15 February

Me too, on the evening of 15 February last, I turned off my studio’s lights. Do you remember? It was “M’illumino di meno” night: the big radio event promoting energy saving that engaged millions of people in the length and breadth of our peninsula and beyond. So, me too I couldn’t escape the euphoria of media grapevine those days. I would’ve cut myself a poor figure with my neighbors, they would’ve thought of me as an insensitive energy eater, and that wasn’t just the case. Rather, I was in such a big dilemma because I was hurrying to finish the project I had to close that very night, which would let my client save thousands of kilowatts/hour every year…

That, it’s just a celebration. Just like all celebrations, it’s got its rituals and symbols. Just like all celebrations, it wouldn’t have any sense if it wasn’t a chance for a reflection capable of accompanying us in our everyday behavior. From the next day, all lights had turned on again, nor could it be otherwise. It’s clear that the symbolic gesture of a night can’t be itself the solution to a problem. Then, how can we ensure that the commitment of a night isn’t wasted? For my part, I’ll do the only thing I know and the only one I can do. Every hour of my job can really save more energy than the turning off of a few lights for a few hours. So, my contribution will be that of staying at work a little more as many times as I can. Every night I’ll keep the lights of my studio turned on a little more, without worrying about my neighbors’ judgment. If it isn’t 15 February, nobody will notice.

(Published in the column “Il corsivo di Oscuro”, in Luce e Design, n. 2/2008)