What’s your background?
I consider myself beyond Italian... because I’m lucky enough to have a wide European family. I grew up in the centre of Italy, Umbria, where my family has an organic farm, that I personally led for 15 years and converted to regenerative agriculture towards the end of the 90s, through small fruits for jams and conserves production, and school education and agri-hospitality.
What attracted you to Scotland?
My health recovery was the main driver. After my PhD in land restoration in the 2006, I have been working in environmental education in Bologna and in large reforestation project around the planet. In April 2010 I had a sort of eco-epiphany together with burn-out. Then, I discovered that my reputation was misused to endorse bigcorps greenwashing and I was really heartbroken, so I came to Scotland for a vacation and have a break from my job.
I fell in love with the Scottish landscape, more than I have ever been in love with a man. Scotland was in many ways my healer and at the beginning of Autumn 2010 I was already packing to move to the Highlands of Scotland.
What do you do?
I work to restore and close the gaps between sustainability knowledge and education with climate action and innovation. I have founded a company in Scotland in the 2014 with other Scottish partners, Aurora Sustainability Group.
At Aurora, we support innovation that unlocks cleaner and profitable solutions. For us, it's not so much a job as a mission. For the last three decades, Aurora’s founders have been providing sustainable business strategy development to others, as well as to our group and affiliated food-farm & tech developments and spin-outs, in delivering a positive change while shaping successful businesses.
The Scottish government has projected Scotland to be carbon free by 2045 … do you think that this is attainable?
I think is absolutely possible, and in order to achieve this goal there is a great need to be bold, brave and jump with our hearts and minds beyond the obstacles and the targets themselves. Planning towards scenarios without clear understanding of the basic principles of an unsustainable society or underlying conditions that frame non well defined sustainability objectives, has the risk of many potential shortcomings.
What does Scotland need to focus on to accomplish this goal?
I believe that the focus should be to expand the narrative around carbon. Carbon is not the only challenge oursociety face. For me the main focus needs to be around people and environmental health, driving the change financially also with these objectives in mind. A healtier society focused on prevention will be less costly and more happy with benefitting the climate and the environment. Given the potentially overwhelming effects of climate change on social wellbeing, the protection and promotion ofpublic health is one of the most important motivations for climate action.Indeed, the protection of health and welfare is one of the central rationales for reducing emissions.
It seems that things can get muddy with definitions .. we have sustainability, net zero, carbon free and so forth …what is your definition of sustainability?
This is a great question. We start our sustainability trainings with this question because a shared understanding ofsustainability meaning will get us quickly to the solution. Is often said that a “sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition is adequate in some ways, but does not give guidance as to the design of such a society. To be functional, the set of principles forthe objective must be necessary - to achieve the planning objective, i.e. sustainability plus anything else that a team of planners agree is mandatory - and sufficient -to cover all aspects of the objective.
In addition, the set of principles should also be general - to make sense for all the parties involved - concrete - in order to guide problem solving and actions - and distinct - to enable comprehension and facilitate development of indicators for monitoring and assessment.
What do you think Scotland’s opportunity is in Climate Change?
At the risk of being controversial for an environmental scientist, I think that the opportunity Scotland has in the climate change challenge is social. In a sustainable society, people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs - such as from the abuse of political and economic power. Scotland has the opportunity to lead this narrative in the global stage. If these social barriers are removed, innovation will flood in all directions making Scotland a giant lighthouse for change: adopting regenerative practices on current cropland, grassland and degraded land can restore quicly soil health and fertility and store tonnes of carbon in the ground.
What about clean water? What does it mean to have clean water and what is Scotland doing about that?
Scotland from many decades has been establishing a leadership post in water research and innovation for water has inspired and will continue to inspire new discoveries, some of which are crucial to tackling the climate emergency.
If you were just coming out or into education now, what advise do you have for younger people?
So many of them are concerned about thefuture but feel powerless, thinking that the control over climate and fuel change can only happen by corporations and the government … what would be your closing advise?
I would say to my younger self be bolder and be engaged, so I say that to the young generations who are facing humongus challenges ahead of them. In the words of the great environmentalist PaulHawken “the planet is hiring and it’s looking for you!”
There are indeed climate solutions to this global problem. The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have allthe facts and solutions. Miriads of opportunities are just a step ahead of us. ‘Project Drawdown’ - https://drawdown.org - shows that there are better technologies and practices for electricity generation, transportation, buildings, industry, the food system, land use, and overconsumption. Climate solutions exist for nations, municipalities, businesses, investors, homeowners, so that consumers can shift towards a system that benefits all. This is already happening across the globe through existing solutions that promote social justice, equity, and economic development, while restoring the planet’s natural carbon cycle. It is in younger generations that we will find the inspiration and courage for this change.
What does being part of the Scottish Net Zero Community mean to you?
Being part of a Global NetZero engaging platform and community of like minded people give me a sense of hope. It enables me (and hopefully everyone) to connect while sharing personal relatedness to the climate challenge and support in perpetual growth of each other, ourselves and our environment, in a personal and planetary level. The NetZero community offer a very active outlet for environmental and social values; it gives everyone the opportunity to share a subjects we are ignited about, while offering the potential to make impact together. This network helps to spread confidence and encouragement to create climate innovation, deeds and real examples of integrity and action that we all can share with others.
Tell us something about yourself that we would be suprised to hear?
Despite the climate odds, I love flying and I miss it a lot. In my youth, I wished I could have become a pilot, but I became a scientist and entrepreneur instead and I got to fly a lot anyway. Three years ago I pledged to limit my travels by plane down to one trip a year... and because of Covid, eventually now I'm down to one trip in the last three year. Although, I don't see it a huge success, neither of a sacrifice. It is privilege and I am well aware of it. Many people don't get a choice in the matter. I have been lucky to travel the world for work and I wasn't really awake for many years about my personal carbon impact in regard to flying so much.