Natural Graffiti

by Emanuele Biestro

 The graffitis have always been disputed among the public opinion: who loves them, and consider them as a piece of art, and who hates them, stressing the chaos and the dirt they cause. Others think that they are only a communication tool: you write something that another people, walking absent-mindedly,read. From this comes the brilliant insight of Green Graffiti, which since 2007 use this communication tool.. in a sustainable way! The idea of this communication agency, coming from the Netherlands and then spread all over the world (so far it works in 12 States) is to use only low impact tools in the communication campaigns.  “We realize messages on squares and sidewalks using only natural materials, without adding solvents or other chemical products: reverse-graffitis created only with high-pressured water, chalk-graffitis with nebulized chalk, sand-graffitis with sand and natural glue, messages using musk and grass; in addition, we organize branded gardening events, giving new life to those green areas left abandoned”, Lorenzo Fabbri’s speaking, Green Graffiti Italia project manager. The graffitis are realized through an iron or aluminium template (like the one used by the roadmen to write on the roads, for instance), using a unique cast to reproduce the message, cast that then is completely recycled!
“The technique we use the most is the reverse-graffiti” says Lorenzo. “This method allow a relevant save of resources if compared to the paper posters, highly environmental relevant both for paper consumption and because of the water used during the production process. It is worth stressing that the water we use comes from the rain, collected through storage tanks or wells. One of our reverse-graffiti 1,50x1,50 m needs 12 liters of water, it does not produce wastes and it erases itself naturally, because it is sufficient to walk over it and the surface get dirty once again”. 
But it is not enough: indeed Green Graffiti uses two kinds of compensation, the hydric one, delivering for every graffiti 1 € to GreenAdsBlue, and the CO2 one, delivering 0,5 eurocent for every km travelled during the campaign to groenbalans, agency specialized on the CO2 compensation. 

>Concerning the communication topics, the targets are extremely various, but they could be brought back to those who attend the streets, such as pedestrians and vehicles: you can make a course, repeated messages, puns,.. Lorenzo confesses that during their jobs they get often in touch with people interested in what they are doing, notably street art or in general curious about what they are doing: at that stage we can also teach people something, mainly about sustainability! 

No doubt: graffitis have never been much greener!

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Green Flag for the Engim Artigianelli, Turin

by Emanuela Rosio

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Eco-Cemetery: even the afterlife become ecological

by Marzia Fialdini

In this period traditionally dedicated to the commemoration of the dead, and if we consider an ecological living as the primary mean to improve the environment, then we should perhaps reflect on the fact that humans continue to pollute even after their death. How? It may seems incredible, but every funeral is a real threat to the environment: the coffins are often made with precious woods and toxic paints are used, cemeteries require expensive maintenance and a big quantity of pesticides is used to keep intact and fresh floral arrangements.

The new frontier of ecology then passes from the cemetery: the end of a life can represent a new impetus to the environment. Last year in March the first eco-friendly cemetery was inaugurated in Blackley, a small town near Manchester, central England city. In this area the bodies of the dear departed were placed in biodegradable and free of carcinogens coffins and marble slabs have been replaced by a rough stone or a tree, on which was engraved a figure, so that the earthly remains are uniquely traceable. Furthermore, the hearse has become electric and there is no need of gardeners, because the nature, running its course, thinks of everything. In the United Kingdom in a short time the green cemeteries have already reached 228 units.

In Holland, the environmentalists have proposed a fascinating idea: growing a tree from one’s ashes, helping to give new life to the Planet. In Australia on July 1 a somehow “revolutionary” eco-cemetery was inaugurated: no tombstones, so, to record and locate the exact position of the deceased, you have to use the GPS. The zero-impact cemetery is the St. Francis Field (owes its name to St. Francis of Assisi), at the Kemps Creek Cemetery in the western suburbs of Sydney. It currently has a capacity of 300 people, 300 real eco-dead who will reduce their footprint on the environment in life as in death. How? Everything inside the cemetery is natural and environmentally friendly: from biodegradable coffins made without the use of chemicals and with a zero emissions process, to the procedure of preparation of the body that takes place without using preservatives and disinfectants, thus facilitating the natural recycling. The use of a site is granted for a period of 30 years, after which it can be further renewed.

And in Italy? In our country since 2007 biodegradable coffins are available, but they are certainly not the most popular. However in 2010, for the first time, a design object called November Rain, focused on the importance of water, was created to use in cemeteries: it is life, so recover it, store it and reuse it are noble gestures that every human being should do even after his death. November Rain is a project of Andrea Vecera for a self-sufficient tomb, which recovers the water and also use it to generate electricity to power a led.

Nature has given us life, therefore it’s right that the body, after being buried, goes back to Her again. The cycle continues.

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Go green, but with an eye to the wallet

by Anna de Polo

A recent survey conducted by Accenture ("Revealing the Energy Values ​​of the New Consumer") revealed that 80% of Italians are in favour of choosing an alternative provider for the supply of electricity and energy efficiency programs, as long as this will translate into savings on their bill. Not that there was need for a statistical survey to find out that virtually we all agree to reduce the personal impact on the environment, but in practice we are committed to do so only if it reduces, or at least does not increase, the family costs. For this reason there are many Internet portals that offer practical advices to consumers to direct their purchases towards products that maximize value for money and, at the same time, comply with standards of environment quality.

Among these, one is Topten, an online search tool that allows you to compare various types of electrical equipments and choose the best from the point of view of not only energy efficiency but also the energy cost of the product in its entire lifecycle, as well as of the price, the brand and the aesthetic. The different products are classified into categories (e.g. cars, household appliances, lighting and office equipment) and are selected according to the criteria of energy efficiency, quality and the impact on the environment and health. This allows on one hand to raise consumers awareness about the impact of their energy consumption on climate change, and on the other to encourage companies to improve their energy standards.

Nothing really new in reality: just think of the energy labelling scheme (eco-labelling), which has so far proved to be a useful tool for consumers and effective for the environment, thanks to its high potential for energy savings. The new EU directive on eco-label has introduced several new novelties, including the requirement for energy labelling of TVs. The eco-label also becomes mandatory in case of direct sales, rental and also in distance selling, i.e. on internet. This legislation is part of the energy plan of the European Union, which is introducing more and more rules to achieve the target of 20% for energy efficiency by 2020. On 22nd June they proposed a new European directive that combines into a single legal instrument the earlier directives on the management of energy supply and final energy consumption. "Our proposal aims to make more efficient the ways to use energy in our daily lives - said Gϋnther Oetinger, European Commissioner for Energy - and to help citizens, public authorities and industry to improve managing energy consumption. This should also lead to reduced energy bills".

In conclusion, if on one side consumers are proving willing to engage more '"green" behaviours, on the other the energy suppliers and manufacturers are more and more stimulated, precisely because of this trend, to improve the energy efficiency of their products, thanks also to EU incentives. It remains to be seen whether this situation will trigger a virtuous cycle that will allow achieving the goal of 2020, from which for now Europe is still far away.
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Music is energy

by Eleonora Anello

Music as a means to spread environmental awareness? Of course it is, when its use has low environmental impact.

A study of the Observatory on environmental sustainability and music, commissioned by Edison in collaboration with Renato Mannheimer ISPO, has shown once again that in Italy we declare ourselves in favor of the environment but then we do little to protect it. 70% of the sample says they are very sensitive to environmental issues, although 39% does not implement any environmentally sustainable behavior.

From the published data it appears that the bigger problems are in the field of public transport. Very few manage to do without their cars to get to a musical event. And there's more. Some genres are greener than others: the most virtuous are those who love classical music, while the black jersey goes to the metal heads.

In this light, Edison, to spread a music more in line with the environment and develop a culture of sustainability and energy conservation in this area, decided to do its part by launching Edison-Change the Music, a contest addressed to emerging bands. Who will prove to be more environmentally friendly will open the concert by Jon Bon Jovi in Udine, July 17th. The project has been joined by several members of the musical world including Piero Pelù, Elio e le Storie Tese, Enrique Iglesias, Annie Lennox, Omar Pedrini.

"There are many ways of doing business - said Andrea Prandi, director of external relations of Edison - With this project we believe that we can tie the theme of energy to that of environment conservation. Along with Legambiente we intend to convey to as many people as possible a message that encourages the sustainable use of energy resources. We chose music as a mean of communication, both in its popular expression and through more educated music. Indeed, we are also sponsor of the Prima della Scala. Edison-Change the Music has also become partner of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign promoted by the European Commission: this is a source of great pride for us".

If one energy company focuses on young people, another relies on stars, going on with well-tested projects. We are talking about Enel that, after the success of Safari Tour 2008, renews its collaboration with Lorenzo Jovanotti. "Ora in Tour Lorenzo Live 2011 - Music CO2 neutral" is a series of concerts across Italy, which began last April and will conclude at the end of this year. Its aim is to neutralize the emissions of the musical event with a program of reforestation and development in Cameroon. Each individual viewer may also directly participate in the initiative through the Compenso Positivo website, through which you can enter a raffle for a tree and give it its name.

"The collaborative project with Jovanotti -Enel says- is fully integrated in the commitment of the company to promote sustainability through a process that involves the use of renewable sources in energy production, the use of new technologies in the reduction and storage of emissions, measures of efficiency and energy-saving, the use of products with low environmental impact, information and awareness campaigns on the consumption of energy. In particular, the beginning of the tour of the singer coincides with the launch of "CO2 Neutral", the new Enel brand that identifies the services of Carbon Neutrality. Indeed we have been active for a long time in the volunteer market of the footprints for a wide range of services. Events, campaigns, sales of energy and other initiatives can be neutralized through innovative activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing in a concrete way to improve the life on the planet and to the fight against climate change".

For years, however, environmental groups have tried to highlight other truths on the production of Enel. So much that some singers have decided to side with the citizens who pay the consequences dramatically. In August 2010, during the event Correnti Musicali, Simone Cristicchi, pressed by the environmentalists, refused to sing in the coal plant "Federico II" of Cerano (BR), which is not surprisingly dubbed “the plant of death", because it not only affects the beautiful landscape of Salento, hitting its tourism, but also keeps claiming victims among the inhabitants of the district. A dossier of Legambiente of 2007 has shown that the kindly-named plant, a true eco-monster that is located on the beautiful Adriatic beaches, produces over one third of total national emissions.

All this ambivalence between what is communicated and what is done can only create doubts and confusion.
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Real Nappy Week to share a secret

by Silvia Musso

In the first nine months of pregnancy before the happy event, future mothers imagine how their baby and what bright future awaits for them.

They probably do not pose the problem of the impact that their baby will have on the environment. A creature so small could ever produce much waste? Here's the answer: the disposable diapers can be up to 10% of municipal solid waste and their impact on the environment is high because they are not recyclable waste and take 500 years to break down completely, while the cloth diapers are reusable multiple times and for more than one child!

To avoid that every new birth brings with it a terrible ecological footprint Nonsolociripà was created. It is a group of parents from all over Italy who uses cloth diapers for their children and aims to spread, without any profit – they do not advertise any brand - the culture of reusable diapers both through direct contact and arranging meetings on the territory to share experiences and information, and through their website.

In the wake of events with similar names such as the European Week for Waste Reduction, and Italian Week of Reusable Bag, the group NonSoloCiripà will promote also in Italy the International Week of Cloth Diapers, Italian edition of Real Nappy Week, that will be held from 16 to May 22, 2011 all over the world.

To celebrate this campaign (the sixth international edition and the second Italian one) NonSoloCiripà is organizing several initiatives throughout Italy, through the network of so-called "voluntary ciripine” (from ciripà an ancient Italian word for the cloth diaper).

The theme of the 2011 edition is: SHARE THE SECRET! The existence of cloth diapers as an alternative to disposable it is almost unknown to many parents, or there are still a lot of cultural resistance (inherited from older generations) and many sanitation concerns over its use.

The Week promote this: to allow parents to discover the hidden virtues and the best tricks for using cloth diapers. The spread of this alternative to disposable diapers, it is advantageous from many points of view.

It is environmentally sustainable because less waste will end to landfills; it is economically sustainable both for families, as cloth diapers cost from 150 to 800 € from birth to potty, compared to € 1000 -3000 for disposable diapers, and for the public authorities who need to dispose a lower amount of municipal waste; it is sustainable under the medical and health aspect because the child's skin is in direct contact with breathable fabrics and absorbent, unlike disposable diapers containing various substances and synthetic chemicals (such as sodium polyacrilate discussed, pollutant TBT).

These and many other information that are against stupid stereotypes will be provided to interested citizens during the many events planned throughout the week and downloadable from the site. www.nonsolociripa.it.

Among the activities we remind the competition "Share the secret!" to which you can participate by expressing through art, photography, drawing, words, etc., the discovery and the meeting with the cloth diapers.

You can participate to the competition in two different ways: by publishing your works on the Association Facebook page or by e-mail by sending them at info@nonsolociripa.

The most voted work on Facebook page will to win a sticker for the car that makes everyone know that "there is a ciripino (baby wearing a cloth diaper) on board". The Jury Prize will instead be a wetbag. More...

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A royal yes environmental friendly?

by Eleonora Anello

The media of all the world, especially those dealing with environment, presented them as environmental friendly. But the wedding celebrated on Friday, April 29, 2011 between the Prince William and Kate Middleton have been so attentive to the environment?

Apart from the rivers of ink that have been paid to obtain the maximum media coverage, we start from the crowds of London. The long wait has produced a flood of waste into sugar-coated almonds, flags and food consumed, so it took a team of 130 people to collect 140 tons of rubbish left. Perhaps less impact, the 2 billion of people not physically present, who have followed the ceremony in front of the TV or computer.

It’s likely that the press has given too much credit to the proverb: "Like father, like son". And Prince Charles, in fact, seems to have been the only member of the Royal Family who didn’t disappoint the environmental expectations. So, he was able to impose sustainability on the wedding party in which they were served "zero-miles" food and biological canapés, with ingredients coming from his farms. The bride and groom on their side were concerned to print menu and press kits on FSC certified recycled paper.

The ecofriendly choices are then involved the floral arrangements thanks to Shane Connolly, floral designer from the sustainable approach, made of plants and seasonal flowers from organic farming, which prefers potted plants rather than cut flowers.

Even for the rings they gave priority to re-use. For the engagement, Prince William has recycled the ring with sapphire and diamond ring that his father gave to Diana, a gift symbolically very powerful. The gold of the wedding ring, gift from Queen Elizabeth, came from UK mines. Still on the subject of reuse, Kate’s dress was decorated with jewels in part on loan again from the Queen.

To reduce the environmental footprint also the guests were bothered. They could choose to make donations to thirty organizations, including some dedicated to protecting the environment, avoiding unnecessary gifts. In addition, the newlyweds have asked them to plant trees to offset CO2 emissions, more than a little irrelevant as they are from all over the world will fly in most cases private.

So the media are focused on these particulars that if compared to everything else appear to be marginal. Only The Telegraph has expressed criticism of the management of the environmental impact by publishing a rough calculation of the carbon footprint of the international event, carried out by Landcare Research. The results are devastating for the environment. The CO2 generated from the ceremony is the total produced by Buckingham Palace in a whole year. There is around 6765 tons of CO2, 12 times the annual emissions from the palace in London, 1230 times the annual emissions of an average English family.

We can console with the fact that the green choices are not confined to the day when the royal couple gave their yes. The house of 789 square meters in the countryside of Cornwall where William and Kate will live, will be highly energy efficient in part using renewable sources.

Although some choices reward the Royal Family, also the communication of the event didn’t fully respect the most basic sustainable principles. Low impacting the announcement of the engagement on Twitter and Facebook and the sending of the first invitation to the crowned heads by fax, evidently considered more effective by the Windsor for passing information on major events and certainly much more environmental friendly then the invitations printed on paper and adorned with gold delivered in 1900 invited the following month.

Judge for yourself if you can talk about a green wedding or a glitzy show in which the respect for the environment has had a contained part. We recognize the merit of the Royal Family that have mobilized a lot of money for this global event that triggered mass-appeal, seeking to promote exemplary environmental and giving visibility to some best practices that will leave intangibles and materials legacy for the environment. One thing is certain, though less glamorous, the common marriages are much more environmental friendly.
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The task of educators in addressing environmental issues

by Silvia Musso

The study makes us free and contributes to the advancement of society. This is doubtless. But how does the scientific activity pollute? Let’s think to a student next to get their degree. To write a thesis it is necessary a large amount of energy: you print, burn, keep the pc on for long time, travel, use the telephone, write e-mails, buy books and DVD, connect to Internet, participate to conferences and seminars. The most environmentally conscious people try to compensate with useful and innovative initiatives, such as Graziano Isaia, a new graduate in Science Education at the University of Turin, who has chosen to offset emissions by buying a tree. The process has been certified by FilieraCO2 (University of Basilicata).

The editorial staff often receives the abstracts of thesis and researches in environmental communication by recently graduated university students or from doctoral students. To avoid seeing them die in the shelves of a home library and try instead to give them a little visibility, we decided to dedicate some articles to their reviews.

It also wants to be an invitation to those who want to send us their work and abstracts. Environmental communication is a discipline to be defined that can be treated according to different points of view. We want to give a small contribution to its codification and dissemination.

We begin this process with the work of Isaia, The Geography of Energy. A journey through the problems of Gaia and the good practices for its preservation (Rapporteur Professor Caterina Simonetta). The author starts with the simple consideration that while the man is causing serious environmental damage, among other local administrations and ordinary people, it has spread more and more, the desire to change society and to direct development in a sustainable direction or different from that which characterized the last two centuries. There are indeed many examples of people who with small or large actions, positively intervene to the conservation of the Earth, living beings and life.

The tenacity of these individuals that may seem a luxury or a utopia is still a wise address, which should be communicated and disseminated. The author then asks: what education can do in that regard? «The educator, which means each person invested with responsibility for education, - Isaia says - it should take to heart the environmental problem as it is the source of profound suffering and inequality that are the opposite of the expectation of profound pedagogy, which seeks to elevation of the humankind. The educator should be at the forefront in the communication of the problem and suggesting solutions. Education promotes joy, harmony, sharing, future, hope. If it teaches anything else, it cannot strictly be called education. While the health of Gaia, for mainstream economists, is probably a matter of immediate benefits, and to scientists is a matter of numbers, for the educator is a moral duty».

We believe that the proposed route with this research, a detailed and rich collection of both theoretical and practical notions (a first part theoretical, focusing mainly on issues related to the energy topic is followed by chapters devoted to the presentation of numerous case histories throughout national) that every educator - especially those that deal with geography, that at least in primary school, coincides with the studio environment - needs to know to be able to teach.

Children and young people are very sensitive to environmental issues and may reveal unexpected solutions and even immediately applicable. Relationship between educators and students can not miss a constructive debate on these topics, because by comparison there may be a desire to take individual behavior wiser.

Educators can and should focus the training on the most pressing environmental issues of modernity because, as Isaia also says: «After all, education is always a matter of choice and it should choose the best».
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Green file formats

by Paolo Ghiga

In addition to good intentions (which must not be only a chimera at new year) and as sustainable habits must apply in every situation, some recent eco-friendly initiatives come to our rescue within the day-to-day use of the PC. On how many occasions we printed documents consisting of hundreds of pages, just for attending meetings, or to update archives to produce information for anyway, in short, to be a subject of containers of paper recycled? Some days you can, thanks to computer technology, producing a new type of file format .PDF (famous swap file multiplatform, born in 1993, which matches the ductility to the possibility of sharing, globally, each type of information).

One of the cornerstones of the PDF is precisely its possible use as a digital archive, were it not that many tend to be frustrated by this aspect of printing the paper version. A team of WWF has developed a variant of this file, much like the original .PDF format. The peculiarity of this new format with the filename extension. wwf and an unmistakable icon colour of green, depicting a shaft and bearing the initials WWF, is that of not being able to access the printing of the document itself as permanently locked. A simple idea, if you like, that e.g. You can achieve in the popular Adobe Acrobat suite, with various applicable adjustments, but which for the first time your tints of green and invites us to reflect on what we can concretely do in daily life, both at the Office or at home, when in leisure or for reasons of study that we need to produce documentation of any kind. Let us not forget that this software, distributed at first only for the Mac platform and now also present in one version for Windows has the merit, certainly to be sustainable, totally free. After you download the software from a link dedicated WWF site and run the installation, we could share documents without falling into the temptation to resort to print at any cost. For further information you can visit a dedicated page on Facebook with over 6 thousand fans who are using it with enthusiasm.

But support for the computer world with low environmental impact shall not be exhausted here: a new USB pen is born for data storage. Nothing is new under the Sun, it seems. In fact this is the first USB key resulting from the fermentation of corn starch. The new eco-friendly memory stick is available in sizes 4, 8, 16 and 32 gigabytes and it is compatible with all major operating systems. It is completely biodegradable, and as stated by the Italian QuiBio manufacturer, based in Cagliari "glucose molecules present in vegetable fibres or within lactic acid becoming fermented starch, who later, after a process of polymerization turns into PLA (polymer that has the dual advantage of being biodegradable but durable as the plastic). After use, the PLA is synthesized by the microorganisms present in nature and are then transformed into carbon dioxide and water". This means zero impact on the environment but also has professional features: read speed reaches up to 15 Mbps, while that in writing up to 8 Mbps; is ensured compatibility with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. Even the packaging is recyclable materials at 100 percent, and even the paints used for serigraphs are based on soy ink design winks to nature (the pen is stylizing a COB), and is nice and stylish and environmentally friendly, fundamental elements for the success of a product as it is so innovative eco-friendly. The stated aim of Quibio is to raise awareness of the use of environmentally friendly products in disposable key, even in the technology industry. Think how with a few clicks you can save a document that is not printable on a support completely biodegradable: let it go down this road of eco-sustainability without further delay. Series: how to make more green your office every day! More...

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Transition towns: power to the community

by Oliver Wheaton

A new environmental initiative is becoming popular around the globe. Many different communities are responding to the problems of ‘peak oil’ and the increasing reliance on external sources for food and energy by becoming Transition Towns. What is a transition town? According to www.transitionnetwork.org a Transition Initiative is «a community-led response to the pressures of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and increasingly, economic contraction».

When implementing a transition initiative, a community intends to decrease its dependency on oil and imported goods. In a world that is dangerously dependent on a non-renewable and environmentally destructive energy source, a Transition Initiative is a step towards creating a self sufficient community that works together to reduce waste output and energy consumption. A main concern of the project is the impending problem of peak oil and how this will effect small towns and local businesses when oil prices begin to increase even faster. One of the key elements of a successful Transition Initiative is bringing a local community together in a way that will not only benefit the environment by reducing the collective carbon footprint of the area, but also benefit the community by encouraging increased communal activity, both socially and economically. It differs from localism, in that it is an inclusive system that anyone can be part of.

Transition Initiatives have been implemented all over the world with varying degrees of success. One of the earliest and perhaps most well known Transition Towns was started in Totnes in the UK. Not only has Transition Town Totnes been involved in local politics, developed an Energy Descent Action Plan to reduce the towns energy consumption, but it has even become the first community in England to successfully develop its own local alternative currency, known as the “Totnes Pound”, which intends to keep a certain amount of money spent in local businesses in order to help the local economy.

To better understand what the formation of a Transition Initiative entails we got in contact with “Transition Malvern Hills” member Robin Coats, a Transition Initiative taking place in central England in the surrounding area of the iconic Malvern Hills. He kindly answered some questions we had about Transition Towns and specifically the Transition Initiative he was part of.

How did the program start?
«A local Green entrepreneur who was also part of the local authorities partnership agreed to get people he knew together to see if they were willing to start a Transition Town Initiative. I wasn't at the first meeting (there were I think about 15 there) and they agreed to go ahead».

How many people are involved?
«It very quickly developed with a core of about 8 very committed individuals and other interested individuals joining in for particular groups and events. We have an email list about 200. Many events attract a small group of about 8 to 12. Special events can get 100 and our unleashing Event had 500».

What type of activities or events have taken place?
«We have some activity groups focussed around subjects like Food, Energy etc., An Awareness Raising Group has been at the heart of organising Events with films shows, talks, demonstrations sometimes with other local groups like the Quakers. We attend other groups public days with a stall and talk to people and give out information. We have set up schemes/projects like: supporting the Local Youth Club with Garden Vegetable Growing, Car Club where members can use community cars, Electric Bike Loans, Home Energy Advice, Garden Sharing for Vegetable Growing, Orchard Group reclaiming old orchards. You can get an idea of what is currently happening from the Calendar of Events on our web site (this is updated every 3 months) and also from the Affiliated Groups like Colwall Greener and the Malvern Community Forest. We are also collaborating with schools and attend meetings with some formal bodies in the area».

Have you seen any obvious changes around the area as a result of your work?
«Many small changes and far more people willing to talk about climate change and Peak Oil and doing more in their own lives to make small changes. Slowly more people are asking for help and offering support to us».

What do you think lies in store in the future for Transition Malvern Hills?
«There are so many possibilities for engaging with people and organisations we are not short of ideas but we do need more committed volunteers able to take the initiative and help others to make changes».

Turning a community into a Transition Town (or village, city, district, even island!) is a very interesting way to combat the effects of peak oil and increasing energy required to transport goods around the world. New Transition Initiatives are constantly appearing around the globe, many of which go on to achieve great success in bringing a community together to reduce CO2 emissions and increase recycling and eco-friendly living. More...

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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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Running for the environment!

by Eleonora Anello

Even the motorcycle can be environmentally friendly! What at first glance may seem a contradiction, LCR Honda has achieved through Ecostyle, the new ethics code particularly favorable to environment, which has allowed the known motorcycle brand, already last GP of Mugello in June, to compete without a trace.

Result of careful measurement of emissions produced in the previous championship, the new plan will be adopted by all staff. In addition to the emissions on the track, the estimate of the ecological footprint has included emissions from the production of tires for motorcycles; the electricity used in the box, in the structure hospitality and racing; the air travel of staff and those of cargo and trucks to transport the equipment needed to perform the work. It is calculated that in an only one season 1,500 tonnes of CO2 have been released.

To decrease a few percent of the environmental impact, the Honda has renewed its way of working: from new fleet of tractors for transportation equipment fitted with a feeding system hybrid that can fuel mix LPG to new LED lighting systems; from the use of environmentally friendly paper to the merchandising gadgets mainly made with recyclable material or otherwise low environmental impact. In addition, sorting waste will be performed in all host countries; cutlery and supplies made of compostable material as well as biodegradable detergents will be used; and, finally short commodity chain, especially for the food, will be preferred.

In short, although a highly energy-consuming and impacting society, Honda is working great pains to limit damage to the environment. So, that what can not be entered, will be compensated. To this end, an agreement was signed with First Flora, an organization that takes care of part of the Atlantic rainforest in the state of Bahia, Brazil, currently lost due to deforestation 92% of its original extent and from which the president Corrado Meotti speaks: «The initiative was created thanks to the contact with Alessandro Oliveto, CEO of Doctor Glass, a Honda LCR’s sponsorship company and already involved with First Flora since many years. The fact that a major house like Honda has decided to offset their emissions, tackling a project and a serious and rigid protocol as ours, it is essential to launch a new trend that we hope will be soon caught by the other brands participating in the Moto GP World Champion. The work of Flora First conducted in one of the world's richest in terms of biodiversity is obvious to all. Proof of this are the activities of reforestation, protection of cocoa cultivars and work-camp that annually organized by Legambiente in our estate. Whoever wants, can contact us for a wonderful experience working in the Brazilian jungle».

A clear message, addressed to all lovers of motorcycling, of complex implementing but surely ethical value. Ecostyle by Honda respecting the environment embodies a common operation that provides greater visibility and gain brand image. Lap after lap, while competing in a sustainable way, the plan is likely to appear in the eyes of most careful fledged greenwashing. More...

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2010 World Cup South Africa: true model of eco sustainability?

by Valeria Rocca

Time of World Cup and South Africa is the protagonist. The largest football event of the season 2010 has started and while the fans support their teams at the rhythm of vuvuzela, there is who questions whether the great event over that memorable (is the first time that is hosted by an African country) will also eco.

By analysing the estimates made by the experts, the World Cup in South Africa are likely to have an impact change devastating with a high risk of emissions of carbon levels eight times higher than in the last World Cup in Germany.

In order to prevent this terrible forecast, South Africa has formulated a plan of action called the "Green goal Action Plan 2010". In collaboration with the UNEP (United Nations environment programme), with the GEF (Global environment facility) and with the DEA (South African Department of project) were presented three large projects aimed to the development of renewable energies, the development of responsible tourism and the reduction of emissions of carbon.

In the area of renewable energy the cities that host the games of the World Cup (Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Rustenburg and Bloemfontein) are equipped with a public street-lamps, traffic lights and billboards fed to solar energy to decrease production of coal-fired plants.

About the development of responsible tourism the organizers have distributed a "passport" of 32 pages in which there are some tips and information on green responsible tourism. The brochure is also available from the site greenpassport.co.za. A report among the fans arrived in South Africa has shown, however, the lack of knowledge of the project: in fact only a quarter of fans is aware of the project "green goal".

Last, but not least, they worked to maintain control the emission of carbon. By involving some National teams, included Italy, is born the project "carbon footprint" to neutralize the co2 derived from long-haul flights. According to the UNEP thanks to the cooperation of these 11 teams estimated reduction around 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. In addition they have encouraged the use of public transport, Taxis ecological and of bicycle paths for the supporter.

Numerous initiatives in support of a fair and responsible model, also from the World.
In Italy the retail Coop has launched a T-shirt of the fair line, in limited edition, with the slogan "Africa for a sustainable world". Who will buy the shirt will contribute to a balanced development and will support the rights of African workers.

In short on the paper it seems that this World Cup intends to give aid to South Africa to become an example of Ecosustainability.

The hope is that the benefits are real for all and that is not again another media campaign that shows to the world a South Africa that doesn’t exist. More...

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The separate collection and the environment in a cellphone: head-to-head between Apple and Nokia

by Paolo Ghiga

The world of recycling is getting more full of news and encouragement for us collectors who are called to a great responsibility and a threshold of concern relating to differentiate in terms of construction.
A Further aid for holders of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, arrives on AppStore.
The designers of Artbits SNC by Fabio Trezzi, young softwarehouse web oriented (Magenta - Milan), released an update to a utility, named "Differenziata", able to program on a daily basis the divestiture of over 200 products. Among the duties of this application, reached version 1.2, dimensions contained enough, 0.3 Mb, the ability to search among the waste to be divested.
Moreover, in order to facilitate navigation, has changed graphics, in particular, while the calendar icons allows the planning weekly collection is constantly adapting to the area of residence of the user. The impression is that this is a valid instrument although the guest comments are still a few to release a larger judgment.

If holders of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad spirit ecologist have one more reason to be proud of their smartphones, even users of Nokia, from 22 April, the Earth Day, can be deemed to be met: the Nokia has made 8 "green" applications for its next-generation mobiles, downloadable from Ovi store directly. It goes from Green Charging save energy, to optimize and save the energy of the phone and at the same time help to reduce global warming, the WWF EcoGuru, free tool, able to calculate the personal carbon footprint. Interesting seems to be the Climate Mission, other free application, in a way similar to the Apple and that educates to the environment in a funny way. Some games in it, in fact, put to the test the user on how to reorder the Junk to be sure to correctly, planting trees in the savana, helping farmers in India to maintain productive fields and keep clean the air with the help of ants, alphabetization in store carbon.

We like the idea of the application designed for mobile phone tool imperative of our days, definitely a fun way to raise awareness about environmental issues through a hi-tech within reach of many. More...

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The trees growing on buildings...

by Annalisa Audino

That town planning, architecture, engineering are changing is a fact. Just as it is true that all plans are gradually trying to give greater attention to the environmental impact, undertake to safeguard the green areas of cities and try to raise awareness among citizens in respect of the nature that surrounds them. But sometimes the design and art have the upper hand. As it is happening in Milan, where some buildings are designed as covered by an expanse of green up to represent almost a wood: real ecological skyscraper designed by Stefano Boeri.

In these months several activities are ending: the wind tunnel tests of Polytechnic and the design of a system of anchoring the roots of the trees, as well as a constant monitoring of home control applications for the new wood vertical. The goal is the realization within an area of over 300,000 square meters of buildings certificated only with the North American system of LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design). Particularly waiting the challenge on the Island for 29,000 square meters: it is, in addition to the two structures intended for habitation by Boeri (105 and 75 meters), the buildings signed by internationally renowned architects William Mc Donough (offices for 6,300 square meters) and Lucien Lagrange (residential 4 storeys). And all in record time: by 2013 Hines, the company promotion project, thinks to complete all new neighborhood.

In particular, the two buildings of Stefano Boeri will become one of the landmark of Milan that changes and look towards Expo 2015: covered an expanse of green, the two towers provide 120 large trees, 544-sized, over 4 thousand small shrubs. The trees will be planted on the four facades of the buildings and will protect the structure from excessive radiation of the summer months while let pass it in winter. According to the designers they'll fight also noise pollution, grabbing soot release moisture and produce oxygen. And if do they break? Also this was calculated. Evergreen plants, and Feuillants (chosen for their ability to live in conditions and not to create allergies), will get to 6 feet tall and a safe anchorage system will be well publicized to the wall.

«We will verify the plants one by one – explained Laura Gatti, one of the paesaggiste agronome – the real critical moment will be in the first two years, then the roots will make sure the structure. Paramount will be maintenance: sensors will monitor the growth, the need of water, the status of the basins, the steady anchor. There will also be a centralized watering system with probes». Obviously the distribution of trees has been carefully studied: ecological and ornamental plays characters so that the whole Green is recognizable as a system architecture. But is this really the right way to create green spaces in cities? Woods vertical to free climbing? Milan has an important tradition in the field of urban planning and design of the city as intimate connection between architecture, society and social trends: the example given, therefore, should not be to a masterful construction that sand create, firmly on the ground, the right balance between buildings (with solar panels, lifts that work with renewable energy, etc) and green areas? More...

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Awarding one to educate a hundred

by Silvia Musso

Soil consumption, waste, sustainable mobility and new life styles: the “Associazione dei Comuni Virtuosi “ (Association of virtous municipalities), in collaboration with the “Movimento per la Decrescita Felice” (Movement for happy decrease) and Città del Bio (Cities of Organic),launches the new edition of the National prize “Comuni a 5 stelle” (5 stars municipalities), aimed to find and award the good administrative practises and promote the bio-economics.

«Our association was born as warning point for the diffusion of politics and daily choices oriented to reduce the ecological footprint of public administrations, the Municipality intended as a common good, from where to start to create a new model of society based on selfproduction and gift, conviviality and solidarity, sobriety and common sense – the promoters explain presenting the new call for proposal 2010 – The fourth edition of the prize wants to be also an opportunity to contribute to the creation of a wider sensibility among the citizens and a bigger encouragement to public actors about the “good practices” topics, throughout the improvement and promotion of examples of already successfully started experiences».

The participation to the prize is open to all public administrations that have started politics focused on the raising awareness about the “good local practises” with a special attention on: territory management (zero cementation option, Brownfield recovery, participated planning, green building); ecological footprint of public administration (energy efficiency, green public procurement, organic canteen, etc.); sustainable mobility (car-sharing, car-pooling, public transport, choice of alternative fuels to oil etc.); new life styles (projects to stimulate among the citizenship sober and sustainable daily choices, such as selfproduction, short commodity chain, organic food in season, sustainable and responsible tourism, promotion of a culture of peace, cooperation and solidarity, spreading of Fair Trade, ethical finance, etc.).

The public actors interested can e-mail to the address info@comunivirtuosi.org a form that summarizes the enterprise to be presented, by June, 30th 2010.
Then a selected jury will evaluate the best enterprises and decide the winners for each category. Moreover they will select also the absolute winner of the “Comuni a 5 stelle”, among those that had organized a transversal integrated action. The award ceremony will be held during a public meeting in Bisignano (CS), September the 4th, 2010.

To get more information it is possible to contact the Prize Secretariat (telephone number +39 334-6535965 e-mail address info@comunivirtuosi.org). 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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Free to copy

by Eleonora Anello

8101 copies of a documentary as a tool to push the Italian local government to reduce the environmental impact and improve the quality of life in their municipalities.

“Viaggio nell’Italia dei Comuni a 5 stelle” (Journey in the Commons to 5 stars) by Michele Dotti is a video-inquiry that shows the best practices of some local amministration that have decided to support the environment, the economy, the efficiency and the occupation of the territories that administer: put on DVD, was sent to the mayors of all the 8101 Italian municipalities, inviting them to implement what is shown in the movie.
The DVD is in fact a reservoir of environmental good practices, from which the mayors are encouraged to freely draw ideas and inspiration; a tool to publicize and disseminate an alternative model of society based on a logic different from that of unlimited growth that dominated the idea of development in recent decades and which put on the centre the people, its quality of life, its environment. Within the film will also see celebrities like Dario Fo and Beppe Grillo.

The campaign of spreading is performed by Marco Boschini assessor of planning for the territory (urban planning and environment) and for the heritage of Colorno (Parma) and coordinator of the Associazione dei Comuni Virtuosi (Association of virtuousirtuous Municipalities), an experience born from the idea of four mayors -Colorno (Parma), Melpignano (Lecce), Monsano (Ancona) and Vezzano Ligure (La Spezia) - that is spreading by word of mouth but mainly due to the results obtained and the credibility currently enjoyed by its promoters.
The "virtuous" have now become a movement that has attracted the attention of the media and of hundreds of thousands of professionals of the sector.

It’s in the planning stage the 2009 edition of Premio nazionale dei Comuni a 5 Stelle (National Award of Commons to 5 Stars), an opportunity to help create awareness among citizens and to encourage public entities in terms of "best practices" through the enhancement and promotion of "case studies" of experiences undertaken in these years and continued successfully.
The municipalities that have carried out projects aimed to reduce their ecological footprint can register by October 25th 2009. The categories in which you can compete are: territory management, ecological footprint of the municipal machine, waste, sustainable mobility, new lifestyles.
At the overall winner, which is the Common will have shown that an integrated action across all five categories, it will be a free consultation to start a pilot project of "sweet mobility", aimed at reducing the private traffic and the pollution.
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"My blog is my message"

by Eleonora Anello

Telecom Italia, the protagonist in the communication sector by vocation, is committed to the environment through Avoicomunicare. The blog, central point of an ambitious communication project, is a multimedia platform that opens up new areas of confrontation between business and environment.

Explicit the invitation: make your voice heard too. Indeed, in the space dialogue of Telecom, not only bloggers but also prestigious guests alternate that are confronted by live chat.

To deepen the strategy of Telecom Italia, which gives a strong role to a young communication tool as the blog to strengthen its brand and anchor it to a strong ethics identity, we turned to Loredana Grimaldi, Head of Branding, Corporate Identity & Research, External Relations.

"Avoicomunicare" embraces a few months new marketing strategy: from Gandhi to the environment, from the tolerance to the ecology, riding the trend initiated by major international companies. Where does this choice start?
Avoicomunicare, which in these days celebrates his birthday, is a concrete testimony of the importance of dialogue, of listening to each other, of mutual sharing, of the more positive aspects of the sphere of communication of which Telecom Italia is a protagonist. For this reason we have created a space to reflect together raising the issues dear to those who follow us: environment, development, biodiversity, possible balance between different worlds and cultures, peace building through dialogue and knowledge. In recent months we have focused on the environment because the issue there was indicated through a survey from our community. Environment is a priority and un urgency, by suggesting witnesses and facts on topics that visitors have chosen, we hope to have contributed to the discussion and to the resuming: from alternative energy sources to clean woods, from the reduction of CO2 emissions to car sharing.

Among the changes that strike us is certainly a shift from a communication with a strong emotional impact, through a great communicator like Gandhi for example, to the simple blogger, all related to the narrative of small-sized stories in your video interviews. Then no longer to excite your target, but with involve it firsthand in an ambitious project of environmental communication?
Avoicomunicare outset has been an area of dialogue open to all, the exceptional strength of Gandhi’s communication, to which we've inspired, is in its "my life is my message." We believe that major changes can not be achieved without free expression and the contribution of anyone who has experience, ideas and proposals to be pool. For discussion on the environment involvement from the bottom and information are very crucial, because what is to be changed is the daily behavior of individuals, as well as the choices of a general nature. One of our small contribution to this is the "Carbon meter" with whom in Avoicomunicare anyone can measure its environment "footprint".

Plans for the future?
Avoicomunicare will continue to seek the confrontation and the involvement of those in the network are committed to the environmental issues and will listen of the themes that the same "network" will suggest from time to time. Soon we should begin a new phase with several news that we do not want to reveal yet ... In addition a special attention will be placed also in expanding our presence in the social networks, now we are on Youtube, Twitter and Facebook where in these days, among the first in Italy, we have made available to fans an interesting experiment in “increased reality”.
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The unsustainability of the election campaigns

by Roberto Cavallo

The environmental impact of the election campaign: we have wasted at least 140,000 trees, enough water to fill over 450 Olympic swimming pools and we used the energy produced by a medium-large thermoelectric plant .

Whether it produces a lot of paper in electoral periods, for the truth a little too frequent in Italy, is intuitive.
Occurring noise in the courses of the various ads and rallies is also known, especially to our ears.
When they are attending various banquets we can not fail to note the increase in the number of gadgets to catch the attention of potential voters.
Fortunately, the gadgets are often functional so that, before becoming a refusal can be used to write down those who do not vote, as in the case of multi-pen, or to tear and a smile to stop a crying baby, such as balloons or chocolates.
There are also cases where the gadgets are actually antithetical to the role, for example, a candidate mayor should be, is the case of some candidates who have distributed bottles of half litre of mineral water competitor of the “Water of the Mayor" that he should commit itself to improve, even to make families save.

But the most striking is certainly what I initially called intuitive.
In this election campaign, that in my district has summed 3 levels (municipal, provincial, European), I have kept and weighed all the printed materials, in some cases, packed in plastic.

7 envelopes and letters from 28 grams each from some of the 6 candidates for mayor, a booklet with the program from one of the candidates from 120 grams, countless "holy" (and leaflets denigrating their opponents) of candidates for municipal counsellors a complex of about 750 grams, which add about 450 grams of candidates to provincial and approximately 350 grams for candidates to the European Parliament.
So a total of just over one kilo and eight hundred grams of paper and not even a product made from recycled paper!
This is certainly a lower than average since I live in a house whose single gate isn’t on a main street, and then the pit of letters is not very visible and much less attractive than those in the battery of a large block.

I am not wrong if it approximates to two kilograms, the paper received in this period, about 1% of the total paper and paperboard consumption annually placed second COMIECO (2006 figures).
Two kilos for the 673 thousand 113 million 34 voters (source ADNKronos) called to choose municipal councils and provincial councils and a kilo of paper for the difference compared to 50,664,596 of Italians (the source Sole24 hours) called to express their vote.

From these calculations show that this election has produced some 77,341,967. 5 pounds of paper, that is little more than 77 thousand tons, without ballot or referendum, the amount that is collected carefully from about 1 million inhabitants!

Still convinced this is an underestimated and hope that throughout this paper is finished in the collection I try to assess environmental impacts in terms of emissions of this election campaign.

Given that one ton of paper from virgin materials requires 2 tonnes of wood (about fifteen poplars, 44 cubic meters of water and 4600 kWh of electricity, in this election campaign we lost 140mila trees, enough water to fill more than 450 Olympic swimming pools and we used more than 350,000 MWh, that is the energy produced by a thermoelectric plant medium-large.

I would like to make it an effort to merge the elections and therefore the election campaigns.
I would like the candidates to use at least recycled paper that would save 100 thousand tons of CO2.
I would like that Internet was more used.
...Or maybe I like that the candidates returned in person to talk ...and listen to me!

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