festival” (Environmental Festival). Promoted by the City of Rimini in collaboration with the Rimini Fair, Ambeinte Festival was created as an initiative to spread the popular ideas. With “Biadiversiamoci” it will include ten days of events focused on issues of biodiversity and renewable energy that will involve all of society, in the old city surrounded by gardens of biodiversity, to give shape to a sustainability method, which is both tangible and practical.

Also this year, again in partnership with Rimini Fair plc. with E-Ambiente Ltd., after the success of last year, once again they will present “Sustainable City”, an exhibition of international projects whose aim is to provide an original vision on the most representative research of urban-quality construction and the best practices for sustainable design of the “CITIES OF THE FUTURE”. The center of the exhibition center hosts several workshop meetings. In the context of sustainable cities, the staff at Virtual Valley will gather numerous interviews with representatives or organizations involved in environmental communication for present and future projects and activities, and above all to gather thoughts on environment-related communication. Among the participants are: Body Basin Padova 2, E-Ambiente, Labelab and Ravenna 2010, the University of Rome experts, the University of Bocconi, the university of Milan and AICA. To Follow the interviews see the links below.

Finally, another moment to point out that involves, among others, the director of AICA, who will be at the press conference to launch the second edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction, at the same time as the representatives of the organizing committee, and the sponsoring bodies and the main sponsor CONAI. It will be the first opportunity to try to pull the strings on the number of signatures collected in Italy. It should be pointed out that Friday the 5th of November is the deadline for submission of registration forms at segreteria@assaica.org.
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When the ecology is art: from “Recycle city” to “Beautiful city “

by Paolo Ghiga

There is no one single interpretation of the environment and eco-sustainability: this is the concept expressed by the artists, the new "messengers" of environmental sustainability, during the event on July 2nd, organised by Ecocity Onlus in the Italian town of Frascati entitled "Ecoartisti offresi I, II. Art design Environment and sustainability Networks-" there is no shortage of ritual and taboo: the new ecological guardians", and representing the result of the reflections on the material processing cycle. A result of the research on the territory of Castelli Romani which started in 2004, the project aims to involve artists such as painters, designers, craftsmen, writers and musicians who perform works and projects capable of communicating environment in terms of protection and sharing of quality of life.

Daniela Zannetti is the President of Ecocity Onlus, a professional team composed of ordinary members and partners volunteers, journalists, supporters and contributors that was born at the end of 2005 as Environmental Observatory in the Castelli Romani area and became a recognised Association in 2006. Environmental monitoring and the abandonment of waste into the environment, linked to the concept of economy of natural capital, within a community participatory environmental policy choices and awareness of the need to achieve sustainability networks codify the philosophy of this Onlus.

Ecocity believes in "eco-centric" community relations. «Each artistic discipline offers important channels of communication- Zannetti stresses -Ecocity has developed a variety of initiatives to citizenship for a shared environment. To support and spread the culture of an echo economy that includes in the calculation the ecological costs and gains, and the benefits of proper use of the vital resources of the planet, processes into eco-friendly, sustainable and responsible patterns of consumption» .

Several initiatives are proposed: from communication campaign about waste recycling and collection "Differenziare. Un gesto naturale" (Sorting waste. A natural action), the one on the recovery of biowaste and composting "CompostiAmo". Important actions with the Italian NGO Legambiente ("Puliamo il mondo", "Puliamo il buio" -“Clean the world”, Clean the dark”), events of environmental culture ("Il Pifferaio Ecomagico", "Ingombri", "Biutiful Naturando", "Ambiente in Comune", "Arte che avanza”), attention to information ("Due punti"," Ingombri").

According to Daniela Zannetti the idea of uniting art in its various meanings, an ethical policy regarding the use of the material is its «refusal of that environmental Manifesto with which Ecocity onlus began to describe their fields of a city Ecological and its "new" waste code: those of a "Recycle city", in the sphere of social awareness and communication of sculpting and Recycle; a "Beautiful City", i.e. the space of a wonderful city, where art, the environment and architecture develop imagination».
It is necessary to «give continuity to EcoArtisti project as an instrument of dialogue. The power of art to communicate and create bonds contributes to harmonization of people around a common purpose or identity, the environment, the ' man-Soziale Plastik of Joseph Beuys-is the custodian of an energy that can change the world. A tangible sign of this is its ability to modify objects. The art is no longer a museum concept, but anthropological».

The ability to interact and change the field of art, may contribute to transforming the culture of consumption: first of all, the artists, could prove guides and guardians, active elements in creating the social culture, through, for example, the interpretations proposed by Elizabetta Fazi in sculptures of "Contenuto e Contenitore" which show how nothing is lost but is part of a whole transcendent or in the case of lamps made by Marco Celidonio in "Luce" (Light), where the same concept is pure design.
Memory, moreover, has delivered the horrors of war, represented by hollow shapes of Agata Chiusano in "Riconoscimento": clothes without bodies, numbers, shapes that separate us from life.
A kaleidoscopic event at 360 °, where the figure of the artist-shaman in "Cenere", by Giorgio Galli, outlines the new guardian, the artist, who takes the call for help from a town-village, the sense of art continues Genesis, the processing necessary for a really new future, where we live in «… a city only powered with renewable energy, where all moving electric with public transport or bike, where the local market only sells fresh produce from the local area … a Ecocity, an eco village that bases its activities on the immoderate consumption of fossil fuel and not devour resources and materials at a steady pace», as the Zannetti concludes in its press release of Ecocity Onlus.

A utopia of men who protect the world which is plagued by guests are fully consciousness and aware of how you can, or you could do something to remodel the minds, to lead us towards a mature world released from the ideology of consumerism. From today we have a tool to support the environment but also the consciences and hopes of men.
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When theatre is all a rubbish…

by Annalisa Audino

If you said a similar thing you could be misundertood, as if you did a hard criticism to the contemporary theatre, but a phrase as this one is only a representation of an original idea, that people could copy in the world of the ecosostenible building. The message is simple and direct: today nothing must be thrown away. Just nothing.

And you can see that in London two artists, Martin Kaltwasser and his wife Folke Köbberling, buildt the Jellyfish Theatre (25, Union Street), the first theater exclusively drawn by recycled refusals. It doesn't concern only some axles of recovered wood or some recycled plastic lamps: the building, whose life will extend for alone two months, has been thought and planned by the two exponents of the junkitechture (or the art to build with the refusals) as a real assemblage of refusals of every kind. Old theatrical scenographies, cloths, cassettes of the market, kitchens and living rooms recovered by the dumps, discards of building yards, bottles and cans: all is revealed fundamental to reach the objective of the project, or rather to build a grandiose theater where two shows will be entertained, devoted to the climatic changes of our planet, Oikos of Simon Wu and Protozoa of Kay Adshead. Inaugurated toward the end of August, the theater will again be demolished in October and the materials reused.

«Simply we give value to the things that, according to the greatest part of the people,don't have it more - the artists explain - Our trial reverses the normal iters of the economy, the materials making functional that they could seem unusable. It’s sure: the safety norms will rigidly respected and technology will be advanced. Our theater, in fact, will have an innovative system of cells to combustible to produce the necessary quantity of energy and it will exploit a sophisticated system of illumination able to exploit at the most the natural light of the day. We can entertain up to 120 people: think to the great message! You are in a theatre of things that you coul have thorwn away!».

The idea of creating a bond between housebuilding and eco-projects is spreading by now in Europe: from the hotels that try to produce energy with the cyclettes to the eco-campings, new projects and new ideas are being developed for making to grow the sensibility of the population
about environmental problems. The projects of real construction with recycled material therefore are only one of the solutions. Among the occasions to reflect on the matter, there’s the BetOnGreen Hotel in Rome, the first Italian convention devoted to the sustainable management of the receptive structures, to compete with energy and to aim at the green. The next appointment will be October 19, with a new event devoted to the enterprises, to the technological solutions and the good practices used for making the more efficient receptive structures from the energetic point of view, more sustainable and, therefore, mostly competitive on the market.
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Small scratches on grass

by Annalisa Audino

Frontiers of the art are endless, as the forms in which an artist can express himself and communicate his own message and his own talent. Often however the art is also very discussed, especially in some forms and expressions, particularly strange, scandalous or unrespectful of the environment and of the society. Among these there is surely graffiti art: diffused social, cultural and artistic demonstration in the whole planet, is based on the expression of his creativeness through interventions on the fabric urban public and privacy. The phenomenon, remembering the mural painting (it has often approached to it), in reality it primarily foresees writings and not draws, usually the name of the artist or meaningful sentences that become messages. Just because performed on walls, trains or objects and public and private buildings, it often comes in partnership to actions of vandalism: the use of varnishes and sprays, are not certain to greet for the guardianship of the environment besides.

But we can't admit that sometimes graffiti are real works of art.

Strucked by numerous polemics and intented to find a new expressive form, in the last times some artists to the world of the street art and endowed with a particular sensibility toward the thematic environmental have conceived a new way to make graffiti that is to say the Echo-graffiti or, as someone call it, the Organic Art. The artists try to focus the attention on the environment, both as it regards the messages of the works themselves, that as it regards the composition.

Among the streets more known and original artists there are Ann Garforth and Eleanor Stevens, called the duo El & Abe. About two years ago the two artists started to make Mossenger (fusion of moss and messenger), that is graffiti made of musk that, if positioned in correct levels of damp and light, they live attached to the walls for years. The procedure is simple: they are picked up by Ann grass and musk common that are able to grow on the bricks and they are glued on the wall, in the form of the words of Eleanor, with a natural mixture of yogurt and sugar.
An example of their collaboration are SporeBorne and Watch Your Skin Peel, so described by the artists: «Spores borne air represents the wind of change and movement, seeds that germinate, musk's spores in the air, damp, potential. Watch your skin peel can be seen how a metaphor of the conscious change, of the human body in a state of constant flow, the to throw aside the dead subject and the regeneration».

Ann Garforth is active also in the guerrilla gardening, another interesting example of artistic connection between art and nature.

Another meaningful artist is Edina Tokodi, a young street-artist ecologist that has decided to recover the relationship between the man and the nature distributing on the walls of her city, Williamsburg (Brooklyn), figures of animals cut out in the musk. The Tokodi has studied graphic arts and design to the Hungarian academy of Belle Arti and has completed the studies to Milan with a course of urban design. What pushes her in this form of art is the desire to study the way according to which the people welcome his small animals of musk. Its objective is to operate in direction of a harmonic relationship with the environment in which we live and that we often forget there to protect.
Edina describes her job in the blog Environmental Graffiti, where you can also find precious suggestions on as to create your own ecological graffiti.
«I believe that our distance from the nature both by now a cliche - she explains - The inhabitants of the city don't often have relationships with the animals or the green. How public artist I hear the duty to attract the attention on the lacks in our daily life. How cultivator of echo-urban sensibility, returns usually in the places to visit mine "cried" or "musk", at times to mend more generally them some but nothing because they potentially receive enough water from the air, from the condensation and from the rain. Also the reaction of whom lives the roads it is very important: I am curious of as the people receive them, if they want only to leave them alone, if they want to take care of him of them or to dismantle them. This is what makes my job similar to the graffiti, although I am looking for a social meaning more depth and of a dialogue with the memoirs of animals and gardens of my past in a small city of the Center Europe. I believe that if everybody had one garden of theirs to cultivate we would have a more balanced reaction with our territories. Of certain, a garden can be a lot of things».

The graffiti and the advertising ecological communication in reality have been tightening friendship since more or less two year and they have become must of the moment real. An example is the advertising country realized by the Green Graffiti with graffiti realized to water on the roads, perfectly washable. The company affirms to absolutely care the environmental sustainability and to give to organizations of beneficence 90 euro for every realized graffiti and besides, for every liter of water used, invests in a project of harvest that furnishes a liter of drinkable water to the inhabitants of an arid zone of Brazil. To today have stuck to the new advertising country some public institutions as the museum of Rotterdam, but also Mtv, Elle, Smart. More...

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The “comedy of science”

by Alessandro Ferrua

From 2 to 7 July science and technology will be the centre of attention in Turin, at EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF 2010). This is a two-year european meeting dedicated to scientific research and innovation designed by Euroscience, organization consisting of members of the scientific community. The meeting promotes debates about science and technology evolution in today’s society and about policies to support research. At the Centro Congressi (Convention Center) of Lingotto there will be conferences and debates with the most illustrious names in the scientific community. In the streets and squares in the center activities will be organized, to involve citizens. On ESOF 2010 website you can subscribe directly to the forum.

Turin’s candidacy was promoted by: Agorà Scienza (Centro Interuniversitario dell’Università di Torino, Politecnico di Torino, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Università di Scienze Gastronomiche), Compagnia di San Paolo and Centro Scienza Onlus. This is the fourth edition, after those of 2004 in Stockholm, 2006 in Munich and 2008 in Barcelona.

In this initiative is housed the performance of a play: “Arlecchino e il colore del quark”(“Arlecchino and the color of quarks”), with Valentina Aicardi, Roberta Maraini and Matteo Volpengo. Written by Marco Monteno, research worker at the INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Phisycs), “once was presented to CERN in the form of reading, while now is more poetic” says Marco Alotto, director. In this performance the actors reveal us the mysteries of science through simple language: the nice story of the capricious Queen, who discovers, on the web, the existence of quarks, elementary particles of matter that can may be of different colors. So she asks Arlecchino (the famous character from the “commedia dell’arte”) to get her some of them, for sticking to her dress. Arlecchino goes to the market to look for colored particles and meets Ginevra, the greengrocer, physics student, who reveals him the true nature of quarks, so we discover that they possess a property called “color charge”, but they are neutral in color. So Arlecchino will bring to the Queen something she can not apply to the dress. The same director tells that “the three characters of the modern “commedia dell’arte” are connected like the three quarks of a proton”: two quark up and one quark down; indeed Arlecchino falls in love first with the Queen and then with the greengrocer. It looks like a combination of human dynamics to the most basic and invisibles natural processes, that makes the audience think about the nature and the human nature in a funny way.

The theatrical association Itaca will play the group stage with comedy at the “Teatro Cavallerizza Reale” in Via Verdi 9, in Turin, Saturday 3 July with two performances: h 21,30 and h 1,00. It will replicate Sunday 4 July at 21,30 and Monday 5 July at 10,00.
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Skyscrapers in waiting list

by Eleonora Anello

Can the skyscrapers been regarded as a symbol of modernity today? In a society that has discovered the right quantities, that adopts sober lifestyle in the respecting of the environment, tall buildings over 170 meters can represent it? These are the questions raised by the Committee of Turin “Non Grattiamo il cielo” (Not scratch the sky), created to fill the lack of a wide-ranging and constructive discussion with citizens affected by major planning changes. The decisions imposed from above, concern the construction of two skyscrapers, one of the Intesa San Paolo bank and the other of the Piedmont Region, intended to change the skyline of the historic Savoy city, overwhelmingly silhouetted on those mountains that in 2006 hosted the Olympic Games.

Do the citizens of Turin need a new symbol to identify with? Truly will enjoy the city new found fame? With all the brownfield sites in outlying areas, why building in downtown? How much energy does a skyscraper consume? Are these investments necessary for the city? These are the concerns communicated on the site by protesters that aspiring to involve citizens in the fight against the building of “unsustainable environmental emblems” -citing Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society and AICA (International Association Environmental Communication) Scientific Committee member - relying mainly highly engaging activities through the web, without forgetting the presence on the territory that seeks to involve residents of affected areas to urban changes. One of the latest networking initiatives involved sending photographs depicting the landscape of Turin as it appears today from their window.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at the Torre di Abele Library of Turin, the Committee turned to the government through the dissemination of an appeal initiated primarily by Italia Nostra (National association for the preservation of historic, artistic and natural heritage) asking to hear the voices of citizens and their economic, urban, landscape concerns. The press release starts from the consideration that the urban landscape, integrated into its natural surroundings and mountains, is a fundamental element of the collective heritage of Turin and it is necessary to support it as a cultural and social need, precise identification element for residents. The two towers are a strong element of striking discrepancy in terms of environmental sustainability in recent times the city tries to pursue. The Committed proposed not only a pause for reflection in order to rethink the project, but a lower impact alternatives aimed to reduce construction costs, management and consumption, and the opportunity was good also to boost petition on Firmiamo.it and on Facebook.

”Siamo vicini ai tuoi sogni” (We are close to your dreams), says the latest Intesa San Paolo commercial campaign, but if the shadow of the skyscraper will befall on its hometown will alienate some of the dreams of those who believe that their city needs care and investment behind the times, choices and sustainable technologies, renewable energy. Publishing the work “Lucia Forte sfida Renzo Piano” (from the Italian romance “I Promessi Sposi”) by Marco Pece alias udronotto, that represents the skyscraper under construction in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II built with LEGO bricks, we hope that the simplicity, the immediacy and the humorism of its message can continue to have a purely informational function that would bring other people to debate on these important changes. More...

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Dumping art

by Anna de Polo

Imagine entering a space where nothing is what it seems and imagination reigns supreme; imagine you are transported into a dimension where objects live a second life and are ennobled through the magic gesture of an artist. If you're curious to discover what it is visit the exhibition “Dumping Art 2010, dalla discarica al riciclo: arte a tutela dell’ambiente”(Dumping Art 2010, from landfill to recycling: environmental art), being held in Genoa until June 30 at the display space Artelier, located in the Palazzo Ducale’s main courtyard.

In Artelier, in an exhibition route rather short but in a pleasant environment, are exposed the clothes made with discarded materials by Caterina Crepax and the works of Maria Teresa Illuminato, founder of Saveart, an art movement born in Milan in 2004 to give a new body to the artistic creativity sensible to environmental protection.Looking at the clothes of Crepax, of a dreamy and refined taste, one is tempted to touch them to understand what they are made of, but even so it is difficult to guess without the help of illustrative plates. Stamps, plastic nets of oranges, bottle caps and video tapes abandon their original identity and functionality to be reborn as unusual fabrics thanks to the genius of the artist. You are affected by the elegance of the installations and the poverty of the materials, contrast that highlights the power of imagination and art in an age of consumerism as this, where nothing is ever enough and where objects, the "stuff", are never beautiful enough, strong enough, enough technology to meet our induced needs.

«The artistic event becomes an opportunity for reflection and a method for educating to respect the environment -explains Elisabetta Lodoli, curator of the exhibition with Elena Boschiero- We have tested this especially in last year edition, attended by schools from all over Liguria, who used the visit to the exhibition as an opportunity to study and discuss environmental issues». In the display are also provided educational workshops for children on the theme of recycling, waste and environment, organized by association RICREA.

Another merit of the exhibition is to stimulate imagination and help you discover that the objects that surround us every day may suggest new ideas, if only we observe them with an eye a bit more "creative". Here then, with a little manual ability and a lot of imagination, we too can become an artist of creative recycling and reuse. Many have already thought it, both in Italy and abroad, where there are lots of blogs publishing posts to suggest the readers concrete ideas of reuse and recycling (see for example Recyclart and IoRicreo). These sites are located within the ambit of the upcycle, born in Anglo, which consists into creating new products using objects and materials intended to the garbage can. The fundamental aim is to promote a sustainable and alternative lifestyle that goes against consumerism of our society. In Italy the users of these products are still a niche, but growing, as evidenced by the numerous events and trade fairs held on the theme of recycling and environmental sustainability, such as "EcoFatto", "ReMade in Italy", "Fa’ la cosa giusta” and the initiative "M'illumino di meno".

Whether it's art or a bit weird crafts, the idea is basically the same: to discover that the waste is a resource, if interpreted with imagination and intelligence. If you can see beyond the object and imagine a second life for it, useful because functional or simply because beautiful, then that magical space where nothing is what it seems can become reality. And Nature would thanks. More...

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Eart, from concept to quarterly publication

by Silvia Musso

Eart threepointzero, evolution of the “eart” concept, becomes stable quarterly publication. Available in free download here, under Creative Commons license, eart threepointzero borned as “environmental media” on environmental and social themes, unique concept in the international scene. A digital publication that could be produced, circulated and read causing far less impact than traditional magazines. An interactive pdf with an horizontal layout made easier the use of non-linear text, increasing usability while sharing special functions (in addition to RSS), stimulate and simplify the deployment of editorial contributions. Finally, an extra section facilitates the deepening of themes through multimedia content and useful links.

Eart acronym of Environment, Art, Research and Technology, promotes a strictly NO PRINT culture, placing the text at the bottom, in one continuous section with minimal graphic elements. For those who really cannot do without printing – for personal, professional or health reasons – we draw a line between the printable and non-printable areas. The choice of a green font, if it is necessary, save resources when printing.

Even the editorial work is inspired on the principles of emission reduction, using ICT tools and limiting the physical movements, both at organizational and operational, both in the implementation of editorial contributions.

«Eart threepointzero is a cultural centre - says Ilaria Testa, Editor in Chief - Never as now there are the feeling of the need of a new narrative, devoid of the stereotyped buzz that has surrounded and continues to surround nature and our relationship with it. In order to achieve this goal, we promote young talent: in each monograph issue of “eart” a young emerging artist is invited to explore the relationship between man and his environment».

In this issue among others: John Grant and his new book "Co-opportunity”, Gennadi N. Bogdanov heir of Mejerchol'd Biomechanics Theatre, Paolo Fresu and Informatici Senza Frontiere. More...

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A wedding all ethical

by Annalisa Audino

Imagine the scene: flowers that come from a cornfield to decorate the church, invitations made with recycled-paper, a boy that wears a white linen smoking, a girl that comes towards him with a dress made by biopolymers of biodegradable mais and an elegant dinner with local products.

It isn’t a strange dream, but only an eco-friendly weeding for all those that also in the most important day of their life want respect the environment and communicate to their wedding attendants their efforts for ecological causes. And there’s more: also the honeymoon can be eco-friendly if you choose to travel by train, by bike or on foot through Buthan or Holland.

The ethical weeding fashion comes from United States and reflects about environmental and social impacts of every choice. And also vips like this new trend: for example Stella McCartney, crying “to be an ethic person is to demonstrate that the wedding day is not an egoistic day”, invited her wedding attendants to plant flowers and trees in a park.

There’s everything for a eco-friendly wedding day. Wedding skeep-sakes, invitations and wedding lists can be created in the same eco-shop with juta, hyacinth, straw, natural inks, african ceramics and woods. Those persons that are more zelous can ask their wedding attendants to replace the wedding skeep-sake or a present with a donation of money for a developing community or a eco-friendly project.

You can buy also eco-wedding rings in shops of cooperatives composed by people differently able that make rings with natural materials that haven’t substained chimical treatment and without precious stones. Or you can buy on Internet a greenkarat wedding ring: rings made by recycled gold and diamonts that come from places where there isn’t war and black market.

And then there are dresses. In Italy there are two eco-friendly proposals. The first is proposed by the stylist Igam Ussaro: he uses textile materials with termoplastic characteristics that come from biopolymers and synthesis plants or recycled materials. The collection, all biodegradable, is called Eco Fast Dress and it’s ecofriendly and cheap. In Sondrio, instead, the Shop Solidarity has created a collection of twelve dress handmade by Bangladesh women.

Finally, also the wedding banquet has to be eco-friendly: so it’ll be in the same place of the cerimony and based on local and biologichal products or vegetarian.

And if your mariage is too expensive, you can follow the American example of Andrea Parrish e Peter Geyer. To pay their marriage, on 31st July, they have to gain money recycling 400 thousands cans. Their friends gave them a lot of cans and they have the collaboration of people coming from all the world, but to have all the money they have to recyle 57,143 can per month, 14,286 per week and 2,041 per day. If you want to help them you can visit www.weddingcans.com.

The artist E. Moises Diaz helped them using cans to realize very strange works in aluminum: the 40% of the money he gained will be donate to the couple. More...

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Ecological green or economic green?

by Eleonora Anello

Encouraging a culture of separate waste collection, enhances creativity and professionalism of young designers and creates new containers of high quality with high aesthetic value. This is the threefold aim of the competition “Re: Design Positively - New containers for separate collection”, created under the communication project' “Live Positively”, sponsored by Coca-Cola with the scientific support of the Faculty of Design of the Polytechnic of Milan in collaboration with the Association ReMade in Italy.
The final prototypes, that best will succeed in raising awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability and embody the concept of environmentally sustainable design, will be exhibited at the “Triennale di Milano”.

It seems that the environment and sustainability are in the DNA of Coca Cola Company, as stated by Alessandro Mangoni, Director of General Affairs of Coca-Cola HBC Italy. In fact, “Live Positively” is a project to redesign the daily lives of people in a sustainable way for the environment and the multinational corporation wants to give the first example saying it wants to always produce more with fewer resources.

Too bad Coca Cola, the world's best known brand and which has made its packaging a real cult object, was one of the companies that won the first Greenwash Award given by Canadian Polaris Institute. The Oscar of greenwashing, for those who want to clean up its image, giving itself a false social and ecological patina, is actually assigned to the UN mandate on water. According to the jury, companies like Nestlé and Coca Cola use the United Nations for «continuing to privatize a common property like the water, without complying with either social or environmental standards».

Not to mention the accusations repeatedly raised against it by various parties regarding such issues as: the adverse health effects in the acquisition of certain ingredients of the secret recipe, especially for children; the exploitation of labor; the high levels of pesticides in their products; the use of unfair practices for the maintenance of what may be considered an exclusive monopoly.

Constantly at the centre of an intensive and successful communication, Coca Cola was the first company that in 1931 had the idea to use Santa Claus as a testimonial, the multinational stokes an intense counter information. The activists use Internet to disseminate the actions and to do a boycott.

While distancing us self from the activists that boycott any choice of Coca Cola, the question arises: ecological green or economic green, like the colour of the dollars that Coca Cola gains for years at the expense of the environment?

We hope, in Machiavellian way, that the ends justify the means. We hope to see soon in the streets these new bins for waste collection, beautiful and functional objects that probably increases the amount of sorted waste and cheer our virtuous behaviours.
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