Appendix A
End uses of energy (“Usi finali dell’energia”, 1979)—Questionnaire form
House—Street __________ N. ___ Floor ____
Questionnaire number __________
(1) You have heard of the energy problem and the need to avoid it waste and contain consumption? (Yes/No question)
(2) If Yes, by which means? (multiple answers)
- radio
- television
- newspapers
- campaigns of various entities
- others
(3) Do you believe that the awareness initiatives implemented so far have been (closed question):
- useful
- not very useful
- unnecessary
- the product of a fashion
- the fruit of interest
(4) Is the energy problem (closed question):
- important
- not important for our country
(5) Have you adopted some measures to limit the so-called consumption to avoid wasting energy and money, or do you think your contribution cannot be useful? (Yes/No question)
A—Characteristics of the house
(6) The interviewee’s home type is (closed question):
- single family
- two-family
- apartment in multi-family building
(7) Number of family members (open question)
(8) Number of floors above ground of the building where the apartment is located (open question)
(9) What floor is the interviewee’s apartment on? (closed question)
- basement or basement
- ground floor
- 1st floor
- intermediate floors (between the second and the last)
- top floor
(10) What is the approximate area of the apartment in square meters? (open question)
(11) Number of windows or French windows communicating with the outside: (open question)
- of which with double glazing (or double window)
(12) Title of occupation of the apartment (closed question):
- in property
- for rent: by public body
from a private company
privately
- other
B—Heating
(13) Which type and fuel? (open question)
- autonomous system
- centralized system
- stove (number)
- fireplace (number)
- coal
- wood
- diesel fuel
- fuel oil
- kerosene
- methane
- liquid gas
- electricity
(14) Does this system also supply hot water? (Yes/No + question)
- yes
- yes, winter only
- no
(15) Type of centralized system management (closed question)
- management by the condominium
- outside firm
(16) What was the expenditure for heating in the 1978/79 season, in Italian lire per apartment? (open question)
(17) In the 1978/79 season, were any measures taken to save costs? (closed question)
- no
- yes, that is, it was:
- tightness of the fixtures improved
- isolation
- technical interventions carried out on the system
- maintenance and control of autonomous systems
- installation of thermostatic valves on radiators
- radiators, improved or turned off if not needed
- other
(18) How do you rate the temperature of the apartment? (closed question)
- excessive
- sufficient/adequate
- insufficient
- unbalanced (both excessive and insufficient, depending on the rooms)
C—Hot water
(19) Type (closed question)
- centralized system
- water heaters per individual apartment
(20) Which type and fuel? (open question)
- kitchen
- bathroom
- somewhere else
- electricity
- gas (immediate)
- gas (heat storage)
- other
(20b) The heaters are in the vicinity of points of use? (Yes/No question)
(21) What is the time slot of greater use of hot water? (closed question)
- 7:30–12:00
- 12:00–16:00
- 16:00–19:00
- after 19:00
(22) Would you be willing to turn off the water heater during the day? (Yes/No question)
(23) If the water heater(s) are electric, they are located: (closed question)
- external wall or draft, near
- external wall or draft, far
D—Cooking
(24) What type of cooker do you use? (closed question)
- electric
- gas
- mixed
- LPG
- other
E—Mandatory electrical uses
(25) Please tell us which of the following household appliances are present in this home, the weekly frequency of use and the time of use more frequent: (open question)
- washing machine
- dishwasher
- iron
- conditioner
- fluorescent tube lamp(s)
F—Attitude toward change
(26) If the interviewee has an electric water heater. If the replacement of the electric water heater with one of gas incurs savings at the current one’s average consumption levels of an Italian family, would be willing to replace the current electric water heater with a gas one if the expense were between 200 and 400 thousand Italian lire and if it were recoverable in a period between 4 and 6 years? (Yes/No question)
(27) Replacing the electric or gas water heater with the solar one entails energy savings. Would you be willing to replace the current electric or gas water heater with a solar one if the expenditure were between 1 and 2 million Italian lire and if it were recoverable between 5 and 10 years? (Yes/No question)
(28) What if the above expense were deductible in three years from the personal income tax—would you be willing to replace it? (Yes/No question)
(29) What type of heating system would you choose in a newly built house? (closed question)
- independent
- centralized system, with independent regulation
- centralized system, with distribution of expenses according to use
- traditional centralized system
(30) If the system were centralized, would you be available to install a system of heat-meter and, therefore, to pay the heating as a function of the used heat, if the cost of installing the meters was between 200 and the 500 thousand Italian lire? (Yes/No question)
G—Gas and electricity consumption in the last year:
(31) What has been your gas consumption in the last year (from the last four paid bills), in cubic meters and Italian lire? (open question)
(32) What has been your electricity consumption in the last year (from the last four paid bills), in kWh and Italian lire? (open question)
Appendix B
End uses of energy (“Usi finali dell’energia”, 1979)—Results.
A total number of 1684 questionnaires were collected.
1—Have you heard of the energy problem and necessity to avoid waste and limit consumption? In affirmative case by which medium? (as % of responses): 85 TV, 75 newspapers, 64 radio, 17 campaigns by various entities, 9 others.
2—Do you consider the energy problem (number of responses): 1647 actually important, 24 not essential to our country.
3—Have you taken some measures to limit consumption and avoid waste or believe that your contribution cannot be useful? (as % of responses): 77 yes, 23 no.
4—Type of home (number of responses): 7 single family, 7 semi-detached house, 1668 multi-family.
5—Housing by surface classes
Classes m2 | Cases N | Average m2 |
<50 | 258 | 42 |
50–100 | 763 | 79 |
100–150 | 308 | 128 |
>150 | 236 | 204 |
6—Home ownership (number of responses): 572 property; 988 rental, of which: by 122 public body, 84 private company, 782 privately.
7—Owned and rented houses by surface classes (as %)
| <50 m2 | 50–100 m2 | 100–150 m2 | >150 m2 |
property | 18 | 31 | 48 | 61 |
rent | 82 | 69 | 52 | 39 |
8—Houses by type of heating system (number of responses): 1357 centralized, 106 autonomous, 224 other (stoves, fireplaces)
9—Housing provided with integrative system, Type (number of responses): 65 stoves, 14 chimney
10—Heating systems by type of fuel (number of responses)
| Wood or Coal | Diesel Oil | Methane | Other |
independent | | 9 | 81 | 14 |
centralized | 112 | 981 | 200 | 10 |
other | 12 | 2 | 179 | 88 |
11—Heating costs in the 1978–1979 season, depending on the surface of the houses classes
Classes m2 | Total Costs Lit · 103 | Total Costs EUR (2020 Prices) |
<40 | 160 | 524 |
41–60 | 214 | 701 |
61–80 | 274 | 898 |
81–100 | 354 | 1160 |
101–120 | 424 | 1390 |
121–150 | 524 | 1718 |
151–200 | 618 | 2026 |
>200 | 773 | 2533 |
12—Expenditure per heated volumes (cubic meters) during the 1978–1979 season as a function of the housing surface
Classes m2 | Cases N | Costs Lit per m3 |
<40 | 101 | 1681 |
41–60 | 231 | 1326 |
61–80 | 269 | 1257 |
81–100 | 265 | 1241 |
101–120 | 125 | 1238 |
121–150 | 136 | 1245 |
151–200 | 132 | 1136 |
>200 | 65 | 1037 |
13—Expenses per cubic heated meter during the 1978–1979 season, depending on the surface of the houses and the type of heating (Lit per m
3)
Classes m2 | Autonomous | Centralized | Other |
<40 | 1253 | 1888 | 1600 |
41–60 | 1074 | 1423 | 1218 |
61–80 | 1107 | 1302 | 993 |
81–100 | 1019 | 1286 | 792 |
101–150 | 861 | 1267 | - |
>150 | 838 | 1114 | - |
average | 1048 | 1293 | 1255 |
14—Expenses per cubic heated meter, during the 1978–1979 season, depending on type of fuel (Lit per m3): 1420 wood and coal, 1295 oil, 1199 methane.
15—Specific cost and consumption of fuels in the 1978–1979 season
| Costs Lit Mcal−1 | Consumption Mcal m−3 |
coal | 23 | 61 |
oil | 17 | 74 |
methane | 17 | 68 |
16—Judgment on heating management, depending on type of heating (as % of responses)
Classes | Autonomous | Centralized | Other |
excessive | 4 | 11 | 2 |
sufficient/adequate | 82 | 68 | 61 |
insufficient | 9 | 15 | 24 |
unbalanced | 6 | 6 | 13 |
17—Willingness to install heat meters on radiators, then pay for heating according to the energy used, with a one-off spending hypothesis of 200–500 thousand Italian lire (as % of responses): 64 favorable.
18—Measures taken in the last season to save heating costs (as % of responses): 61 none, 4 tightness of the fixtures improved, 4 thermal insulation works, 5 maintenance of heating systems, 3 heat meters on radiators, 8 adjustment of radiator potential, 7 selective shutdown of radiators, 14 other.
19—Type of hot water supply (as % of responses): 5 centralized system, 95 independent water heater.
20—Type of autonomous water heater (as % of responses): 73 electricity, 25 gas (immediate), 2 gas (heat storage), 0.4 other.
21—Location of autonomous water heater (number of responses)
Classes | Kitchen | Bathroom | Other |
electricity | 189 | 1079 | 15 |
gas (immediate) | 226 | 212 | 2 |
gas (heat storage) | 15 | 12 | 2 |
other | 3 | 2 | 2 |
21—Proximity to points of use of autonomous water heater (% of responses): 85 close.
22—Time slots for greater withdrawal of hot water (% of responses): 63 7:30–12:30, 6 12:30–16:00, 7 16:00–19:00, 24 after 19:00.
22—Willingness to turn off the electric water heater in the daytime (% of responses): 85 favorable.
23—Willingness to replace the electric water heater with a gas model (% of responses): 46 favorable.
24—Willingness to replace the electric/gas water heater with a solar model (% of responses): 39 favorable.
25—Time frequency of use of the main appliances (% of responses):
| Weekly Frequency | Time Slot |
| 1 | 2 | >2 | 7–12 | 12–16 | 16–19 | >19 |
Washing machine | 40 | 30 | 30 | 62 | 10 | 13 | 15 |
Dishwasher | 17 | 12 | 71 | 14 | 33 | 8 | 45 |
Iron | 40 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 36 | 16 |
Conditioner/Fluorescence lamps | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Appendix C
Final report by “Albert Einstein” high school students.
We students of the Einstein Committee, interested in the energetic problem, we have faced this new experience investigating one aspect of the matter and getting in touch with public opinion during the investigation carried out in a neighborhood of our city. The feedback is undoubtedly positive, first because it has allowed us to be interested in the “domestic” aspect of the energy, the end uses of energy. Secondly, we were in direct touch with “public opinion”, concretizing a concept totally unknown to us as students. It was therefore a moment of communication and discussion with users, during which we practically applied our study, directly exposed to the actuality of our time. In addition, for the first time, we sent a message to be listened to and therefore to have a role of subjects entirely pro-active. For this reason, the results obtained, although, as there has been confirmed, they are valid and unpublished, they are affected by our inexperience in the role of researchers. The information was adequate to address the questions of the users; also to the positive effects of the research, we can add the completely experimental and new character of our work. It is necessary to note, for the record, that we have encountered some difficulties, mainly due, we think, to the distrust of public, because we were strangers; in any case, however the problem was resolved with our enthusiasm that involved our interlocutors. Most of the interviewees declared themselves theoretically favorable to the introduction of alternative elements for the partial solution of the energy problem. Many were inclined to accept the introduction of solar energy for “domestic” use, the use of measures for heat preservation and for a minor electricity consumption. In very rare cases, they have proven themselves.
The opposed to any means of saving energy and against energy alternatives. We think that based on this experience it is necessary increase information and in some cases even stimulate communication awareness of the energy problem.
Appendix D
Assessment statement by the Land planning and residential building Councilor of the Piedmont Region, Luigi Rivalta.
The energy problem, which from the carelessness in which it had been left has emerged in recent years manifestly in the eyes of all in its real range and gravity, if on the one hand it poses problems inherent in energy production. On the other hand is a problem inherent in its consumption: correct use of energy and energy resources, elimination of all waste, savings. In this respect, it is a matter of promoting the growth of one collective consciousness that recovers the deleterious effects of the (false) illusion, generated during the period of unbridled expansion consumerism, according to which resources would not place availability problems. On the other hand, the extraction costs of the raw materials and the costs for their transformation into energy they are increasingly burdened and increasingly exploited. This fact poses serious balance problems and environmental and natural protection. Economic, cultural and social reasons therefore dictate take savings as the basic cultural datum of being of our society. Such a conception must be reflected in the management proper to the various final energy consumption sectors, from industry to transport, to civil uses. Energy consumption for heating buildings, for hot water and for home appliances, has reached almost the same size as industrial consumption (excluding those of the material processing sectors raw in energy); in more developed countries they have also surpassed them. In our region, they now make up about 1/4 of all final consumption. In this sector, as in the others, irrationalities are relevant present and waste. With reference therefore to civil uses, a savings policy can obtain significant, certainly not marginal, results.
The investigation conducted on the initiative of the Einstein committee contributes to become aware of these problems by taking exemplary as a field of investigation that of the already existing neighborhoods, for which the problem of innovations tending to savings collides with the rigidity of structures. In addition, of habits, but which constitutes certainly the largest sphere for a policy of savings in the civil use sector. It constitutes an interesting contribution of knowledge and knowledge awareness; alongside other initiatives—exhibitions, conferences, debates—promoted by the Region. Say here, the interest of the regional administration to support this initiative. Add to this the value and importance that takes this example of integration of didactic activity to operational interventions of public bodies and live issues of general interest in society.
Appendix E
Einstein Committee President, Professor Tullio Regge (1980 and 1985 presentation).
The whole industrialized world is about to be hit by the energy crisis of vast proportions that poses serious problems to our economy. The shortage of fossil fuels makes us dependent, not only economically, but also politically from the exporting countries oil, coal and possibly also by those who they control uranium technology. We will have to contain and above all plan our energy consumption. The planning implies an initial diagnosis in such a way that identify wastes and indicate the solutions to avoid them, for this reason the Einstein Committee has thought of raising awareness public opinion through a series of initiatives aimed at the energy problem. Key point of this activity was the support provided by local authorities and various industries, (Regione Piemonte, ENI, CNEN, FIAT SES, ltalgas, ENEL, AEM Turin, Olivetti, Municipality of Turin), and in placing means at our disposal economic data. These circumstances allowed us to formulate a questionnaire that allowed us to make maximum use of the information. For house-to-house interviews, over 70 students of the state high school “Albert Einstein” volunteered; to them ours goes thanks. Beyond the work done, the educational side of the initiative must be underlined, aimed at sensitizing young people to important problems of our time. The work done and the results obtained went beyond our best expectations. The volume that we are presenting here provides accurate data and never so far collected on private energy consumption, data that will be needed for years to sector planning. We are also convinced that the initiative will not fail to have imitators to whom our encouragement goes. In order for this work not to remain useless an energy policy must be put in place that allows us to survive for the next two decades which are very critical for ours economy. Such a policy presupposes public education and continuous attention of the sectors concerned. We trust that the work done will serve as a stimulus for further initiatives and as a first basis for discussion of the problem energy. I conclude by warmly thanking all the stakeholders, and once again, the young people who lent themselves with enthusiasm to the experiment.
In 1980, the Einstein Committee carried out the first research project that saw high school students for the first time being researchers in collaboration with public and private bodies and companies. The project, carried out in Turin in the Crocetta district, with around 100 students from the Albert Einstein and Carlo Grassi schools who participated. The goal of contributing to knowledge and control of consumption energy had been widely achieved. The “Ecology Project” proposed by the Province of Rome, conceived, and created by the Einstein Committee in collaboration with major institutions energy five years later represents an ambitious goal achieved by the conjugation—public administration, companies public and private and high school students. The idea we proposed obviously has good legs on which to walk on.
The control on the end uses of energy in civil dwellings and by contrast environmental control through gaseous pollutants and their effects on natural indicators it represents a model that is as complex as it is overall significant for the problem analyzed. High school students are proving to represent one resource and for the construction of the new cultural model of our society. The search for a more balanced distribution of wealth is the search of a global balance, that is, peace also passes through them. The 2500 students involved in Rome, as those in Turin, are an example to imitate. Energy and the environment are resources whose a correct use determines the quality of life for the generations.
Besides, the school must always become a training area to the methodology of knowledge and research. Any type of programming they cannot ignore a cultural model possessed by the majority of young citizens.
Appendix F
Frequency of the concentration classes of the three gases, grouped by geographic areas: South Rome (A), Center (B) Northeast (C). Unit: CO mg m
−3 NO
x μg m
−3, SO
2 μg m
−3.
CO | | | | | SO2 | | | | | NOx | | | | |
Zone A | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | Apr | May |
0 | 22 | 110 | 18 | 4 | 0.0 | 41 | 260 | 64 | 24 | 0.0 | 18 | 110 | 32 | 15 |
10 | 25 | 110 | 66 | 15 | 0.1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | | 0.1 | 10 | 40 | 7 | 2 |
20 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0.2 | | | 2 | | 0.2 | 7 | 30 | 9 | 2 |
30 | 1 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0.3 | | | 8 | | 0.3 | 3 | 20 | 6 | 1 |
40 | | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.4 | | | 3 | | 0.4 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
50 | 1 | 2 | 2 | | 0.5 | | | | | 0.5 | 10 | 50 | 16 | 1 |
60 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
70 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
80 | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
90 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
100 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Zone B | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | April | May |
0 | 6 | 46 | 28 | 18 | 0.0 | 37 | 115 | 98 | 10 | 0.0 | 35 | 50 | 40 | 8 |
10 | 28 | 72 | 42 | 36 | 0.1 | | 20 | | 1 | 0.1 | 2 | 30 | 28 | 1 |
20 | | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0.2 | | 2 | 2 | | 0.2 | | 35 | 14 | 2 |
30 | | 6 | 4 | | 0.3 | | 2 | | | 0.3 | | 5 | 2 | |
40 | | 2 | 2 | | 0.4 | | | | | 0.4 | | 2 | 4 | |
50 | 1 | 5 | 4 | | 0.5 | | | 2 | | 0.5 | | 20 | 12 | |
60 | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
70 | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
80 | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
90 | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
100 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
Zone C | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | | Feb | Mar | Apr | May |
0 | 28 | 55 | 14 | | 0.0 | 50 | 176 | 60 | 46 | 0.0 | 19 | 40 | 14 | 10 |
10 | 20 | 117 | 38 | 7 | 0.1 | | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0.1 | 4 | 20 | 12 | 8 |
20 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0.2 | | 3 | | | 0.2 | 8 | 30 | 8 | 12 |
30 | | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0.3 | | | | | 0.3 | 3 | 20 | 6 | 6 |
40 | | 1 | 3 | | 0.4 | | | | | 0.4 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
50 | | 1 | | | 0.5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0.5 | 14 | 60 | 26 | 10 |
60 | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
70 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
80 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
90 | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
100 | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Appendix G
Assessment statements by the Province of Rome, Gian Roberto Lovari (President), Lina Di Rienzo Ciuffini (the Councilor for Public Education and Culture), and Giorgio Fregosi (the Councilor for Health and the Environment).
In the province of Rome 3,706,000 inhabitants live; of these just over 10% (to be exact 320,000 to 1981) are found in the age between 14 and 18, that is, in school age. The demographic projections indicate a decrease in this share of youth. Young people therefore become rarer and therefore more valuable. They represent our future and, in a demographic structure and social that goes through a transition phase and tends to grow old. They all need commitment and special attention. These contributions organized by the Einstein Committee and coming from the initiative of the Province, of the Bodies that deal with energy in our country and finally with something like that vast array of high schools in the Roman metropolitan area, testify to the quality and revitalization of our effort.
“Peace is the new frontier of the young people of current and future generations”, so began a student who spoke on behalf of thousands of young people during the meeting “1945–1985 forty years later... to say peace” organized by the Province of Rome on 23 April at the EUR Palace of Sport. This student was one of the participants in the Ecology Project that had begun the previous autumn and would have ended at the end of May. Offer young people opportunities for knowledge make them familiar with energy and environmental issues; make them protagonists of research and proposals for change. This, in summary, the methodology of the project. The culture of peace, soil that we have privileged above all, I believe it represents the most fertile humus for the new generations by which to express the desire for participation and knowledge that young people, by the threshold of year 2000, they show that they have. A future of peace, and that in which the new Man, subject-protagonist and not object-victim of social changes that advanced technology determines, finally lives master of one’s lifetime: finally, lives freed forever from the nightmare of total destruction.
In the 1960s, the writer witnessed and participated in the big one transformation of the model of life that takes place under the pressure of industrialization and low-cost energy. There were lights and shadows. Certainly one of the most critical aspects was degradation of the natural environment, which has since experienced a deterioration progressive. Today energy is no longer cheap, and those who were young students in 1960, who became adults, find it difficult to face everyday life in the logic of saving energy. Those who are young today [in the mid-1980s] find it easier to combine their way of life with environmental protection and rational use of energy. Rather, they are the protagonists. In the Ecology Project, they expressed themselves as researchers demonstrating which resource of inventiveness and transformation is contained within our schools. Our thanks go to the students, their teachers and their families, to those who collaborated and participated.
Appendix H
Executive delegated to the Ecology Project by the Province of Rome, Paolo Trevisani.
When it was decided to launch a project in Rome focused on the conservation of energy, project born in Turin in the heart of the industrial society of our country, quite a few perplexities emerged. Stereotypes are hard to change. In the debate, the general tone ironed, once again, on the peaceful and accommodating nature of Roman citizens, challenged by uncongenial themes. On the other hand, the angularity of the piedmontese people was feared, whom solve everything through objectives, methods and implementation procedures. The success of the project has overwhelmed, in the experience of those who have had the good fortune to participate, this contrast of local masks. Is true that to accomplish the metamorphosis and appeals to a very valuable raw material: the students of the metropolitan area of Rome, which like all young people in the world, are more free from cultural influences. However, this explains many things, not all. One of the most recent currents of culture and research appears aimed to deepen the real peculiarities of the environment where the structures that allow the performance of human activities are located. Researchers, men of culture and gradually larger and larger layers of the population, they began to alarm. Faced with the effects of economic growth not from the 1960s onwards, the question arose wondering to what extent the environment would have governed the transformations induced by Man without irreversible compromise. The identification of the main culprits has been attempted. To the industrial system, and through its development, including to socio-economic and territorial effects that are derived from it, the major ones have been reserved debits. This critical point, and then it developed and organized until as sum up the characteristics of a relatively widespread “cultural attitude”. The message that comes from these elaborations is the following: a weaker industrial system is a guarantee of a better conservation of the environment and protection of territorial resources. Would this message be said to be direct to a sense of alarm which comes from the industrial crisis that the country is experiencing, almost wanting to grasp positive aspects: since in the past the development of this sector occurred through the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources (and therefore through the castigation of weak sectors, such as agriculture and forestry). Today it is (all) the “green” component that can find elements of recovery and support in the crisis of the industrial system. By pursuing this logic, however, we lose sight of the fact that the onset of imbalances took place mainly due to weakness or the absence of global government policies. Therefore, the search for responsibilities, by itself, is not enough, although it is our duty. Programming methods and tools must be relaunched, extending their influence to neglected sectors so far. Think of the transformation charge that comes from reading of environmental quantities, to the relative predictive systems, to the whole environmental impact issues and more. When, just above, I mentioned the “weakness or absence of global policies”, I also meant to refer to the inadequacy of the school and professional training. Hundreds of thousands of young people know little or nothing about energy, despite being irresistible-mind directed toward new professions that in the energy node have the main reason for being. The idea that they have energy is connected to electric current, or to the atomic bomb. A vision too partial for people who, in everyday life, continuously enter into contact with different energy sectors, producing pollution and waste (i.e., dispersion of wealth) due to insufficient information neither. Through this passage, the energy problem can be easily grasped, mind in reference to the environment. The problem of protection can arise markedly in the presence of large concentrations of the population, although industry assumes a more predominant role among the activities of the population itself. This was the intuition of the Province of Rome (a geographical area that performs, however, in third place among the Italian industrial realities): reconstructing the identity of the pollution issue by reassembling the segments it is made of. With attention directed not only to its own territory but also to the entire national framework. The Einstein Committee and the students have brought this topic of discussion within the school; they enriched it with different contributions based on a broad debate. The result has been a boost to overcome the problem, a real and shared search for solutions. In particular, it emerged a net difference between the energy problem and the industrial culture associated to it, including the behavior of some connections of the industrial system. The attempt to unload every fault on the industrial system turned out to be an emotional reaction, aimed at obfuscating the problem of environmental protection rather than solving it. Abuse must be condemned and repressed. Dangerous processes must be eliminated or, at least, controlled and limited. Therefore, the environmental issue is electively placed within the energy question, and within the evolution of industrial and productive culture. Now, the results of the “Applied Ecology” project, carried out in the area of Rome, show that this connection is informally present in the experience of very large sections of the population and awaits to be recognized and valued. Students and citizens, who live, operate, and therefore formed in a socio-economic reality that wants to be extraneous to the problems of productivity, this connection is they acknowledged, probably with a sense of relief. A connection between the fraction of energy for personal use (for the use of groups, such as the family, business etc.) and the effect on the collective do exists. I believe there are connections between this great expression of sensibility, in some unexpected ways, and the extension, the deepening and revolution in Italy of culture around industrial production. This, in my opinion, ii signal that the Romans gave to students a wider range of ecological issues for the identification of forms of entrepreneurship and production of the future.
Appendix I
Sabrina Natali, IB class, student of the “L. Einaudi” school and Sergio Nico, III A class, student “F. Severi” school (Rome).
Many schools have agreed to participate because the use of energy and the quality of the environment are extremely important issues, and we students are very sensitive to these topics. The Ecology Project aimed to highlight the best ways of using energy resources, avoiding negative consequences. We noticed great difficulties in answering the related questions expenses and consumption of gas, electricity and heating; however, this fact made it difficult for the interviewees to reflect on the amount of their consumption. The operation made it difficult for us to contact unknown people by acquiring greater security in establishing relationships with them. The most important thing to notice is that we analyzed various pollutants present in the air of our city, and at thus, assess the seriousness of the question under consideration. Participation in the Ecology project has contributed to enriching our culture and our lexical knowledge, as well.
This experience led by young—with spanning age between 15 and 18 years—in my opinion, was useful because we acquired knowledge about problems not much considered by public opinion. For the majority of us it was a novelty to participate in this type of activity. We have gained an unrepeatable experience. Students from many city schools joined together, showing interest in social problems. The project had the support of families who stimulated us young people to participate. Often it was a useful moment of confrontation between generations.
Appendix J
State Industrial Technical Institute ‘Francesco Severi teacher, Silvia Zorzenon (Rome).
It is a need felt by teachers to adapt continuously to improve the quality of their teaching, to renew itself in the methods and content to make a participating school to contemporary reality and more responsive to insertion needs in society by today’s youth. For this reason, we are always looking for the new, new texts methodologies and new experiences that can enrich the baggage cultural background. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves in this constant research effort isolated, without support or collaboration especially from external environments to the school; for their part the students are bored and frustrated in one school in which they find few contacts with everyday reality. The ‘Ecology Project’ came to modify this situation: in fact, we teachers had the possibility to implement a method of different teaching, in contact with independent experts from outside the formal school. Students were informed, worked on a big issue of the actuality and felt protagonists of an investigation that had a real meaning. In short, the school, usually closed within itself, opens finally toward the environment that surrounds it and engages with reality. It is for these reasons that a large number of teachers and students, and attracted interest and attention by the parents and families themselves, welcomed research into energy end uses and urban pollution in. It should also be stressed that this research had a high content didactic as it allows the students to apply that inductive method to from which experience passes to data processing, hypotheses formulation, concerned laws, etc. …, and to implement a complete interdisciplinary approach on a real problem leading to an involvement of the teachers of all subjects. To give some examples, the compilation of end-use questionnaires energy, as well as informing and raising awareness among young people about the energy situation of our country, placed them in direct contact with the company, with their fellow citizens whose behaviour they learn about and reactions. Such behaviours and reactions could be discussed in class with teachers of letters; and again: the result of the investigation, a statistical survey, could be part of the maths program, such as research on gases and the effect of pollution on the green of the science and chemistry programs. I would also like to point out how the high participation in the project has shown that not a few teachers are available to do school differently, as long as their collaboration and means are provided, and to underline regret shown in this sense by the Public Education and Culture and Health and Environment Departments of the Province of Rome. In addition, to these Departments, to the Einstein Committee and to all the Bodies who collaborated that goes our solicitation for this collaboration between schools and Public Administration, which is only a beginning and does not constitute an isolated fact.
Appendix K
Society and energy—The future.
In June 2020, we had face-to-face interviews with some key people on the activities carried out by the Einstein Committee: two scientist co-founders of the committee, a former student currently senior manager of the Municipality of Turin and a current student engaged on environmental and energy issues. The greatest challenge for humans living on the planet Earth is to get a better life. This means that the challenge is connected to knowledge, and the strongest enemy is ignorance or lack of knowledge or any political movement that tries to limit knowledge, school, university, and freedom to acquire the living condition and ethic equity in wellness distribution. The limit of knowledge is one of the most interesting reports published by Cesare Marchetti, the scientist that first started to investigate on complexity founding a new discipline in studies and society behaviour investigation. Society needs knowledge in order to promoting equity in every field. When I suggested promoting scientific research with high school students, I was aware that: politicians were not able to investigate complexity (their knowledge was too limited) and society is a complex system and society’s problems are complex. There are no simple solutions, so necessarily solutions have to be complex; Citizens have to be involved in finding what is good for society and must take part in approaching the path of solutions. Ethics or moral are something like a mood of understanding right solutions for society. The values of solutions that worth for citizens have to worth for every science solutions. Our students were committed to finding the right approach for society‘s solutions. The idea was to know how, for instance, energy must be used in a right way. It was not a solution but the way to approach a right solution. The approach adopted for the 1980 energy project “Indagine sugli Usi Finali dell’Energia” was the same adopted for the 1985 ecology project named “Progetto Ecologia” we managed in order to monitor the gas pollutions: by the mobility and the building heating system, of the city of Rome. It was the first time that pollutants gases were monitored for a long time and many times during the day. The results of these two projects we can read in the attached reports.
What can we do now? The pandemic is an accident but like many accidents it gave time to reflect and take some direction on our common future. We got helps, suggestions, inspirations, from some famous scientists that worked with us since the beginning, among them Mr. Mario Palazzetti; Mr. Cesare Marchetti I before mentioned; and many others from the majors of the Italian business companies. Right now in order to present our contributions into the domain of citizen science, we interviewed the above-mentioned scientists and among the new politics streams, Ms. Erika Trullo, a representative of FFF, Friday For Future, the movement on climate change founded by Greta Thunberg. Erika Trullo and the FFF are pushing the EU states governments and the EU parliament forward laws focused on technology that keeps the planet temperature below 1.5 °C. Mr. Luca Palese, one of the students taking part in the first project and now officials of the public body of Torino city. The line of the horizon of our future is crowded of great challenges: climate change, energy consumptions, energy sources, equity in wellness world distribution, just to mention some important. Mr. Cesare Marchetti, the prominent scientist that invented the model to foresee the future of our technological society and the greatest expert of H2 is in favor in H2 energy source. Mr. Mario Palazzetti, the versatile genius in the technology of cogeneration small scale, that among the others invented the anti-lock braking system (ABS), is looking the future electrics. Mr. Luca Palese, powerful officials of the society system is looking to the behaviour of the public bodies that now at the European level decided already to promote laws in favor of keeping under control the energy consumptions. The main idea seems that we, Einstein Committee, started to rally among the firsts in the world toward the path that now is the mainstream of the society behaviour. What is next?