ho predisposto una nota in preparazione del seminario promosso da Uniticontrolacrisi del 22-23 gennaio a Marghera PREMESSA
Queste note non sono un manifesto ideologico, nor a political program or an industrial project. Staff are given a path to give substance to the concept of ecological conversion based on some textbook examples and an operational plan.
The concept of ecological conversion, which was introduced years ago by Alex Langer, refers to both the subjective and personal dimension (that of lifestyle, consumption patterns, the personal) of the changes proposed, both to their size and social objective (the value of new products, new market relations, the new organization of work).
The ecological conversion involves the adoption of lifestyles and consumption patterns based on moderation, not mean misery, or poverty, or sacrifice, but to use and more equitable distribution of resources in both the social (between classes) as a global geographical (between different geographical areas). But it also means reporting both locally and nationally, as in continental and global, the production system within a sustainability framework imposed by the limits of physical and biological world in which we live, protecting, enhancing and classifying jobs and celebrating envelope of technology, equipment and knowledge of the industrial and productive existence. References
forced conversion are the ecological areas (large areas, city and their hinterlands, or regional and sub-areas) and their inhabitants, since the transformation process aims to rebuild social ties that are not based solely on the market but "governed" by the recovery of a shared control (a form of self-government) on economic and social processes: this does not delete or in the present nor the future, the fact that the engine of change is and remains the conflict, both within the same local community, and between this, or some of its components and the extraterritorial powers that now rule the world.
Not everything can or should obviously be "reterritorialize. I do not have to be knowledge, skills and creativity, which should be liberalized and circulated at the highest level thanks to the opportunities offered by the network, which allows a flow of information (bit) in real time. Should be used instead as a general method of approach to bring as much as possible the production of physical goods (atoms) to the places of their use or consumption (hence the concept of zero km) to return to the community and through them , who produces a greater degree of control over the quality and the fate of the products, and those who use or consume the possibility to influence, through shared processes, the quality of goods which can be accessed.
But there are processes, and this covers a large part of industrial production, in which the territorial margins are necessarily limited, because, beyond the recycling of waste production and consumption, and they must be fed, at least for many years to come , with raw materials not available locally, or continue to require economies of scale which necessarily lie at the heart of the "long networks" of supply and marketing that can not be resized beyond certain limits. The fact remains that the conquest of new forms of control by the communities in whose territory these plants are located (and which derive income and suffer the social and environmental impact) falls fully between the aims of ecological conversion.
We do not know what the context in which we live and work in the coming years could be dominated by military conflict (hot or cold) triggered by commercial competition, from social unrest caused by the spreading economic crisis in a growing number of countries, but lack of direction and shared guidelines, which could lead in many cases increasingly authoritarian close to the people. The most likely scenario is still that of a growing environmental chaos caused by the proliferation of extreme events to which the government and multilateral agencies are increasingly unable to address or remedy.
Quello di cui possiamo purtroppo essere quasi certi è il fatto che non andiamo incontro a un nuovo periodo di espansione economica a livello globale. Gli elevatissimi tassi di crescita dei principali paesi “emergenti” sono per ora irrevocabilmente legati al permanere degli squilibri finanziari attuali. Può essere che alcuni di questi paesi riescano a sganciare le loro performances dal quadro globale, ma questo, se avverrà, difficilmente potrà avere effetti trainanti sul resto dell’economia mondiale. Non ci saranno più, in altre parole, altri “Trenta anni gloriosi” (1945-1975). Nel complesso, il futuro dell’economia dell’Occidente sarà quindi dominato dalla stagnazione. Il percorso conversion label should be able to adapt, for better or for worse, each of these possible scenarios.
The ecological conversion can still be a factor in the sharing of guidelines, operational liaison and direct involvement for the actors of the coming social conflicts, to the promoters of good practices for the subjects of many forms of resistance to the molecular forms in which domain is exercised, for those experiencing or showing disgust for the oppressive climate that characterizes the current state of affairs in our country and around the world. On the same issues addressed here is in fact a long time to work a myriad of subjects, bodies and movements that have already submitted more times as "the second world power" on the political and social scene of the planet, even if you are temporarily eclipsed or had to succumb to the powers for a long time the strongest of them
The focus of the conversion is made possible by the passage a consumption pattern based on individual access to goods and services to more and more daring forms of consumption shared: the shared management of consumption, however, does not eliminate the individual character and "custom" is not "collectivization" consumption, but to join forces to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
The promotion of new forms of shared consumption - che vuol dire controllo o condizionamento sulle condizioni in cui il bene o il servizio vengono prodotti, distribuiti o erogati - è al tempo stesso la strada e l’obiettivo di una democrazia partecipata che coinvolga la cittadinanza attiva e la faccia crescere in numero e capacità di autogoverno: protagonisti ne dovrebbero diventare, secondo le modalità specifiche proprie di ciascun soggetto, i lavoratori e le loro organizzazioni, il volontariato e l’associazionismo di base, le amministrazioni locali o qualche loro segmento, le imprese sociali e quelle, anche private, soprattutto se a base locale, disponibili al cambiamento.
La progettazione e la realizzazione di questo passaggio richiede un confronto aperto con tutti gli interlocutori possibili; un confronto che nella maggior parte dei casi andrà imposto attraverso modalità conflittuali, cioè con la lotta; e in altri potrà essere favorito dal precipitare della crisi.
Le proposte maturate e in alcuni significativi casi già sperimentate in anni di riflessione e di pratiche in seno ai movimenti sono vincenti. In un confronto aperto e trasparente, ovunque sia possibile averlo, non possono che far prevalere le proprie ragioni. Il che non significa che si impongano anche le soluzioni proposte (tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare). Ma la strada da percorrere per conquistare il consenso degli interessi e dei soggetti coinvolti è questa.
Poi bisogna trovare degli imprenditori, individual or "collective" to manage the new processes. Entrepreneurship of this kind is now almost entirely absent, but can still be born: it is among the companies into a corner by the crisis, both as an expression of instances of organized civil society, new public administrators may become credible if those will be put to the inept strings, even disregarding the electoral process that selects them today, associations and unions will have to reorganize based on a new footing, not to mitigate the conflict to the state of affairs that is the mainspring of all social changes, but to expand enhancing its role as both general and specialist skills which they can draw.
But because it comes a ruling class conscious, articulate and scattered, can exploit their natural resources, historical and human, willing to accept and benefit from the inevitable conflicts, you must first create the locations, open the "public spaces" where it can develop a direct comparison between the different positions at stake.
SOME EXAMPLES:
today's most popular model of a "transfer of power" of this kind, even of minimal size and value of almost exclusively original, is perhaps represented by the GAS: Buying groups supportive. They are voluntary associations of active citizens who organize to bypass the intermediary business - and its costs - and to access directly to the purchase of quality control: mainly, but not only in the food (or organic products of traditional manufacturing). In promoting their practice down to business and develop new knowledge: those that allow them to exercise control over the quality and production processes of what they buy.
But at the same time stimulate a growing number of farms and processing to meet the standards required and then take the road of conversion environment. In this process the stimulus is reciprocal: the producer who opens his company to verify the consumer's forward - forward to some, the more willing to engage to do with it - his knowledge and in turn receive new stimuli.
still missing in this plot, a third actor: the local administration. In some rare cases begins to make its appearance. For example, the promotion of farmer's market and with the spread of urban gardens. But if the promotion of GAS, by spontaneous initiative of small groups of active citizens, was adopted by a local government, ensuring the involvement of organized users might involve a gradually increasing number of citizens, fostering a true conversion of agricultural land surrounding and investing progressively to other products - not just necessarily local, but always characterized by a direct relationship with the partners that express the needs of a community.
Let us now transfer this pattern to the energy sector: energy market (gas and electricity) has been liberalized, but you can not just think that every user is going in and take these courses to change suppliers whenever they present convenience. But what I can do the individual user - even if it is a small company - it can make all the bargaining power of the associated users (some companies already do), and much better to promote, justify or warrant this association is the local body.
to the market takes a mediation: an ESCO (and this opens a vast field to the promotion of new businesses) acting on behalf of all members, and that, in addition to trade on energy supplies, cuts in housing and of users in companies associated to promote energy efficiency measures, taking advantage of incentives (such as white certificates) to which the individual user does not have the ability to access the most. But turning the funds made possible by the sale of the energy account of incentives to promote the installation of new systems.
The enhancement of renewable sources, available for those who a roof, or relevance to the wind, or a flap that can be exploited geothermal, or proximity to a source of agricultural waste or forestry, may be a decentralized, or in association (and this solution there are already significant examples ): that is combining a group of users to a central facility managed by the local or a company associated with them.
course may not apply to transactions such an administration that has not first provided to enable all possible forms of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy in buildings and plants that belong to his estate. And since these interventions need to design, installation and maintenance, this is how it promotes the creation, conversion and distribution of firms in a position to answer this question, with good prospects for the territory as a whole should no longer use organizations and personnel who come from far away (and that will be available shortly to ensure a timely maintenance).
At a higher level of coordination between local authorities and between contiguous territories may be fostered by ensuring a secure market outlet during start-up period and a ceiling of contracts beyond the development of producers and suppliers of plants, or propose to convert the production of equipment for the exploitation renewable sources, or their components, factories devoted to closing or downsizing intolerable (but this could help to challenge harmful or even deadly products, like luxury cars and weapons, despite the fact that the markets should be doing well).
What is proposed here in the energy field can be repeated in many other areas, from phone bills and internet access to the contract jointly flexible mobility, land management and its hydrogeological, shared management of all facilities that are or may be community property.
TERMS IMERESE
How, for example, air-Terms Imerese? The only sure thing in the sarabande of figures, allusions, modifications and denials that have accompanied the presentation of Italy's Fiat factory phantom program and the subsequent "agreements" of Mirafiori and Pomigliano was the closure of the Sicilian.
that remains is to convert: a production that promise, however, to be able to expand in the coming years - whatever the economic situation - and for which Sicily could also act as a bridgehead for penetration across the Mediterranean basin. The sectors whose candidacy is more sensible are energy efficiency and renewables.
Over thirty years ago, Fiat had developed Totem: a mobile system of micro-efficient, running either on petrol or gas engine based on the 127. Then he dropped the project. This was taken last year, Volkswagen, with which the engine will produce at least 100 thousand of the golf facilities of its kind to be installed in apartment buildings, small businesses, offices, used to produce electricity, heating, cooling, freezing, sterilization with an efficiency that approaches 100 percent. Why not in Italy?
In a larger, all the technology of micro cogeneration (up to 3.2 MW of electrical power), which now dominates the German industry was born from the development of marine engines: up to Thirty years ago, Fiat had the plants for their production (Great Motors) who then abandoned (Industrial Fiat retains one in France). Resume may be more complicated, but not unrealistic. Terms
is still a metalworking factory and the rotors of wind turbine blades fit perfectly in this series and can enhance the professionalism of many of those involved in the production of Y10. The same applies to the geothermal pumps and rotors that take advantage of currents, tides and waves. Otherwise you can engage in mass production of solar thermal and photovoltaic. Today we import almost all of them. Would completely change the genre, but the establishment is still there, it could still el'indotto mechanical advantage.
Moreover, a few miles away (in Bagheria) is working to build a "pole" of renewable energy. Nothing to do in a factory that is likely to close and a project yet to be realized, however, that absorb substantial public resources? For both, the market is at hand: in Sicily, in the rest of Italy, across the Mediterranean.
Obviously not enough to state a goal. We must create a context: that is, the market, technology, financing, employee involvement and the social fabric, training. At Fiat could not be sure - nor was appropriate to do so - to apply to engage in new business, if interested, would have already done so. But to sell the plant, plants, what remains of its know-how, to provide free technical assistance and training for the retraining of workers, certainly yes.
The new project should ensure a safe market for the years of being started. I can do, along the lines of what they've done the Tuscan cities to support the conversion of Electrolux Scandicci the production of solar panels, hundreds of government agencies, both in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy, which would undoubtedly benefit in terms of efficiency and cost savings. Many of
these projects are also financed by the formula TPF (TPF): a financial institution anticipates funds and then builds incorporating the fruits of savings in the bill and any incentives. For the public body the surgery for free, or nearly so. The rest of the funds needed for the conversion can be anticipated by banks guaranteed by the Region of Sicily, unlike any other, has plenty of money and most of the waste.
workers - not just those of the Fiat, but also those industries - the unions and the territory's population should be involved right from the start, to make them aware of the potential benefits and also the risks of the project, but putting them in the face of certain failure of other solutions. E Termini Imerese could become a model case.
But the example of Scandicci shows that when there are facilities, the market, workers and money, someone willing to "risk" - so to speak - always. The problem is just to select it, and you can check them seriously.
schedules will
Any initiative of ecological conversion, at any level, needs to see a general picture: at the regional, national, continental and global, which is entrusted with a dual function:
· Garantire un approccio, una prospettiva e un pensiero globali a un agire necessariamente locale;
· Definire un orientamento programmatico su cui chiamare a confrontarsi – ed eventualmente ad agire – le diverse entità politiche, sociali, professionali e culturali oggi completamente prive di riferimenti strategici.
Questo quadro di riferimento sarà necessariamente un work in progress, che dovrà venir definito e aggiornato sulla base di tre contributi:
· La raccolta e la sintesi delle principali elaborazioni sul contesto economico, sociale, ambientale al livello sia locale che generale: regionale, nazionale, continentale, planetario (non si tratta di mettere in piedi un ufficio studies, but only to anchor our work in a framework of scenario);
· The development of technologies and best practices (and related costs, compared to those of the solutions business as usual) in the major fields of reference (for which see below);
· The theoretical and practical contributions (good practice) provided by local bodies which make up the proposed route. Already
only at this level - but a further and greater opportunity can come from the joint commitment of the trail at the local level) involving a large part of the university (student organizations, researchers and teachers available) and some research offers the student movement at a constant dedication to cultural growth and a permanent confrontation with the other components that will be involved in this initiative (Fiom and other unions, community centers, committees basis or purpose and local associations) capable of radically transforming, engaging in a constructive and concrete practice, activities that take place in the academic and school.
The development of this framework will proceed, with voluntary contributions and free of charge, organized by thematic commissions and especially through networking. Once or twice a year we will proceed to make public, through dei convegni, lo stato di avanzamento dell’analisi, delle proposte e delle eventuali iniziative concrete. Il gruppo che lavorerà su questi temi è aperto a ogni contributo compatibile con le finalità del processo.
A livello nazionale, l’elaborazione del quadro di riferimento individua (in ipotesi) quattro macroaree tematiche che hanno per oggetto le principali determinanti della conversione ecologica:
· Fonti rinnovabili ed efficienza energetica;
· Agricoltura, tutela del territorio, industria agroalimentare, sistema distributivo;
· Beni comuni fisici: realizzazione, manutenzione, ristrutturazione, gestione e governo delle infrastrutture (servizio integrated water, telecommunications, electric transmission, roads, etc.).
· Mobility: redevelopment of urban facilities, promotion of online services, public transport along the lines of force, flexible mobility, distribution of goods (Central, on Now, are the assessments on the impact on the future of mobility and substitutability entrusted to private car ownership and, consequently, the prospects of the automotive industry: still a major source of employment, direct, induced and system consumption resources and land, air and soil pollution, production of greenhouse gas emissions).
The overall framework will deepen, update or develop, for each of the macro-areas considered, the largest number possible of the following questions:
· Capacity (renewable for a single source, energy efficiency, and sector by sector , for transport, agricultural production, of multifunctionality in agriculture, distribution network in short, adaptation of infrastructure, methods of transporting people and goods), all divided by macro-regional (at least North, Central, South and Islands )
· Opportunities for development of certain actions with regard to the continuation / expansion delle soluzioni attuali;
· Tempistica ipotetica della conversione e relativi costi e benefici; fonti di finanziamento utilizzabili e ricavi;
· Stima delle ricadute occupazionali e reddituali;
· Barriere e ostacoli (economici, tecnici, sociali, culturali) alla realizzazione degli interventi e possibili soluzioni per superarli;
· Misure normative, legislative, regolamentari e incentivanti o disincentivati da proporre.
Gran parte di questi temi è già stata sviluppata in varie sedi. Si tratta di realizzarne una sintesi con una dimensione operativa, esplicitando le diversità di orientamenti e di valutazioni riscontrate, per renderla disponibile a una audience of "users" non-specialist and widely as possible. The regular reporting of progress of the development will be enhanced input from the geographical locations of the route.
At the local level - city, community, a vast area, factory, company, neighborhood, etc.. - The initiative oriented to ecological conversion can only develop "patchy" based on factors such as (by way of example):
• The degree of cohesion and maturity of the debate within the bodies concerned;
· The urgency imposed by the crisis (especially in employment - Corporate crises - or environmental - waste, flooding, pollution, earthquakes, etc.).
· The social acceptance of specific and detailed proposals;
· The quality of the natural, productive and cognitive development that can be put to work ;
The structure of the course at the local level proceed to the elaboration and updating of the same general framework as we configure and development of proposals for action at local level on the basis of opportunities identified. It must be promoted in every area involved, from an initial core that, as a hypothesis in principle, can result from such entities as:
° Category or organizations of students, teachers or experts;
· local committees or purpose (waste, the water service against certain infrastructure, etc.).
· Representation of trade unions and workers in factories or companies in crisis;
· administration premises or their individual members;
° Associations professional
· Single companies or their representative associations.
At this level the contribution of specialist technicians, professionals, lawyers, economists and students is essential to give substance to the proposals. The core promoter should produce a document in some way related to this framework, and invite a comparison - in the manner and in a timely manner - all the bodies referred to above, proposing to join, participate in its further development, deepening it, or modification or expansion to other themes.
aggregation that eventually it will also work to form committees for thematic develop more detailed proposals, will highlight alternative perspectives presented in documents on the progress of the work.
In aggregate these organisms so you do not vote and each person or entity Participant retains complete autonomy of opinion and action against the positions that have emerged in the debate, pledging only to continue the comparison, possibly based on a wider involvement of subjects or themes.
bodies that are found to converge on specific goals, proposals may independently promote initiatives to propose, claim, or to realize their projects.
In this perspective, the key determinant of ecological conversion is the "territorialization" of processes, the most direct link between production and consumption.
But the involvement of local governments is essential, though not essential. Serves to give legitimacy, strength and in some cases, financial guarantees and start certain initiatives.
THE ROLE OF LOCAL
With very few exceptions, local governments and especially their political staff (as well as framed in the structure) do not have the cultural sensitivity and knowledge to start or even join, processes like that. In this field there is a work of vast information and awareness to develop.
Moreover, even if they wanted, local governments do not have and will have less and less operational tools. The Italian law, violent version of national guidelines formally free, in reality private enterprise - but much less restrictive - the European Union, requires them to divest subsidiaries or associates, to entrust to private management and aggregation processes (see the cases of Hera, A2A, Enia, Iride, Acea, etc.). who distance more and more territory, its needs and, most importantly, the possibility of direct control by users, to become financial holding company involved in the game that sparked worldwide and continues to play the current crisis.
To reverse route must exit from a culture of competitiveness (all against all, for anything other than the "survival") that makes no more than to lower standards chi vive del proprio lavoro, senza offrire alcuna prospettiva a una autentica riconversione ambientale.
Occorre che nei territori di loro competenza agli Enti locali venga restituita la possibilità, nella massima trasparenza di fronte ai propri amministrati, di fare impresa, di promuovere accordi che garantiscano mercato a chi si impegna in produzioni che corrispondono a un disegno condiviso, di sostenere riconversioni produttive di imprese senza futuro, o che tolgono il futuro ad altri.
In questa direzione, una ripresa della legge Marcora (49/85) sulla gestione cooperative delle imprese in disarmo, potrebbe fungere da tramite di alcune sperimentazioni, se la responsabilità di gestire il fallimento e la riconversione della propria impresa non venisse fatto ricadere solo sulle spalle dei lavoratori colpiti, ma diventasse la bandiera di una mobilitazione di tutto il territorio, con un coinvolgimento e un impegno concreto di tutte le conoscenze e le professionalità attivabili.
All’inizio del secolo scorso, per fornire alla parte meno privilegiata dei propri amministrati elettricità, acqua, gas, fognature, trasporto, e poi anche gestione dei rifiuti, sanità, assistenza, cultura, le amministrazioni a guida socialista o democratica del nostro paese avevano fondato le imprese “municipalizzate”; che potevano controllare direttamente, grazie alla copertura di una legge nazionale voluta da Giolitti.
Quel sistema di imprese public law that now requires the dismantling has been done largely by degenerate patronage and the transformation into joint stock companies, but without its privatization has brought no improvement for users, while still not a little helped to fuel a new wave of "financial activities" of the economy and "outsourcing" of services are assigned to chains of subcontractors based on the intensive exploitation of labor.
forms of local government intervention in the economy must surely change, the transparency of all transactions, and the active involvement of citizens in the management or control should it become unavoidable constraints, because they are the only defense against the degeneration of patronage, then the doors that open to infiltration and control of organized crime, but there will be no recovery without a radical ecological conversion by the local government the power to intervene in the management processes of production and consumption affecting their territory.
