First part – introduction

I described the project, the goals and the nature of the experimental call. Participants described themselves and their lives. Small icebreaker: I asked to picture themself during the next 15th of August (national holiday).

Second part – The current crisis and isolation

I asked participants what this Covid event mean to them, how the adaptation is going on and if their role in their communities (friends, families) changed.

Ilaria: switching from moments of sadness to moments of strong happiness, there's something positive in this situation for her since she's know drawing and writing again a lot. She think she's adapting well to the situation. Her role didn't change so much in the family, but she's enjoying a lot more her parents right now and she's happy for this.

Giulia: She's fine, working from home and sharing the space with her family, everybody is working at home! What she's missing in this adaptation process is talking with people during the day, she likes chatting and discussing. She feels lucky for her situation.

Elisa: Usually she likes to stay home, so this is not a problem. Like Giulia, she's missing the contact with people during working hours and also with friends.

Third part – Climate Change: feelings about it, are you aware of it?

Ilaria: The only thing that make her aware of CC is the rise in the temperature, especially in winter and autumn

Giulia: She learned a lot from media, but now she feels the differences in temperature and also the erosion of beaches in Puglia, she can see clearly that, especially in the last years for extreme rains and winds.

Elisa: Maybe because of her work, but she's aware of changes and extreme events. For example in the place where she lives, Santa Caterina, seafront was totally destroyed by heavy rain and now is under reconstruction.

How do you think you'll adapt in a changing climate? What do you fear the most? What's something you'll miss for CC?

Ilaria: As she's doing for COVID, she think of a quite fast adaptation process. We're mostly lazy in changing habits, but if we have to do it we do it fast, at least here in South Italy.


Giulia: she's afraid of not being able anymore to go to the seaside, because of too much pollution and sea level rise. She's also afraid of the drinking water safety in the region.

Elisa: she's very afraid of what can happen in the near future. The worst fear? To be forced in wearing a mask to breath, when going outside, because it's too hot and too polluted the air to breath freely.

Fourth part – Cooperation actors and community: what's the role of community?

Who/What you think will be important as cooperation partner/institution, who do you trust?

Ilaria: She believes in the small acts of people that can bring great change. If she thinks of an actor, she would say she trust local administrations in time of emergency.

Giulia: She trusts friends and family in time of change; local administration could play a good role, but they're not enough skilled to handle such emergencies. What can play a key role are small local NGO's, getting funds from national and european grants to spend locally and make communities more aware and resilient.

Elisa: like Ilaria, she believes in changes coming from friends and family. She can make impact there talking to them. She's a poor trust of local administrations, they are not ready for this.

At this point Giulia adds that local NGOs, can make a difference only if they incorporate strong competencies and skills inside. The government should invest money and time to make local NGOs more strong.

Fifth part – Experimental game of adaptation


G: Ilaria, Giulia, Elisa, please now imagine that you live all together in a flat in Lecce. The flat belongs to a small block of flats in the suburbs. You arrive in September in this house, after holidays, and then the regional government issue an alert:in one month water will be strictly rationed, due to the longest dry period in the recent story of the Region.

Just think about what are the side effects of this: food prices will rise, bars and restaurants will work less, a lot of people will try to grab water in supermarkets, the government will use trucks of water to give it in suburbs.

Now you have to organize yourself inside the house and inside the block of flats, imaging to have a budget to manage together (without giving the amount). In one month your life will change a lot and you have to adapt. How do you spend this money? What are the relations with the other flatmates and with people living nearby? Talk freely. And also try to make clear decisions in your discussion.

A lot of laughs in this section, it was funny and full of ideas!

Ilaria: First thing to decide inside the house is the use of bathroom! We need to make turnks, how many times we can wash the hair?

The others agreed on washing only 3 times for a week, a very fast shower, and washing of hairs only once a week. Or maybe they agreed they can cut the hair shorter.

Giulia: We should contact the plumber soon, we need to have hot water very soon in order to avoid waste.

Elisa: we can use rainwater for the drain. Also the water after cooking pasta, we should eat less pasta!

Giulia: I love pasta, we should talk about this, maybe we can reuse this water also for doing the dishes.

G: how do you manage food in the house?

Ilaria: I think we should eat less, only main course or first course. We should go in cheaper supermarkets and buy food lasting for longer.



Elisa: we should avoid meat cause the prices of it I'm sure they will rise (they need a lot of water).

We can eat more legumes and vegetables, it's not a problem. We should also buy food from local producers, cause it will be important to give them support. And don't forget we can cultivate a small garden, with the other people living nearby.

All of them agreed on this points, they loved making this plans.

Then I asked them what will be their relations with neighbours and friends.

Ilaria: We (3 of them) should not go out for coffee or food anymore, we meet people but we don't eat together, too much money and we cannot afford it.

Giulia: It will be important to make sure that we and also neighbours don't organise parties or invite people, since water can be wasted for them

Elisa: we should arrange some "trades" and cooperate with neighbours, she's sure there will be a lot of cooperation.

I asked at this point what could be their feelings during a similar situation. I also added that maybe the society will be much more in trouble than now: there will be more thiefs (of food and water also), more violence and more distress.

Ilaria: inside the house what make me more stressed is the bathroom, the use of shower and limitations

Elisa: I adapt to everything, I'll not be afraid of limitations.

Giulia: Stress will be strong, but I'm sure I will adapt.

All of them then agreed that even if they are very cooperative, fights could rise because of stress and living such situations can be difficult in the long run.

G: What do you think of the neighbours? I'll make two questions: If you know there's a family of seven in front of your door, would you open your bathroom to share some water? Then, if you are good and don't spend all the budget, how do you use it?

Ilaria: I think with some of them there will be cooperation, but with others it will be more difficult to interact, depending on their characters.

Giulia and Elisa: we sure will share water with others, but only with strict rules. It's important to give, for personal pleasure and also because you feel you can receive something when you need it.

Ilaria: With money we should buy some pizza!

Giulia and Elisa: nope! We buy flour, yeast and all the ingredients and we make it, we cannot waste money on it. (Ilaria is not happy for this decision :D)

I asked than to them what role local power and society in general can have in this scenario.

Ilaria: Local adminstrators will be important to put restrictive rules but also rise solidarity among citizens

Giulia: in such times we should avoid futile discussion and trust local powers.

Elisa: There will be more conflicts among citizens and she thinks that a responsible citizen should try to avoid futile discussion and make administrator works.

Sixth part - End of the game

Last question: Are you positive for the future?

Ilaria: <Hesitates> I know that with the committment of every citizen we can overcome this planetary crisis, so It's hard. But I'm not pessimistic.

Giulia: If after this Covid crisis nothing changes in our thinking about the biosphere, I will be very pessimistic.

Elisa: As a scientist I know the solutions are already on the ground, I'm positive for this but I know we must act before scenarios change totally, we must learn from this emergency.